Eminem And Sirius Satellite Launches Hip-Hop Channel

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 28: (L to R) Rappers 50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre arrive at the Shady National Convention to launch Shade 45, a new satellite radio station, at the Roseland Ballroom October 28, 2004 in New York City.

Shade 45 is the new, uncensored hip-hop radio channel created by Eminem, Shady Records, Interscope Records and SIRIUS. The channel will feature a full lineup of on-air hosts and mixers, including Eminem’s DJ, Green Lantern.

Shade 45 will be available to all SIRIUS subscribers at no extra charge over the standard monthly subscription fee. SIRIUS radios are available at retail outlets around the country.

(Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Official Website: http://www.siriusradio.com

Old Familiar “Digital Divide” Still Shapes Media Landscape

Everybody Say “Click!”

Oscar Winner Halle Berry Honored At Charity Gala

Singer Beyonce Knowles, actress Halle Berry, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Davis, singer Natalie Cole, and many others made an appearance for the 16th Carousel of Hope presented by Mercedes-Benz benefiting the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel October 23, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California.

Since its founding, The Carousel of Hope has raised nearly $70 million to date on behalf of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes (http://www.barbaradaviscenter.org) in Denver, Colo., where more than 5,000 youngsters receive specialized care for diabetes.

The coveted “Brass Ring Award” will be presented to Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry by Oprah Winfrey. Previous “Brass Ring Award” recipients have included Sir Sidney Poitier, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder.
(Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Tommy Hilfiger And Beyonce Visit Macy’s

Beyonce Knowles poses with her new womens fragrance True Star at the Macy’s in Herald Square in New York City, New York on October 22, 2004.

Designer Tommy Hilfiger and singer Beyonce unveiled the new Tommy Hilfiger women’s fragrance inspired by the singer in June of this year.

Beyonce is the lead singer of the group Destiny’s Child and has also had a successful career solo career.

(Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)

Ray Makes Hollywood Premiere

OCTOBER 19: Actors Jamie Foxx, Leila Arcieri, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith arrive at the Universal Pictures Premiere of “Ray” at the Cinerama Dome on October 19, 2004 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

John Kerry Making Last Rounds With African American Voters

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry sings along with the choir at the Mount Olivet Baptist Church in October 17th, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio. Kerry preached a Sunday morning message of change from the pulpit at the predominantly African-American Baptist church in Ohio, another key swing state.

Kerry has also received help on the campaign trail from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharption. Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton have been rivals lately but have appeared together in multiple cities with Sen. Kerry to bring out the African American vote for Kerry.

(Photo credit HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)

KMART Appoints New President & CEO

Kmart Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: KMRT) announced the appointment of Aylwin Lewis as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately starting October 18th, 2004. Mr. Lewis will also join the Kmart Board of Directors. Mr. Lewis joins Kmart from YUM! Brands, Inc., where he was President, Chief Multi-Branding and Operating Officer.

Aylwin Lewis is a 13-year veteran of YUM! Brands, and has been in the restaurant industry for 26 years, beginning his career as a Restaurant General Manager and rising through the ranks to his most recent position at YUM!, the world’s largest restaurant company with over $8 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Lewis has been responsible for executing YUM!’s global operating platform, multi-branding expansion, and Restaurant Information Systems. He was also responsible for the operation of 2600 multi-branded restaurants and the company’s 1,250 Long John Silver’s and 900 A&W All-American Food restaurants.

Edward S. Lampert, Chairman of Kmart, said, “We are excited to have Aylwin Lewis join us as our President and CEO. He brings a strong record of successful operating performance. Under his leadership, we expect that Kmart will build further on its financial strength to become a truly great company.”

Mr. Lampert added, “Aylwin Lewis brings to Kmart a wealth of retail operating experience, a track record of personal and corporate success, tremendous people skills and a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. He is the ideal leader and agent of change for Kmart at this time, and we are pleased that he has embraced this challenge with his characteristic passion. Along with the other members of the Board, I welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with Aylwin to lead Kmart in the next exciting phase of our company’s development.”

Mr. Lewis said, “I am very enthusiastic about working with Eddie Lampert and the Board of Directors to drive the operating excellence and cultural change that are the hallmarks of great companies. Kmart has made considerable strides under the leadership of Julian Day and the Board. I am joining an organization with a strong executive team, financial stability, and increasing profitability. I look forward to working with the company’s management team and all of Kmart’s associates to build on that success.”

Julian Day, who served as Kmart’s President and CEO since January 2003, will remain on the Board of Directors and assist Aylwin Lewis in the transition. Mr. Day said, “I am proud to have led the outstanding team which has accomplished so much at Kmart. As I relinquish my executive responsibilities at the company, I am confident that we have established the strong foundation that will allow Aylwin to focus on the goal of achieving operational excellence in all aspects of our business. Our company is very fortunate to have attracted such an outstanding executive, and I look forward to his success.”

Mr. Lampert added, “Julian Day has successfully led Kmart to its current position of financial strength and profitability, assembled a strong management team, instilled a culture of financial discipline, and, most importantly, presided over a very significant increase in shareholder value. The Board of Directors appreciates Julian Day’s contribution to our company’s development, and we look forward to continuing to work with him on the Board at Kmart.”

Aylwin Lewis Biography

Mr. Lewis’ first job after college was as District Manager of Operations for Jack in the Box, a chain owned by Foodmaker Inc., covering a district in Texas. He advanced in a variety of food retail positions, including those with KFC and Pizza Hut, where he was named Chief Operating Officer in 1996.

Following the spin-off of PepsiCo’s Restaurant Division as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., Mr. Lewis served as Chief Operating Officer of Pizza Hut, and ultimately was put in a new position at Tricon as Executive Vice President of Operations and New Business Development. In June of 2002, Tricon Global Restaurants changed its name to YUM! Brands once it acquired the Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Food restaurant chains. These two new brands were purchased to place more than one brand under a single roof, called “multi-branding.” In January 2003, Mr. Lewis was promoted to President, Chief Multi-branding and Operating Officer at YUM! Brands.

Reporting to Mr. Lewis at YUM! Brands were the Multi-branding operations team, the President of Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Food, and the Chief Operating Officers of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, who dually reported to the Presidents of their respective brands. Also reporting to Lewis were the heads of Quality Assurance, Engineering and Restaurant Information Systems. Mr. Lewis is a member of the Board of Directors of Halliburton Company and The Walt Disney Company.

Mr. Lewis received dual bachelor degrees from the University of Houston in both Business Management and English Literature and an MBA from the University of Houston.

About Kmart Holding Corporation
Kmart Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: KMRT) and its subsidiaries (together, “Kmart”) is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Thalia Sodi, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Kathy Ireland, Martha Stewart Everyday, Route 66 and Sesame Street. For more information visit the Company’s website at www.kmart.com.

African American Small Businesses Benefit From New Online Advertising Program

AdGroups.com, a technology company which publishes and represents high traffic niche websites to streamline the media buying process, has officially released a new product to help small businesses that target African Americans via the internet. “The service gives small business owners ‘big budget style’ advertising exposure across dozens of websites that over-index for reaching African American audiences”, says Carmen Adams – Director of Product Development at AdGroups.com.

“We spoke with many small business merchants about their existing online advertising efforts. Many of them were spending hundreds of dollars per month on pay-per-click campaigns or from advertising on other websites which gave them little to no return on traffic, sales, or branding given their investments”, says Adams. “Our new service allows small business owners to buy into our unsold ad inventory at a very low rate and gives them the kind of exposure that has been largely barred from them due to cost reasons”. Small business merchants who opt into this program are coded into a ‘place-holder’ account which allows their ads to show when no larger date (or media flight) sensitive ad campaigns exist. The ads run on a growing network of over 100 websites which includes two very notable names in the African American internet landscape: UrbanMecca.com and EURWeb.com.

The company has been beta testing the product with 15 merchants for the last 90 days with measured success. Every participant has recorded a spike in traffic, sales, and referrals.

“I’m very impressed with the traffic that my site has received thus far through this program”, says artist Ken Joslin – who sales original artwork through his website (KenJoslinArtGallery.com). “I called a few other large African American sites and was quoted rates in the thousands of dollars range to even advertise for a month. I’m getting a lot of good responses since starting with this service”.

The program also provides a bi-monthly newsletter which keeps each company abreast of internet marketing news that may directly impact their business. “We are happy to recommend other services which will also help these companies to succeed” says Adams. “Our price point will never prohibit them from continuing with the other programs which they may be using…we believe that our service will become a staple add-on for any online small business that directly targets African Americans on the internet”. The company also has a strong web design referral network and helps minority entrepreneurs to get their businesses online.

The program is being released to the public on October 18th, 2004. Information regarding the program can be found on the company’s official website: http://www.AdGroups.com

About AdGroups.com
Adgroups.com is a technology company which publishes and represents high traffic niche websites to streamline the media buying process. The company’s current network consists of over 100 participating sites, all of which directly target African American and those interested in Black or Urban content online. The company directly represents advertising opportunities on high volume websites such as UrbanMecca.com (formally known as Blackweb.net which the company acquired and re-branded under the name ‘UrbanMecca’) and EURWeb.com, the Electronic Urban Report owned by legendary syndicated radio show host Lee Bailey. The advertising network combined with the volume from UrbanMecca and EURWeb.com places the company in a premiere light with advertisers and their respective agencies who want to target African Americans via the internet.

Source: BWN, llc

CONTACT INFORMATION:
RN Wilder
BWN, llc/Adgroups.com
954-600-6328
http://www.adgroups.com

Kimberly Elise & Jeremy Suarez Honored At Diversity Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif – Actors Kimberly Elise & Jeremy Suarez (star of the Bernie Mac Show/pictured above) were among the honorees at the 11th Annual Diversity Awards. The event took place at The Beverly Hills Hotel on October 17, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California.

The event, presented by the nonprofit Multicultural Motion Picture Association, celebrate diverse achievements in film and television.

Also recognized were actors Lindsay Lohan, Derek Luke, and John Cho.

(Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)

Columbia Records/Sony Urban Music Announce the Release of The New Destiny’s Child Album

Destiny’s Child, the world’s best- selling female pop vocal group, is back after a three-year hiatus with Destiny Fulfilled, slated to hit stores on Tuesday, November 16.

One of this year’s most hotly-anticipated new releases, Destiny Fulfilled is the Grammy-winning trio’s first full-length album since 2001′s #1 smash Survivor (which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide) and the best-selling seasonal collection 8 Days Of Christmas. “Lose My Breath,” the first focus track from Destiny Fulfilled, is already a Top 5 record on the Billboard Hot 100.

Destiny Fulfilled showcases the signature vocal harmonies and distinctive solo voices of Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle on 11 brand-new Destiny’s Child tracks, each one pulsing with contemporary rhythms and unforgettable hooks, chronicling an emotional journey across the turbulent landscape of romance, from the exhilarating intoxication of falling in love through the heartbreak of loss to the growth and serenity of acceptance.

With Beyonce acting as one of the producers on each of the album’s tracks, and songs co-written by all three of the group’s members, Destiny Fulfilled is the most personal — and most hands-on — record that Destiny’s Child has ever
recorded.

Destiny Fulfilled is executive produced by Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams & Mathew Knowles. Beyonce is a producer on all of the album’s tracks, coming up with the concepts, vocal arrangements and being a tireless mastermind in the studio. As a founding member of Destiny’s Child and co-writer and co-producer of many of the group’s hit recordings, Beyonce became one of the most widely- recognized and highly-respected women in pop music. When Beyonce won the 2001 ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year Award, she became the first African-American
woman — and the second woman ever — to receive that honor.

Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle have used the lessons learned during their own solo excursions to create the most unified and powerful Destiny’s Child album to-date. With Destiny Fulfilled, the group delivers on the promise of its earlier recordings to breath new fire into the worlds of contemporary pop and R&B music.

(Full Source: PRNewsWire)

DaimlerChrysler Honors Melvin Van Peebles With 2004 ‘Behind The Lens’ Award

Legendary filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles will be honored at the third annual “Behind The Lens” award, Oct. 24, 2004, in Santa Monica, Calif. The event, established by DaimlerChrysler in 2002, recognizes the contributions and achievements of individuals who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.

“The creative contributions of African-Americans who work behind the scenes have been largely overlooked by the entertainment industry,” said Frank Fountain, DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President-External Affairs and Public Policy (Auburn Hills). “This award celebrates the trailblazers that we don’t often see, but whose contributions impact virtually every segment of the entertainment industry.”

An independent judging panel composed of automotive media and entertainment professionals selected Van Peebles for the 2004 “Behind The Lens” award.

In being selected to receive the “Behind The Lens” award, Van Peebles will be in good company. Past recipients of the “Behind The Lens” award have been veteran Hollywood casting director Reuben Cannon and legendary film director, author and photographer Gordon Parks. The “Behind The Lens” award is an invitation-only event.

“Melvin Van Peebles is being celebrated for having created a distinguished body of work that is truly amazing in its breadth, depth and variety,” added Fountain.

About Melvin Van Peebles
Multi-talented and prolific, Melvin Van Peebles paved the way for modern African-American filmmakers and music artists. Called “the godfather of modern black cinema” because of his controversial 1971 film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” Van Peebles has also written five novels, wrote and produced Broadway musicals and TV shows, acted for film and television, and released several spoken-word albums.

He was also instrumental in launching the career of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, when he decided to have the unknown band perform the background music to “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” Van Peebles has been nominated for three Grammys and 11 Tony Awards. He has received numerous honors and awards including an Emmy Award (for The Day They Came to Arrest the Book), a Drama Desk Award and the prestigious French Legion of Honor in 2001 among many others.

Van Peebles was born in 1932 on the South Side of Chicago. His earliest work experience was in his father’s tailoring shop. He told an interviewer that his long hours in the shop “didn’t give me a work ethic as much as it gave me a work routine.”

Following his initial foray into film directing and producing, he wrote and staged two Broadway shows, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” in 1971 and “Don’t Play Us Cheap: A Harlem Party,” a 1972 gospel-influenced musical.

Van Peebles made “Don’t Play Us Cheap” into a film in 1973, and it won first prize at the Belgian Film Festival. His 1971 Broadway musical “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” is currently playing to sold out audiences at the Harlem School of the Arts in a much-heralded revival in New York.

In the late 1970s, Van Peebles wrote scripts for television, including the pilots for “Sophisticated Gents” and “Just an Old Sweet Song.” In 1984, he wrote and produced the off-Broadway musical “The Champeen.” In the 1980s he made a foray into Wall Street and became the first African-American trader on the American Stock Exchange. He then wrote a successful book about investing and stock market trading, “Bold Money.”

(Source: PRNewsWire)

Queen Latifah Joins Bill Gates for Microsoft’s Latest Technology Debut

LOS ANGELES – OCTOBER 12: Microsoft Chairman and Chief Technology Architect Bill Gates and actress Queen Latifah attend the “Digital Entertainment Anywhere” launch at the Shrine Auditorium October 12, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

At the event, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates demonstrated how Microsoft and key partners have come together to deliver on the vision of digital entertainment anywhere with the availability of new hardware, software and services, providing unprecedented choice in digital entertainment experiences for consumers around the world. At the center of this, Microsoft unveiled its newest version of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) that will change the way people experience their digital entertainment: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Content Source: Snippets Taken From Official Press Release.

Star Studded Benefit Gala to Welcome “Big G” To the Wire for New Charity Foundation in Washington, DC

“The Wired Welcoming Gala for Big G” presented by GPrince Incorporated in association with Budweiser, Red Bull, We R One, Infinity Broadcasting’s WPGC 95.5 FM Washington DC and Idealpr.com will be given in honor of a new character (Slim Charles)played by Anwan “Big G” Glover. October 17, 2004 8:00pm – 2:30am located at Zanzibar on the Waterfront 700 Water Street, SW Washington, DC 20024. This red carpet event will attract local celebrity favorites and national names alike. With the third season currently airing on Sunday evenings, current cast members, celebrities and attendees will mix, mingle and “get wired” with Big G as events for his 2005 Celebrity Charity Weekend are revealed.

This Benefit Gala will celebrate the addition of Big G to the cast of “The Wire” (as seen on HBO), as well as raise money to support the “Ghetto Prince Foundation for Underprivileged Youth,” a charity established by Anwan “Big G” Glover for the youth of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Proceeds will go towards a series of events which will lead up to an annual celebrity weekend to begin during the summer of 2005, where the target youth of Washington DC are given the opportunity to meet and learn from their favorite stars.

Performances by Jive Records Artist Raheem DeVaughn, Lysette Titi and Baltimore’s own Paula Campbell will light up the first floor stage, as guest enjoy the lavish menu of the Zanzibar on the Waterfront displayed on all three levels, including complimentary and drink specials, gift bags and other surprises for attendees. The Sky Club, located on the third floor of the Zanzibar will hold the one hundred plate VIP dinner and appreciation VIP gift bags for all VIP attendees.

About The Ghetto Prince Foundation For Underprivileged Youth
The Ghetto Prince Foundation for Underprivileged Youth was established by Mr. Anwan Glover to support and gear at risk youth towards more positive and productive life choices. Proceeds raised for the foundation are used towards activities and mentoring programs established to decrease the youth crime and death rate as well as increase literacy awareness and support for performing arts development for youth without resources to receive professional training. Anwan Glover understands the magnitude of his influence and encouragement in the Washington, DC community. Being the lead vocalist with DC’s awards winning Backyard Band has allowed Big G to establish a tremendous following and acquire accolades. It is a goal of The Ghetto Prince Foundation for Underprivileged Youth to direct this positive energy back into community, establish exciting activities and programs to develop more influential role models. The annual Big G Celebrity Weekend, will begin in 2005, allowing other influential celebrities to lend their presence to add to the weight of change for the Youth of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Confirmed guest to attend charity event include Loon, Slum Village, Mobb Deep, Fredro Starr, Mya Truth Hurts, Steve Francis, Lil Mo, Devin the Dude, Chuck Brown, Idris Elba (Stringer Bell), Wood Harris (Avon Barksdale), Hassan Johnson (Wee-Bey), Michael Williams (Omar), Chad Coleman (Cutty), Richard Burton (Shamrock), Jamie Hector (Mario), Mayo Best (Gerard), Brandon Tate (Sapper), Brandon Fobbs (Fruit), Lazee Lamont, Stimuli, Dre Knight & The Narcotics, TL Fitz, Queen Aisha, DJ Flex, Rain, EZ Street, Michel Wright, Ms Black Continental US, writers & staff of The Wire and MORE!

Della Reese Urges Houston Residents to be Stronger Than Diabetes

As part of a nationwide educational campaign, actress and singer Della Reese is visiting Houston on October 23 to
participate in events hosted by the American Diabetes Association and encourage residents with type 2 diabetes to aggressively manage their disease. Della will energize 2,000 walkers as they embark on the three-mile America’s
Walk for Diabetes Houston Metro Walk at 9:00 a.m. in Sam Houston Park. Houston residents can register for the walk by visiting http://www.diabetes.org/walk

Della is also taking part in the Houston launch of the American Diabetes Association’s Project POWER, a program that partners with churches to offer information about diabetes to the African American community. Della will share her practical and personal advice for living with type 2 diabetes, including information about healthy meal planning, regular physical activity, medications, and the importance of addressing insulin resistance, an underlying cause of type 2 diabetes. The event will take place at The Power Center at 1:30 p.m. For more information about this event, please call the Houston American Diabetes Association office at (713) 977-7706 ext 6088.

Della is the spokesperson for the “Della Reese: Stronger Than Diabetes” campaign. “When I found out I had type 2 diabetes, I was upset because I knew nothing about the condition and I had nothing to fight it with,” said Della
Reese. “I have since learned that I have the power to make meaningful changes in my life and that my diabetes management plan plays a big part in staying happy and healthy.” Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in the United States, with approximately 18.2 million Americans currently diagnosed with the disease. In Texas alone,
more than eight percent of the population is affected by diabetes and the disease is the sixth leading cause of death throughout the state.

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