Judge sends frat brothers to prison for hazing

“Grey’s Anatomy” star in counseling after gay slur

Brandy involved, uninjured in fatal crash

Study on Women of Color Entrepreneurs Seeks Participants

On Wednesday, February 21, the Center for Women’s Business Research and Babson College will launch Accelerating the Growth and Success of Businesses Owned by Women-of-Color, the first of four national research forums to bring together women of color entrepreneurs to identify barriers to business growth and to develop action plans to overcome them.

The first session will be held at the Courtyard Marriott in Philadelphia on February 21st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a reception attended by participants and executives from the corporations and organizations sponsoring the initiative.

Forums scheduled to take place in 2007 following Philadelphia will be held in Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; and Dallas, TX. The project will culminate with a national conference to present the results in 2008. Women of color entrepreneurs are invited to apply to participate in this groundbreaking study. Selection criteria include owning a business that is at least 50% women-owned with annual revenues between $250,000 and $5 million in any industry. Women of color entrepreneurs who meet the criteria and want to participate may contact the Center for Women’s Business Research, by calling 202-638-3060, ext. 710, or on-line at http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org/womenofcolor.

Participants will learn from women like themselves who are focused on business growth, as well as from nationally recognized experts and highly successful women of color entrepreneurs. Participants’ companies will be recognized in all research reports and publications resulting from this effort. And all participants will be invited to attend the national conference in 2008.

Accelerating the Growth and Success of Businesses Owned by Women-of-Color is funded by corporate and association sponsors. The lead 2006 corporate sponsor is Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. They are joined by a prestigious consortium of other 2006 corporate sponsors, including UPS Capital; Wells Fargo & Company; American Airlines; Avaya; Best Buy; IBM; MasterCard; Principal Financial Group; Verizon; and Wachovia.

“We are very pleased to participate in this research which will culminate in sharing the experiences and insight of women-of-color entrepreneurs with national policy makers,” said Babson College associate professor and lead researcher Donna Stoddard. “We expect this research to create community and national agendas to foster the success of allwomen-of-color entrepreneurs.”

Multiple Grammy Nominees Top the Roster of an Evening of Stars(R) Performers

Timing is everything. And the timing couldn’t be better for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) this year. That’s because the producers of UNCF’s 28th annual An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS) Tribute to Aretha Franklin, had the foresight months ago to bring seven 2007 Grammy nominees and Golden Globe winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson, ALL under one roof for the annual all-star telecast celebrating The Queen of Soul that airs nationally on Jan. 27 and 28.

Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Al Jarreau, Kiki Sheard, Smokey Robinson and Natalie Cole have all received 2007 Grammy nominations. Hudson, recent Golden Globe winner for Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding performance in the hit film Dreamgirls, performs two of Franklin’s best-known hits, “Think” and “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” at AEOS.

“We are very proud of all the Grammy nominees,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. “And especially pleased for Ms. Hudson and her Golden Globe Award. There was no doubt in our minds when we invited her to appear on AEOS that we had a superstar in our midst,” he continued. “The entire lineup is a group full of talent who share UNCF’s commitment to providing educational opportunities to young men and women who are longer on potential than on resources.”

The historic event will air nationally, including in the top ten media markets such as KNBC in Los Angeles and Chicago Superstation WGN on Jan. 27 and on WWOR MY9 in New York and BET on Jan. 28. A complete station lineup, background information and media contacts can be found online at http://www.uncf.org/AEOS.

Jamie Foxx to Launch Exclusive Urban Comedy, Entertainment and Lifestyle Channel on SIRIUS

SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) today announced that it will launch The Foxxhole, an exclusive urban comedy, entertainment and lifestyle channel with Academy Award-winning actor, American Music Award-winning and GRAMMY(R) nominated artist, and comedian Jamie Foxx. Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Ray and is currently starring in the award-winning smash hit movie Dreamgirls.

As executive producer, on-air host and contributor for the channel, Foxx will draw from his wide array of artistic experience and success from music, comedy, film and television. Marcus King, who has produced such Foxx projects as The Jamie Foxx Show, Jamie Foxx: Unpredictable, Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, and other television series and specials, will also serve as executive producer. The 24/7 channel will feature urban comedy bits from a large number of comedians, and will create groundbreaking approaches to presenting comedy to radio listeners, as well as showcase music, skits, radio theater and more. The Foxxhole will launch this spring on SIRIUS channel 106.

“The Foxxhole will break new ground in comedy, blurring the lines between stand-up, sketch, and music,” said Foxx. “SIRIUS Satellite Radio gives me the opportunity to create urban entertainment and programming like you have never heard on the radio.”

Foxx will be heard on the channel daily with a segment featuring dispatches from Jamie no matter where he is in the world. Also, Foxx and his team of contributors will host a weekly show on the channel. The show will feature original comedy bits and a new approach to radio theater.

“Jamie Foxx is a triple threat in the world of entertainment and we are thrilled to have him make his radio home at SIRIUS,” said Scott Greenstein, President, Entertainment and Sports, SIRIUS Satellite Radio. “SIRIUS has established itself as a leader in groundbreaking exclusive programming. The Foxxhole adds yet another compelling element to our channel lineup.”

Superstar Rapper Snoop Dogg Reaches Out to Troubled Youth

Music icon Snoop Dogg has joined up with documentary director Gabriel London, Oscar nominated filmmaker Jonathan Stack and Spike TV to make a candid show on youth crime and prison entitled “Bigg Snoop Dogg’s Youth Authority: California.” The idea for the revealing special was created by Snoop Dogg in an effort to help troubled kids and offer a way out of gang life.

Snoop himself spent time inside California’s notorious “Youth Authority,” which in recent years has come under court order for abusing and failing to rehabilitate youth. In “Bigg Snoop Dogg’s Youth Authority:
California,” Snoop Dogg tells of his own life experiences with gang life and selling drugs. The stories serve as a reminder as to why his voice is so important for the kids to hear. By telling what he has learned, and encouraging them to make different choices, Snoop serves as a credible voice to a serious subject matter that is too often times ignored. The show interweaves Snoop’s past stories and experiences from over a decade ago, with trials and tribulations of youth today, who remain caught in the streets-to-prison cycle.

Snoop’s reasons for creating the show are explained while the rapper is driving through his old Long Beach neighborhood. “Can we have peace? That’s what I am feeling like as I get older. I feel like I gotta go back and do it because there’s a youngster out there — and I can help him,” says Snoop.

To drive the point home, Snoop gathered some of his old friends from Long Beach to participate in what director Gabriel London calls “the story swapping shoot.” London says “after spending six months filming on and off with Snoop, this was our moment to connect and for us to hear first hand where it all began.” What was to be a two hour conversation turned into a lively four hour session that became the basis of the film, taking the
viewer on Snoop’s path from childhood days to the dark evolution towards drug dealing and eventually prison before turning his life around.

This show is Snoop’s attempt to break the cycle that leads to over 10,000 youth being locked up in California alone. During one touching moment in the program Snoop meets a 12 year old who they call “Lil’ Tookie,” named after famous crip founder, Stanley “Tookie” Williams. Lil’ Tookie who has a talent for dancing (or “krumping”) is shown getting embraced by Snoop, who encourages him to stay on the right path. He asks Lil’ Tookie if he has ever been to jail. Once the youngster shakes his head no, Snoop says, “You’re too cool for jail. Jail ain’t for cool people, I
went to jail, it ain’t for me. Since you’ve never been, don’t go. That’s my advice to you.”

Verizon Encourages African-Americans to Make History

Verizon has launched a new community-support advertising campaign featuring J. Ivy, the New Age “spoken-word” poet, who encourages African-Americans to make history every day because “history is more than a memory; it’s a movement, an act by certain individuals, who have found the ability to make time stand still.” The campaign — utilizing print, radio and online media — began Monday
(Jan. 15), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and will continue through February, Black History Month.

The campaign — utilizing print, radio and online media — began Monday (Jan. 15), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and will continue through February, Black History Month.

Andrea Fant-Hobbs, vice president of brand management for Verizon, said, “This campaign was created on the premise that black history is not confined to one month, because every day in communities across this country, there are people who are effecting change in the lives of others, making a difference and making history.” In alignment with Verizon’s mission to promote education and literacy, the ad campaign centers around the powerful poem entitled “History in the Making,” written by Ivy. Ivy has appeared on the HBO Def Poetry Series and is featured on the albums of platinum- and Grammy-winning artists, such as Jay-Z and Kanye West. Ivy’s performance of “History in the Making” can be experienced at http://www.verizon.com/makeyourhistory. The site also encourages people of all races to tell Verizon how they or someone they know is making a difference, making a statement or doing something memorable.

Bob Giraldi, the world-renowned independent director, directed a special cinema spot, which will air in movie theaters in select cities across the country.

The campaign is the latest extension in a series of community-support initiatives sponsored by Verizon. Since 2003, the Verizon Foundation has donated more than $55 million to nonprofit and charitable organizations that benefited the African-American community.

Coca-Cola Kicks Off 2007 With New Advertising Campaign Honoring Black History

As AMERICAN IDOL — television’s most popular show — begins its sixth season, Coca-Cola will again be in the spotlight, debuting new commercials, including one celebrating black history. The new ad, entitled “Timeline,” features a series of milestones
in black history complemented by images which illustrate the progression of the Coca-Cola contour bottle over time.

“‘Timeline’ pays respect to the many incredible contributions that African Americans have made to culture, science and community,” said Anne Sempowski Ward, assistant vice president, African American Marketing,
Coca-Cola North America. “This special salute honors the past and inspires optimism for the future, and reminds people that Coca-Cola was there to celebrate these landmark achievements.”

“Timeline” first aired on Tuesday, January 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT during the season’s first episode of AMERICAN IDOL. The commercial is just one element in a comprehensive 2007 African-American marketing program which includes sponsorship integration and television, print, cinema and digital advertising.

BLING KING CALLS STARS FOR TRIAL

Next Page »