ARRIVALS: Miracle at St. Anna New York Premiere
September 24, 2008
Directors Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee attend the premiere of ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ at the Ziegfeld Theatre on September 22, 2008 in New York City.
Based on a novel by James McBride, Miracle at St. Anna follows four black soldiers of the all-black 92nd Infantry Division who get trapped near a small Tuscan village on the Gothic Line during the Italian Campaign of World War II after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.
The story is inspired by the August 1944 Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre perpetrated by the Waffen-SS in retaliation to Italian partisan activity. There is also a reference to a sculpted head from Ponte Santa Trinita in Florence that acts as a plot device.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Jamie Foxx Hosts Release of ‘Love Sees No Color’
September 24, 2008
In the midst of pre-Emmy celebrations Jamie Foxx and other celebrities took a break from gift suites and parties to support world peace and Fred Nassiri, the man behind the Love Sees No Color Foundation and http://www.iwantpeace.com. Penny Marshall, Vanessa Williams, Sofia Milos, Maurice Greene, Cheryl Burke, and many others came out to support the cause and were treated to a lavishly appointed cocktail party with a mission.
Half way through the night the 400 plus guests were directed into the Paramount Theater where they were moved by Foxx’s passionate speech about world peace before they watched excerpts from Love Sees No Color, a documentary shot in 18 different countries to promote peace throughout the world. The Agape International Children’s Choir brought the audience to its feet performing an original song written by Nassiri entitled “Dance of Life.”
VH1 Premieres the Rock Doc ‘NWA: The World’s Most Dangerous Group’
September 24, 2008
The Year was 1988, the album was “Straight Outta Compton,” the group was NWA and the outcome was history making. VH1′s Emmy Award-winning franchise takes a look back at the album and the group that changed the face of hip hop 20 years after its release in the new VH1 Rock Doc, NWA: The World’s Most Dangerous Group.” The doc will premiere on VH1, October 3 at 11pm*.
When NWA released their “Straight Outta Compton” album in late 1988 it changed the face of hip hop forever by ushering in a new genre of music called “gangsta rap.” Television and radio were afraid to touch it because the lyrics were so perverse and forbidden, the politicians were quick to attack and condemn it and the FBI wanted it banned – it made history even before it became a multi-platinum selling album.
Lanier Law Firm Announces Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Rice University
September 24, 2008
Attorneys from The Lanier Law Firm in Houston are announcing a wrongful death lawsuit filed today in Harris County state district court on behalf of the parents of a former Rice University student athlete who died following a grueling football practice at the school in 2006. The lawsuit calls into question the medical screening policies for African American student athletes at university athletic programs nationwide.
Dale and Bridgette Lloyd, parents of the late Dale Lloyd II, are represented by W. Mark Lanier and other attorneys from The Lanier Law Firm. In addition to the university, the lawsuit also names as defendants former Rice football coach Todd Graham and several assistant coaches, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and nutritional supplement providers Optimal Nutrition Systems of Rock Hill, S.C., and Cytosport Inc. of Benecia, Calif.
Sisters Vanish from Chicago’s South Side
September 24, 2008
Two little girls vanished on a warm summer day from a playground near their home on Chicago’s South Side. Seven years have gone by since Tionda Bradley, 10, and her sister Diamond, 3, went missing.
The girls were left alone at home on July 6, 2001, while their mother, Tracey Bradley, went to work. Bradley last saw her daughters at 6 a.m., as she kissed each goodbye, leaving them to sleep a little while longer.
Commentary: Pay Attention to the Children in Crisis
September 24, 2008
With the political season in full swing, much is at stake for America. The economy is in a downward spiral. We have an energy crisis. Our jobless rate is on the rise.
These are the subjects that generate headlines and much debate among the candidates.
But there is an underlying problem that we as a nation have not addressed, a situation that should concern any American with an eye on the future, regardless of party affiliation. It is the crisis affecting our children:
PICTURED: Actor Denzel Washington attends The 2007 National Board of Review Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd street January 15, 2008.
(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Obama’s Rise Spotlights Gains in Race Relations
September 24, 2008
It’s not all black and white.Americans across racial and ethnic lines say Barack Obama’s groundbreaking candidacy has both spotlighted the state of race relations in the United States and changed it.
A nationwide survey exploring the complicated crosscurrents of race and politics — co-sponsored by USA TODAY, ABC News and Columbia University — finds that the first nomination of an African American for president by a major party has prompted a surge in national pride and political engagement among blacks.
PICTURED: US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama addresses a press conference at the Belleview Biltmore Resort in Clearwater, Florida, on September 23, 2008.
(Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
ON DVD: Sex and the City
September 24, 2008
MOVIE SYNOPSIS: After moving in together in an impossibly beautiful New York apartment, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big make a rather arbitrary decision to get married. The wedding itself proves to be anything but a hasty affair–the guest list quickly blooms from 75 to 200 guests, and Carrie’s simple, label-less wedding gown gives way to an enormous creation that makes her look like a gigantic cream puff.
An upcoming photo spread in Vogue puts the event–which will take place at the New York Public Library–squarely in the public eye. Meanwhile, Carrie’s girlfriends–Samantha, the sexpot; Charlotte, the sweet naïf; and Miranda, the rigid perfectionist–could not be happier. At least, they couldn’t be happier for Carrie.
Charlotte still has the unrealized hope of getting pregnant. Samantha is finding a loving, committed relationship more grueling than she could have imagined. Miranda unwittingly lets her own unhappiness–created when Steve admits to cheating on her just once–spoil Carrie’s.
After a heated encounter with Steve, she happens to spot Mr. Big and tells him he’s crazy to get married. She’s really only thinking of her own marriage. But her angry remark gets Mr. Big to thinking.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Miracle at St. Anna
September 24, 2008
SYNOPSIS:Miracle at St. Anna follows four black soldiers of the all-black 92nd Infantry Division who get trapped near a small Tuscan village on the Gothic Line during the Italian Campaign of World War II after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.
The story is inspired by the August 1944 Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre perpetrated by the Waffen-SS in retaliation to Italian partisan activity. There is also a reference to a sculpted head from Ponte Santa Trinita in Florence that acts as a plot device.
PREMIERE ARRIVALS: Loretta Devine at Beverly Hills Chihuahua
September 24, 2008
Actress Loretta Devine arrives at the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ ‘Beverly Hill Chihuahua’ held at the El Capitan Theatre on September 18, 2008 in Hollywood, California.
RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2008
MOVIE SYNOPSIS: While on vacation in Mexico, Chloe, a ritzy Beverly Hills chihuahua, finds herself lost and in need of assistance in order to get back home.
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Jesse Jackson Holds Press Conf. On Economic Crisis
September 24, 2008
Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks near Wall Street in the Financial District September 22, 2008 in New York City.
Jackson, a founder of the National Rainbow Coalition, spoke critically about a culture of greed on Wall Street and how the current financial crisis is adversely affecting middle class and poor Americans.
Jesse Jackson on the crises:
“Well, first of all, the events that led up to the crisis were all legal, which means that law was perverted, where you globalize capital and don’t globalize workers’ rights, human rights, women’s rights. You have an imbalance at some point. That structural default just simply comes apart.
Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama Rallies in Wisonson
September 24, 2008
US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama applauds supporters after delivering a policy speech at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on September 22, 2008.
On Sunday, Obama accused the US administration of offering taxpayers a ‘staggering price tag’ to bail out Wall Street but no real plan to fix the economy.
According to a CNN public opinion poll, Americans believe that Senator Barack Obama would do a better job handling an economic crisis than his Republican opponent John McCain.
(Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
UGA Grad School Enrollment Hitting Record Levels
September 24, 2008
The University of Georgia’s graduate school will reach an enrollment record in fall 2008.
The university said as of mid-September, preliminary figures of graduate student enrollment hit 7,125. The university also received a record number of applications for graduate study this year. The graduate school has seen a 22 percent increase in graduate enrollment between fall 2008 and fall 2000.
Janet Jackson Leaves Record Label
September 24, 2008
Janet Jackson has terminated her relationship with her label, Island Records, her publicist announced Monday.
“At her request, the record label has agreed to dissolve their working relationship,” the singer’s rep said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Now more than 20 years after the release of her iconic album, Control, Janet will have autonomy over her career, without the restrictions of a label system.”
PICTURED: Singer Janet Jackson performs onstage during her ‘Rock Witchu’ tour at the Staples Center on September 17, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
African American Day Parade in Harlem
September 24, 2008
It was a bright warm day in Harlem on Sunday for the 39th annual African American Day Parade. Politicians, marching bands and dance troupes marched, smiled, and waved to a crowd of hundreds of thousands of spectators along the parade route on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
Governor David Paterson served as one of several Grand Marshals for the parade, striding arm-in-arm with City Comptroller William Thompson, Manhattan borough President Scott Stringer, Assemblyman Keith Wright, NY State Senator Malcolm Smith, District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, and Adam Clayton Powell IV.
