Psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich surrendered Monday to face charges of excessively prescribing drugs to Anna Nicole Smith before the former model's overdose death at 39.
Eroshevich turned herself in at the Van Nuys police station, said police spokeswoman Rosario Herrera.
She was released several hours later after posting $20,000 bail, according to a statement from her attorney Adam Braun's office.
After a lengthy investigation by the attorney general and other state and federal agencies, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Eroshevich last week with conspiring with another doctor, Sandeep Kapoor, and Smith's lawyer-turned-boyfriend Howard K. Stern to provide Smith with thousands of prescription pills.
Attorney General Jerry Brown said Friday that the doctors wrote prescriptions in fictitious names and prescribed unwarranted amounts of highly addictive medications to Smith, knowing that she was an addict.
Brown described Stern as the "principal enabler" in the alleged conspiracy.
Stern and Kapoor turned themselves in last week and were each freed on $20,000 bond.
Braun has said Eroshevich was only protecting Smith's privacy by writing prescriptions in false names and did not intend to commit fraud.
The psychiatrist, who had treated Smith since 2006, traveled several times over six months to the Bahamas, where the former Playboy playmate was living with Stern and wrote the prescriptions.
Smith died Feb. 8, 2007, in Florida after collapsing at a hotel. At the time, she was embroiled in a battle to inherit millions of dollars from her late billionaire husband's estate; her 20-year-old son Daniel had died of an overdose in the Bahamas just five months earlier in Smith's hospital room a few days after Smith gave birth to a girl, Dannielynn.
source :AP associated press
Anna Nicole Smith's psychiatrist posts $20K bail
Is Rihanna redoing 'The Bodyguard'? Shades of Whitney Houston!
Rihanna made a quick trip to N.Y. this past weekend for project meetings, one of which was a remake of “The Bodyguard.”
Rihanna would do Whitney Houston’s role in the update.
“GI Joe” hottie Channing Tatum’s name has been mentioned as the bodyguard
We can almost hear Rihanna's version of "I Will Always Love Chris Brown!"
But that's not all. Rihanna is reportedly also considering a “Charlie's Angels” sequel, as well as possibly starring alongside Justin Timberlake, with whom she released her hit single “Rehab.” No confirmation on any of this, folks.
Hey, gots to get this career back on track, right, RiRi?
Her new album will be released by late 2009. Two new tracks have been cut -- “We Own the Night” and “Pretty Girl Blues.”
But don't look for Ne-Yo's credits on the new album.
“Ne-yo’s been talking about Ri and Chris, which has really hurt her feelings," says the Daily News source. "She thought they were cool with each other.”
Ne-Yo spoke to MTV about the alleged assault: “I spoke to Rihanna. She says she’s fine. She didn’t go into detail about what happened. ... I understand it’s a painful situation; I didn’t push.”
Rihanna also spent time with Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce, at the Spotted Pig.
The following night, she dined in the West Village at Da Silvano. She wore sunglasses inside the restaurant for the late dinner with five friends and a security guard.
source:The Envelope
Britney Spears Live in Newark: All Eyes on Her
by Leah Greenblatt
It's been more than a decade since Britney Jean Spears first strode to the center of the big-top ring and became a pop superstar. Does she still have what it takes to hold that title in 2009 -- and make fans forget the tabloid shark-chum of her personal struggles? Her tour, which kicked off March 3 in New Orleans, has already had its share of NSFW scandal and video leaks, but at a stop March 13 in Newark, New Jersey, the 27-year-old star proved she is still, as she coos on the title track of her sixth No. 1 album, December '08's Circus, "a put-on-a-show type of girl."
Openers the Pussycat Dolls provided a maniacally energetic set with hits like "Buttons," "When I Grow Up," and "Stickwitchu," set to much bendy, knee-cap-to-ear choreography; leader Nicole Scherzinger can actually sing live, which is admirable, though when she referred to Britney gamely as "the original Pussycat Doll," PCD founder Robin Antin must have spit out her garter belt. And the near-capacity crowd seemed happy to see them, responding uproariously to Scherzinger's destination-tailored Jersey shoutouts.
After a lengthy set-up time filled by various circus-y sideshow acts -- you've got at least 45 minutes to take a snack- and pee-break, promise -- and a high-camp video intro starring gossipeure Perez Hilton as a sort of deranged, baby-head-chomping Queen Elizabeth, Brit finally hit the stage to near-hysterical applause. And you know what? She looked good. Granted, the mother of two is no longer the wriggling Lolita of yesteryear; she moves a little slower, and sometimes seemed to need a rest -- hence her frequent sit-downs on various stage props. In fact, the show often felt more like a Vegas revue in which Spears appears as the special guest star, disappearing frequently beneath the stage for extended periods (costume changes? Mani-pedi touch-ups? Time-outs for Jayden and Sean Preston? We know not!) while the circus carried on without its ringmistress.
Still, the 90-minute spectacle was tightly choreographed and loaded with sensory effects: dancers dropping from the ceiling like spandexed spiders, elaborate Moulin Rouge-style sets, and flashy, flesh-baring costumes, including a Bollywood-ized take on "Me Against the Music." The symbolism of placing the singer inside a golden cage for the press-excoriating "Piece of Me" was not lost on the audience, though frequent forays into S&M style theatrics a la Sex-era Madonna seemed a little dark for a largely young, female crowd (cue the extended video clip of La Spears, seemingly in the midst of an Eyes Wide Shut-style orgy, writhing to Marilyn Manson's dark-side cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"). The material itself drew heavily from her last two albums ("Radar," "Womanizer," "Freakshow") with a few forays into olden times ("Everytime," "...Baby One More Time") and the JumboTron pulsed out a constant stream of visuals in place of a closeup on the singer herself, likely because she appeared to be lip-synching to a pre-recorded "live" track throughout. Still, is anyone genuinely shocked and dismayed at that revelation? Apparently not; as one satisfied young show-goer put it, "You don't go to hear her sing. You go to see Britney, period."
You've got until May 2 to catch her on tour in the U.S., Music Mixers. Will you go see her? Have you already? Or does the whole idea just sound toxic?
source :EW.com
Models May Lack Height but Not Drive
More seriously, Cutrone, founder of fashion public relations firm People's Revolution and a regular on MTV's "The Hills" and "The City," told ABCNews.com that the show's producers may have underestimated the desperation some women feel to act out a fantasy they get from watching a reality television show.
"It's sad when people get hurt trying to get a deal, whether at Wal-mart [where a security guard was trampled to death in a Long Island store at the start of the Black Friday Christmas sale] or to be on a TV show," Cutrone said. "It's like a gladiator sport."
Kiara McCarthy, a 19-year-old sophomore at Long Island University, said, "I was sad, truly upset. I don't want to give up, but this definitely set me back a little."
McCarthy has dreamed of being a model since she was 12 but was turned away from many auditions because of her slight stature -- she's just shy of 5-feet-4. She arrived at the auditions around 7 a.m. and stood in line for 10 hours, while her mother and younger sister waited across the street.
From the start, she said the crowd was edgy. Some women had camped out the night before and as the numbers swelled, police and organizers seemed unprepared for the turnout, she added.
With little organization to the lines and women unable to leave their spot to get food or go to the bathroom, tempers flared and scuffles broke out, McCarthy said. When an overheated car began to smoke and backfire on the street next to the line of women, several women yelled "Bomb!" Panic ensued.
McCarthy was standing at the front of the line, next to go in, when "all of a sudden I hear a roar behind me," she said. "All of a sudden people started coming toward me."
She and the young woman standing next to her in line ran just before a barricade toppled over under a sea of women. "I literally got pressed up against the doors," she said.
source :ABC news
Top Model Hopefuls Feel Short-Shrifted
Melee Interrupted Auditions for Short Model Hopefuls, Crushing Their Dreams
By LUCHINA FISHER
For a brief time, it seemed Tyra Banks, the model-turned-host of the popular CW show "America's Next Top Model," had become the savior for every short woman who ever dreamed of becoming a model. Last month, Banks announced for the first time that her show, in its 12th season, would be open only to women under 5-feet-7, considered the starting height for a model.
"When she [Banks] said, 'Calling all short girls,' I started screaming. This is my shot, this is my chance. I've been waiting for this show to come out since they started the show," 21-year-old aspiring model Jessica Paravati told ABCNews.com.
She was one of thousands of contestant hopefuls who lined up Saturday outside the Park Central Hotel in midtown Manhattan for an open casting call.
After an overheated car triggered a stampede, six women were injured and three people were arrested for disorderly conduct and inciting to riot, organizers abruptly shut down the auditions, leaving the 5-feet-5 Paravati and hundreds of other undersized women out in the cold.
"I'm disappointed, sad, angry, frustrated," she said. "There are no words to describe how I feel. I was just standing there trying to go inside and grasp this dream of mine. I didn't even get to touch it. Something needs to be done to fix it. It's not right."
The publicist for the show said there has been no word on whether the New York auditions will, if ever, be rescheduled.
In a statement to ABCNews, Banks and her producer Ken Mok said: "We are concerned by the events that occurred Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the New York City casting call for the next cycle of 'America's Next Top Model.' At this time, we still don't know all the details of what happened or what triggered the incident. We appreciate the efforts of the NYPD and will assist them in any way possible in this matter."
Late Monday, Banks issued a separate statement through her publicist:
"To all the Top Model hopefuls who were affected by the New York casting, we are doing everything we can to make sure that ALL the girls who weren't seen, get an opportunity to audition -- we'll update you on our plans very soon. It is so important to me to redefine beauty, and make sure that everyone gets a fair chance to pursue their dream. I am beyond excited for Cycle 13; for the first time ever, young women 5'7" and under have a shot at becoming America's Next Top Model! I encourage each girl to come out ready to rock the runway and show off their fiercest pose. I'm rooting for all of you!"
source : ABC news
India revels in 'Slumdog Millionaire's' Oscar triumph
By Mark Magnier
Forget the global downturn, the wrangling with neighbors, the traffic jams.
Monday dawned with celebration in India as word spread that "Slumdog Millionaire" had snagged eight Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. "Slumdog is Top Dog!" read a television headline.
Many woke up before dawn to watch the results live given the time difference. And for most, it was more than worth it. This was India's day, a time to revel, to emote and beam with pride as the world's largest democracy swept Oscar gold, and how.
"I'm at work, but if I didn't have to be here, I'd be on the street jumping up and down and shouting," said Mohammed Asif, 26, an employee in a coffee bar in New Delhi. "In spite of the weaker economy, 'Slumdog Millionaire' gives us hope. Maybe each of us can go out and win a million dollars too."
Downplayed, at least for a few minutes, was the debate over whether this was a real Indian film. Whether it fairly depicted India. Whether slums were the image the nation wanted to project. There was glory to be had and more than enough to go around.
"What a day it's been for India!" gushed an announcer on one of the nation's 24/7 hyper-active news channels.
"The winners have done India proud," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In the Mumbai slums where the film was shot, children broke into impromptu Bollywood dancing, and crowds cheered as neighbors huddled around the available television sets.
Local television gave extensive coverage to the two slum dwellers who acted in the film, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, and Rubina Ali, 9, highlighting their own rags-to-riches journey as they flew from their shantytown to Hollywood for the awards ceremony.
In Chennai, the hometown of A.R. Rahman, the modest, innovative composer who won Oscars for best original score and best original song, supporters handed out candy, ignited fireworks and cut a huge cake positioned in the middle of the street opposite his home.
"Jai Ho," or "Praise Be," the chorus from Rahman's film's hit song, could be heard on many Indian channels throughout the day.
"This is a great moment. After the Mumbai attack, everyone relates to Rahman as an Indian rather than a Muslim," said P.M. Jagannathan, 56, a chemical engineer from Mumbai. "He's doing the job that politicians should be doing -- uniting people rather than dividing them."
Not everyone was overjoyed by the recognition, however. "This is all a big show," said Nicholas Anthony, 47, who runs a video-game parlor in Dharavi, the Mumbai slum where much of the film was shot. "Just walk around Dharavi and spend a day with the kids here and you will understand that 'Slumdog' doesn't represent Dharavi."
Shiv Vishwanathan, an anthropologist based in the western city of Ahmedabad, said the film reflects neither India's own view of itself nor the outside world's view of India.
By successfully combining an English movie, American recognition, the local Indian view and the sensibility of India's far-flung diaspora, however, the filmmakers has managed to unite elements of the Indian mind set in a unique way, he added.
"It's a Hollywood version of a Bollywood myth that's inverted and speeded up," Vishwanathan said.
"All of my colleagues were the same, we were all up early to watch," he added. "Whether it's a spelling bee or the Oscars, we're desperate for recognition. This is good news, everyone wants it, and today we got it."
source :Los Angeles Times
OctoMom's Ex Says He's OctoDad!
By Lindsay William-Ross
Dennis Beaudoin is married and has two kids, but he's ready to take on more. 8 more, to be precise.
Beaudoin is the ex-boyfriend Nadya Suleman (aka OctoMom). The pair dated in the 1990s for three years, although he admits he believes now she was married at the time. Beaudoin also claimed this morning in a Good Morning America interview that "she asked him to donate sperm and he wants to know if he is the father of her children," according to the Press-Telegram.
"She really wanted to have kids," Dennis Beaudoin said this morning on GMA. "She asked me to donate sperm. ...I thought it was kind of out of the ordinary, but I cared about her so much, and we were in love."
Suleman has said that the same sperm was used to fertilize her eggs for all of her pregnancies, which resulted in her bearing 14 children in total. This possible "OctoDad" believes at least the octuplets are his, but even if they are not, "he would like to help Suleman raise them. He said he doesn't believe Suleman can raise the children alone."
Indeed, if it 'takes a village' to raise just one child, 33-year-old grad student Suleman will need more than just the government aid and disability monies she is reportedly collecting, and the elusive $2 million she wants from the media. Although her PR firm has dropped her as a client after they received multiple death threats as part of the backlash against their choice to rep this unusual mother of multiples, the website they created is still up and accepting donations. Recent reports indicate the Whittier home Suleman, her kids, and her parents live in is facing foreclosure. Beaudoin may soon find his hands full if Suleman accepts his offer of help.
source :laist.com
Oscars 2009: Empty red carpet leaves photographers snappy
Academy Awards ceremonies cannot please everyone - think of all those losing nominees - yet celebrity photographers are not usually among the disappointed. This year, a fiendish bid by producers to boost ratings by asking certain stars not to enter via the red carpet left some snappers fuming.
Actors and presenters playing key roles in the ceremony were asked to enter via a back entrance so that frock watchers were forced to watch the whole show to get their fill of fashion.
"This is a disaster both for us and for the designers who want their dresses seen at the Oscars," one photographer told industry bible Variety. "Magazines want photos from the red carpet - the stars have spent hours getting ready and they're prepared to pose," said one. "We sell these photos all year."
Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Stewart, Katherine Heigl and Jessica Alba were among those who failed to arrive via the red carpet, although many others appear to have defied the directive.
"I didn't just walk into a store and just find this," said singer-actor Miley Cyrus, referring to a particularly ornate Zuhair Murad gown. "This is not a place to be toned down."
The directive from new Oscars screencast producers, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, was one of a number of moves aimed at boosting flagging ratings, which fell to an all-time low last year. The pair also brought in Hugh Jackman, the first non standup to host the ceremony since 1987, and even had him performing a crowd pleasing song and dance routine with Beyoncé.
source :guardian.co.uk
Nicole Richie pregnant again
Nicole Richie is pregnant with her second child, a year after giving birth to a daughter named Harlow, her partner announced on Sunday.
"I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister," said musician Joel Madden on the website of his rock group, Good Charlotte.
Richie, 27, is the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie and a former co-star with Paris Hilton of The Simple Life, a hit reality TV show.
She was sentenced in 2007 to four days in prison for driving under the influence of drugs, but spent only an hour behind bars before being released by the Los Angeles sheriff's office.
source :smh.com.au
Winslet latest victim of "Fakebooking" craze
Miss Winslet, who is tipped to win the best actress award at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, now also has the accolade of having the most sites devoted to her by internet pranksters on the Facebook site.
One fake account, which claimed to have been set up by Miss Winslet, was closed by monitors after she called Miss Jolie a "fat-lipped crazy cow", according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper reported that false sites in Miss Winslet's name have overtaken the number created for Britney Spears, the singer, Sarah Palin, the colourful Republican former vice-presidential candidate, and President Barack Obama.
On Friday there were still a dozen Facebook sites claiming to have been set up by Miss Winslet, several with nude photographs illegally lifted from her Oscar-nominated film The Reader.
But they were mild versions of the dozens of often libellous sites that have been removed since last weekend.
In one, Miss Winslet appeared to be engaged in a war of words with Miss Jolie, calling her a "blood-sucking vampire".
A fake Miss Jolie responded: "Now I know why you pretended to forget my name at the Golden Globes, bitch. I'm getting out my favorite [sic] blade and I'll be waiting for you on the red, red carpet."
Some reports have claimed that up to 40 per cent of Facebook's 70 million accounts are fake.
The company has tried to clean the site up by "deauthorising" thousands of entries, in the process managing to delete a handful of genuine celebrity sites, including David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy account.
source :Telegrap.co.uk
Hugh Jackman on Hosting Oscars: 'A Night of Celebration'
By KATIE ESCHERICH
Actor Hugh Jackman, who will be hosting the Academy Awards for the first time on Sunday, says that he's "excited" about the honor, not nervous. "My acting teacher always said, 'No, don't say nervous, you're excited,'" Jackman told Barbara Walters in an interview to air on her annual Oscar night special. "And actually, that's the truth."
The 40-year-old actor, who was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" last year, will next be seen onscreen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" this summer. He says that while he likes singing and dancing, his favorite thing to do is act, and he told Walters that he sees all the Oscar-nominated movies each year.
"I love the Oscars. I've loved it since I was a kid," he said.
Hosting the ceremony is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, literally it may be once," he said, laughing. Asked if there were any stars he's looking forward to seeing on Oscar night, Jackman said he pictures Jack Nicholson sitting in the front row.
"I don't know if he's going to be there, [but] I visualize Jack Nicholson ... hopefully smiling, but you never know," he said, laughing.
He also said he's never met best actor nominee Brad Pitt.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be getting to meet [Pitt]," he said. "I've never met Angelina, either. But I'm not allowed to say that or my wife will kill me, but I'd love to meet her."
Jackman met his wife, actress Deborah-Lee Furness, on the set of the Australian drama "Corelli." At the time, she was a big star Down Under and he was an unknown, but he says his increasing fame hasn't hurt their relationship.
"I want to make it really clear, there is not an ounce of jealousy," he said. "There is not an ounce of competitiveness between us. Deb has only ever had incredibly supportive, excited, sort of, feelings, for anything that's happened in my career."
source : ABCnews
Panettiere, Ventimiglia split reported
Has Hayden Panettiere found an age-appropriate escort?
Ever since Panettiere, 19, started dating fellow "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia, 31, age has been an interesting issue.
Now Us magazine is reporting that the chronologically challenged pair have ended their relationship, due to "a lifestyle conflict. They were in very different places."
Seems he was in that "concentrating on work" place, and she was in that "likes to go out in the Hollywood scene" place.Apparently, Panettiere was also in that "sitting in Jesse McCartney's lap" place.
RadarOnline.com reports that the starlet and the 21-year-old pop singer were spotted at Crown Bar in Los Angeles last week.
"The 'Heroes' actress was sitting on Jesse's lap while he kissed her neck," the Web site says. "Then she got up and did some crazy sexy dance in his lap."
The young are so resilient.
source : chicago tribune.com
Michael Jackson auctions awards, albums, art, etc.
The King of Pop is lightening his load. At an April auction featuring more than 2,000 personal items, Michael Jackson is set to sell his American Music Award for "Thriller," a velvet cape given to him by his children for Father's Day in 1998, a pair of rhinestone-trimmed socks from 1981, a basketball signed by Michael Jordan and his own original artwork.
The 50-year-old singer is also parting with his platinum and gold records, a customized Harley Davidson and a Rolls Royce limousine.
The five-day sale was announced in December by Julien's Auctions, but the full extent of the items available wasn't known until Tuesday, when the auction house released images of the lots. The auction begins April 21.
source : The assosiated press
In the Moment, or Not
By CATHY HORYN
Markdowns, discounters and the marketing of designers’ other products, like accessories, have dissuaded consumers from buying expensive clothes. Runway collections are now largely vehicles for promoting a big designer’s image, or helping a new talent get started. You have to wonder then if a significant number of women will care that Donna Karan presented her best collection in years, or that Marc Jacobs channeled his favorite good times, the 1980s.For a while, Ms. Karan has been doing some rather confounding things to clothes, which in essence suggested that she was in a prolonged state of meditation. On Monday, she snapped out of it and showed some terrific clothes. From start to finish (well, almost), this was about as levelheaded a collection as you could expect from a serious designer and businesswoman.
The top note was tailoring: sharp, clean lines in fabrics like a double-faced wool and cashmere blend and stretch wool crepe or tweed. The cosmopolitan palette included navy, charcoal and nutmeg brown, with bursts of scarlet or neon purple. There were few suits per se; Ms. Karan took a contemporary approach and broke up the look, putting a belted jacket — say, in glossy red tweed — over a slinky, below-the-knee skirt in gray jersey. A slim navy wool coat with a mandarin collar paired up with tapered gray trousers. Over the sleeves Ms. Karan added rough-looking shearling gauntlets.
There was plenty of her usual draping, but this time it didn’t look as if the Hindu god Siva had given her a hand. The results were seductive, as when the model Karlie Kloss appeared in a belted gray jersey dress with bare shoulders; or handsome, when a high-neck blouse in rippling nutmeg jersey came out with pleated gray trousers. Either way, the effect was appealing. Another plus in this collection was the relatively natural shoulder line. Extreme shoulders are a recurring fascination with designers, and this week we’ve seen them squared, pinched and inflated like a linebacker’s. Wisely, Ms. Karan didn’t go there.
Mr. Jacobs’s collection was hard to like. It resisted (resented?) the logical, the sober, the prettified. Like a painted lady in a rainstorm, it stood indifferent to the economy. (In at least one respect on Monday night, Mr. Jacobs was all business. His show started two minutes early and didn’t use a set, just a gaudy red carpet.)
The clothes were very much in the spirit of the ’80s, the era of Dianne Brill and Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, when a girl could spend half the day getting her look together. For that reason perhaps, each of Mr. Jacobs’s 60 models had her own look, with hair teased into flips and stacks.
The clothes were equally frothy: teacup silk skirts, a bubbly wool coat in Bazooka pink, satin bustiers with huge fan pleats across the front, metallic peplum jackets and flamboyantly patterned tights. Although kookiness can sometimes be its own justification, there were many desirable pieces lurking in the romp, like glossy black coats dotted with black disks, flowing tunics in murky floral prints and vivid wool caped jackets.
What makes this collection less satisfying than his previous ones is that the visual assault seems forced. We don’t really buy it — and that’s partly because we don’t feel any energy. There is very little sense of enjoyment or relish in the clothes, qualities we associate with ’80s dressing. Maybe that’s something you can only experience once in its true state.
In spite of the grim reports of store budget cuts, this season has seen one or two plainly talented newcomers. Joseph Altuzarra, 25, a former assistant at Givenchy and Proenza Schouler, presented a small collection — his second — on Monday. He said that he has just three store accounts, including Barneys New York and Ikram in Chicago. He was not complaining.
source : The new york times
Although he can cut a mean suit, with little air between flesh and wool, Mr. Altuzarra’s gift is for the soft stuff. He showed delicately ruched dresses in ivory and pale lilac stretch georgette, engineering the fit so that the back was open. What comes through is not his taste, though he has taste, but rather his judgment. Another great look was a one-shoulder tunic in silver lamé, belted and worn over black leggings with sexy booties licked with long black fur.
Tracy Reese sent out a smart collection. There were adorable print minidresses hemmed in black lace, slouchy blazers mixed with flounced dresses, and those mannish pleated trousers in charcoal and pinstripes that suddenly look like money in the bank.
source : The new york times
Celebrating Black History Month
by Sally Sanderson
Since the beginning of our nation’s history, new movements and old prejudices have been intertwined. Our country paved the way for a new world, filled with democracy, free choice and happier lifestyles while still keeping minorities of our citizens in bonds of slavery, forms of mistreatment and in skewed equality. Now, more than ever, is the time to recognize these facts and take into consideration that we are again changing the world: the bells of equality and freedom are ringing yet again.
The election campaign of 2008 changed the face of the U.S. forever: no more can we say that we are a country of unequal rights and old grudges, but a country full of new beginnings and new hope. It marks a new chapter in our country’s history and a tribute to all who have suffered injustice.
As the nation celebrates the election of its first black President, this February we also celebrate a tradition dedicated to remembering those who have been mistreated and discriminated against in our country: Black History Month.
Black History Month was founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson and his organization, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which, founded in 1915, has the mission to: “promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community” (www.asalh.org/aboutasalhmain.html). According to Wikipedia.com, Woodson originally chose the second week of February to celebrate “Negro History Week” because the week held the birthdays of two important figures in the revolution of black freedom: former President Abraham Lincoln and former slave Frederick Douglass.
As history progressed, February held more important events for the recognition of African Americans as equal citizens, thus causing the celebration to hold not only a week but a month of recognition. Other important events in February included: the birth of W.E.B. Du Bois on Feb. 23, 1868, the passing of the 15th Amendment on Feb. 3, 1870 and the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Feb. 12, 1909 (www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmintro1.html).
W.E.B. Du Bois was a significant member in the fight against racial discrimination and an equal rights activist. Du Bois was one of the founding members of the NAACP, an organization with the mission to: “ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination” (www.naacp.org/about/mission/index.htm and www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/dubois).
Black History Month marks an important aspect of our culture and history and should be recognized as a celebration of an ever-changing movement for equality and civil rights. To celebrate Black History Month, Michigan Tech has month long programs and activities to participate in. For the next two weeks, these events will be occurring: on Tuesday, Feb. 17 in the MUB Alumni Lounge A from 2-3 p.m. “The ‘N’ Word”, a study of the connotations behind one of the crudest words in the English language, performances of jazz, dance and spoken word on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the Rozsa Lobby from 7-11 p.m. and an open mic coffee house from 8-11 p.m. in Wadsworth Hall on Saturday, Feb. 21. Two presentations made by LTC Otha Thornton and C.S. Giscombe relating to topics of BHM will be featured as well. Thornton’s presentation will take place Thursday, Feb. 26 from 12-1 p.m. in the MUB Red Metal Room 105B; Giscombe’s will take place from 5-7 p.m. in Walker 134 on Friday, Feb. 27. Lastly, African Night 2009 will be celebrated from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28. African Night includes dinner in the MUB Ballroom followed by performances of dancing and music in the Rozsa Center.
source : LODE
Critic to 'The Real Housewives of New York City': drop dead
by Ken Tucker
In case you don't get the reference in the phrase above, it's an echo of the famous 1975 front-page New York Daily News headline, "Ford To City: Drop Dead," about then-President Ford's refusal to sign a fiscal bail-out. I second that emotion about The Real Housewives of New York City: I sorta wish the show would expire, fast. Not a chance, of course: Too many of us -- I admit it, I've watched -- cannot resist gazing upon the icky-beyond-belief "real" housewives of New York City, whose new season of crass social-climbing begins on Bravo tonight.
There's a new housewife this season: Kelly, who proves in this clip that she's a deluded exhibitionist and even-more-deluded horse-rider (I'm told by a trained eye living in my house that her form is pretty lame).
Me, I put my hands over my eyes and peek through my fingers at Alex McCord's hideous husband, Simon, and the couple's ramshackle summer rental we're taken to tonight. Of course, there's nothing wrong with ramshackle, especially in these economic times, but the way Simon talks up the house as though it was an idyllic mansion worthy of his slippered toes--it's just too, too much.
But, really, that's the only reason to keep tabs on these squabbling, spendthrift people: to goggle at their cluelessness, their disconnection from the very concept of Reality that Real Housewives promotes.
source : EW.com
Judge rejects Polanski's bid to reopen sex case
By Dan Whitcomb and Alex Dobuzinskis
Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski lost a bid on Tuesday to dismiss his 30-year-old conviction for having sex with a minor when a Los Angeles judge refused to consider the request as long as the filmmaker was still a fugitive.
But Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza said he would be willing to reconsider his decision if Polanski, who fled the United States for France in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with an underage girl, returned to a Los Angeles courtroom by May 7.
The 75-year-old director of such films as "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown, has tried to have his guilty plea thrown out on claims that the now-dead judge in the case was improperly coached by a prosecutor.
Those accusations gained public attention in the documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," in which the prosecutor, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Wells, spoke of his contact with the judge.
Prosecutors have long maintained that Polanski has no standing to reopen his case while he is a fugitive and Espinoza agreed. But the judge gave Polanski a small victory by suggesting in court that the filmmaker's claims could have merit.
"It is hard to contest that some of the conduct portrayed in film on that documentary was misconduct," Espinoza said.
Polanski was originally indicted on six charges, including rape, for having sex with a 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and drugs.
He insisted the sex was consensual but pleaded guilty to a single count of having sex with a minor, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
source : Reuters UK
Chris Brown Breaks His Silence About Rihanna Incident
by Jovie Baclayon
Chris Brown says he is seeking counseling from loved ones and family members, one week after an alleged attack against his girlfriend, singer Rihanna.
"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."
The 19-year-old R&B singer issued a brief statement Sunday through publicist Michael Sitrick. In it, Brown also says many of the reports about the incident are incorrect, although he doesn't provide further details.
"Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong. While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds."
Screengrabs of a fake Facebook page circulated online late last week, but was quickly determined to be a hoax.
Brown turned himself in on Feb. 8 and was booked on suspicion of making a criminal treath, but no charges have been filed yet. He is free on $50,000 bail while the case is being investigated.
On Friday, Brown's father said his son is at home and "very remorseful" over what happened. Rihanna is now at home in Barbados recuperating.
source : E!online
Octuplets' Mom Is 'Not Obsessed with Angelina Jolie'
By Eileen Finan and Johnny Dodd
Facing public outrage over revelations that she supports her family with the help of food stamps and claims that she is fixated with Angelina Jolie, Nadya Suleman tells PEOPLE that she's turning to "a greater strength" to cope with her sudden notoriety.
The California mother of octuplets says she hopes the media frenzy will soon die out and allow her to focus on raising her eight new babies, born Jan. 26, along with her six older children. "Next week it will be okay," she tells PEOPLE, peering outside at a group of reporters camped in front of her Whittier, Calif., home. "No one will be out there, I'm hoping."
Suleman also rejected claims that she is obsessed with Jolie. "All lies. I have no interest in her. None," she says. "I've never been a fan of anybody famous. Now I kinda have a taste. But it's not being famous – it's being infamous. It's a nightmare."
Jolie's rep said reports that the actress received letters from Suleman are untrue.
Meanwhile, Suleman's mother, who last week in a televised interview called her daughter's decision to implant six embryos "unconscionable," appears to be softening her stance. Angela Suleman, who helps care for her grandchildren, appeared on CBS's The Early Show Monday calling her daughter "a good mother."
"I did [resent Nadya], but you know, you can resent your daughter for just so long, and then you see that she's trying so hard to take care of these children, and she's a good mother," Angela Suleman said on the program. She added that their current living conditions – Nadya and her children all live in a three-bedroom house with Angela – will need to change when the babies are released from the hospital.
source : people
T.I.'s 'Dead And Gone' Video, Featuring Justin Timberlake, Pays Tribute To Friend
The clip is dedicated to T.I.'s friend Philant Johnson, who was killed in 2006.
By Jayson Rodriguez
The rapper told MTV News that the clip and his performance at the ceremony the next day would mirror each other and "personify the sentiment of the song and capture that [mood]."
His performances at the award show were among the broadcast's many highlights. For "Dead and Gone," Tip entered through a billow of smoke and Timberlake rode shotgun at the piano. Tip emotionally rapped the track's cautionary tale while JT tickled the keys in a melancholy staging.
"Now you gushin', ambulance rushin'," Tip rapped. "'You to the hospital with a bad concussion/ Plus you hit four times but it hit yo spine/ Paralyzed waist-down and ya wheelchair bound."
The Chris Robinson-directed video premiered on MTV Tuesday (February 17). The clip features the two artists in performance scenes outside the California desert, interspersed with visuals of the song's protagonist, an innocent kid who makes a bad decision and couldn't walk away from a fight. At the end of the first verse, he ends up in a wheelchair as a result of the beating he took, just like the lyrics dictate.
Toward the end of the video, the Atlanta rapper drives his car to a crossroad and gets out of his vehicle to meet Timberlake, who's positioned at the center of the road. The song's bridge begins and images of T.I. with his wife, a pastor, and a serpent flash across the screen, as does the word "good." Then images of a prison yard flash along with the word "evil," before the word "redemption" pops up followed by a picture of Philant Johnson's grave.
Johnson — boyhood friend of the rapper — was tragically gunned down in 2006 after a T.I. show in Ohio; the song is dedicated to his memory. Tip spoke at Johnson's funeral and described their bond.
"It just seems like as long as I can remember, he was there," T.I. said of Johnson. "As long as I can remember, his mama and my mama were partners. His cousin and my uncle were partners. His auntie and my grandmama stayed up the street from one another. And we just always knew each other, and it was cool."
source : Mtv
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