Keepingitreal

HALLE BERRY TO RECEIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD: The Hollywood Reporter to honor actress at its annual Women in Entertainment breakfast.

Halle Berry will be honored at The Hollywood Reporter's 18th annual Women in Entertainment breakfast presented by Lifetime.    

       The Oscar winner will receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, which recognizes recipients for trailblazing within the industry and for generosity in giving back to the community at large. Previous beneficiaries include Barbara Walters, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Glenn Close.      

       Hilary Swank and Eva Longoria Parker will also participate in the Dec. 4 breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The event is held annually in conjunction with the publication of THR's "Power 100: Women in Entertainment" special issue, which highlights the top 100 women in the motion picture and television industries.       

       "The complex role that Halle Berry plays in life as a successful, versatile entertainment professional who is committed to furthering the well-being of others, especially minorities, is as inspiring as are her film roles," THR editor Elizabeth Guider said. "The recognition is also wonderfully fitting in a year in which diversity has been embraced and rewarded at the highest levels of our government and culture."      

       Berry, the first African-American woman to win the best actress Oscar, is the national spokesperson for the Jenesse Center, a nonprofit that provides support to heal families victimized by domestic violence.      

       Swank, a two-time Oscar-winning best actress, will deliver the keynote remarks at the breakfast. Multiple award-winner Longoria Parker will present at the event.

Alicia Keys uses voice for the voiceless

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"BBBSBA"/Young Professionals Committee-East Bay

 

Please Join The
"BBBSBA"/Young Professionals Committee-East Bay
http://www.bbbsba.org/about-us
825 Washington St, Oakland, CA (510) 836-8713

As We Host An Exclusive Jazz Mixer In Downtown Oakland!
All Proceeds Help Provide A Caring Mentor For A Local Child In Need!

Featuring A "Live Jazz" Performance By The "Adam Ivey Band"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzkxo4mrSqo

$2 Off All Drinks!

At The Air Lounge (492 9th St. Oakland)
Thursday, November 19th 6pm-9:30pm

Purchase Advance Tickets at:
http://www.bbbsba.org/support-us/donate/smooth-grooves-delicious-cocktails

TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford talk to actress Gabourey Sidibe about her rise to fame and her role in the film "Precious."

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House opens debate on health care overhaul bill

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul moved toward a vote in the House Saturday after anti-abortion lawmakers won a chance to knock out language that would let federally subsidized health care plans cover abortions. Democratic leaders were hopeful they could pass the bill, giving Obama his biggest victory since last November's historic election, no matter how the abortion issue is decided. Obama planned a rare Saturday visit to Capitol Hill in an effort to cement a majority to pass legislation that is certain to be seen as a test of his presidency. The bill would cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade. It would provide health coverage to tens of millions of Americans who don't have it now, require most employers to offer it to their workers and prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on a person's medical history. "The status quo is unaffordable and unsustainable. Health care reform benefits all of us," said Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., as debate opened on the House floor. Republicans were united in their opposition to the bill. "The American people need to understand this is about a government takeover of the whole health care system," said Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga. The most contentious issue in the 10-year, $1.2 trillion House bill is a new government-run insurance plan that would be offered alongside private coverage within new purchasing marketplaces, or "exchanges," where individuals and small businesses could shop for and compare options. The abortion agreement was reached at midnight Friday after hours of intense negotiations brokered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Democratic Reps. Bart Stupak of Michigan, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and other abortion opponents fought for and won an opportunity to insert tougher restrictions into the legislation during debate, despite fervent opposition from pro-choice liberals who are a driving force behind the overall bill. "We wish to maintain current law, which says no public funding for abortion," Stupak said. Federal law currently prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or situations in which the life of the mother is in danger. Left unresolved is whether individuals would be permitted to use their own funds to buy insurance coverage for the procedure in the federally backed insurance exchange envisioned under the legislation. CONTINUE READING...

Real Housewives of ATL - Snippet of Kim's Tardy for the Party performance!

iphone text talk 11.05.09

ABC is expected to announce today that "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts will interview Janet Jackson for a special to air on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 10 p.m.Chris Brown will finally discuss in detail what drove him to beat up his ex-girlfriend Rihanna on that February night in a new MTV News special "Chris Brown: The Interview," which airs Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.Whitney Houston will spend part of the holiday season in Russia headlining a pair of concerts that will launch a tour of Europe and Asia, the Russian Entertainment Academy announced Tuesday.s fully expected, Michael Jackson's "This Is It" album enters the Billboard 200 albums chart with an impressive 373,000 copies sold, the fifth-best sales week for an album in the U.S. this year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. contingent of Kansas City Chiefs fans are fed up with running back Larry Johnson.At least she's working! Kirstie Alley is ready to lose the weight (again!) and this time, she's planning to channel her crazy into a reality show! The currently untitled series, which follows the former TV star as she struggles to get her weight under control while raising two teenagers in LaLaLand, is set to debut [...] Lou Jing, a contestant on China’s version of “Idol,” is a recent victim of racial discrimination. The beautiful, gifted, Shanghai…Precious Premiere “This is a golden, carved, sculpted face. I really wanted to accent her gorgeous dress and since she wore minimal…They were thrilled when he came to Utah. Now Jazz fans are eager to say goodbye to Carlos Boozer. What's changed? Not Boozer.Will the pairing of Drake and Jay-Z be as powerful as the pairing of Drake and Lil Wayne? Drizzy talks to us about his latest collaborator, in Mixtape Daily.Tom Cable, the controversial head coach of the Oakland Raiders, should be suspended immediately for acknowledging on Sunday that ...CC Sabathia will start Game 4 of the World Series for the New York Yankees on three days' rest. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said ...TV News: Thesp set to star, exec produce telepic for cabler -- Gabrielle Union is set to co-star and exec produce upcoming Lifetime movie "The Vow."If you hadn't heard, the Soooooooooul Train Awards made a comeback in 2009 after being missing in action the past couple of years. This year's show was taped at the Georgia World Congress Center on Tues., Nov. 3, but won't air until Sun., Nov. 29 on both BET and Centric (the channel formerly known as BET J). (Check your local listings for air times.) If you can't wait that long to know who wins, then have a peek at the full list of nominees and winners of the 2009 Soul Train Awards. If you didn't know by now, music producer Ryan Leslie's serious about a singing career. Unlike many of the other producers who have crossed over to become performers (Diddy, Sean Garrett and others come to mind), R-Les actually has the chops to make people forget that he started out helping create hits for others.  His sophomore album, Transition, which was released in the U.S. on Nov. 3, 2009, is his second album this year; his self-titled debut came out back in February. And the two albums have the same strengths and weaknesses: the music production is hot of course, but Ryan suffers from a lack of star power and charisma. For more, check out the full review of Ryan Leslie'sTransition.

• Review: Ryan Leslie - Transition
• Review: Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie
• About.com interview: Ryan Leslie

From the Street to the Magazine

 

 

THEATER REVIEW | 'ECLIPSED'

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD ~ NEW HAVEN — Subjugation and corruption are the grim options available to the women of “Eclipsed,” a new play by Danai Gurira (“In the Continuum”) at the Yale Repertory Theater here. Set in 2003 during the Liberian civil war, the play focuses on four women held captive by the brutal leader of a rebel faction fighting against the government. Struggling to sustain their hope and humanity in a hopeless situation, some of them find the courage to ease one another’s suffering, while others fall under the spell of the violence that has ravaged the country. Like this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage, which is set in Congo, “Eclipsed” depicts the harsh realities of women’s lives in a strife-torn African country with both a clear eye and a palpable empathy. Although it is a less skillfully structured drama — partly because the women here are even more powerless than the Mother Courage-like dominant figure in Ms. Nottage’s play — “Eclipsed” presents a complementary, no-less-harrowing portrait of women fighting to retain their dignity and a sense of self-worth under extreme duress. Helena (Stacey Sargeant) has been with the rebels the longest. Abducted when the war first broke out more than a decade before, she is unsure of her own age, but has been tending to the “commanding officer” for as long as she can remember. She has also been taking motherly care of his other “wives.” Through most of the play the women refer to one another by number, a gesture both practical — they understand that they are commodities in the gruesome economy of war — and defensive. Dissociating themselves from the people they used to be is a way of denying the permanence of their awful exploitation. Helena is “No. 1”: the first to be acquired, but no longer the most sexually desired. That dubious honor has fallen to “No. 3,” Bessie (Pascale Armand), still girlish and vain, but well into a pregnancy.CONTINUE READING..

Saints equal best start in team history with win over Falcons

The New Orleans Saints weren’t perfect Monday night, as they outlasted the division-rival Atlanta Falcons for a sometimes sloppy, sometimes spectacular 35-27 victory.But their performance was perfectly acceptable as they matched the best start in franchise history at 7-0.“This is a huge win,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “We knew this coming in obviously, you win and really it’s worth two (in the division standings). It wasn’t the prettiest win at times. But we did what we needed to do when we needed to do it. That says a lot.”New Orleans has now opened a three-game lead in the NFC South, with Atlanta (4-3) the closest contender. Although it’s clearly way too early to make postseason promises, a graphic flashed on the screen during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecast that pointed out that the Saints have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL in the next nine weeks.“We haven’t hit the halfway point of the season yet,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said when the undefeated talk was mentioned in his postgame press conference. “Each week we get another challenge. So we’re just focused on trying to get better. And each time we play another game, it seems to have that much more importance.”Up next for the Saints is another division matchup against the Carolina Panthers (3-4), who are coming off an impressive victory over Arizona.But with all due respect to Payton, Monday night’s win was bigger than the typical weekly matchup.Atlanta, which beat out the Saints for a playoff spot last season, loomed as New Orleans’ strongest contender in the South this season, and a Falcons victory Monday night would have closed the gap to one game in the division race.The Falcons didn’t relent. They forced four turnovers and piled up 442 yards of offense — actually outgaining the Saints by 5 yards.Once again, however, the Saints’ big-play defense kept slamming the door shut each time it was cracked open, providing just as many heroics as the Saints’ high-powered offense.Cornerback Jabari Greer sliced through the Atlanta offense for a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown shortly before halftime. Cornerback Tracy Porter added a touchdown-saving pick early in the fourth quarter, bringing in a ball tipped by linebacker Jonathan Vilma. And safety Darren Sharper reeled in the Falcons’ final desperate Hail Mary attempt in the closing seconds after Atlanta made things interesting by recovering an onside kick after a field goal.“(Porter’s interception) was huge,” Sharper said. “That had to be the play of the game. To get that interception and not let them get any points was huge. That’s what we’ve been doing all year.”The Saints’ defense has 21 takeaways this season, and it has scored six touchdowns. Five interceptions have been returned for scores, matching the franchise record set in 1998.The Saints’ offense was plenty explosive, too, Monday night, with Brees throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Pierre Thomas running for 91 yards and scoring twice, and offensive weapons such as Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem making a series of spectacular catches.CONTINUE READING..

Rihanna to Talk About Chris Brown Incident in Upcoming Interview

For the first time since the headline-grabbing domestic violence incident involving her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown -- Rihanna is set to talk about what happened between them last February. ABC News has announced that Rihanna will sit down with Diane Sawyer in an interview that is scheduled to air on "Good Morning America" on Thursday, Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 a.m. ET -- and then on Nov. 6 at 10 p.m. ET on "20/20." "This happened to me...it can happen to anyone," Rihanna says, adding of Chris, "He was definitely my first big love." According to ABC News, Rihanna will also talk about her family life, growing up in Barbados and how life has been for her since her split from Brown, who was sentenced to five years of probation, community labor and one year of domestic violence counseling.

[Read full story on The Insider]