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Orlando Magic beat LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers to reach NBA Finals

They're back from the basketball dead. Fourteen long and frustrating years since making their first NBA Finals appearance — just six years removed from posting the league's worst record — the Orlando Magic are returning for a shot at the championship. The Magic earned a trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the title by winning the Eastern Conference finals, ousting the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90 in Game 6 on Saturday night atAmway Arena. The NBA Finals opens in L.A. at Staples Center on Thursday night."It would be so great to get a trophy for Rich," Magic President Bob Vander Weide said, speaking of team owner Rich DeVos, 82. Orlando made it to the title round in 1995, but was swept by the Houston Rockets in four games. The Magic were led by young superstar center Shaquille O'Nealback then. And their return to those glory days is fueled now by young superstar center Dwight Howard, who scored 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to spare the Magic from playing a Game 7 in Cleveland on Monday night. Two summers ago, Howard — the No. 1 draft pick in 2004 the Magic received after compiling a league-worst 21-61 record — predicted the Magic would win a title."Everybody laughed," Howard said. "I mean everyone."And last summer, when Howard joined Cavs megastar LeBron Jamesand others on the gold-medal winning Olympic team, Howard was greeted with similar reactions when he talked up the Magic."They all said, 'Yeah, right, Dwight," he recalls. Dwight was right. The Magic rode Howard and super sub Mickael Pietrus' 14 points, hit timely 3-pointers and kept LeBron (25 points) from ruining their dream. So long LeBron, hello Kobe. The Magic closed out the Cavs 4-2 in the best-of-seven series, completing a remarkable playoff run along to reach L.A. SOURCE:ORLANDO SENTINEL

Lakers win Game 6 over Lakers 119 Nuggets 92

In a season of redemption, where the Lakers decided from day one to finish off what they couldn't a year ago, another authoritative step was taken toward an NBA championship. Those who questioned the Lakers' resolve were quieted. Those who wondered if they were too fatigued now know the answer.Those who didn't think the Lakers could handle the physical, unpredictable Denver Nuggets witnessed a thorough 119-92 series-clinching victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Friday at Pepsi Center. Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins Thursday against either Orlando or Cleveland. The Lakers went 2-0 against Cleveland and 0-2 against Orlando in the regular season, but they would have home-court advantage against Orlando. Kobe Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists in a dominant effort Friday that brought home the franchise's 30th conference championship. James Worthy then handed a silver trophy to Lakers General Manger Mitch Kupchak, amid a reaction by the players that would be called appreciative rather than excitable or declarative.Once they were done with the brief ceremony, the Lakers removed the T-shirts and caps that proclaimed them conference champions. Andrew Bynum, who missed this part last season because of a knee injury, was the only one who wore his new merchandise out to the team bus. The victory marked the second consecutive time the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals, though they never came home with the Larry O'Brien trophy last season, losing to Boston in six games. "It's good to be here, but it's not our goal," said forward Trevor Ariza, who had 17 points on seven-for-nine shooting. "It was just a step. I know we'll be happy when we get that ring." There were plenty who weren't sure the Lakers would have a chance after they sleepwalked their way through a seven-game series against Houston in the conference semifinals. But they took everything the Nuggets threw at them -- flagrant fouls, technical fouls and a maze of tattoos and attitude -- and emerged relatively unscathed. Bryant said this playoff journey through the West, which took 18 games, wasn't comparable to last season's breezy stroll that required only 15."Much, much tougher," he said. "Much more physical. Mentally challenging for us. But we gained valuable experience, went through a roller coaster of emotions." CONTINUE READING..

James scores 37 as Cavs win Game 5

LeBron James made a new guarantee: Game 6.With Cleveland's wondrous season on the line, James had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams, who boldly predicted his team would come back and win this tight-as-can-be series, added 24 points in the Cavaliers' 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Thursday night.It's back to Florida for Game 6 on Saturday night at amped-up Amway Arena.You expected anything else?"I mean this was a big game for us," James said. "You never want to disappoint the home crowd by not coming out and play as hard as you can. It was win or go home."The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit but missed their first opportunity to close out the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. Orlando will have two more tries to reach the NBA finals for the first time since 1995.For Cleveland, a city banking on James to deliver a championship after a 45-year drought, the MVP was again in a league of his own. James scored 21 points in the second half — 17 in the fourth quarter — and had a hand in 29 of Cleveland's 34 points in the final 12 minutes. Hedo Turkoglu scored 29 for Orlando, and Dwight Howard had 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:22 remaining when he was called for his sixth personal foul while trying to stop James on a drive. Not even Superman was denying James.  CONTINUE READING..

Lakers win Game 5 over Nuggets 94 Lakers 103

The Lakers are one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.The Denver Nuggets are one loss away from going on vacation.For three quarters tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals at Staples Center, the Lakers and Nuggets played it even, ending all three with a tie score. But in the fourth quarter, the Lakers took control, pulling away for a 103-94 victory over the Nuggets and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Nuggets can keep their hopes alive by winning Game 6 at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.If the Nuggets win, they'll meet the Lakers here Sunday evening for a winner-take-all Game 7. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points and eight assists. Lamar Odom had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had 31 points for the Nuggets, but he was just nine-for-23 shooting from the field. The Lakers had an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead trimmed to 93-89 with more than two minutes to play and then to 96-91 with 1:20 left on a basket by Anthony. Though the Lakers were struggling to keep their heads above water, they didn't go all the way under. Bryant found Odom down low for a layup. Odom was fouled as he scored and made the ensuing free throw for a 99-91 Lakers lead. Bryant made two free throws for a 101-91 lead that sealed the game. When winning Game 5 of a best-of-seven series, the Lakers have a 39-7 record. Since leaving the ABA after the 1975-76 season, the Nuggets have never played in the NBA Finals. In fact, the Nuggets have played for a professional basketball title just once, in '75-'76, for the ABA championship. And the Nuggets lost. The Nuggets, known for losing their composure, lost it early in the fourth quarter. Nene was called for an offensive foul with 9:33 left, his fifth foul. As he walked to the bench during a timeout, Nene was called for a technical foul. Nene eventually fouled out with 4:02 left on a blocking foul against Pau Gasol. SOURCE: LATIMES.COM

Make me a Supermodel: Mountaha is understandably disappointed

Prop. 8 stands; more ballot battles ahead

(05-26) 14:30 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- California's voters, not its courts, are the final judges of same-sex couples' right to marry. And even if they're barred from marrying, gays and lesbians are not the victims of unconstitutional discrimination. Those were the two clearest messages in Tuesday's 6-1 ruling by the state Supreme Court that upheld Proposition 8, the November initiative that amended the California Constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. They came from a court that had seemingly said something quite different a year earlier. In May 2008, a 4-3 majority led by Chief Justice Ronald George said California's voter-approved law that allowed only opposite-sex couples to marry violated the rights of gays and lesbians to choose their spouses and discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation. Defenders of the law argued that it merely preserved the traditional definition of marriage and that same-sex couples who registered as domestic partners had all the rights of heterosexual married couples under state law. George responded then that denying gays and lesbians the "historic and highly respected designation of marriage" deprived their families of "equal dignity and respect." But on Tuesday - after an $85 million campaign that ended Nov. 4 with Prop. 8 winning 52 percent of the vote - George led a majority that declared the right to marry was not essential for gays' and lesbians' equality and that the people were the ultimate deciders of what should be included in their Constitution.

Same-sex weddings stand

The 18,000 same-sex couples married before Nov. 4 remain legally wed, the chief justice said in a unanimous portion of the ruling. Applying Prop. 8 retroactively to dissolve those marriages, he said, would disrupt "thousands of actions taken in reliance on (last year's ruling) by these same-sex couples, their employers, their creditors and many others." CONTINUE READING..

Cop: Had Grant cooperated, he would be alive

(05-27) 17:00 PDT OAKLAND -- A colleague of the former BART police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man early New Year's Day testified Wednesday that the victim would still be alive if he and his friends had cooperated with police. "If they would have followed orders, this wouldn't have happened," said Officer Marysol Domenici at a preliminary hearing in Oakland for former Officer Johannes Mehserle, who is charged with murder. Domenici and Mehserle were among seven BART officers who responded to Oakland's Fruitvale Station at about 2 a.m. in response to reports of a fight aboard a Dublin-Pleasanton train. Five young men, including 22-year-old Oscar Grant of Hayward, were detained. Domenici and other BART officers testifying for the defense have described Grant and the others as belligerent. Domenici said Wednesday that if the men had followed police instructions and cooperated, "they probably would have just been cited (arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor) and released." Attorneys for Mehserle, 27, say he meant to fire his Taser stun gun rather than his pistol as he and another officer were trying to handcuff Grant for allegedly resisting arrest. Grant was killed by a single shot to the back. Domenici, who has been on the BART force for four years, was called by defense attorneys to talk about what she described as a chaotic situation on the train platform. She said she had no regrets about her actions that night. Domenici said she had not seen Mehserle shoot Grant because she had been facing the other direction. Immediately after the shot was fired, she said, some train riders were so angry that she started thinking about using her gun. "I said to myself, 'Oh, Jesus Christ, if I have to, I'm going to have to kill somebody,' " Domenici said. But she also said she had never pushed an emergency button on her police radio that would have allowed her to call for backup. CONTINUE READING..

Historic nomination: Hispanic Sotomayor as justice

Reaching for history, President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, championing her as a compassionate, seasoned jurist whose against-the-odds life journey affirms the American dream. Republicans who will decide whether to make a fight of her confirmation said they want thorough hearings. However, defeating Sotomayor would be difficult in the heavily Democratic Senate, and even a major effort to block her confirmation could be risky for a party still reeling from last year's elections. Hispanics are the fastest-growing part of the population and increasingly active politically. Obama, eager to begin putting his imprint on the court, beamed as he introduced Sotomayor as a judge who displays both an impressive mind and heart, a jurist who takes on cases with "an understanding of how the world works and how ordinary people live." He raved about her credentials, saying she would start on the job with more experience on the bench than any of the current nine justices had when they began. The White House tableau itself was history: A black president and his white vice president, Joe Biden, striding onto a stage in the ornate East Room with the nominee who grew up in a New York housing project where her parents had moved from Puerto Rico. At 54, Sotomayor (pronounced soh-toh-my-YOR'), would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the court and just the third in its history. She would replace liberal Justice David Souter, thereby maintaining the court's ideological divide. A number of important cases have been divided by 5-4 majorities, with conservative- and liberal-leaning justices split 4-4 and Justice Anthony Kennedy providing the decisive vote. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

J.L. King's Raw Now Playing

On a three-week run at The Actors’ Playhouse every Saturday at 10pm, RAW: No More Secrets, No More Lies is the first stage play from On The Down Low author, J.L. King, who set the stage for the DL (down low) discourse with his book and appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In RAW, King uses the confessions of six naked men to explore the spectrum of DL sexuality, from the music mogul who enjoys cross-dressing, to the heterosexual hustler who is gay for pay. Each has a story of suffering to tell, and as they expose their pain and agony, they expose themselves. Oddly enough, though, despite the gay undertones and the undisputed homosexuality of DL men, this play is billed as “the hottest & only controversial play that speaks truth to women.” What King intended was an in-depth exploration into the DL psyche, explaining why down low men continue to victimize women with irresponsible, dangerous behavior.

Magic beat Cavs in overtime to take 3-1 series lead

Appropriately enough, a living, breathing 7-foot timeline of the franchise's past and present sat a few feet from the court. The Orlando Magic crept within one victory on Tuesday night of making it to the NBA Finals, their first appearance since a certain onlooker named Shaquille O'Neal led the team to the title round in 1995. In a fiercely played game, the Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114 in overtime at Amway Arena to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.The Magic now have three chances to end the club's 13-year dry spell, much of it coming after Shaq exited as a free agent a year after being swept in the title round by the Houston Rockets.The Magic seized home-court advantage from the top-seeded Cavs in Game 1, and can oust them from the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Thursday night at Quickens Loan Arena. A loss to Cleveland would have tied the series at 2-2, giving the Cavs two of three remaining games at home. Ousting LeBron James won't be easy. He will not go quietly, probably placing little stock in this historical trend that says this thing's over: Teams that go ahead 3-1 in seven-game series have advanced 95.6 percent of the time.
After Rashard Lewis made just 1 of 2 free throws for a 116-114 lead with 3.2 seconds on the clock, James tried to duplicate his Game 2 heroics, but this 3-pointer at the buzzer missed. Orlando went ahead 109-105 on Mickael Pietrus' 3-pointer and by six with 1:12 left on Dwight Howard's follow of Hedo Turkoglu's missed drive. But James hit a lay-up and, with 39.3 seconds to play, two more free throws to trim the Magic's led to 111-109. Howard then hit two free throws with 21 seconds left and Lewis added two more with 6.4 ticks remaining for 115-11 lead as the Magic held off any LeBron brilliance. With the Magic trailing 98-97 in regulation, Rashard Lewis, struggling all game, drilled a 3-point with 6.4 seconds left for a 100-98 lead. James took the ball with 4.1 seconds remaining, and went down after tangling with Pietrus, giving James two free throws with .5 seconds left. James made them both --- the second one hopping out and then back in – to send Game 4 into OT. The Cavs trailed by eight early in the final period, but stormed back with their season teetering. LeBron drove in for a dunk to cut it to one. The Cavs then fouled Dwight Howard, who made 1 of 2. After Delonte West drove on Howard for a lay-up to tie it at 97, Magic point guard Rafer Alston misfired. LeBron was fouled and hit just 1 of 2, but it gave Cleveland a 98-97 lead with 1:05 remaining. Pietrus then missed from the corner, but a floor-burn scramble between Howard and West resulted in Orlando gaining possession with 6.4 seconds left. James hit three free throws and a bucket after West's basket to make it 93-90 with just under five minutes left. CONTINUE READING..

Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter dies after apparently hanging herself on a dangling cord

PHOENIX (AP) -- The 4-year-old daughter of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson died Tuesday, a day after what police called a "tragic accident" in her home. Phoenix police spokesman Andy Hill said Exodus Tyson was pronounced dead in a hospital just before noon. Police said the girl was playing on a treadmill Monday in her central Phoenix home when she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console. Exodus' 7-year-old brother found her and told their mother, who was in another room. She took Exodus off the cord, called 911 and tried to revive her. Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on Exodus as they took her to the hospital, where she had been listed in critical condition since Monday.Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time of the accident and flew Monday to Phoenix, where he was seen entering the hospital. Cynthia Schwartz, a spokeswoman for Tyson, said the family would release a statement Tuesday evening. They had not made any funeral arrangements, she said. Hill said it was unclear whether an autopsy would be performed.

Get Clued into Layoff Warning Signs

 Maybe you love your job so much you brush off hints that the company's wheels are starting to come off. Or maybe you despise your job enough that you pay no attention to anything other than getting through a full day. Maybe you don't think you have any reason to watch for signs you might be headed for a job loss. But maybe you should. Even if you're doing well and things seem peachy in the workplace, it's never a bad idea to pay attention to hints that your job may be in jeopardy. Stay one step ahead of a layoff by heeding these warning signs.

Internal Problems: Things You Control

Sometimes we ignore obvious signs that the other shoe is going to drop, attributing negative signals to a bad phase that will quickly pass. Unfortunately, ignoring these signs can threaten your job security.

Watch out if:

• You Got a Bad Review or a Warning.How was your last performance review? Did you get a decent raise? Were you given any warnings or put on probation for anything? It's a bad sign if nothing positive was said during your review.
• Your Boss Looks over Your Shoulder.Has your boss recently put you on a short leash, when he used to trust you to work independently? Maybe he's been giving you subtle warnings that your work is not up to snuff even though you think otherwise, and he finally got tired of you missing his signals.
• You Get the Cold Shoulder.Do colleagues you used to eat lunch or talk with avoid you lately? Do they skirt discussions about future projects? Are you being left out of meetings you used to be part of? Think there's a reason?

External Problems: Management Changes Beyond Your Control

Keeping an eye on the company, its health and the ripple effects of high-level decisions can clue you into the true status of your job security. Be wary if:

• You Get a New Boss.For five years, you worked in harmony with your boss, who was suddenly replaced by a rattlesnake. This is no time to be complacent; prep for a job search before you have to. Line up a reference from HR since the new boss probably won't give you a good one.
• Management Makes Changes at the Top.The company's leader and figurehead suddenly disappears, and the entire mood of the company shifts. Long-time employees are heard grumbling and complaining about the new direction. This can actually help you. Ask yourself: How do I handle change? If you're averse to making a big move, you'll probably hate the new procedures that go along with the transition to a new leader. On the other hand, how will you handle the changes associated with getting a new job? Will you find those challenges any easier? Weigh the consequences of both scenarios.
• There Are Rumors of Restructuring or Layoffs.Sometimes rumors carry a grain of truth. If there is talk about restructuring the office, be prepared. If you don't do a full-out job search, at least dust off your resume so if you're cut, you'll have that chore out of the way.
• New Hires Don't Fit the Mold.Sometimes a new colleague is hired who can do no wrong with all of the managers but treats you and other employees like dirt. If you've complained and documented your gripes but management doesn't confront the bad apple, you must assess what this person is doing to your outlook on work. Sometimes morale can get so low that there's no choice but to leave.

Overall, it's important to know the difference between something that truly threatens your job security and something that may actually turn out to be a bad week or month.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

2009 Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival!: Saturday May 30 , 2009

Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival
Performance Workshop

The Malclom X Jazz Arts Festival Performance Workshop (PW) is a community dance and theater program located in Oakland California. With it's roots in African American culture this training program prepares youth to be an integral part of Oakland's annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival now in it's 6th year. An ongoing program, the PW teaches dance, theater, spoken word, stage production as well as social and political education.The dance curriculm has an emphasis on history with workshops ranging from traditional African dance, Lindy Hop and other dance styles of the Harlem Renaissance, old school funk and boogaloo styles of the 1970's into today's new school Hip Hop dance styles. The theater aspect offers workshops on stage production, poetry and, social/political education that focuses of critical thinking and examining the cycle of violence in our community. All of these workshops culminate to the annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival. In addition to the festival students perform through out the Bay Area on a regular basis.

Is Black Radio Worth Saving?

It's rare to have Rep. John Conyers (Detroit) and Rev. Al Sharpton (Heaven?) publicly split against each other, but a recently-passed bill (H.R. 848), championed by Conyers, just accomplished that. The "Performance Rights Act" has created a full-blown spectacle, even enlisting the megaphone of media mogul, Cathy Hughes, who called it a "bill that could put many black owned radio stations out of business. And force others to abandon their commitment to provide free music, entertainment, news, information, and money losing formats like gospel and black talk." In recent weeks, many, including the inimitable Dick Gregory, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Tom Joyner, have rallied in opposition to it.The bill passed last Wednesday in the House, but not before a rally organized by Ms. Hughes, herself, outside Conyers' office. It should be duly noted that H.R. 848 didn't just spring up like a thief in the night. For months it had been in the works, and for months, faithful public servants like award-winning Hip-Hop journalist, Davey D, had been raising their voices against the dangers it could cause--to Black radio.

As early as January 27, 2009, Davey D had begun sounding the alarm. By February 24, he was convinced that if Conyers greased the wheels for the passage of the bill, "He and his collogues will be regretting their shortsightedness... Conyers and his ilk will one day sadly discover that those outlets will not be able to accommodate them in an effective way because many outlets like mine play music with our talk." At the time, Davey D speculated that perhaps the "esteemed Congressman has been duped and bamboozled. Someone on his staff has given him bad information"; but many of Conyers' opponents aren't so willing to give him that much credit anymore.

Davey D explained, in plain English, the content and character of Conyers' handiwork. It's worth quoting at-length:

If this goes through, what will essentially happen is that we will find ourselves in a situation where it will become real costly to play music. This new coalition is really the same outfit that went and gutted internet radio making it so it costs 18 cent a song per listener. Do the math and ask yourself why we don't have more stations? It's too damn expensive after you reach a certain amount of listeners. The rate is scheduled to go up to 25 cent a song per listener in 3 years.. This means if you have something cracking and you get even half a million listeners it will be impossible for you to pay for it, even with advertising.<

But as much as we've been alerted to the danger involved in a potential loss of this vibrant part of our culture, we must be just as willing to question if this effort, on the part of executives like Cathy Hughes, is even worth it. We should also demand from them what their true motive, in this fight, is. After all, Cathy Hughes, as founder and CEO of Radio One, hasn't been so beneficial to the younger Black community. In 2007, Jahi, the California-based Hip-Hop artist, asked a timely question: "When will Radio One be held accountable for the music they are feeding to our kids, matter of fact, all of us?" Jahi railed against Radio One and Cathy Hughes for promoting a Spring Fest Miami concert series, with artists whose only prerogatives seem to be the pursuit of material wealth and other self-destructive acquisitions. Jahi felt that as much as Don Imus, the disgrace radio jock, was tossed into the lion's den for his "nappy-headed hoes" comment, and justly so, the Black Imus-lites on the airwaves should be met with equal amounts of antagonism, from an irate community: "The date after the controversy broke, I heard an artist say "beautiful hoe's" on the radio (RADIO ONE). Yeah they bleeped out "hoes" but we all know what was said. What does Radio One and Kathy Hughes have to say about that?"

Jahi has a valid point; but the question, in my view, should be broadened and more inclusive: "What do WE, as a people, as a generation, as a culture, have to say about that?" If we'll be frank, and I certainly hope we can, most of what is played on Black or "urban" radio stations across the country is unadulterated bullsh**! Bullsh** in perpetuity.. The same hedonistic, materialistic, misogynistic set of 5 - 10 songs is rotated by slow-witted DJ's, whose sole claim to fame is the ability to read scripts--pre-written by record label executives--about how "ill," "hot," "siccckkk," "phat," "dope," and "crack," a select few of commercial artists are. These fu**ed-up "on-air personalities" couldn't care less what impact their role is having on the collective psyche of the Hip-Hop community. They take pride and joy in a job which trained-robots and machines can do effortlessly and, dare I add, more eloquently. These backbone-less puppets have no depth into which their integrity refuses to dive--as long as the promise of financial solvency abounds. Anyone who doubts the verity of my contention need only switch their radio frequencies to any station with the title "Hot" or "Power" before it. SOURCE:THE DAILY VOICE

The Numbers Game

EXCERPT FROM NAPPYAFRO.COM ~ This week we saw the return of Cam’ron to the charts after a three-year hiatus. Even though King Jerm was ready to put money down that Crime Pays would be on top of the charts this week, it went on the capture the #3 spot and move 43,000 copies. Now, I’m not saying 43k is bad; people aren’t really buy records these days. But I will say that I think that if Killa had delivered a better album, the numbers would have been better (Sounds simple huh?). That’s just my opinion. What’s next for Cam’ron? Paul Wall’s third album, Fast Life, also debuted this week at #15. Even though I really wasn’t feeling the album, I know some people who did. I actually like Paul Wall; he seems like a genuine guy (I even got more respect for him after watching E! True Hollywood Story: Rapper Wives). And the last debut is from Atlanta’s own Gucci Mane with Murder She Wrote. Even though it’s an album not co-signed by Gucci himself, he went on sell 17,000 albums and take the #23 position.

#3 Cam’ron/Crime Pays (Last Week: NA) - 43,000; Total: NA [Debut]
#8 Chrisette Michele/Epiphany (Last Week: #1) - 29,000; Total: 113,000 [2 Weeks]
#9 Rick Ross/Deeper Than Rap (Last Week: #8) - 26,500; Total: 270,000 [4 Weeks]
#10 Ciara/Fantasy Ride (Last Week: #3) - 26,100; Total: 107,000 [2 Weeks]
#15 Paul Wall/Fast Life (Last Week: NA) - 22,000; Total: NA [Debut]
#16 Keri Hilson/In A Perfect World… (Last Week: #20) - 20,900; Total: 279,600 [8 Weeks]
#21 Beyonce/I Am Sasha Fierce (Last Week: #18) - 17,300; Total: 2,173,000 (2x Platinum) [27 Weeks]
#22 Jamie Foxx/Intuition (Last Week: #25) - 15,300; Total: 920,700 (Gold) [22 Weeks]
#23 Gucci Mane/Murder Was The Case (Last Week: NA) - 17,000; Total: NA [Debut]
#34 Jadakiss/The Last Kiss (Last Week: #34) - 13,000; Total: 259,000 [6 Weeks]
#36 Flo Rida/R.O.O.T.S. (Last Week: #46) - 11,700; Total: 161,100 [7 Weeks]
#40 The-Dream/Love Vs. Money (Last Week: #45) - 10,700; Total: 369,700 [10 Weeks]
#46 Asher Roth/Asleep In The Bread Aisle (Last Week: #42) - 10,000; Total: 102,000 [4 Weeks]

Game Over. The Rise and Fall of Black Shows on Television

The cancellation of CW’s The Game, represents the final nail in the coffin for African American shows on network TV. Over the past decade, there were a handful of black shows, sitcoms to be particular, that saw the light of day. Once upon a time, there was a minor league network called The WB that gained it’s primary audience by airing these programs - “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “The Wayan’s Brother’s”, “The Parent ‘Hood”, “The Steve Harvey Show” and “Sister, Sister” (after being dropped from ABC) being prime examples.Meanwhile there existed another network that appeared to remain loyal to their African American base: The now defunct UPN, which showcased “One on One,” “Half and Half”, and “All of Us” and “Eve,” to name a few. In January 2006, CBS and WB announced that they would collapse both The UPN and The WB and launch a brand new network called The CW. From that point, decisions were made as to which programs from each network would be migrated over to The CW, and which ones would be terminated. By 2006, African American programs had been completely eliminated from The WB and it was crystal clear which UPN shows would get the boot as a result of the merger. “7th Heaven”, “Beauty and the Geek”, “Gilmore Girls”, “One Tree Hill”, “Reba”, “Smallville”, and “Supernatural” found a new home at The CW, leaving “Girlfriends”, and “All of Us”, “The Game”, and “Everybody Hates Chris” as the last Black network TV shows standing.The downward trend continued with the sudden cancellation of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s “All of Us,” and was accentuated by the cancellation of the CW’s long running hit show “Girlfriends” two years later, in 2008. After 8 seasons, and millions in ad revenues, they weren’t even given so much as a series finale. When interviewed once, Mara Brock Akil stated that she was “ in talks with the studio and network on putting together a retrospective show which will honor and celebrate this landmark series, so please stay tuned.” Sounds hopeful, but that claim was made well over a year ago. So much for closure. SOURCE:CLUTCHMAGAZINE.COM

Maxwell to tour U.S.

With his long awaited fourth studio album, BLACKsummers'night, slated for release by Columbia Records on July 7, the contemporary soul artist Maxwell will return to the concert stage for first leg of a major North American tour kicking off June 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and finishing July 31 in Miami (please see Maxwell tour itinerary following).Along his 2009 tour route, Maxwell will headline the main stage of the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on July 4, appear at the BET Music Awards in Los Angeles on June 28, and perform on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman" on July 10. Tickets for Maxwell's 2009 summer concert tour are available via Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com).  Tickets for Maxwell's Milwaukee performance are available at Ticketmaster now with Grand Rapids and Vancouver going on sale Friday, May 22 and Las Vegas going on sale Saturday, May 23.  Please visit Ticketmaster.com for on-sale information for all shows.Maxwell's 2009 summer tour dates mark the artist's first extended run of evening's length concerts since breaking a six-year hiatus from live performance with his standing-room-only US tour in October 2008.  When all 144,000 tickets for that tour sold-out within minutes of going on sale, the itinerary was extended from 26 to 33 cities.   Maxwell's live performances were met with unanimously positive critical responses.  The New York Times praised Maxwell's Radio City Music Hall concert as "exquisite" and "powerful" while the Boston Herald lauded his "awesome talent."  Maxwell premiered new songs from BLACKsummers'night during his 2008 fall tour, among them "Pretty Wings," "Bad Habits," "Help Somebody," and "Cold." BLACKsummers'night is the first full-length Maxwell release since Now, his critically-acclaimed third studio album, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in August 2001. BLACKsummers'night is the sensuous opening installment of the artist's monumental BLACKSUMMERS'NIGHT trilogy.  (The trilogy's subsequent chapters, blackSUMMERS'night and blacksummers'NIGHT, are slated for release in 2010 and 2011 respectively.) "Pretty Wings," the first single from BLACKsummers'night, became available through digital service providers on Tuesday, April 28 while a video for the song premiered that same day on BET's "106 & Park" and on musze.com, Maxwell's website. BLACKsummers'night reunites Maxwell with long-time collaborator Hod David, who serves as co-producer and co-writer of the album.   Striving for an emotional authenticity and real world sound for the album, Maxwell and Hod recorded the entire album live in the studio with an a-list ensemble of elegantly sympathetic musicians.

Marcus Patrick at Blatino Oasis

MARCUS PATRICK AT BLATINO OASIS from Ron Fulcher on Vimeo.