JumpinJack AJ

QUEEN LATIFAH: The Role of Her 'Life' Posted Jan 19th 2007 12:35PM by Karu F. Daniels Filed under: Entertainment Newswire By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices Queen Latifah may have garnered an Academy Award nomination for her hearty role as Matron Mama Morton in the 2002 hit movie musical 'Chicago,' but hip-hop's Queen of Royal Badness may just capture the gold with her role in HBO's forthcoming movie 'Life Support.' In the Nelson George-directed drama, Latifah (legally known as Dana Owens) portrays HIV-positive Ana Wallace, who channels her energy and regret over her past drug addiction into working for Life Support, an AIDS outreach group. She leads an all-star cast which includes Anna Deavere Smith, Wendell Pierce, Evan Ross, Darrin Dewitt Henson,Gloria Reuben, Tony Rock, Tracee Ellis Ross and newcomer Rachel Nicks. George, a best-selling author, television writer and pop culture critic, got the idea to make a film inspired by his sister Andrea's life – about five years ago. "As I began doing more and more research for the film, I realized that this story was far larger than my own family and the film I started out to make," he said. "All of the amazing women I met at these support groups – this is their story. They are part of the group that accounts for 51% of new diagnoses, and some of the locations where we shot have some of the highest rates of infection in the country. I wanted to give a voice and a face to people who appear to be just statistics, but are far more than that." Executive produced by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and filmed in George's hometown of Brooklyn, New York, 'Life...' uses a mix of actors and real people from the HIV/AIDS community to tell the story. Latifah, who just wrapped production of the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical 'Hairspray,' said the project appealed to her because she could relate to the story -- which is a moving and candid look at the African-American community's HIV crisis through the eyes of a survivor who is a mother, a former addict and an AIDS activist. We've seen her in a wide array of roles since making her debut in Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever' 16 years ago. Be it as the hard-core lesbian Cleo in 1996's 'Set It Off' or the daring and adventurous romantic in last year's 'Last Holiday,' the Newark, New Jersey native has always stood and delivered. In 'Life Support,' viewers will see Latifah like they've never seen her before. "I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn during my teenage years, and I was very fortunate to come through that time period healthy, and to change my life and get back on course," she commented. "I can relate to the character of Ana in that respect." George, who chronicled rap music in his last book 'Hip-Hop America,' believed that Latifah was the perfect choice to play his sister and represent the women he met with HIV. "[she] embodies the spirit these women have," he added. "I think this is one of the first roles she's had that has allowed her to project the totality of her being. She embodies a certain strength and dignity in her work, and it seemed like it was a natural fit. She's a phenomenal talent." Indeed. 'Life Support' will premiere as the closing night film of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26. For the past few years, HBO has showcased its top notch projects at the industry-exclusive confab. The multiple award winning 'Lackawanna Blues' garnered raves when it showed there. With the star power of Foxx and Latifah, 'Life Support' should fare just as well -- maybe even better. "The impact of HIV on women in the African-American community is a crisis at the heart of contemporary American life that no one is talking about," noted HBO Films president Colin Callender, adding "we are proud to be working with Nelson George on his directorial debut on a story that is so personal and so timely." The film will debut March 10 on HBO, with a special Black History Month sneak preview on HBO On Demand the week of Feb. 26.

I don't understand it either. I got my hands on the unreleased TLC: Now + Forever: The Hits DVD and even tho' Hat 2 Da Back, Get It Up, and Damaged aren't on it...even tho' they are on the CD. The also didn't include Dear Lie and Hands Up. Why wouldn't these record labels do their fans right and include it all. I'm thinkin' JJ+FP will have a proper DVD release at some point that will include everything.

Tonight on CBS, they are rerunning the episode of Letterman with Fresh Priggy. I think it airs most places at 11:30 at nite.

Man Julie...don't be so Lerkotish.

I waz lucky...i actually saw it on TV when it waz new (tho' i only saw it aired on MTV twice) in late '91 or early '92. It's a great video. I think it's ignorant that it was left off the Greatest Hits VHS even tho' it wasn't a hit.

Dog Reunites With Family After Six Years ST. LOUIS (Jan. 28) - Cujo was a frisky 7-year-old when he sneaked out of his owners' south St. Louis yard in July 2000. Now, thinner and grayer and with a tale that would be fascinating if only he could tell it, the golden retriever is back with the Barczewski family. "It's a miracle," Noreen Barczewski, 41, said at Friday's reunion. "We found him!" Six years and a side trip to Columbia, Mo., can do a lot to a dog, but it was unmistakably Cujo. There was the heart-shaped patch of white on his forehead, the white fur on his toes, his manner of greeting people by rubbing against them cat-style. Cujo's homecoming was orchestrated by Dirk's Fund, a golden retriever rescue group that has found homes for more than 900 dogs in the past decade. After slipping away from home, Cujo somehow ended up 120 miles in Columbia in the home of an elderly woman. When the woman entered a nursing home, the dog was sent to the Central Missouri Humane Society in Columbia. Bob Tillay, president of Dirk's Fund, spotted the dog — by then renamed Willy — on an adoption Web site and arranged to have him brought to St. Louis. "Sweet old man! He knows how to sit and shake," the Web site cooed. The dog's ears were so infected he couldn't hear. His coat was so matted he had to be shaved. And Dirk's Fund paid to have some cysts removed. The group eventually took Cujo/Willy to a nursing home in Clayton, to serve as a pet for residents. But things didn't work out — the dog needed a yard where he could run off the leash — and his picture went up on the Dirk's Fund Web site. A week ago, Noreen Barczewski's brother-in-law, Michael Barczewski, went to the Web site on a fluke. He'd been looking for a dog to adopt and saw the picture of the old dog with the white heart mark and white feet. Michael and his wife, Gail, had been the original breeders of Cujo. He recognized the dog immediately, and the reunion followed within days. Now 13, Cujo had never been forgotten by the his original family — especially Kayla, who was just 4 when the dog disappeared. Kayla insisted on hanging the retriever's red felt Christmas stocking each year, confident he'd someday come home. "I had something in my heart," the fourth-grader said Friday, patting her pet's soft golden coat, "and I knew he wasn't gone."

TLC - Gameproof (((Chilli's forthcoming solo album))) (2006)

I think i do...but not on my computer. I haven't gone thru' my collection in awhile. I'm pretty sure i ether have it on the cassette single (if i have it...i might be thinking of another) or the 12" single.

HEAVY D + TYRESE - Criminal Mind Blue Streak (1999)

I peeped that track. I can't say that the beat is that impressive...or that the other guys on the track deserve 2 be rhyming alongside Kel....but it is cool 2 hear his progression. Do u know when this track waz done. I think it's safe 2 say that it didn't get recorded any later than 2003ish cuz his game has improved alot. U'll notice that with The Streets Know That EP. His game is tighter and his production has taken a big step up. And yes, Student of The Game is still getting worked on...and it WILL be comin' out. Our recent chat supports all that.

ROBIN THICKE - Flowers In Bloom A Beautiful World (2003)

Thanx!! It's downloading now. I really can't wait 2 hear that the album is finally about finished and coming out. Kel deserves all the success that's gonna come his way. Since the mixtape newz is old...i think we should retitle this as The Official Kel Spencer Thread...ha ha

I got Robin Thicke's 1st album from 2003 this week brand new but sold as "used" for $5. All the Robin Thicke fans will probably like this album...but it's less smooth soul and more funk w/ a dash of of pop-soul edge 2 it. Under the name THICKE titled A Beautiful World.

MAT KEARNEY - Undeniable Nothing Left To Lose (2006)

I will not respect somebody who who doesn't show respect 2 anyone or anything. And i will not "open my horizons" to a way of thinking that is purposly sucking the joy outta my life. Why would i purposly ignore all the things i've learned in life 2 live in a small-minded world where i stay in a negative mindstate instead of bringing others up, opening their eyes up 2 the good things they've got going on. That's ignorance 2 me. 2 some of us, this post is done. There's 5 posts about FP considering hanging up the mic...i'm thinkin' there should soon be 1.

Is there ever a time 2 be negative....i don't think so. Seems like alot of points were overlooked in that reply.

BEYONCE - Listen Dreamgirls Soundtrack (2006) I FINALLY saw this movie...i love it. Now i can listen 2 the soundtrack that i've had sitting on the dresser for the past month.

I gotta say that we all live in the same world. Some of us are happy, positive, and well aware of what's going on around them. Some people are critical, negative, and mistake their own depressing views on life as realistic. When u have nothing good 2 say...u are purposly living an average life. When u come 2 a message board just 2 annoy people...u are a pathetically trying 2 get a rise out of others 4 some sick validation that they are allowing u 2 control them by being obnoxious. I gotta say that nobody does appriciate any futher contributions from someone who is going 2 go out of their way 2 annoy others by disagreeing with everything everybody says. Think about it, we are here 4 a common cause. Differences of opinion are bound 2 happen. But if u are coming here and everyone is annoyed by your presence, a mature person has 2 ask themselves if this is really the place 4 them 2 be. If u are a member of this board who visits at least twice a week and u never get an occational e-mail, PM, or IM from other members...r u really building relationships with anyone? Just some ?uestions that should be raised. Especially when a team of moderators is getting fed up with a few people.

Congratz! If i would have maintained my last relationship a lil' better...i would have probably been married this year. Let me get sappy 4 a moment and say i can only imagin what u are goin' thru'....it's been over 2 years i 4get how it feels 2 be on a constant high like that.

Brigadoon (1992) I'm doing this musical...can't really get in2 the music...but i guess i have 2.

This is hilarious...they better air it. Grocery and Wal-Mart workings didn't flip out when they released the movie Employee of the Month....food chains didn't flip when they released the movie Waiting. It's time some rich, stuck up, white guys who own these restaurants get a sense of humor. -------------- Restaurants Blast Kevin Federline 'Burger' Ad Trade Group Calls Super Bowl Commercial 'Denigrating' Reuters NEW YORK (Jan. 24) - A leading restaurant association has called for the cancellation of a TV commercial featuring Britney Spears ' estranged husband, Kevin Federline, as a failed rap star working in a fast-food eatery. In a 30-second ad for Nationwide Insurance, Federline is shown dreaming he is a rap star but then snaps out of it to face reality -- he's working at a burger restaurant. The commercial is due to be aired during the National Football League's Super Bowl championship on Sunday, February 4, advertising's biggest televised sporting event of the year. Last year's Super Bowl drew more than 90 million viewers. But the National Restaurant Association's Chief Executive Steven Anderson has written to Nationwide saying the ad leaves the impression that working in a restaurant is demeaning and unpleasant and asking the commercial to be dumped. "An ad such as this would be a strong and a direct insult to the 12.8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry," wrote Anderson, head of the association that represents 935,000 U.S. restaurants. "Developing creative concepts that accomplish the marketing strategies for a product should not require denigrating another industry." But Nationwide spokesman Eric Hardgrove defended the ad, called "Life Comes At You Fast," saying it was designed to be entertaining with Federline poking fun at himself while reinforcing the company's role of meeting the financial needs of consumers. Spears, 25, filed for divorce from aspiring rapper Federline, 28, last November. Federline's debut album has since failed to make a dent in the pop charts, and a number of dates on his U.S. tour were canceled due to lack of interest. "In this commercial we are using a humorous characterization of Kevin Federline's life to encourage others to prepare for sudden changes in their lives," Hardgrove said in a statement. "The intent of the ad isn't to offend or insult the many fine individuals who work in the restaurant industry. The focus of the ad is the element of surprise, not the setting of a fast food restaurant."

Singer Brandy Involved in Fatal Car Crash By STEVE GORMAN, Reuters LOS ANGELES (Jan. 25) - Actress and R&B singer Brandy was involved in a fatal, four-car accident on a Los Angeles freeway last month that started when her sports utility vehicle hit another car, police said on Wednesday. The 27-year-old former star of the TV comedy "Moesha" was not injured, but the driver of the car she rear-ended with her Land Rover in the December 30 crash died, according to the California Highway Patrol. The victim was identified as Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, a married mother of one, said CHP spokesman Leland Tang. No charges or arrests have been made in connection with the accident, and no formal determination has been made as to what caused the crash, which was first reported by the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com. A statement issued by Brandy's publicist said: "She wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased" and asks the media to "respect the privacy of everyone involved at this time." The singer-actress, whose full name is Brandy Norwood, was alone in her vehicle and no alcohol or drugs were involved, Tang said. A Statement From Brandy's Publicist "Brandy was involved in a car accident December 30, 2006 in Los Angeles where there was a fatality. She wished to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased. Brandy asks that you respect the privacy of everyone involved at this time." Brandy told officers she was driving at about 65 miles per hour before the crash occurred. "We've impounded all four vehicles, and the outcome of the mechanical inspection is coming to us today or tomorrow," Tang said. "Barring any mechanical difficulties on Brandy's part ... then there's the very high probability that she is the party most at fault or the contributing party." Brandy, a native of Mississippi, burst on the recording scene with her self-tilted debut album in 1994, launching such hits as "I Wanna Be Down," "Baby" and "Brokenhearted." Her fourth album, "Afrodisiac," was released in 2004 with a lead single, "Talk About Our Love," produced by Kanye West . Last year, she served on the panel of judges for NBC's summer show "America's Got Talent."

Feds Charge Ex-Deputy in 1964 Slayings By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS and LARA JAKES JORDAN AP WASHINGTON (Jan. 25) - A former Mississippi sheriff's deputy was arrested Wednesday in the 1964 slayings of two black teenagers who were long believed to have been kidnapped and killed by the Ku Klux Klan. The former deputy, James Ford Seale, of Roxie, Miss., was named in a federal indictment charging him in connection with the teens' disappearance and deaths while they were hitchhiking in a rural area of the state east of Natchez. Until recently, Seale was thought to be dead, and the investigation into the two deaths had long been abandoned. Seale was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and was taken to Jackson, Miss. He is expected to be arraigned Thursday on kidnapping charges stemming from the May 1964 disappearances of Henry Dee and Charles Moore. Two months after Dee and Moore disappeared, their bodies were pulled from the Mississippi River as part of an FBI-led search for three civil rights workers reported missing about 160 miles away near Philadelphia, Miss. Federal authorities, who were focusing on the more famous "Mississippi Burning" killings, turned the Dee and Moore case over to local authorities. A short time later, a justice of the peace called an end to the inquiry without presenting evidence to a grand jury. Moore's older brother, Thomas Moore, worked with Canadian film producer David Ridgen for two years piecing together what happened in 1964. The effort led them to a brief confrontation with Seale, a former sheriff's deputy who had been reported as deceased in several newspapers. In 2000, the Justice Department's civil rights unit reopened the case, the most recent in a string of civil rights-era killings that have been revived by state and federal authorities in the South. Moore and Ridgen, along with Dunn Lampton, the U.S. attorney who has led the investigation in Mississippi, were traveling to Washington for a news conference as early as Thursday with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Reached by cell phone on his way to the capital, a crying Thomas Moore said: "It's been a long journey, and I don't guess it could have happened any other way." "I hope and I believe that Charles Moore and Henry Dee are beginning to smile," Thomas Moore said. "I'm hoping Charles Moore is saying I didn't let him down." Seale and another man, Charles Marcus Edwards, were first arrested in the case in November 1964, four months after the bodies were found. At the time, Seale was asked if he knew why he had been arrested. The FBI said he responded: "Yes, but I'm not going to admit it. You are going to have to prove it." Both men were reputed members of the Ku Klux Klan, which at the time was cracking down on a rumored gunrunning operation by black Muslims in rural Franklin County., Miss. On May 2, 1964, according to federal documents, Seale offered the two black hitchhikers a ride, then drove them to a wooded area where he and others whipped them with bean poles. An informant later told the FBI that the Klansmen took the unconscious men to the river, lashed their bodies to a Jeep engine block and old railroad rails and dumped them, still breathing, into the muddy water. Edwards initially told federal investigators the two black men were alive when he left them and he had nothing to do with any murders, according to FBI documents. He later denied making the statement. Edwards was not expected to face any new charges, although authorities did not immediately say why. The case is the latest long-dormat civil rights-era killing to be reopened decades after the crimes were committed. The others include: -A 1994 conviction in Mississippi of Byron de la Beckwith for the 1963 sniper killing of NAACP leader Medgar Evers. -Bobby Frank Cherry, convicted in 2002 in Alabama of killing four black girls in the bombing of a Birmingham church in 1963. In 2001, Thomas Blanton was convicted in the church bombing. -Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old former Klansman, convicted of manslaughter in June 2005 in the deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, the three civil rights workers who were killed near Philadelphia in 1964. Associated Press writer Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this story.

STRANGE FRUIT PROJECT - Cali Cruisin' The Healing (2006) Turntable...does a day go by that u don't listen 2 that song?? I got sick of it a week after the album came out.

Turntable...u are just falling in2 the trap...just let it go.