Obama’s Oprah bounce; Scarlett turns red; Bengals player plugs artist; husband of Nancy Wilson dies August 7, 2008

Two University of Maryland economists claim that Oprah Winfrey’s influence in the presidential election delivered one million voters to her favorite candidate, Barack Obama. According to the New York Post, Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore “developed complex numerical formulas to calibrate the might of Oprah’s star power, based on book sales, TV ratings, voter turnout and other factors, to determine that she put 1,015,519 votes in the Obama column.”

 

       *Scarlett Johansson says she was embarrassed by the media coverage of her so-called “e-mail relationship” with Barack Obama. In June, the actress told Politico.com that she and the presidential candidate had been trading e-mails, but Obama later told reporters that she doesn’t have his personal e-mail address, and that his assistant forwarded one message from Johansson to which he replied. “I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama’s commitment to his campaign in every aspect and his interest and his support (in) his surrogates and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is. And it was manipulated into such an unfortunate media frenzy of kind of a nonstory,” the 23-year-old film star told the Associated Press.

 

       *Cincinnati Bengals four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Willie Anderson is launching his music and film company Think Big Entertainment with an album by 19-year-old rapper, G-Fiive, out of Anderson’s hometown of Mobile, Al. “While football is my first love, music and film are a close second,” Anderson states.  Material from G-Fiive’s debut CD can be heard at www.myspace.com/younggonline; while his performances can be seen on YouTube (plug in “gmusicgroup”). 

 

       *The husband of jazz great Nancy Wilson has died. The Rev. Wiley M. Burton, honorary chairman for the local American Cancer Society Relay For Life in April, died Friday after a battle with cancer. He underwent chemotherapy treatment earlier this year after his right kidney was removed. Burton and Wilson married in 1974 and lived in Pioneertown, Calif. for 30 years.  Burton was a Presbyterian Church minister and published award-winning essays and the book, “Divided We Stand.” His funeral is scheduled for Friday.

      

NO DEPOSITION FOR J.LO: Woman suing Diddy over 1999 nightclub shooting drops entertainer from the case August 7, 2008

Jennifer Lopez no longer has to appear at a deposition involving a woman who is suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for being shot in the face during the infamous 1999 nightclub shootout.      

        TMZ.com is reporting that Lopez was supposed to be deposed Wednesday in Natania Reuben’s $120 million suit against the rap mogul, who was dating J.Lo at the time of the shooting and was with her inside of the club when shots rang out. Diddy was acquitted of any wrongdoing.        

       The deposition has taken months and months to schedule, according to the Web site, and sources claim J.Lo has “nothing to contribute” to the case, which would explain why she has been removed from Reuben’s case.       

       “We’re also told that there’s no new date in sight — meaning Lopez may have dodged the bullet for good,” TMZ reported.

PIMP C TO BE HONORED AT OZONE AWARDS: Late rapper to get musical salute from Bun B., David Banner, Big Boi and others August 7, 2008

The upcoming Ozone Awards, a ceremony that honors the year’s best in hip hop, will take moment to salute late rapper Pimp C with an all-star musical tribute organized by his UGK partner Bun B.

 

       Allhiphop.com is reporting that the performance will include Big Boi, David Banner and 8Ball & MJG, as well as Webbie and Boosie, who were discovered by and recorded for Pimp C’s label.

 

       In December, Pimp C was found dead in his Hollywood hotel room due to a combination of sleep apnea and an accidental overdose of Promethazine and Codeine, a.k.a. “syrup.”

      The Third Annual Ozone Awards is scheduled take place Monday (Aug. 11) in Houston at the George R Brown Convention Center. Awards will be presented in more than 25 categories — including Best Rap Album, Breakthrough Artist, Best Rap Group, Best Video, DJ of The Year and the “Pimp C Award (Trillest Artist).”

 

       T-Pain, Rick Ross, The Game, Plies, DJ Khaled and Trick Daddy are also scheduled to perform.

ATLANTA REALITY SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS MONICA: Singer shows the drama of trying to record and market a new single August 7, 2008

 

      Cameras follow the 27-year-old mother of two as she works with record producer-songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox and J Records A&R executives Larry Jackson and Jaha Johnson, on “Still Standing,” an upcoming single off her new album.

 

       The special will track the process of creating a hit song from conception to recording to release, while also providing a peek at Monica’s home life raising 3-year-old Rodney III and six-month-old Romelo.      

       “I think what people will like the most about it, is you can tell nothing was censored or uncut,” Monica says. “I mean, I’m walking around the house in a scarf because we’d been cooking and cleaning and getting the kids ready all day — and that’s how folk really look.”      

       “That’s the most special part to me, the parts with my kids,” she continues. “I’ve grown up quite a bit. I’ve learned to talk it out and work it out … The part that’s weird for me though, is seeing the emotional side of me, and maybe the way that Rodney [Hill] and I interact with each other. It’s different with the cameras being there, and seeing that on television.”

 

      Peachtree TV, owned by Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System, took over the local broadcaster position held by WTBS, on October 1, 2007.

LIL JON GETS CRUNK WITH NEW RECORD DEAL: TVT pact absorbed by The Orchard; producer restructures deal August 7, 2008

 

      As part of the deal, The Orchard will digitally reissue Lil Jon’s back catalogue (which it now owns through the TVT acquisition), including “Put Yo Hood Up,” “Kings of Crunk” and 2004’s “Crunk Juice.”

 

       Lil Jon will provide new content under the arrangement, and is expected to lend his expertise to Orchard’s Brand Entertainment group, working with brands and agencies to develop innovative new lifestyle-oriented marketing and promotion programs. In addition, Lil Jon and The Orchard will collaborate on selecting A&R and production support to Orchard artists and labels.      

       As a part of the accord, Lil Jon has withdrawn his multi-million-dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings, and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist recording agreement to The Orchard. The Orchard has in turn, released Jon from all future obligations under his previous TVT contract and agreed that Lil Jon owns all rights in the master recordings for his forthcoming album “Crunk Rock.”

AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL OPENS TONIGHT: Berry, Bassett, Lathan and Haysbert among celebrity attendees August 7, 2008

The 12th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), presented by Allstate, opens tonight in Los Angeles with a special screening of the classic film, “Carmen Jones,” to be introduced by Oscar winner Halle Berry.        

        “The theme of this year’s festival is Exploring Black Romance and Sexuality in American Cinema, so we thought it would be interesting to take a look back and examine the first film in contemporary cinema to showcase a modern-day love story featuring a sexy African-American duo,” said Jeff Friday, founder/CEO of Film Life, Inc., and the ABFF.       

       This year’s festival will feature screenings, workshops, symposiums and panel discussions during the festival’s four days. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend ABFF Signature Events such as: Off The Record: A Conversation with Young Hollywood, sponsored by Target; ABFF Remembers…Waiting to Exhale, sponsored by Blockbuster; Can We Get Some Love?–Exploring Black Romance & Sexuality in American Cinema; and the HBO Short Film Competition which is celebrating its 11th year at the Festival.       

       Celebrities confirmed to participate this year include: Evan Ross, Lauren London, Tatiana Ali, Columbus Short, Anthony Mackie; Holly Robinson Peete and Nate Parker (Off The Record); Mos Def, Rockmond Dunbar, Idris Elba, Michael Ealy, John Singleton and Sanaa Lathan (Lincoln Presents: Off the Red Carpet); Malik Yoba, Tina Andrews and Salli Richardson (Black Romance panel); and Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine (ABFF Remembers).      

       Richard T. Jones and Paula Patton will present awards at the ABFF Awards Presentation where Niecy Nash will host. Dennis Haysbert serves as the President of the 2008 Grand Jury and Anthony Mackie is the 2008 ABFF Ambassador.       

       Festival Passes $500, WGA West Writers Workshop Passes $200, Opening Night Cocktail Reception & Film Screening $75, Movie Tickets $12, Allstate and Nielsen Symposiums $30, Signature Events (HBO Short Film Competition, Black Sexuality and Young Hollywood panels) $30, Closing Night Gala (Awards Presentation and Film Screening) $150. To purchase passes or tickets visit www.abff.com or www.ticketweb.com.

      Look for for MORE on the ABFF in Friday’s EUR when we chat with the festival’s founder, Jeff Friday.

MORGAN FREEMAN AND WIFE FILE FOR DIVORCE: Publicist says split was planned before his accident in another woman’s car August 7, 2008

 

       Bill Luckett, who co-owns a restaurant and blues club in Clarksdale, Miss. with Freeman, says the split was in the works way before Freeman’s Sunday night car crash with female passenger Demaris Meyer, 48.       

       A tabloid reported that Freeman, 71, and his wife have been separated since December 2007. The National Enquirer claims Colley-Lee consulted a divorce attorney after hearing that Freeman cheated on her with “a close family friend.”

 

       “Myrna was terribly upset when she heard Morgan had become intimate with a woman who had been her friend,” a source told the National Enquirer.      

       Yesterday, Luckett told USA Today that he and the actor have been friends with Demaris “for some time.”       

       Freeman was driving her Nissan Maxima when he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped over several times before landing in a ditch near his home in Tallahatchie County, Miss.

 

       Bill Rogers, a retired police officer who was the first to arrive at the scene, said Freeman managed to relay that he and Meyer were headed to his home in Charleston, a small town some 90 miles south of Memphis.

 

       “He said that they were friends and she had offered him a ride home and she didn’t really know the way and so he was going to drive the vehicle,” Rogers told the Associated Press Tuesday. “They said they were coming from Clarksdale.”      

       Freeman and Luckett’s Ground Zero Blues Club and Madadi restaurant are in Clarksdale. Norris, the manager of Ground Zero, said Wednesday that Freeman had not been there the night of the accident. No one at Madadi was available for comment, according to the AP.      

       Freeman suffered a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder injuries during the crash. He had surgery Monday on his left arm and hand, but his recovery is expected to take months. Luckett says Freeman will have to wear a neck brace for six to eight months, and his arm will take several months to heal.      

       Luckett also said earlier reports of Freeman having a severed nerve in his arm were not true. “Nothing was severed. A nerve can be bruised or stretched. It was injured but not severed,” he said.

       Freeman could be released in the next few days from the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis.

JOE SAYS R. KELLY TRIED TO SABOTAGE HIS CAREER August 7, 2008

       It wasn’t until after he left the label that Joe says he found out what was behind his perceived stalled progress. He says his own label mate, R. Kelly, put pressure on Jive execs and radio stations to fall back on promoting his records when the singles appeared to be getting too much attention.      

       “R. Kelly was very instrumental in making a lot of decisions when it came to my records being played on the radio,” Joe told EUR’s Lee Bailey Tuesday. “He would make a call to the radio station or to the label and say, ‘Hey, this Joe record is too hot right now. Yall need to pull that back.’ And they would oblige.”       

       Joe says there were a lot of shady things that went down at Jive and he’s happy to finally be able to vent his frustrations freely, now that he’s off the label. “It’s incredible that now I get the opportunity to, I don’t know, maybe pay [R. Kelly] back in some sort of side bar kind of thing.”      

       The 35-year-old Columbus, GA native said R-ruh did not succeed in sabotaging his career, which includes seven Grammy Award nominations, three gold albums and two platinum discs.      

       “I’m still very relevant in the game. But yeah, he did try to make some decisions when it came down to my records being on fire, and climbing up the charts and on the radio stations,” Joe said of Kelly. “He felt like they should pull back because he felt he was more important. And with their loyalty to him, they obliged.”      

       Joe says he didn’t find out about all of this until after he left Jive six months ago. His exit, instead, had to do with his belief that it was “just time to do my own thing.”      

       The artist is releasing his upcoming album, “New Man,” on Sept 22 – via Kedar Entertainment Group – headed by his manager and former Motown president Kedar Massenburg, with Joe and Chico Debarge as full partners. Distribution will be handled by Universal Music Group’s Fontana Distribution.