Langfield Entertainment
424 Yonge Street, Suite 301, Toronto,
ON M5B 2H3
(416) 677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
NEWSLETTER
Updated: December 11, 2003
Just a couple more weeks for most of us to have a little time
off for friends and family. I, for one, am really
looking forward to it and could use the break! It's so easy to keep so
busy and forget all that we have to be thankful for - take time to celebrate
even that! Kwanza and Hanukkah are right around the corner as well.
Just celebrate safely ok?
Exciting news from Radio Starmaker for more Canadian artists - and surprising
news for Tamia! Both below under SCOOP!
Please check out the special upcoming HOT
EVENT - the Tribute to Earth, Wind &
Fire. A definite stress-reliever and absolute guaranteed good
time! And then there's all the Canadian MUSIC
NEWS, including those nominated for a Grammy and Billboard Award!
And vote for your favourite jazz artist under the National Jazz Awards
article! Little side note, Skitz absolutely killed at the Warchild Fundraiser. Get out to see this artist whenever have the
opportunity. All other artists that performed were awesome too - just had
to give a special shout out to the phenomenal free-styling skills of
Skitz. More props under the Benefit article. And don't forget to check the PHOTO GALLERY for pics from the Carlos Morgan showcase at Trane Studio!
And news on Redemption (shot
in Toronto) being premiered at The Sundance Film Festival under FILM NEWS. And very cool breaking
news on several icons under OTHER NEWS!
This newsletter is designed to give you some updated entertainment-related news
and provide you with our upcoming event listings. Welcome to those
who are new members. Want your events listed by date? Check out EVENTS. Want to be removed from this distribution? CLICK HERE!
SCOOP
Radio
Starmaker Fund Awards $535,552 To Canadian Recording Artists
The Radio Starmaker
Fund announced its 9th round of funding approvals after the Fund's Annual
General Meeting on December 4th. A total of $535,552 will be distributed to Canadian
recording artists to assist with marketing, promotional and
touring opportunities. Grant recipients include Swollen Members, Buck 65, Hawksley Workman, Alain Lefèvre,
Kid Koala, Jimmy Rankin, Choclair, Gob
and Natalie McMaster.
The Radio Starmaker
Fund will also be renewing its commitments to the Canadian Country Music Association
and the Western Canadian Music Association. According to Catharine Saxberg, Executive Director, Radio
Starmaker Fund, "Our partnerships with these associations have
lent vital assistance to artists across the country. They've worked
so well that we're now committing funds to the Urban Music Association of
Canada for the first time." All grants are designated for travel expenses for
independent artists.
The Radio Starmaker Fund will
also continue to support the Canadian Radio Music Awards. The names
of two new board members were announced at the December 4th meeting.
Outgoing members Lloyd Nishimura, President, Outside Music Distribution
and Eric Samuels, Sr. VP Programming, Standard Radio Inc. will be replaced
by Bob Harris, Operations Manager, Mix 99.9 and VP rock/rock 40 Programming
for Standard Radio, and Ed Bonner, VP Marketing for Somerset Entertainment. Every quarter, The Radio Starmaker Fund
provides grants and bursaries targeting worthy artists in support of their
continued efforts to advance their careers. The Fund has contributed in
excess of $5 million to date toward the careers of Canadian artists to
increase their marketing, promotion and international touring. Recipients
have included Holly Cole, David Usher, Crush, Daniel Taylor, Sum 41,
Intakto, Oh Susanna, Doc Walker, Glengarry Bhoys and Delerium among others.
Details regarding the
new initiatives from the Radio Starmaker Fund will be available online in the coming
weeks at www.radiostarmakerfund.com. Applications
for the next funding round must be submitted by February 26th, 2004 at
5:00 p.m. EST.
The Radio Starmaker
Fund - An initiative of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, in
partnership with The Canadian Independent Record Production Association and the
Canadian Recording Industry Association, the Radio Starmaker Fund is a private
fund whose mandate is to strengthen the English-language Canadian music
industry and help advance the careers of emerging Canadian artists. Funded
entirely by private radio broadcasters, the Fund supports a variety of marketing
and promotional initiatives vital to developing the star status of Canadian artists.
Since 2001, the Fund has continued to promote emerging artists with guidance
from the Canadian independent and major label artist community. Details
regarding eligibility requirements and funding rules are available online at
www.radiostarmakerfund.com.
Tamia - Miracles
Still Do Happen
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Mr. Jawn Murray
(Washington, D.C.)
(Dec.
9, 2003) I recently interviewed singing sensation Tamia
for an upcoming cover story for Smooth magazine. During the interview, the
lovely singer revealed to me why her junior album “Still” was pushed back from
its original release date in August 2003. “I was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis,” admitted Tamia. I knew Tamia’s album had been pushed back due to an
undisclosed illness, but I didn’t know it was multiple sclerosis.
The
Canadian beauty, who is married to Orlando Magic player Grant Hill, went on to share, “I had been
going through some things like two months prior. I remember one time I had been
telling people my leg went numb. They looked at me and started laughing. A lot
of times, I joke around so you never know when to take me serious or not. I’d
put my jeans on and couldn’t even feel it. I’m like the type of person that if
anything happens, I am right at the doctor’s office. He was like ‘I don’t know
what’s wrong.’ I’d been exercising a lot, and he thought that maybe I’d pinched
a nerve or something. So I did all kinds of tests, and then I went away for our
anniversary. It got really, really bad to the point that I couldn’t even get
out of bed. I came back for a visit at the doctor’s office and they literally
were like, ‘Go down the street to the hospital.’ So I stayed there for about a
week running tests. They told me I had to shut everything down because we don’t
know what’s going on with you. They didn’t even give me a specific time.
Unfortunately, it was during the time when they were about to release my album.
However, I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and I had to prioritize
and shut everything down and take care of myself. Later on they diagnosed me,
and I’m taking it from there and getting better and better each day. When they
first told me, I had my mother, my mother-in-law, [and] my husband in the room,
and we all for a good 15 to 20 minutes were like ‘oh my goodness.’ Even now
thinking about it, I still get a little choked up. The first two people that I
thought about were Nancy Davis and Montel Williams. They are two people that I
know had multiple sclerosis and are doing very well. That was very big for me
to have that type of vision of someone who is still healthy and is having a
healthy, productive life. It wasn’t the end of the world.”
Well it certainly wasn’t the end for Tamia. Last Thursday, the night before she
was scheduled to fly to New York City for her Smooth cover shoot, Tamia called
me with great news. “I just wanted to let you know that the spot on my spine
where they found the M.S. is gone,” she exclaimed. “Wait,” I said. “You mean the multiple sclerosis is completely
gone? It like went away?” “Yep! They
said they’ve never really seen anything like it. It’s gone,” she answered. “I
know I had some people praying for me!” Look at that. God is still working miracles, both big and small! Tamia’s forthcoming album has been re-titled
“More” and will now be released in March. The set will also feature a rendition
of The Winans’ hit “Tomorrow,” the song that Tamia performed two years ago on
BET’s “Celebration of Gospel.” The Smooth issue featuring Tamia will be on
newsstands in mid-January.
HOT EVENTS
Irie Mondays
Tis the season to check out
Irie Mondays! Winter
may be imminent but don't despair! You can still collect your dose of the
Caribbean - every Monday at Irie. Don't miss the party with the DJ
stylings of Carl Allen as well as guest appearances from other
artists! Check them out at www.iriefoodjoint.com.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8
Irie Food Joint Mondays
745 Queen Street W.
10:00 pm
The Elements: A Tribute to Earth, Wind and
Fire – Monday, December 22
Back by popular demand!! You are
anxiously invited once again to the most-requested presentation of Toronto’s
newest impresario: INSPIRE.
Join us this special holiday Monday to liberate your spirit and your
feet in this live performance. It’s a
celebration of the music, the energy and the legacy of the 20th
century’s last great big band – Earth, Wind and Fire! The
Elements: A Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire, with
musical direction by Andrew Craig also features some of Toronto’s top vocalists and musicians: Andrew
Craig, Syreeta Neal, Quisha Wint, Jivaro Smith, Alexis Baro, Colleen Allen,
Gord Myers, Adrian Eccleston, Oliver Johnson, Joel Joseph, Mackie Langford,
Rich Brown, Tony Pierre and Don Pham!
Inspire Entertainment: Showing What’s Possible is
the brainchild of Andrew Craig, which guarantees you an evening with the seal
of excellence. For those of you who
don’t know, Andrew’s bio boasts many accolades including being appointed the
musical director for Harbourfront’s Tribute to Quincy Jones. And
incidentally, Quincy singled Andrew out that night with special thanks and paid
homage to his mega talents. I
encourage you all to get your tickets NOW for this sure to be sold out musical
experience.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22
THE ELEMENTS: A TRIBUTE TO EARTH,
WIND AND FIRE
Produced and Musical Direction by
Andrew Craig
Tonic Nightclub
117 Peter St. (SE corner of Peter
and Richmond)
8:00 pm
Admission: $12 with non-perishable
food item; $15 without
For information, visit www.inspirent.ca
THOUGHT
MOTIVATIONAL NOTE:
Don't underestimate yourself or use excuses to keep your light hidden
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com --
by Jewel Diamond Taylor, Jewel@DoNotGiveUp.net
(Dec. 5, 2003) You have talents, skills,
experience and gifts. First Timothy scriptures warns us not to neglect our
gifts. The more you share your gifts,
the more you will experience a life of meaning and success. You may have the gift of cooking, organizing
events, designing, teaching children, computers, writing, singing or the gift
of listening. Ask yourself if you are really
using your gifts. What you don't use,
you lose. Don't underestimate yourself
or use excuses to keep your light hidden. The more you bless others with your
gifts, the more you will feel blessed.
MUSIC
NEWS
Urban Inspiration:
Toronto hip-hop fans hear the city in music of artists like Maestro
Excerpt from The Toronto Star –
by Lisa Wright, Staff Reporter
(Dec. 7, 2003) Urban inspiration - No guns. No booze. No bling-bling.
Just the rhymes. On a bright fall afternoon, a single momhttp://www.langfieldentertainment.com/images/DECEMBER
2003/Maestro.jpg walks along The Esplanade with her little girl.
Kids whip by on skateboards while others kick up piles of leaves in a nearby
playground. The CN Tower punctures the skyline behind them. Then the
mother bumps into the 5-year-old's father, her ex, and the couple starts an
argument, making a scene and upsetting the child.
Cue Maestro. That would be
the veteran Toronto MC, who has left behind his "Fresh-Wes"-ness and
happens to be chillin' in the same park, rapping to friends about how the world
has become a tough place for kids to grow up in. "Back in da day, we
used to run out and play," goes the squeaky, computer-enhanced chorus of
his new track "God Bless Da Child," Maestro's message to grownups
about the importance of setting a good example for children before it's too
late. "I hope the world can figure it out so the kids can be
singin' it out," he raps to the camera on a recent downtown video shoot
for the sobering new single. No guns. No booze. No bling-bling. No babes
(unless you count the toddler kind). At a time when music videos are saturated
with sleaze and aim to tease with barely-covered booties, some local rappers
are keeping it real with far less flashy hip hop, and using the T-dot as a
distinctive backdrop.
"I just feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to do," says
Maestro, who has come a long way since imploring us to "Let Your Backbone
Slide" in 1989. But he's always been proud to represent his hometown in his
music and his videos. "Everything coming out of my mouth is based on
my Toronto experience," he says. "My parents are from Guyana, and I'm
a first-generation Canadian. This is the city where I grew up. Toronto is my
foundation, and it's also a catalyst for other things in my music."
Geography can't help but come out in rhymes, since rappers talk a lot about
their own background and experiences. Maestro points out that before N.W.A. and
Ice-T painted their troubled pictures of life in L.A., people thought of
California as just a sunny place with lots of sandy beaches — what the Beach
Boys sang about. So Maestro fans hear Toronto in his music. "We're
more mature about hip-hop culture in Toronto than a lot of up-and-coming
American artists," he says. "I don't want to make a record on
partying or accessories. We're adults now, and I'm just saying we should give
kids a chance to live."
Rapper Sylent Sam, a.k.a. Samantha
Crane,
couldn't agree more. She just shot the video for the single "Shoulda X'd
You" (or dumped you), which has been getting airplay on Flow 93.5 FM. The
setting for the video, her first, is a friend's house overlooking the
Scarborough Bluffs. Though the video, sponsored by MuchMusic's
VideoFact program, is a huge boost to her career, Crane isn't about to give up
her day job as an Internet consultant for TD-Canada Trust, since she has a
7-year-old son to support. But the 28-year-old is thrilled to be out of her
Richmond St. office-tower cubicle and making music that matters in the city she
loves. "Growing up in Toronto has greatly influenced my writing. I
was born and raised here. And the scene has really grown over the last couple
years. People come from all over to be here because Toronto is the mecca for
hip hop in Canada," she says, adding she'd like to write a track about the
city because it made her who she is today. Like Maestro, Sylent Sam's
video focuses on a couple that doesn't get along. She actually boots out her
boyfriend in the video, leaving his packed bags at the front door.
"It's about finally walking away from something negative after putting up
with too much," explains Sam, who says it's similar in its female
empowerment tone and in-your-face attitude as Pink's song "Just Like a
Pill," which goes: "Instead of makin' me better, you keep makin' me
ill."
Sam's video opens with an extreme close-up of a tear falling from her
eye, then pans out to find her writing rhymes at her dining room table. Later
on that night, her boyfriend comes home after partying it up without her and
staggers up to the door to find his key doesn't fit in the lock of their home
any longer. With Lake Ontario in the background, Sam raps about her
broken heart: "I lay my rage down on this page so your blood don't
spill/See it's kinda ill how a man can make you feel ..." She's all
for being sexy, as opposed to sleazy, on screen, bypassing bling-bling in her
video since she's also a mom concerned with the negative images that bombard
children these days. "I'm not rollin' in an Escalade, and I'm
not wearing big diamonds," she says. "I wouldn't put stuff in my
video that I'm not about. It's overload right now. I think parents have to be
more in tune with what kids are listening to."
While Maestro doesn't have children, he's still well aware of the impact
music videos have on young minds, having been credited with putting hip hop on
the map in Canada and influencing a generation of young fans. Now he's anxious
to get back to the storytelling roots of hip hop. Even his flow is different;
there's more urgency in the delivery, reminiscent of Tupac or a younger Jay-Z. His last big
hit, "Stick to Your Vision" — which successfully sampled The Guess
Who's "These Eyes" — followed the same positive formula, so he's
hoping to duplicate his success with his latest track, the first single from
his album 15, to be released early next year. "I feel good about it,
and hopefully people will get with it," he says. But Maestro
stressed he's not at all a bling-bling basher, seeing as he just finished a
tour in eastern Canada with U.S. bad boy Ludacris. "I'm not
here to ridicule people for what they're doing, and I'm not saying everyone
should be doing the same thing," notes Maestro.
Videos are no sweat for him, since he's had success playing small roles
in films in recent years. He's actually on the big screen now as one of the bad
guys in the hip-hop dance movie Honey, starring Dark Angel Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer of 8 Mile fame and
rapper Lil' Romeo. He also does the
public speaking circuit regularly, and lots of charity work, such as
volunteering at Covenant House.
Sam, meanwhile, is planning a tour of southern Ontario clubs with other
local urban acts to get more exposure and is gearing up for the launch of her
video on MuchMusic. Maestro was originally scheduled to shoot the
"God Bless Da Child" video at a Parkdale high school, but couldn't
get the permit in time, hence the shoot on public parkland near The Esplanade.
Children were brought in from Markham's Macklin House Day Care Centre and the
Malvern Community Centre in Scarborough to appear in it with him. They even
pull him into the St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre to check out their
paintings and drawings at the end of the shoot.
Introducing....The ANR Lounge!
Finding
it hard to get your new CD to radio stations? Not sure if your music is being
heard by the right people? Introducing... The ANR Lounge! (All New Releases
Lounge). The heads of your Canadian
Music Industry Associations got together to come up with this great idea to
help talented recording artists like you get your name circulated among the
industry professionals. This FREE
service will make sure that music and programming directors see and hear about
your latest release. Canadian radio has
never been more accessible. All you have to do is register online. You will be
able to upload information about your new releases, including sound clips and
images. Every week, an e-mail
announcement of the new releases, including yours, will be distributed to radio
stations across Canada. Register
TODAY! How To Get a Password - Go to www.mians.ca, click on the ANR Lounge logo and
register. You will receive an email from the crew at the Lounge when they are
ready to accept your new release. For
more information: info@mincanada.com. The Lounge is taking CD or singles released
after September 1, 2002.
The National Jazz
Award Canada
The National Jazz Award Canada recipients are determined by you, the musicians,
industry and fans. Please place your vote for the person(s)/people you feel are
most deserving in their respective category. 2004
Nominations as determined by those respondents of 107 ballots sent to radio
broadcasters, festivals, record labels, journalists, publicity, and
television. The following journalists,
jazz broadcasters, festival directors and organizers helped compile a list of
nominees for all to vote on. In some cases the list of candidates extends
beyond one through five due to the number of ties in several categories. We
felt it fair to include all names. Nominees are in the order of voting. Go here:
http://www.nationaljazzawards.com/vote.html
If you are so inclined, I suggest voting for Archie Alleyne who is
nominated for Best Drummer and his group, Kollage, is also nominated for Best
Acoustic Group.
It's all About the Benefit
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Tamara Smith [eurfeedback@eurweb.com]
(Dec. 2, 2003) A good
live show is always a treat, but a good show for a good cause is even better!
This past Saturday Chad Thibeault, Darren Portelli & Andy
Markiton did it up right in Toronto with a
birthday bash benefiting the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Fund (CCFF). The event featured a hot line up
of DJs and live performances from Skitz, The Parkas and Visionary. As if a live performance
from Skitz wasn't enough to bring out the masses, the event was all you can eat
and drink for a measly $15 (Canadian!).
It must be getting close to "the time for giving," because it
doesn't end there! This Friday (December 5), Keep the Beat, a nationwide
fundraiser benefiting War Child Canada, will touch down at Toronto's Reverb.
Featuring performances from Mistacronks and Skitz, with guest appearances from
In Essence, Sugar Prince, Dwayne Morgan, Reign, & Shadow Shakes, True, The
Embassy & Shawn "Rikoshay" Boothe and hosted by Much Music and
Sportsnet's Namugenyi Kiwanuka, this is another jam that's sure to go down in the
books. War Child Canada generates awareness, support and action for
children's rights everywhere through working closely with the music industry.
Founded in 1999, the organization works to assist children affected by war, helping
to restore their sense of hope and dignity. Their documentary featuring the
Rascalz, among others, "Musicians in the War Zone," has won several
awards and is the most successful social programming initiative in MuchMusic's
history. Those unable to come out for
what's sure to be a great show can email info@warchild.ca or check out
www.warchild.com for more information on this worthy cause.
2003 Billboard Music Awards Finalists
Below are the finalists, by category, for the 2003 Billboard
Music Awards, which will be presented Dec. 10 in Las Vegas (artists are listed
in alphabetical order):
Album of the year:
50 Cent, "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'"
Dixie Chicks, "Home"
Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me"
Shania Twain, "Up!"
R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year:
50 Cent
Aaliyah
Jay-Z
R. Kelly
Rock artist of the year:
3 Doors Down
Audioslave
Disturbed
Trapt
Hot 100 female artist of the year:
Aaliyah
Christina Aguilera
Ashanti
Beyoncé
Artist of the year:
50 Cent
R. Kelly
Sean Paul
Justin Timberlake
R&B/Hip-Hop duo/group of the year:
B2K
Dru Hill
Floetry
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz
Modern rock artist of the year:
Audioslave
Chevelle
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
R&B/Hip-Hop new artist of the year:
Beyoncé
Chingy
Floetry
Heather Headley
Duo/group artist of the year:
3 Doors Down
Dixie Chicks
Linkin Park
Matchbox Twenty
Rap artist of the year:
50 Cent
Chingy
Fabolous
Sean Paul
Country artist of the year:
Dixie Chicks
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Shania Twain
Hot 100 producer of the year:
R. Kelly
Steven "Lenky" Marsden
The Neptunes
Timbaland
New artist of the year:
Beyoncé
Chingy
Evanescence
Justin Timberlake
Hot 100 duo/group artist of the year:
3 Doors Down
Dixie Chicks
Matchbox Twenty
Santana
Best-selling single of the year:
American Idol Finalists, "God Bless The U.S.A."
Clay Aiken, "This Is the Night" / "Bridge Over Troubled
Water"
Kid Rock featuring Allison Moorer, "Picture"
Ruben Studdard, "Flying Without Wings" / "Superstar"
Internet artist of the year:
Josh Groban
Norah Jones
Dave Matthews
Rod Stewart
Hot 100 single of the year:
50 Cent, "In Da Club"
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy In Love"
R. Kelly, "Ignition"
Sean Paul, "Get Busy"
Digital track of the year:
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy In Love"
Black Eyed Peas, "Where is The Love?"
Coldplay, "Clocks"
OutKast, "Hey Ya!"
Hot 100 Male artist of the year:
50 Cent
R. Kelly
Sean Paul
Justin Timberlake
Grammy Shortlist
Finally Endorses Rap
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - By VIT WAGNER
(Dec. 5, 2003) Maybe it's time the
Grammy Awards started thinking about lifetime achievement awards for Run D.M.C.
and Public Enemy. Between them, the
seminal rap/hip-hop groups have never won a single Grammy. But the idiom they
helped popularize solidified its command of mainstream music yesterday,
dominating the nominations for the 46th Grammy Awards. Jay-Z, OutKast and Pharrell Williams (of the
Neptunes) received six nominations each, a feat equalled only by R&B singer
Beyoncé. Right behind with five nods each were Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, Eminem
and Chad Hugo, another Neptune, along with non-rappers Justin Timberlake, Evanescence,
Ricky Scaggs, Luther Vandross and Warren Zevon.
Typically, the Grammys have arrived at the rap party a day late and a dollar
(or 50 Cent) short. It hardly seems very long ago that the awards were being
berated for a persistent refusal to acknowledge rap as anything other than a
marginal genre. Rap was introduced as a
category in 1988, when D.J. Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince (a.k.a Jeff Townes
and Will Smith) won for "Parents Just Don't Understand." But in the 14 years since, the only hip-hop
artist to walk away with an award in one of the four main general categories —
best record, album, song and new artist — was Lauryn Hill, whose The
Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill was named best album in 1998. Hill also won new
artist honours that year.
Even Eminem, who has seven Grammys to his name, hasn't won outside the rap
category. And for all his critical acclaim, Jay-Z has but one trophy on his
shelf. This year, Jay-Z (in partnership
with Beyoncé), Eminem and OutKast are up for record of the year, Missy Elliott
and OutKast are up for best album, Eminem has a chance at best song and 50 Cent
has to be regarded as front-runner for new artist. Throw in the R&B/dance artists also competing in those
categories and it's slim pickings for pop/rock — especially for the latter part
of that equation. White Stripes, with
four nominations, is the only critically revered rock group to make a serious
dent — and, apart from a best album nod for Elephant, its nominations
are all down page in the smaller, genre categories. Curiously, the Detroit
garage revivalists aren't nominated for best rock album, leaving that dreary
field to the likes of Matchbox Twenty and Nickelback (the latter joined by
Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain and Sarah McLachlan, among popular Canadian nominees).
Instead, Elephant is relegated to the alternative category, an
admittedly strong grouping that also includes albums by the Flaming Lips, Sigur
Ros, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Radiohead.
It's telling, however, that Radiohead — not only the most important rock
band in the world today but one with a demonstrated ability to sell millions of
albums — is still considered fringe fodder.
It's rock, suddenly, that finds itself on the outside looking in. Rock,
clinging to its status as a genre, has switched places with rap. Conventional wisdom dictates this is a
necessary reflection of the commercial reality. Rap and R&B rule the waves
— at one point this year holding down the Top 10 positions on the Billboard singles
chart. But that is just the culmination
of a trend that has prevailed for years.
The dominance of urban music did not prevent the Grammys from crowning Norah
Jones last year. Nor did it give industry taste-makers pause in 2000 when
Steely Dan's Two Against Nature was deemed a more culturally significant
album than Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP. It might be that the music industry, crippled by flagging sales
and beleaguered by illegal downloading, can no longer afford to ignore the
engine that is driving it. It might also be that the Grammy gurus are
proceeding with customary caution, waiting for the right signal to bestow
validation. No one would appreciate
that with a wryer sense of irony than Warren Zevon. After a lifetime of being
neglected by the Grammys, he's suddenly the recipient of five nominations. Too
bad he won't be there when the awards are handed out in Los Angeles on Feb. 8.
He died three months ago. Hopefully Run
D.M.C. and Public Enemy won't have to wait as long to be recognized.
The Brooklyn Boy Is Back: Kashif has plenty music on his mind to
share
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 2, 2003) They say timing is everything. And if you're yearning for some
straight up stomp-down good ol' funky R&B with lyrics that are simple but
meaningful, have we got good news for you. The universe is obviously aligned
just right, 'cause the time has come for a master producer and performer from
the "old school" to reappear.
Ladies and gentlemen, Kashif is back ... with a vengeance!
Kashif's list of credits as a producer and artist is just too long to
try to list here. But trust us, he's showing his skills on his new CD titled
Music From My Mind. Not only does the
disc, which contains 15 of some the best R&B songs we've heard in some time,
Kashif also went and licensed nine of some of his biggest hits like "Stone
Love," "Just Got To Have You (Lover Turn Me On)," and "Say
Something Love" among others. A
serious effort like Music From My Mind deserves a serious interview and that's
forthcoming. In the meantime, we got with Kashif briefly after his performance
at his CD release party last Friday (11-28-03) in Marina Del Rey, Cali to debut
a few cuts from the new CD and perform a couple of his greatest hits from back
in the day. To say he rocked the house is putting it mildly. Put it this way,
he wasn't sweating for nothing. OK, on to the Q&A!
EUR: What's the name of the new CD
and Why?
Kashif: Music From My Mind is the name
of the new CD. I could think of no more appropriate name because it embodies my
thoughts and concerns so completely.
EUR: How long since your last CD and why?
Kashif: It has been 13 years since my last CD on Arista Records. I
took a year off and moved to Maui to rest and regroup. I wanted to explore
additional areas of my creativity such as literary writing which I did. I also
ended up starting a software company. Each of those things took a large chunk
of my time and when I looked up it had been 13 years.
EUR: When will this CD be *officially* available?
Kashif: The CD Launch date is January 2004. However, it is
available at www.brooklynboy.com now.
EUR: Is there a single; if so, what's the title?
Kashif: The single is "There's Nothing In The World Like A
Black Woman." I have a mad love affair with black women. While there are
wonderful women if all colors and ethnicities, for some reason I am madly in
love with black women. But more than that as a black man I truly understand the
role that black women have played in my life. My mother who I have never met was
a black woman. The woman that took me in and loved me like I was her own was a
black woman. Al the women that have truly captured my heart have been black
women. So to me, There's nothing in the world like a black woman.
EUR: Your thoughts on performing last night (at Roland Wirt's
Fantasea?)
Kashif: I had a great time. The audience was the best that any
performer could ask for. It felt natural for me to be back on stage performing.
I look forward to a tour and to the challenge of giving my all to my fans who
have been so tremendously supportive.
EUR: By the way, explain briefly the overall purpose of last night's event.
Kashif: The reason I am so happy all the time is that I feel my
life has purpose. That purpose is to use my talents to serve others and to
affect the planet in a positive way. I grew up in 8 foster homes. Kashif For
Kids Toys For Tots allows me to create events to collect toys for children each
year Christmas time and then distribute them to children who are less fortunate
than others. That is why I decided to make my CD release party also a charity
event. I felt the listening party would get the folks there in the numbers that
I needed to make my charity event a success. It worked!
On the web: www.BrooklynBoy.com
Pitbull Signs With TVT Records: Miami Cuban MC To Release New
Album Next Summer
Source: Joe Wiggins / TVT Records / joe@tvtrecords.com
(Nov. 26, 2003) New York, NY -- One of the Miami's most prominent rhyme-spitters Pitbull has
signed a long-term deal with TVT Records. The Cuban-American MC was touted by
The Source Magazine's Unsigned Hype column (Nov '03) - "let it be known
that Pitbull is as viscous as the pedigree he's named after." The emcee
will be hard at work in the studio to bang out his TVT debut tentatively
untitled scheduled for a September 2004 release. "The timing was just right with TVT. The label has its
finger on the pulse of the South movement and I wanted to be apart of
that," said Pitbull. "TVT was also good situation because it's has
system that I know all the players from my affiliation with Lil Jon." "Pitbull is one of those rare artist
whose character and presence is felt not only on a record but throughout an
entire community," remarked TVT Records President, Steve Gottlieb.
"To cement his position as the next star to come out of the South he will
be featured on the first single from the CRUNK & DISORDERLY
compilation."
Pitbull will be featured on "That¹s Nasty" featuring
label mate Lil Jon and Lil Scrappy from the TVT Records compilation, CRUNK
& DISORDERLY which features T.I., David Banner, Ying Yang Twins, Bone
Crusher and many more. The compilation will be in-stores December 9, 2003. He
will finish recording his untitled album at The Diaz Bros. studios in
Miami. About TVT Records: Headquartered
in New York City, TVT Records is Billboard and Soundscan's #1 independent
record company of 2003 and the #1 independent label for urban music. The label
holds the current #1 independent rap album with "Kings of Crunk" from
Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz which is still in the Top 10 on Billboard's
Top Rap Albums chart in its 17th week of release. TVT's other notable urban projects include Snoop Dogg's Tha
Eastsidaz -- whose two albums have scored gold and platinum certifications, and
who will drop a third TVT disc late next year -- and the reforming of Ja Rule's
original group CMC (Cash Murda Click) whose new album "Est. Since
Œ93" will also hit in 2004.
Upcoming urban releases for 2004 include dynamic hip-hop/soul songstress
Teedra Moses, Crunk R&B vocalist Oobie and Lil' Jon-protégé Chyna Whyte, a
female rap slayer with vicious rhymes and incredible lyrical dexterity.
Janet Jackson Takes Control Again
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) *Her
brother may be in trouble, but she ain't. Ms.
Jackson, "if you're nasty," is in the
lab preparing what is sure to be another hit album. Half of her powerful
production team, Jimmy "Jam" Harris (of Jam & Lewis), seems like
he's excited about the project as he is raring to get the single out by
Christmas. "We're about 80
percent done, and we're planning on wrapping the project right before Christmas
for an early 2004 release. You may hear a new single right at the beginning of
the year," Jimmy Jam told gossip columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel
Smith. He also reported that the
multi-Grammy winning beauty has done "a lot of the writing and
co-production" on the set, but it's still untitled for now. "It will be a balance of a lot of
different sides of Janet's personality - there'll be the happy up-tempo songs,
the very funky tunes, the very sensual, sexy ballads - everything you would
expect from her." After three
years of waiting for a new joint from Janet, her fans must be chomping at the
bit. But, "Jam" says that she has timed the project perfectly. "That's pretty much been her thing.
Between albums she likes to go live life, recharge her batteries and be able to
share her experiences. It not only raises her artistic level, she's able to
talk about things she's going through and other people can relate. That's one
of the things that allows her to connect truly with the fans."
No More Murder Inc.
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) *Murder Inc., home
to multi-platinum artists Ja Rule and Ashanti, will no longer kill their
competition with music. They will simply be in the business of making
hits. The label will be dropping
"Murder" from its title and simply calling themselves "The
Inc." Gotti, along with Ja Rule and Ashanti, announced the label's name
change at a crowded event attended by hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons and
Hip-Hop Summit Action Network head Benjamin Chavis. "Over the course of the years, it seems as though no one is
really looking at the talent ... more so than that damn word 'murder,'"
label founder Irv Gotti told a midtown Manhattan news conference. "All of
these big records, and people would still come back and focus on the negative
word 'murder.'" Gotti said he got
the name from watching a documentary on television on the original crew of mob
hit men. He liked the title's double-meaning, referring to both the mob and
making hits for the radio. "I
wanted to shock people. I wanted people to remember," said Gotti. When the
company arrived on the scene in 1997, he billed Murder Inc. as "the
world's most dangerous record company."
Ashanti's "Christmas Album," is already in stores under the new
name. But in no way, is this album reflective of the "softer side" of
The Inc. Gotti said he will not encourage his artists to make less hardcore
rhymes or even stop making their signature crew call of "It's
Murrrderrr!" The Inc. will drop Ja Rule's newest set early next year. "The lyrical content is going to stay
the same," Gotti said. "I don't tell my artists to do anything. They
have lyrical freedom, 100 percent. They say what they want." In related news, Gotti sounded off about the
latest controversy with Eminem and his unearthed racist lyrics. Gotti said that
unlike Russell Simmons he can't forgive Slim Shady.
"I can't give him no pass," Gotti said sternly. "I'm black, I
love black women. We're defenders of black women." After the press conference, he added,
"I would be lying if I said it didn't strike a chord. They don't give
black [people] passes. When we do something wrong, we on full blast. It ain't,
'No - oh well, he's good,' he explained. "It's more disturbing, the excuse
he made ... 'I was with an African-American woman.' So these are your thoughts
on African-American women? It kills me."
Aaliyah Received Third Posthumous Award
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) *At
last month's American Music Awards the family of the late singer Aaliyah were
noticeably absent. Their deceased child had received an award, but the family
issued a statement yesterday that let us all know what went down. In the statement they thanked the producers
of the show for naming Aaliyah favorite female artist. Aaliyah's award was
accepted by Monica, who presented that category. The singer's family said it would have gladly accepted the honor
had it known the singer was nominated. The Houghton family learned of the
nomination during the broadcast and this week tried to get across the
sentiments that would have been shared on the AMA stage. "The family is
deeply gratified that the public and the AMAs have, year after year,
continually recognized Aaliyah's strengths and remarkable talents," the
family said via its attorney. "They would like the public, the AMAs and
Dick Clark Productions to know of their love and gratitude, and that they would
be honored to accept the award on behalf of their beloved Aaliyah." This is Aaliyah's
third posthumous AMA award.
Ray Charles Recovering From Hip
Replacement Surgery
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) *Legendary
performer Ray Charles has been around for
so long that it seems he is indestructible, but he is actually all too
vulnerable. Charles canceled the second
half of his 2003 tour in July, and has since undergone surgery on his left hip,
it was announced yesterday. "I
feel terrific and am so thankful to the good Lord that all is going well for
me," he said. "I can't wait
to get back on the road, which is my second home. I want to thank the folks in
person for all their prayers and good wishes." The 13-time Grammy winner
expects to return to his beloved musical stage and touring in March, 2004.
New Compilation, Midnight Soul: Features
18 Songs From Six of The Sexiest Soul Singers, Ever!
Source: EMI Music Marketing - Publicity /
Michael Ruthig - 323.871.5496 / publicity@emicap.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) The Right Stuff will release its latest sexy, soul
music compilation, Midnight Soul on January
27, 2004.
Already acclaimed for its successful series of tantalizing and
passionate R&B collections like the Slow Jams and Anthology series, The
Right Stuff adds a new twist with its latest compilation. Taking a different
approach to the compilation route, Midnight Soul is comprised of a block of 3
songs each - by six of the sexiest soul singers, ever. With timing that coincides with Valentines
Day and just plain cold winter nights in general, the Right Stuff wants
consumers to ask themselves "Is it still good to ya?" If the answer
is "so", men and women might want to pick up this steamy disc of
audio stimulation. (And if the answer is "yes", it can help
anyway!) Featured are bedroom classics
from the likes of Barry White, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Teddy
Pendergrass and Freddie Jackson. Definitely intended for mature audiences only!
Track listing: Midnight Love
BARRY WHITE
1. Never Never Gonna Give You Up
2. Staying Power
3. You're The First, My Last, My Everything
AL GREEN
10. I'm Still In Love With You
11. Lets Stay Together
12. Livin' for You
TEDDY PENDERGRASS
4. Close The Door
5. Turn Off The Lights
6. Come Go With Me
FREDDIE JACKSON
13. You Are My Lady
14. Nice N' Slow
15. Do Me Again
LUTHER VANDROSS
7. I Know
8. Here And Now
9. When I Need You
MARVIN GAYE
16. Sexual Healing
17. I Want You
18.
Lets Get It On
Vibe to do ladies of Dance Hall
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by
Kevin Jackson / eurfeedback@eurweb.com
(Dec. 4, 2003) *
Popular American urban magazine, Vibe, recently completed a photo shoot in New York City
for an upcoming feature on four of the leading ladies in dancehall music. The
issue, which is due out in March 2004 will carry articles on deejay Lady Saw,
and singers Sasha, Cecile and Tanya Stephens.
Artiste and repertoire director at VP Records, Murray Elias, is
responsible for a number of that company's projects, including Sasha's upcoming
album. He believes the Vibe spread is timely and will further promote dancehall
music in major markets across the United States. "Right now with what we have in the pipeline for Sasha, this
feature could help her visibility. Her collaboration (I'm Still in Love with
You) with Sean Paul is being promoted at urban radio and crossover markets and
that is the market which reads Vibe Magazine," said Elias. Sasha, whose real name is Karen Chin, has a
name in New York City clubs and reggae charts through the songs Kill the Bitch,
Dat Sexy Body and I'm Still in Love With You.
The latter spent multiple weeks at number one on the New York Reggae
Chart last year, and was the top-selling reggae song in the tri-state area (New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut) for 2002.
Singjay Cecile shot onto the scene in 2000 with Changes. She recently signed an
album deal with California-based Delicious Vinyl Records and her debut album,
Bad Gal, is scheduled for a January release. Among Cecile's best efforts are Do
it To Me, Can You Do the Wuk (with Sean Paul) and Respect Your Wife. The raunchy Lady Saw is the most popular of
the lot. Saw, whose real name is Marion Hall, hit the Billboard charts in a big
way last year when she teamed with punk/rock outfit No Doubt for the Top 10
smash, Underneath it All. Prior to that, she was featured on pop singer Vitamin
C's Smile, which littered various Billboard charts, and Son Of a Bitch with
deejay Marsha. Saw's forthcoming album, Striptease, for VP Records is set to be
released in the new year. Stephens,
like Saw, is a dancehall veteran. What's the Story and It's a Pity are two of
her current songs but her biggest hit remains 1996's Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet.
Vibe Magazine celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1995
by respected jazz musician/producer, Quincy Jones. Like its rival, THE SOURCE,
it covers the urban music scene in the United States but has consistently
zoomed in on reggae through the monthly Boom Shots column by Rob Kenner. Kenner is an editor at Vibe and was
instrumental in Sean Paul being on the cover of the publication one month ago.
Jody Watley Update
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
One of our favorite and most stylish dance
music divas Jody Watley tells us that she’s
recently teamed up with cosmetics giant Revlon. The Grammy Award-winning,
former Shalamar frontwoman’s ambient dance track "Holiday Experience”
has become sort of a theme song for the company website’s “Red Rocks The Season
Campaign.” The exclusive music" will be featured throughout the holiday
season, and is the first music ever featured at the Revlon website.
Richie To Record? “The Simple Life’s” Nicole Richie
preps for singing career
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) *She may be living the
simple life on TV, but Nicole Richie is
ready to live the pop star life. The
daughter of Lionel, she is currently starring with society celeb Paris Hilton
in the FOX reality series “The Simple Life,” where the two “rich kids” live
modestly on a farm in Arkansas. But the new starlet is looking to launch her
singing career. (Meanwhile the scandalous Ms. Hilton is also hitting the
recording studio). Richie says that she
is not trying to capitalize on her new found celebrity, and wants to take her
time in figuring out her sound. “I'm
really trying to figure out where I want to go with it, because I play piano,
violin and cello and I think it would be a waste to just put an album out and
be like, 'OK, my show is out and here's my album and here I am,' " Richie
said recently, TV Guide reports. "That's just so dumb. And I want to take
my time on it and kind of incorporate all the training I've had in my past on
it and make it my own." Richie
may not know what is going to be on her album, but she says she is sure
what/who is not – her dad. "No,
no, no, no," Richie said about collabing with her famous musical father.
"That's so dumb."
Hendrix Tribute: Disc to feature unreleased and cover
tracks
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) *The Jimi Hendrix tribute set called “Power of Soul,” is currently in
the works. The disc will feature
previously unreleased tracks as well as newly recorded remakes from the likes
of funk and rock stars Prince, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Eric
Clapton. The album is expected in
stores May 4, E! reports. And part of the proceeds will benefit the United
Negro College Fund.
Cube & Co Confirm Life Of West Coast Rap
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) *Ice Cube, along
with his group mates of the West Side Connection, WC and Mack 10 want to
confirm that West Coast gangsta rap is alive and well. The trio drops their latest project
“Terrorist Threats” tomorrow (Tuesday, 12-09-03). Further, Cube told the Los
Angeles Times just why their brand of music is far from dead. "People are looking for more substance in the music, but just
anybody can't give it to them," he said. “That's why I like this Westside
Connection record ... it's still intelligent to a point where it's provoking
new thoughts and new ideas." Cube
and co. hope that their tracks about social issues, the rap industry, and
encouragement will change the fact that West Coast gangsta rap could be on its
way out. "If the Westside
Connection record is successful, it makes the West Coast visible once
again," Mack 10 said.
10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained
Excerpt
from www.getsigned.com - by Brad Templeton
An attempt to answer common myths about copyright seen
on the net and cover issues related to copyright and USENET/Internet
publication. Note that this is an essay
about copyright myths. It assumes you know at least what copyright is --
basically the legal exclusive right of the author of a
creative work to control the copying of that work. If you didn't know that,
check out my own brief introduction to copyright for more
information. Feel free to link to this document, no need to ask me.
Really, NO need to ask.
1) "If it doesn't have a copyright
notice, it's not copyrighted."
This was true in the past, but today almost all major nations follow the Berne
copyright convention. For example, in the USA, almost everything created
privately and originally after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected
whether it has a notice or not. The default you should assume for other
people's works is that they are copyrighted and may not be copied unless you know
otherwise. There are some old works that lost protection without notice, but
frankly you should not risk it unless you know for sure. It is true that a notice strengthens the
protection, by warning people, and by allowing one to get more and different
damages, but it is not necessary. If it looks copyrighted, you should assume it
is. This applies to pictures, too. You may not scan pictures from magazines and
post them to the net, and if you come upon something unknown, you shouldn't
post that either. The correct form for
a notice is:
"Copyright
[dates] by [author/owner]"
You can use C in a circle © instead of "Copyright" but
"(C)" has never been given legal force. The phrase "All Rights
Reserved" used to be required in some nations but is now not legally
needed most places. In some countries it may help preserve some of the
"moral rights."
2) "If I don't charge for it, it's not a violation."
False. Whether you charge can affect the damages awarded in court, but that's
main difference under the law. It's still a violation if you give it away --
and there can still be serious damages if you hurt the commercial value of the
property. There is an exception for personal copying of music, which is not a
violation, though courts seem to have said that doesn't include widescale
anonymous personal copying as Napster. If the work has no commercial value, the
violation is mostly technical and is unlikely to result in legal action. Fair
use determinations (see below) do sometimes depend on the involvement of money.
3) "If it's posted to Usenet it's in the public domain."
False. Nothing modern is in the public domain anymore unless the owner
explicitly puts it in the public domain(*). Explicitly, as in you have
a note from the author/owner saying, "I grant this to the public
domain." Those exact words or words very much like them. Some argue that posting to Usenet implicitly
grants permission to everybody to copy the posting within fairly wide bounds,
and others feel that Usenet is an automatic store and forward network where all
the thousands of copies made are done at the command (rather than the consent)
of the poster. This is a matter of some debate, but even if the former is true
(and in this writer's opinion we should all pray it isn't true) it simply would
suggest posters are implicitly granting permissions "for the sort of
copying one might expect when one posts to Usenet" and in no case is this
a placement of material into the public domain. It is important to remember
that when it comes to the law, computers never make copies, only human
beings make copies. Computers are given commands, not permission. Only people
can be given permission. Furthermore it is very difficult for an implicit
licence to supersede an explicitly stated licence that the copier was aware
of. Note that all this assumes the poster
had the right to post the item in the first place. If the poster didn't, then
all the copies are pirated, and no implied licence or theoretical reduction of
the copyright can take place.
(*) Copyrights can expire after a long time, putting
something into the public domain, and there are some fine points on this issue
regarding older copyright law versions. However, none of this applies to an
original article posted to USENET. Note
that granting something to the public domain is a complete abandonment of all
rights. You can't make something "PD for non-commercial use." If your
work is PD, other people can even modify one byte and put their name on it.
4) "My posting was just fair use!"
See other
notes on fair use for a detailed answer, but bear the following in
mind:
The "fair use" exemption to (U.S.) copyright law was created to allow
things such as commentary, parody, news reporting, research and education about
copyrighted works without the permission of the author. That's important so
that copyright law doesn't block your freedom to express your own works -- only
the ability to express other people's. Intent, and damage to the
commercial value of the work are important considerations. Are you reproducing
an article from the New York Times because you needed to in order to
criticise the quality of the New York Times, or because you couldn't find time
to write your own story, or didn't want your readers to have to register at the
New York Times web site? The first is probably fair use, the others probably
aren't. Fair use is usually a short
excerpt and almost always attributed. (One should not use more of the work than
is necessary to make the commentary.) It should not harm the commercial value of
the work -- in the sense of people no longer needing to buy it (which is
another reason why reproduction of the entire work is a problem.) Note that most inclusion of text in Usenet follow-ups
is for commentary and reply, and it doesn't damage the commercial value of the
original posting (if it has any) and as such it is fair use. Fair use isn't an
exact doctrine, either. The court decides if the right to comment overrides the
copyright on an individual basis in each case. There have been cases that go beyond
the bounds of what I say above, but in general they don't apply to the typical
net misclaim of fair use. The
"fair use" concept varies from country to country, and has different
names (such as "fair dealing" in Canada) and other limitations outside
the USA.. Facts and ideas can't be
copyrighted, but their expression and structure can. You can always write the
facts in your own words. See the DMCA
alert for recent changes in the law.
5) "If you don't defend your copyright
you lose it." -- "Somebody has that name copyrighted!"
False. Copyright is effectively never lost these days, unless explicitly given
away. You also can't "copyright a name" or anything short like that,
such as almost all titles. You may be thinking of trade marks,
which apply to names, and can be weakened or lost if not defended. You generally trademark terms by using them
to refer to your brand of a generic type of product or service. Like an
"Apple" computer. Apple Computer "owns" that word applied
to computers, even though it is also an ordinary word. Apple Records owns it
when applied to music. Neither owns the word on its own, only in context, and
owning a mark doesn't mean complete control -- see a more detailed treatise on
this law for details. You can't use
somebody else's trademark in a way that would steal the value of the mark, or
in a way that might make people confuse you with the real owner of the mark, or
which might allow you to profit from the mark's good name. For example, if I
were giving advice on music videos, I would be very wary of trying to label my
works with a name like "mtv." :-) You can use marks to criticize or
parody the holder, as long as it's clear you aren't the holder.
6) "If I make up my own stories, but
base them on another work, my new work belongs to me."
False. U.S. Copyright law is quite explicit that the making of what are called
"derivative works" -- works based or derived from another copyrighted
work -- is the exclusive province of the owner of the original work. This is
true even though the making of these new works is a highly creative process. If
you write a story using settings or characters from somebody else's work, you
need that author's permission. Yes,
that means almost all "fan fiction" is arguably a copyright
violation. If you want to write a story about Jim Kirk and Mr. Spock, you need
Paramount's permission, plain and simple. Now, as it turns out, many, but not
all holders of popular copyrights turn a blind eye to "fan fiction"
or even subtly encourage it because it helps them. Make no mistake, however,
that it is entirely up to them whether to do that. There is a major exception -- criticism and parody.
The fair use provision says that if you want to make fun of
something like Star Trek, you don't need their permission to include Mr.
Spock. This is not a loophole; you can't just take a non-parody and
claim it is one on a technicality. The way "fair use" works is you
get sued for copyright infringement, and you admit you did copy, but that your
copying was a fair use. A subjective judgment on, among other things, your
goals, is then made. However, it's
also worth noting that a court has never ruled on this issue, because fan
fiction cases always get settled quickly when the defendant is a fan of limited
means sued by a powerful publishing company. Some argue that completely
non-commercial fan fiction might be declared a fair use if courts get to
decide. You can read more
7) "They can't get me, defendants in
court have powerful rights!"
Copyright law is mostly civil law. If you violate copyright you would usually
get sued, not be charged with a crime. "Innocent until proven guilty"
is a principle of criminal law, as is "proof beyond a reasonable
doubt." Sorry, but in copyright suits, these don't apply the same way or
at all. It's mostly which side and set of evidence the judge or jury accepts or
believes more, though the rules vary based on the type of infringement. In
civil cases you can even be made to testify against your own interests.
8) "Oh, so copyright violation isn't a crime or anything?"
Actually, recently in the USA commercial copyright violation involving more
than 10 copies and value over $2500 was made a felony. So watch out. (At least
you get the protections of criminal law.) On the other hand, don't think you're
going to get people thrown in jail for posting your E-mail. The courts have
much better things to do. This is a fairly new, untested statute. In one case
an operator of a pirate BBS that didn't charge was acquitted because he didn't
charge, but congress amended the law to cover that.
9) "It doesn't hurt anybody -- in fact it's free
advertising."
It's up to the owner to decide if they want the free ads or not. If they want
them, they will be sure to contact you. Don't rationalize whether it hurts the
owner or not, ask them. Usually that's not too hard to do.
Time past, ClariNet published the very funny Dave Barry column to a large and
appreciative Usenet audience for a fee, but some person didn't ask, and
forwarded it to a mailing list, got caught, and the newspaper chain that employs
Dave Barry pulled the column from the net, pissing off everybody who enjoyed
it. Even if you can't think of how the author or owner gets hurt, think about
the fact that piracy on the net hurts everybody who wants a chance to use this
wonderful new technology to do more than read other people's flamewars.
10) "They e-mailed me a copy, so I can post it."
To have a copy is not to have the copyright. All the E-mail you write is
copyrighted. However, E-mail is not, unless previously agreed, secret. So you
can certainly report on what E-mail you are sent, and reveal
what it says. You can even quote parts of it to demonstrate. Frankly, somebody
who sues over an ordinary message would almost surely get no damages, because
the message has no commercial value, but if you want to stay strictly in the
law, you should ask first. On the other hand, don't go nuts if somebody posts
E-mail you sent them. If it was an ordinary non-secret personal letter of
minimal commercial value with no copyright notice (like 99.9% of all E-mail),
you probably won't get any damages if you sue them. Note as well that, the law
aside, keeping private correspondence private is a courtesy one should usually
honour.
11)"So I can't ever reproduce anything?"
Myth #11 (I didn't want to change the now-famous title of this article) is
actually one sometimes generated in response to this list of 10 myths. No,
copyright isn't an iron-clad lock on what can be published. Indeed, by many
arguments, by providing reward to authors, it encourages them to not just
allow, but fund the publication and distribution of works so that they reach
far more people than they would if they were free or unprotected -- and
unpromoted. However, it must be remembered that copyright has two main
purposes, namely the protection of the author's right to obtain commercial
benefit from valuable work, and more recently the protection of the author's
general right to control how a work is used.
While copyright law makes it technically illegal to reproduce almost any
new creative work (other than under fair use) without permission, if the work
is unregistered and has no real commercial value, it gets very little
protection. The author in this case can sue for an injunction against the
publication, actual damages from a violation, and possibly
court costs. Actual damages means actual money potentially lost by the author
due to publication, plus any money gained by the defendant. But if a work has
no commercial value, such as a typical E-mail message or conversational USENET
posting, the actual damages will be zero. Only the most vindictive (and rich)
author would sue when no damages are possible, and the courts don't look kindly
on vindictive plaintiffs, unless the defendants are even more vindictive. The author's right to control what is done
with a work, however, has some validity, even if it has no commercial value. If
you feel you need to violate a copyright "because you can get away with it
because the work has no value" you should ask yourself why you're doing
it. In general, respecting the rights of creators to control their creations is
a principle many advocate adhering to.
In addition, while more often than not people claim a "fair
use" copying incorrectly, fair use is a valid concept necessary to allow
the criticism of copyrighted works and their creators through examples. But
please read more about it before you do it.
In Summary
These days, almost all things are copyrighted the
moment they are written, and no copyright notice is required. Copyright is still violated whether you
charged money or not, only damages are affected by that. Postings to the net are not granted to the
public domain, and don't grant you any permission to do further copying except perhaps
the sort of copying the poster might have expected in the ordinary flow of the
net. Fair use is a complex doctrine
meant to allow certain valuable social purposes. Ask yourself why you are
republishing what you are posting and why you couldn't have just rewritten it
in your own words. Copyright is not
lost because you don't defend it; that's a concept from trademark law. The
ownership of names is also from trademark law, so don't say somebody has a name
copyrighted. Fan fiction and other work
derived from copyrighted works is a copyright violation. Copyright law is mostly civil law where the
special rights of criminal defendants you hear so much about don't apply. Watch
out, however, as new laws are moving copyright violation into the criminal
realm. Don't rationalize that you are
helping the copyright holder; often it's not that hard to ask permission. Posting E-mail is technically a violation,
but revealing facts from E-mail you got isn't, and for almost all typical
E-mail, nobody could wring any damages from you for posting it. The law doesn't
do much to protect works with no commercial value.
DMCA Alert!
Copyright law was recently amended by the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act which changed net copyright in many ways. In
particular, it put all sorts of legal strength behind copy-protection systems,
making programs illegal and reducing the reality of fair use rights.
The DMCA also changed the liability outlook for ISPs in major ways, many of
them quite troublesome.
UNAUTHORIZED! (Al
Green, Whitney Houston, and Missy Elliot Reviewed)
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 5, 2003) This will be a very
interesting week in the Sound Check Studio. We have Pastor Al Green, who has
Jesus, Whitney Houston, who needs Jesus, and Missy Elliot, who can’t decide one
way or the other ... That aside, we’ll be reviewing their new projects, along
with Boyz to Men’s Christmas collection, which we’ve decided to shine this
week’s retro-spotlight on.
Artist: Al Green - Title: I Can’t Stop
Label: Blue Note - Release Date: 11/18/03
Rating: retro 7
He graced us with his indelible soul-stirring music in an era gone by; then
suddenly, the spirit swept him up into the heavens -- but before he ascended,
he left us with these instructions, “hold it down until I return…” So, QUICK! – Get to the nearest basement,
beat the dust off your fuzzy furniture, and turn on the blue light; the second
coming of the legendary AL GREEN is at hand, and he he’s back with his new
project “I Can’t Stop” to separate the musical wheat from the chaff! Abiding by his instructions, I screwed in
the blue light in the studio, and instantly the room began to fill with smoke –
cigarette smoke that is. I took a quick glance downward and noticed that my
feet were planted on an old wooden floor, reminiscent of what you would find in
an old blues joint. I shifted my focus ahead of me, and through the haze I
could see a faint image of a dark figure wearing polyester slacks and a vest
with no shirt, and he was flanked by three women wearing pale blue sequin
gowns, poofy wigs, and long curled lashes accentuated by blue eye shadow. At
that moment, the instruments began to play – the horns were blaring, the Fender
Rhodes was humming, and the strings were in full effect! The next sound I heard
was Al’s signature high pitched whine and the ladies joining in with soulful
background vocals -- “I Cant Stop” hit the studio like a meteor!
Sure to conjure up these images, this new album is the closest you’ll get to
authentic soul! It has gritty soul singing (though with a little less oomph
than in the past) and extremely raw instrumentation that you thought you’d
never hear again unless you pulled out the crate of old dusties. With cuts like
‘Rainin’ In My Heart’, ‘You’, and ‘Not Tonight’, Al shows the soul newcomers
how it should be done – but, yesteryear. He summed it all up on the track ‘Too
Many’, where he begins by saying, “Hey man, ain’t nothin’ changed…” – but with
all due respect Al… Lyrically, this
record is replete with what I call “love-babble”, but that ’s par for the
course for a smoky night at “the joint”. Adults be warned: when you play it you
may get a few dirty looks from the youngsters because it’s geared toward the
more “seasoned” ear, but you won’t be able to resist popping it in and
revisiting your heyday. This ordained
minister may not be giving you the gospel according to Mark, Luke, John or
Matthew with this record, but he’s certainly giving you the gospel according to
classic soul -- though I question its relevancy…
Artist: Missy Elliott - Title: This Is Not A Test
Label: Elektra - Release Date: 11/25/03
Rating: X, I mean 10
#@$%@#?*! -- Amen… That pretty much sums up Missy Elliott’s new release “This
Is Not a Test”, but since I have more space, I’ll expound. The new (or not so new) svelte Missy may
have shed some pounds over the years, but she certainly hasn’t shed any of her
innovate prowess and quick wit. This trendsetter (along with her long-time
producer, Timbaland), has put together a collabo-laden set that’s sure to
become another feather in her cap. She teams up with some of the industry’s top
dogs, including Jay-Z, Mary J Blige, Monica and Beanie Man, Fabolous, R. Kelly,
Nelly, and THE CLARK SISTERS, to assist in her efforts to push the envelope of
Hip-Hop further than she already has.
Missy’s school of self-expression begins with a diatribe about the
eroding image of hip-hop, which she drives home in the bangin’ track, ‘Wake
Up’, performed with Jay-Z. On this track, Missy and ‘Hova’ lecture the hip-hop
community by giving them permission to make money the right way, keep their
clothes on, and halt all the senseless infighting. And with their clout as a
respected MC’s, they just may convince a few.
On the flip-side, Missy quickly trades in her soapbox for a box of
'Toyz’, (a cut on which she soulfully instructs women on the necessity of using
instruments of self-pleasure), and other birds and bees talk, as in ‘Dat’s What
I’m Talkin’ ‘Bout’ (on which R-ah Kelly helps out by metaphorically describing
the art of love making -- I just hope that his latest material is inadmissible
in court…). There’s just something special about the way she finesses those
hip-hop and R&B hybrids, making them sound slightly retro and refreshingly
progressive all at the same time. This touch is best demonstrated in the track
‘It’s real’ (an ultra smooth song about the depths of love). The lessons don’t
stop here though.
Missy, who has previously produced a few songs for gospel artists, goes on to
close out the project by drawing from the vocal styling and anointing of the
Clark Sister to create a very catchy ‘I’m Not Perfect’. This song levels the
playing field between the saints and the ain’ts by denouncing
self-righteousness. It’s been said that a little yeast leavens the whole lump;
I just hope that the anointing on the Clark’s is strong enough to make this
loaf rise above its abundant profanity – girls, get ready for a flurry of
Christian tongue-lashings. At the end
of the day, school is over and Missy remains light years ahead of the class.
She’s delivered a collection of inventive new cuts and classics infused with
jumpin’ club beats that deserves an A+ in our book; however, we must
regretfully hand down a U in conduct for its excessive use of expletives and
racy subject matter. That said, the spirit conscious will find this project
highly offensive, but if you’re not careful this guilty pleasure just may suck
you into its black hole of crunkness!
Artist: Whitney Houston - Title: One Wish
Label: Arista - Release Date: 11/18/03
Rating: 9
Tis’ the season to breakout the Christmas music, which provides the perfect
opportunity to take a listen to Whitney’s latest (and first ever) Christmas CD
“One Wish”. She offers her rendition of several classics (one featuring little
Bobbi Christina), as well as stuffing the stocking with a new track of her
own. Though her vocals are not as crisp
and clear as they used to be, there seems to be something redeeming about the
quality of her voice on this project. With several poor performances to
mention, it’s relieving to hear her sound so good (despite her seeming
overcompensation for the slight deterioration through excessive use of
vibrato). Especially impressive is her rendition of ‘Who Would Imagine A King’
on which she managed to recapture the angelic tone that set her apart from the
rest of the pack before her fiery trials began. And speaking of fiery trials,
hearing her mesmerizing rendition of 'I’ll Be Home for Christmas' had a
profound effect on me. I was at first lulled into deep thought about family and
friends, but it was abruptly interrupted when I heard the lyrics “Although I
know It’ s a long road back, I promise you, I’ll be home for Christmas.” This
line seemed to strike me like lightning! Maybe I’m reaching, but it was as if
she put a little extra passion in it, claiming it as a mantra for her life.
Though she may never top the charts again due to the changing landscape of
popular music, she can certainly reclaim her status as a living legend -- talk
to me Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, and numerous others who pulled it back together
after having trod the same path -- but I digress…
Continuing, Whitney introduces little Bobbi Kristina to the music world through
a soulful version of 'the Little Drummer Boy'; and it wasn’t at all bad. Little
Bobbie (I just despise that moniker, but plain ‘Bobbi’ just sounds so grown-up)
sweetly sings the first verse, paving the way for her mother to bring it home
Whitney style – they even did some pretty nice adlibbing together at the end.
It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the progeny of “the
Voice” and “the King of R&B”...
Whitney also pours her heart out on the only original track 'One Wish',
which is the perfect track for radio. It has an ultra smooth R&B sound that
provides a nice, brief interruption in the rest of the usual Christmas fare.
The remaining tracks are largely traditional ('O’ Holy Night,' 'Deck the
Halls,' 'Joy to the World,' etc.), and Whitney handles them with care. In the final analysis, this is a very
warming and respectfully done Christmas CD that I wouldn’t hesitate to set on
repeat during this holiday season. If this project were any indication of
Whitney’s progress in reclaiming her respect, I’d proffer that she’s well on
her way; it emits a peace and joy that gives the impression that all is well
with her soul…
Sound Check Retro-Spotlight - Artist: Boyz To Men
Title The Christmas Collection - Label: Motown
Release Date: 1993
Rating: 9
This past weekend officially kicked off the Christmas Season, so we’ve decided
to pay tribute by shining the retro-spotlight on [the not so retro, but
appropriate] “Boyz to Men, the Christmas Collection”. Nathan, Shawn, Wanya, and
Michael never sounded better than on this spirited gem! With Brian McKnight’s touch interwoven
throughout the project, the “Boyz” croon their way through the highs and the
lows of the holiday season in their signature quartet style. The fellas even treat you to experiencing
each member’s interpretation of Christmas through each one having writing
credits on the album! It’s not your typical Christmas set, in that it’s short
on classics, but it certainly delivers songs that warm your heart by putting
you in the Christmas mood; it may even make you a bit misty-eyed. I don’t recall there being much hype about
this project, which is par for the course for seasonal items, but it is
certainly worthy of a revival while the holiday season is still young. As the studio lights are brought down, and
the last guest has departed, we conclude that it’s been a pretty good week.
Stay tuned for next week’s installment, where we’ll review more exciting new
releases, and we'll introduce you to some invited guests whom are being stifled
by the radio chokehold.
TV
NEWS
3LW HITS TV: Singing group signs with ABC
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 5,
2003) *It looks as though Eve has
started something with her sitcom. Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams of 3
Little Women, better known as 3LW, have signed with ABC
for a TV series based on their recent Disney movie, "The Cheetah
Girls." A representative for the
group and the show's producer, Debra Martin Chase of "The Princess
Diaries," said they are also discussing writing in a role for Jessica
Benson, who joined the trio after Bailon and Williams made the movie, reports
MTV News. "We're starting [to
film] in April," Williams said at Teen People's recent Artist of the Year
party. "We're excited." Like
the movie, "The Cheetah Girls" sitcom will be based on Deborah
Gregory's four-year-old book series about a girl group of different ethnic
backgrounds, similar to 3LW. Actresses Raven-Symone ("The Cosby
Show") and Sabrina Bryan ("The Bold and the Beautiful") will
reprise their roles on the show, which will shoot in Toronto. "The Cheetah Girls" is only one of
two upcoming TV opportunities for 3LW. Bailon said the trio are in talks about
a reality show where they are filmed during the recording process. "I think it's gonna be called 'Welcome
to Atlanta' or something like that," she said. The working title refers to
the home of their new label head, Jermaine Dupri, with whom they will record
their newest set "Phoenix Rising."
"We're going to Atlanta on December 8, and we'll actually be living
there for two months," Bailon said. "We finished our part of the
album, all seven songs, and JD will add his four," Williams added.
"We're gonna make history."
The finished tracks for the new offering is "After This,"
which they performed at the Lady of Soul Awards, "Bling Bling" and
"Gangsta."
Tyler Gets “Friend”Ly Hook-Up
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8,
2003) *After being established as a returning character on “Friends,” Aisha
Tyler has scored another gig. The
actress and former “Talk Soup” host has been tapped to star in a CBS comedy
pilot produced by “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow. The show has not yet been titled, but according to E!, it is
being billed as a new “Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
FILM
NEWS
Redemption
The movie Redemption is premiering at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival! Remember I told you about the movie Redemption that
was shot here in Toronto this past summer?
It's the story of Stan 'Tookie' Williams Story",
the founder of the Crips gang and it chronicles his life, his time as a death
row inmate, and his work to end gang violence -- which brought him a Nobel
Peace Prize nomination in 2001. And it
is directed by the
mega-talented and humble Vondie Curtis Hall,
a good friend. The Sundance Film Festival will be held January 15-25, 2004 in
Park City, Utah.
LL Lights Up For “Edison” Rapper/actor to co-star in
thriller
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) *Rapper-turned
actor LL
Cool J will be joined by thespians Kevin Spacey
and Morgan Freeman for the film “Edison.” The independent flick is about a young journalist who teams up
with veteran press man and an investigator to uncover a police scandal. The three began filming in late February.
Mariette Monpierre -- Rendez-Vous at the Cinema
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com -
by Deardra Shuler
(Dec. 5, 2003) Americans are always intrigued by accents and Mariette
Monpierre's accent is engaging. Her words bubble out
effervescent with a French twist. Her
expressive hands gesture, while slender fingers excitedly punctuate each word.
The sparkle in her doe eyes match the enthusiasm expressed in her dialogue as
the charming Monpierre talked about her short film, "Rendez-Vous." Mariette's freckled face is ebullient as she
described her life and work as a filmmaker. Born on the Island of Guadeloupe in
the French West Indies, the petite cinematographer grew up in Paris. "When I lived in Guadeloupe, my aunt was
a cashier at the only movie theatre in town. I used to go to see her and watch
films all the time. I would watch the same films over and over. When the family
moved to Paris, my mother began taking us to the cinema every Saturday
afternoon. They were mostly religious and epic films like, "The Red
Robe;" "The Tenth Commandments" and "Gone with the
Wind," recalled the filmmaker.
Monpierre followed her ardor for film to the Sorbonne at the University of
Paris where she studied languages, film, radio and television obtaining the
equivalency of what would be a master's degree in the U.S. once in America, Ms.
Monpierre, continued her graduate studies at Smith College in Massachusetts and
then at New York University. She selected New York as her permanent home, where
she has been living for the last 15 years. "As a black woman born in the Caribbean, growing up in Paris,
filmmaking wasn't the type of work your family encouraged you to do,"
explained Mariette. “I never did have the guts to tell my Mom I wanted to be a
filmmaker." It seems Monpierre
reached a compromise. "At first, I decided I wanted to be a script girl.
That’s the person in charge of the continuity. She is like a secretary in film.
But I didn't end up doing that. When I came to America, I got a job as a
producer in a big advertising agency, BBD&O. I found myself producing
commercials for Pepsi, HBO, Pizza Hut and Federal Express. It was great!!! I
was making money and really loved it. But then, after a few years of doing it,
I began to think there is more for me to do than merely making commercials. I
felt I had messages and stories I wanted to tell," remarked Monpierre
whose corky hair spilled out in ringlets around her face. Mariette began making films in 1993 as a
sideline. "I was doing pretty well financially working as a producer for
BBD&O and only did film in my spare time on weekends and during vacations.
But I started to think I needed to devote more time to film. I realized if I
was really going to do my craft, then I had to be willing to make the
sacrifices in support of it." Eventually, Monpierre took steps to become a
full time filmmaker.
Once Monpierre left BBD&O, she lost a substantial income but was still able
to land small jobs directing music videos and making documentaries for French
T.V. Mariette was hired as a music video director for a French record label,
where she directed a series of music videos for its top recording artists. She
completed more than 30 videos, directing prominent African, Caribbean and
Celtic musicians, including Burning Spear, who is considered by many to be the
godfather of reggae. Documentaries followed suit. Monpierre was commissioned by
the New York City Health Department to make a documentary entitled,
"Knowledge is Power." Knowledge is Power was a film that promoted
HIV/AIDS awareness. And, last year, she completed a three-part documentary
series for French TV entitled "Caribbean Roots." The film traces the
history of French Caribbean music via some of its most popular music groups. Mariette also has an interest in feature
films. She is presently developing a feature called "We Live in a
Beautiful World." To date, the busy West Indian filmmaker has three short
films under her belt. One is entitled, 'Rendez-Vous." This film is the
story of a woman who is progressively feeling on the edge as she anxiously
awaits an appointment in a restaurant. Her anxiety increases as she waits and
the rendez-vous she hopes for is delayed for hours. "The audience gets
caught up in the film vicariously watching the clock, wondering who she is
meeting. Everyone falls into the trap of thinking she is waiting for a man but
in actuality I have geared the film toward a surprise ending," explains
the young filmmaker. Rendez-Vous has been shown at various international film festivals.
It was shown in Toronto where it was screened on the opening night of Planet
Africa, as an official selection of the Marrakech Film Festival and at the
African Diaspora Film Festival in New York, but most notably in Cannes, where
it was nominated for the Djibril Diop Mambety Award. The lively cinematographer
has another short film called "Did You F...?" based on the surrealist
game, The Exquisite Corpse, which explores the mystique of the unexpected.
Monpierre re-created the game as an mirthful idiosyncratic New York story.
"It is a typical New York story. It's a bit daring and quite bold,"
claims Monpierre. Her showcasing of another film, "Sweet Mickey for
President," in 2002, won her the Best Documentary Award at the Reel Sisters
Film Festival. She is also the creator of a short film about the tribulations
of a black French woman who gives private french lessons in New York. The twist
is that the entire story takes place in one day. As the day goes by the seasons
change. "It is a surreal, quirky, rather weird movie," chuckles the
peppy artist.
Monpierre ultimately hopes to broaden her horizons in film. "I want to
tell interesting women stories. I think women are not portrayed enough on the
big screen because it’s mostly men directing men and telling their stories. In
my story, "Rendez-vous," for example, the film is about a woman that
had to make a decision early on when she was young. She had a very difficult
life and had to make a decision that she later regretted. She then tried to
rectify and correct the mistake but throughout the film we find that it's not
always easy to want a family, career, and have it all. Especially for black
women who are reared under the idea that we have to be strong, raise families,
balance a career and frankly do it all," comments Mariette. "I hope to get my message across in a
feature film I am now preparing. The film, in part, is autobiographical. It is
a story of a young West Indian woman who was born in Paris but who has never
met her father," says the filmmaker. "The character goes back to the
French West Indies in search of her father and finds him. The film depicts the
story of that meeting and how that meeting changes the character's life,"
continued Monpierre. "It's important for me to talk about the West Indian
society as that is my roots and culture. In the West Indies, most men have lots
of children with lots of different women and never take responsibility for
their children. West Indian women were and often are, accustomed to accepting
the status quo and even somewhat support it. However, ultimately the reality
is, many West Indian women end up as victims. My point in making the movie,
however, is not to point fingers. I am just describing the situation.
Personally, I think of my film as a drama with a smile." "One day I
hope to accomplish my goal to make feature films on the big screen. I would
like to have my films shown worldwide in locales such as New York, Africa,
France and the West Indies. It's a long process but I have faith and lots of
energy so I will eventually succeed. For me, it's not about being rich and
famous but about telling my story and being recognized and respected for that.
That is what I most want -- to work in the craft I love and be recognized for
the stories I tell."
OTHER
NEWS
Houston Honoured
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
NBA hottie Allan Houston may not be a member of a
winning basketball team, but the New York Knicks guard is accomplishing great
feats on his own accord. Mr. Houston, who The RU Report recently
reported is teaming up with hip-hop veterans Cheryl “Salt” James and Christopher
“Play” Martin on the traveling stage play, “Rise,” has been named
the 2004 Recipient of the 1619 Leadership Award of the American Museum of African
Heritage. The Award, named for the year the original group of Africans arrived
in Jamestown, Virginia, recognizes individuals who have made personal
sacrifices on behalf of others. “Allan
Houston was chosen for this honour not only because of his phenomenal
sportsmanship and charitable works,” said executive director Dr. Adolph
Roberts, “but also for his personal values and ethics that stress personal
responsibility, achievement and leadership.” The 1619 Leadership Award
reception will benefit the Museum and is scheduled for December 18 in New York
City at Columbia University.
The proposed world-class museum, national in scope, focuses on the history,
art, and culture of African-Americans. It is being developed over the next four
to five years by the Freedom’s Journey Foundation, a non-profit
organization. “I am truly humbled by
the honour the American Museum of African Heritage is bestowing upon me,” Mr.
Houston offers. “God has proven Himself mightily in my life and my desire is to
be able to show goodness to others because of the goodness God has shown to me.
I pray I can continue to live up to the values and ethics this award
represents.” Dr. Wyatt T. Walker,
former Chief of Staff to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and National
Honorary Chairman of the Freedom’s Journey Foundation cited the organization’s
decision to honour Mr. Houston as its inaugural choice for the 1619 Leadership
Award, to be based not only on Houston as a role model for children, but also
for athletes. “Mr. Houston provides an outstanding example of how professional
athletes can make meaningful contributions both in and out of the world of
sports. He is most deserving of this honour and a place in history.” The 32-year-old University of Texas alum is
widely recognized off-court for his many charitable contributions, most of
which emphasize combining sports with education, mentoring and literacy. One of
these charities, “Allan’s Courtside Classroom”, partners with the New York City
Department of Education, to bring children courtside to watch the Knicks’
pre-game warm-ups and drills. Throughout his career, Houston has made a
priority of creating opportunities that enrich the lives of children mentally,
physically and spiritually.
The American Museum of African Heritage has gained high profile support from
across the nation. Supporters include prominent individuals such as Jesse
Jackson, Professor Charles Ogletree of Harvard University,
presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Cecil Murray of Los
Angeles, director Spike Lee, as well as Senator Charles Schumer
and Congressman Charlie Rangel.
Mr. Houston will also receive a second recognition in March 2004 as an honouree
at the annual Freedom’s Journey Gala at the Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts.
T.D. Jakes and Matthew Knowles Go Under
‘Cover’
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com -
by Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)
(Dec. 4, 2003) I am convinced. Multimedia religious powerhouse Bishop T.D. Jakes
has launched a full-scale attempt for worldwide domination. The super-evangelist, who has influenced the
masses via best-selling literary, audio and visual products, speaking and
touring jaunts, outreach initiatives, a monthly magazine and a daily talk show,
is literally taking America by storm with his latest endeavor. Bishop Jakes has teamed up with broadcast
media conglomerate Clear Channel Entertainment and music manager Matthew
Knowles to bring the theatrical production of “Cover Girls” to stage for
its inaugural national tour.
"Cover Girls" stars veteran TV actress Kim Fields and
inspirational soul diva Ann Nesby and is based on the best-selling novel
by renowned Bishop Jakes of the same name (published by Warner Faith Books
earlier this year). "Cover Girls" tells the story of four women who
seemingly have nothing in common. Yet, every day they each face the complex
realities of 21st century urban life as they try to balance their needs with
their belief in God.
The tour is scheduled to perform in 28 cities across the country with the world
premiere of kicking off January 6 at NextStage in Dallas. "[It] is about coming to terms with the
past, discovering who we truly are, and recognizing the unexpected friendships
and small miracles that reveal God's all-encompassing love," says the Charleston,
West Virginia native Jakes. "This
theatrical production is the next step in furthering the gospel genre for the
stage, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it." Our good pal James Stovall, who
previously re-created "Black Nativity" (which opens tonight in New
York City), will direct "Cover Girls," while Cheryl Davis,
whose previous plays include "Barnstormer" and "The Color of
Justice," is adapting the novel for the stage. The composers and
co-lyricists are Cedric and Victor Caldwell, who have worked with Whitney
Houston, Take 6, Andrae Crouch, Chante Moore, Bobby Brown, Donnie McClurklin
and BeBe & CeCe Winans.
Bishop Jakes is founder of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, Inc. and is the co-writer
and co-producer of "Cover Girls." He is also a contributor to the
show's lyrics. Curtis Wallace, COO of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, is
associate producer of "Cover Girls." Paul Weimer, who has
credits with "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cabaret," is the
scenic designer; lighting design is by Jeff Crotier; costume designer is
Sosa. Mr. Knowles, who is the CEO of Music World Entertainment/Sanctuary
Theatrical Productions and father of multimedia superstar Beyonce Knowles,
is executive producing the musical stage-play with Music World/Sanctuary
Theatricals. "`Cover Girls' is a
project I am so passionate about," says Mr. Knowles. "I am happy to
be partnering for the first time with Clear Channel Entertainment and T. D.
Jakes to bring an incredible production to the stage." For more information log onto www.covergirlsontour.com.
Paul McCartney Update
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
Madonna better watch out. She’s not the only rock/pop giant getting into
the children’s business. Music legend Sir Paul McCartney and Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein are in business
together. Mr. Weinstein announced yesterday that his company has acquired a
trio of classic animated stories produced by Mr. McCartney. “Tropic Island”
“Hum, Tuesday” and “Rupert & The Frog Song” are scheduled to be released on
DVD and video next spring. McCartney worked with long-time collaborator Geoff
Dunbar to create additional special effects in order to enhance the
animation. In addition, newly recorded live-action footage -- featuring
McCartney himself -- will be included. The former Beatles member and the
larger-than-life Academy Awards demigod most recently collaborated on "The
Concert for New York City," which raised $35 million for the victims of
9/11.
NBA Players Update
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
While we’re on the subject of home video
entertainment, something to consider; “1 LOVE” (Paramount), an entertaining and
insightful documentary contains all-star interviews with Michael Jordan,
Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, coach Phil Jackson, and
other former NBA legends. From acclaimed director Leon Gast (of the
Academy Award winning film “When We Were Kings”), takes viewers on an amazing
journey through the history of basketball in urban America. Described as more
than just a documentary, “1 LOVE” presents the stirring human stories behind
the game – as passionately told by the players, coaches and fans who live and
breathe basketball on and off the court.
Russell Tries To Do Magic
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 5, 2003) *It looks like Russell Simmons is stepping up to do his part in
society. Magic Johnson has really been a great role model for everyone. Simmons is preparing for a press conference
where he will announce his latest project in a partnership with Jackson Hewitt,
the income tax preparrer. A press
conference will feature Russell Simmons, CEO of Rush Communications and Mike
Lister, president and CEO of Jackson Hewitt Inc., the nation's second largest
tax preparation company. The partnership will enable over 48 million Americans
without a traditional banking relationship to avoid paying check cashing fees
and receive discounted tax preparation service this coming tax season. The partnership also seeks to educate and
inform unbanked Americans about the IRS Earned Income Tax Credit. According to
the most recent IRS figures, each year over $2 billion in Earned Income Tax
Credits goes unclaimed.
Black Author's Paranormal Experience As A Wolf: Releases
her from rape trauma since age 13
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) Atlanta, GA - Amanda Grihm, author of The Wolf, suffered from a victimization that lasted
thirty-seven years - a rape on her thirteenth birthday by three men. The
residual effects permeated every aspect of her life. Recent interviews and book discussions with Grihm reveal that she
actually believes she traveled back through time and transformed into a wolf.
According to Grihm the first transformation took place in a dream but
subsequent transformations were real. The transformations coupled with a
recurring dream about wolves on September 23rd from age thirteen to twenty
fueled Grihm's desire to write The Wolf. Upon learning of her dreams and transformations, Grihm's husband,
J. Emil, searched for a way to assure her that her experience was real, though
not normal. After several months of searching, he found a picture of an
American Indian whose face was inlayed in the face of a wolf, which depicted
Grihm's dream and experiences. Best
friend, Janice Aaron-Whitley, helped Grihm recall, more precisely, some of the
people, locations and events that took place during Grihm's wolf experience. It
was at the insistence and encouragement of J. Emil and Ms. Aaron-Whitley that
Grihm set down to write The Wolf.
While writing The Wolf, Grihm not only remembered precise details but she found
herself traveling back through time, observing and re-experiencing specific
events. "I was able to clear up
several questions I had about the experience ... things I thought I'd never
understand and things I didn't think humanly possible. I know that the
experience was real and necessary for me to move out of a place of fear and
intimidation. For the first time in thirty-seven years, I feel like I can
actually relax around other people. I no longer fear them or the possibilities
that lay ahead. Because of the rape I was always afraid to create enemies. I
needed everyone to like me ... so that they wouldn't want to hurt me. I had to find a way to be valuable to
everyone I met. So, I became the ultimate problem-solver who would and could
help any and everyone - at any time - under any circumstance. On the job, I had
to be someone that everyone could count on without appearing to take credit for
getting things done. If necessary, I had to help someone else get the
recognition as being the best so that no possibility of conflict could arise
out of perceived competition. My
family, friends and acquaintances have always spoken very highly of what they
perceived as accomplishments in my life. For me, what they saw as
accomplishments were requirements fulfilled. I did all of the things I felt I
had to do to keep everybody happy. Writing The Wolf has freed me to finally
pursue personal happiness - something I have not felt entitled to since I was
twelve years old."
Grihm believes so strongly in the idea of writing to release victimization that
she started a new program, Reaching Through Readings and Writing, to help
troubled youth assess their lives and options and write their stories. She has
successfully conducted workshops in Georgia detention centers with amazing
results. Grihm is one of those rare
writers who enjoys sharing and helping people without restrictions. Unedited
previews of two of her upcoming books, in addition to the first few chapters of
The Wolf can be read at her website - www.amandagrihm.com. While there, make
sure to read THE SAFE JOURNEY OUT, a short vignette that tells why Grihm
finally wrote THE WOLF. For more
information about JAG Publishing, LLC. visit our website at
www.jagpublishing.com
Jersey Job For P.Diddy
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Dec. 8, 2003) *Hey b-ball fans, Sean P. Diddy
Combs has got designs on you. The rap/fashion
mogul will design the Dallas Mavericks’ alternate uniforms for the 2004-2005
season. “The future is now,"
Mavericks merchandising director Tim Henning told MTV. "We think he's the
perfect designer for this kind of project. He knows design, he knows what's
happening in terms of what we think is street-credible. Nobody out there is as
equipped as Puff — and Sean John, specifically — to take on a project like
this. [People] are wearing uniforms as fashion, and who's the guy on top in
urban fashion? P. Diddy." The
jersey design will be unveiled at the annual Magic fashion convention in
February, and Combs and the Mavs are already talking about him designing other
pieces for the team such as shorts and shooting shorts. No, the jerseys will
not feature the Sean John logo, but Combs' peeps say the attire will include
something recognizable to the brand. Look
for the team to wear their alternate suits at least 12 times during the season,
beginning in the 2004 preseason. Sports fans can get theirs come next fall.
CD RELEASES
Tuesday,
December 9, 2003
AVANT
Private Room (Geffen)
CHRISTINA AGUILERA The Voice Within (CD Single)
(RCA)
FEFE DOBSON Fefe Dobson (Island)
KELIS Tasty (Arista)
LIL JON & THE
EASTSIDE BOYS - Part II (Universal)
MADONNA Nothing Fails (CD Single)
(Maverick)
MUSIQ (Soulchild) – Soulstar (Universal)
NICK CANNON Nick Cannon (Zomba)
RUBEN STUDDARD Soulful (J Records)
RYAN MALCOLM Home (Vik)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Crunk And
Disorderly
VARIOUS ARTISTS Love Don't Cost A Thing OST
(Hollywood)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ultimate Dirty Dancing
(BMG Heritage)
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
ALICIA KEYS You Don't Know My Name (CD
Single) (J Records)
MEMPHIS BLEEK Made (Def Jam)
SANTANA Ceremony: Remixes & Rarities
(Arista)
EVENTS
–DECEMBER 11 - 21, 2003
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14
SOULAR
College Street Bar
574 College Street (at Manning)
10:30 pm
$5.00
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Dione Taylor, Sandy Mamane,
Davide Direnzo, Justin Abedin, Dafydd Hughes and David French.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15
Irie Food Joint Mondays
745 Queen Street W.
10:00 pm
EVENT
PROFILE: Tis
the season to check out Irie Mondays! Winter may be imminent but don't
despair! You can still collect your dose of the Caribbean - every Monday
at Irie. Don't miss the party with the DJ stylings of Carl Allen as
well as guest appearances from other artists! Check them out at www.iriefoodjoint.com.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15
VIP JAM WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
Revival Bar
783 College Street (at Shaw)
10:00 pm
NO COVER
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Rich Brown, Joel
Joseph and Shamakah Ali with various local artists.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16
JAM SESSION
Lava Lounge
507 College Street (west of Bathurst)
10:30 pm
NO COVER
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring prolific Canadian talent,
Calvin Beale, Michael Shand, Joe Bowden, Thomas Reynolds and various local
artists.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21
SOULAR
College Street Bar
574 College Street (at Manning)
10:30 pm
$5.00
EVENT PROFILE: Featuring Dione Taylor, Sandy Mamane,
Davide Direnzo, Justin Abedin, Dafydd Hughes and David French.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22
Irie Food Joint Mondays
745 Queen Street W.
10:00 pm
EVENT
PROFILE: Tis
the season to check out Irie Mondays! Winter may be imminent but don't
despair! You can still collect your dose of the Caribbean - every Monday at
Irie. Don't miss the party with the DJ stylings of Carl Allen as
well as guest appearances from other artists! Check them out at www.iriefoodjoint.com.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22
THE ELEMENTS: A TRIBUTE TO EARTH,
WIND AND FIRE
Produced and Musical Direction by
Andrew Craig
Tonic Nightclub
117 Peter St. (SE corner of Peter
and Richmond)
8:00 pm
Admission: $12 with non-perishable
food item; $15 without
For information, visit www.inspirent.ca
EVENT PROFILE: Back by popular demand!! You are anxiously invited once again to the
most-requested presentation of Toronto’s newest impresario: INSPIRE. Join us this special holiday Monday to
liberate your spirit and your feet in this live performance. It’s a celebration of the music, the energy
and the legacy of the 20th century’s last great big band – Earth,
Wind and Fire!
The Elements: A Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire, with musical direction by Andrew Craig also features some of Toronto’s top
vocalists and musicians: Andrew Craig, Syreeta Neal, Quisha Wint, Jivaro
Smith, Alexis Baro, Colleen Allen, Gord Myers, Adrian Eccleston, Oliver
Johnson, Joel Joseph, Mackie Langford, Rich Brown, Tony Pierre and Don
Pham!
Have
a great week!
Dawn Langfield
Langfield Entertainment
