"We The People with Gloria Allred" Builds On "America's Court's" Success, Launches Fall 2011 on NBC Stations

Entertainment Studios, Inc., (ES) has cut a major deal with NBC Owned Television Stations for its 28th and newest HD television court program: "We The People with Gloria Allred." The NBC owned stations include: New York's WNBC, Los Angeles' KNBC, Chicago's WMAQ, Dallas's KXAS, San Francisco's KNTV, San Diego's KNSD, and Hartford's WVIT.

"With the increasing success of our show "America's Court with Judge Ross" we are extremely proud to have Gloria Allred join our family and further demonstrate Entertainment Studios' unwavering commitment to be the number one provider of quality television content," said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios.

"Quite often a Gloria Allred case is the lead story on the news across the nation. Gloria Allred is the perfect judge to be on a television court show which can serve as the ultimate news lead-in," said Allen. "In addition to being a lawyer, she is a great communicator with a heart. Viewers are drawn to her because they know she will be fearless, informative, and entertaining."

(Byron Allen on set with America's Court Judge Kevin Ross)

A former stand-up comedian who opened for acts including the legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., Byron Allen, 50, has transformed a business started by he and his mother, Carolyn Folks, into an entertainment powerhouse. Founded in 1993, Entertainment Studios produces, distributes, and sells advertising for all its programs, making it the largest independent producer and distributor of first-run syndicated programming for broadcast television stations.

With offices in New York, Chicago, and Raleigh, the Los Angeles based company is also owner of seven 24-hour HD television networks. The latest of which is LEGACY.TV, a network that will be exclusively devoted to celebrating African American excellence.

Entertainment Studios entrance into the competitive daytime syndication arena began in 2010 with "America's Court with Judge Ross," featuring former Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Ross. Ross also serves as a producer on the daily strip, entering its second season in additional U.S. and global markets beginning Monday, September 19, 2011.

In several cities, "We The People" will debut alongside "America's Court" as a solid viewing block of court, joining such mainstays as Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown and The People's Court.

Black History Month Celebrations Kick Off In LA With The Kinsey Collection!

'What You Didn't Learn In High School' Comes To The Ebony!

On Saturday February 5th at 8pm, join us for a spectacular Southern California evening of inspiration as world renowned art collectors and philanthropists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, along with their special guests, take you through the African American experience in a unique and engaging way.

The Kinsey's "What You Didn't Learn In High School History" will include performances by talented actress Cassandra Freeman (The Inside Man) and Danny "Coco" Brown, followed by a scrumptious champagne and dessert reception immediately after this 2nd Annual Los Angeles cultural gathering.

If you missed attending last year, please take a peak at the 2010 photos now on Facebook that were taken to see that this is no ordinary celebration.

Tickets are going fast so get your now at the Ebony Repertory Theater's Website.

See you there! And make sure you visit The Kinsey Collection, currently on display at The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC.

For African-Americans Interested In The Online Space, This Is Your Urban New Media Wrap-Up For January 2011

The Game’ Is a Winner, Helped by BET Loyalists

“The Game,” a sitcom about pro football players’ relationships with women, puttered along in obscurity for three years on the CW network. The season it was canceled, it attracted only 1.9 million viewers an episode. Then it was resurrected with two new episodes last Tuesday on the cable channel BET, which picked up the program and resumed production as part of an effort to add scripted shows to its schedule. The response from BET viewers was “jaw-dropping.” The first two episodes of the new season averaged 7.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched sitcom ever on cable television.

The 30-year-old channel had never had such high ratings for a series. “Just over the moon” is how Debra L. Lee, the chief executive and chairwoman of BET Networks, described her reaction. “It proves that cable is competitive,” she said. How does a show quadruple its audience? Ms. Lee credits a smart marketing plan, fan bases on Facebook and Twitter, and frequent showings on BET of repeat episodes in the past year, which ginned up interest in the new episodes.

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For Minorities, New 'Digital Divide' Seen

When the personal computer revolution began decades ago, Latinos and blacks were much less likely to use one of the marvelous new machines. Then, when the Internet began to change life as we know it, these groups had less access to the Web and slower online connections — placing them on the wrong side of the "digital divide."

Today, as mobile technology puts computers in our pockets, Latinos and blacks are more likely than the general population to access the Web by cellular phones, and they use their phones more often to do more things.

But now some see a new "digital divide" emerging — with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cellphone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment.

Continue...

Dr. King's Facebook Page Vandalized With Racist Images

A Facebook page that appears to be run by the Martin Luther King Center has been vandalized by individuals or a group of people who are determined to populate the page with disturbing racial imagery. Images using the N-word are displayed all over the page, along with other hurtful pictures, including a black man having sex with a bucket of chicken.

It is not clear who is responsible for maintaining the page or moderating the images, but the KingCenter.org website is listed as the group that owns the page.

Details...

Will The Strings Attached To Comcast/NBC Deal Be Effective?

Both the FCC and the Justice Department have effectively cleared the way for Comcast (aka, that cable company from Philadelphia) to own a majority of NBC Universal, but the regulators did so with several strings attached to the deal. Among the regulations outlined by the FCC and the Justice Dept., are:

*Comcast/NBC must license its programming to online distributors that have obtained distribution agreements with one of NBCU's peers.

*Comcast can't do anything that would unduly limit content owners' abilities to freely negotiate creative arrangements with Comcast competitors.

*The Comcast/NBC Voltron is not allowed to "retaliate against any broadcast network, affiliate, cable programmer, production studio or content provider for licensing content to Comcast competitors."

*Comcast must relinquish its management rights in Hulu, which is a joint venture of NBC, Fox and ABC, "so Comcast cannot use NBCU's partial ownership of Hulu to diminish its competitive significance."

Keep Reading...

If You’re Not Networking, You’re Not Social

Social media isn't isolating us as we tap on our laptops, smartphones and tablets; rather, we're becoming "hypersocial" in our virtual, avatar-populated environment, suggests researcher and author S. Craig Watkins. Rather than gathering in, say, the bowling alleys that were social hubs in the 1950s, we Wii-bowl with companions nearly anywhere on the globe.

Author of "The Young and The Digital," a book about today's so-called digital natives, Watkins rejects some researchers' laments that technology isolates us, noting that multiplayer online games cultivate friendships across long distances, and Facebook helps childhood friends keep in content when they move geographically. "There's nowhere we can't connect to our friends and our network," he says.

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Black People And The Internet - What's Up?

African Americans are more likely than whites to access the Internet by mobile phone, and they are twice as likely to use Twitter. Mobile devices have expanded access to the Internet, but they also limit the experience. NPR's Renee Montagne talks with IT consultant Anjuan Simmons about Internet trends among blacks.

Listen Here...

Isidra Person-Lynn Relaunches 'Sunday Morning Live' On Blogtalkradio

Media expert Isidra Person-Lynn has taken to the Internet to provide news, information and entertainment from a African American perspective on her new online Blogtalkradio show 'Sunday Morning Live'. Person-Lynn, a University of Southern California graduate who went on to become a celebrated public affairs radio personality on Los Angeles station 103.9 FM KACE, has also created a frequently updated blog for the weekly program.

Person-Lynn is clearly filling a void in the talk arena, as traditional black radio broadcast stations are opting to play more music and reducing their focus on spotlighting local issues in African American populated communities.

Check It Out...

The Comcast NBC Merger - What Does It Mean For African Americans???

Folks Who Get It: Percy Sutton Epitomized What The Harlem Renaissance Was All About

Job Well Done Sir - Rest In Peace!

Percy E. Sutton stood proudly at the center of the struggle for equal rights. He was arrested as a freedom rider; represented Malcolm X as young lawyer; rescued the fabled Apollo Theater in Harlem; and became a millionaire tycoon in the communications business to give public voice to African Americans.

Displaying fierce intelligence and exquisite polish in becoming one of the nation’s most prominent black political and business leaders, the New York icon died on December 26. He was 89.

Percy Sutton was an eminent politician in New York City, rising from the Democratic clubhouses of Harlem to become the longest serving Manhattan borough president and, for more than a decade, the highest black official in the city. In 1977, he was the first seriously regarded black candidate for mayor.

His supporters saw his loss in that mayoral race as a stinging rebuff to his campaign’s strenuous efforts to build support among whites. But David N. Dinkins, who was elected the first black mayor in 1989, called Mr. Sutton’s failed bid indispensable to his own success.

“I stand on the shoulders of Percy Ellis Sutton,” Mr. Dinkins said in an interview.

Mr. Sutton’s business empire included, over the years, radio stations, cable television systems and national television programs. Another business invested in Africa. Still another sold interactive technology to radio stations.

Mr. Sutton had an immaculately groomed beard and mustache; tailored clothing; and a sonorous, slightly Southern voice that prompted the nickname “wizard of ooze.” Associates called him “the chairman,” and he liked it.

Percy Ellis Sutton, the last child in a family of 15 children, was born on Nov. 24, 1920, in San Antonio, Tex. His father, Samuel Johnson Sutton, was born into slavery and became principal of a black high school. His mother, Lillian, was a teacher.

The 12 children who survived to be adults went to college, with the older ones giving financial and moral support to the younger.

S. J. Sutton, an early civil rights activist who did not use his first name for fear it would be shortened to Sambo, farmed, sold real estate and owned a mattress factory, funeral home and skating rink — in addition to being a full-time principal.

Percy milked the cows, then rode around San Antonio with his father in the same Studebaker used for funerals, distributing milk to the poor. He liked to attach strings to cans to pretend to be a radio broadcaster. He was an Eagle Scout.

At 12, he stowed away on a passenger train to Manhattan where he slept under a sign on 155th Street. Far from being angry, his family regarded him as an adventurer, he said.

His family was committed to civil rights, and he bristled at prejudice. At 13, while passing out N.A.A.C.P. leaflets in an all-white neighborhood, he was beaten by a policeman.

He took up stunt-flying on the barnstorming circuit, but gave it up after a friend crashed. He attended three traditionally black colleges without earning a degree. Their present names are Prairie View A & M University in Texas, Tuskegee University in Alabama and Hampton University in Virginia.

During World War II, he served with the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed all-black unit in the Army Air Forces, as an intelligence officer. He won combat stars in the Italian and Mediterranean theaters.

He entered Columbia Law School on the G.I. Bill on the basis of his solid grades at the colleges he attended. He transferred to Brooklyn Law School so he could work days. He worked at the post office from 4 p.m. until midnight, then as a subway train conductor until 8:30 a.m. He then reported to law school at 9:30. He kept this schedule for three years and became a lawyer.

This punishing pace so annoyed his wife, the former Leatrice O’Farrell, that she divorced him in 1950 — only to remarry him in 1952. In between, he married and divorced Eileen Clark.

Mr. Sutton’s survivors include his wife, Leatrice Sutton; a son from their marriage, Pierre; and a daughter from his second marriage, Cheryl Lynn Sutton.After graduating from law school, Mr. Sutton made what he termed “a major miscalculation.” He enlisted in the Air Force because he mistakenly thought he had flunked the bar exam.

He returned to Harlem in 1953 and opened a law practice. The initial going was tough: he had to work at supplemental jobs that included scrubbing floors.

The story continues...

Avatar's Zoe Saldana And Oscar Bound Gabourey Sidibe To Be Feted At 3rd Annual Essence Luncheon

Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige Round Out Hollywood's African American "It" Women For 2010

The 3rd annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon will be held during Oscar Week on March 4, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Honoring four extraordinary women making a significant impact in Hollywood, this star-studded event commemorates ESSENCE magazine's annual Hollywood issue and will pay tribute to a special milestone in 2010; the 40th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine.

The esteemed honorees for the 2010 event include: Queen Latifah (Power Award), Zoe Saldana (Star to Watch Award), Mary J. Blige (Songstress of the Year) and Gabourey Sidibe (Best Breakthrough Performance).

"Our annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon is taking on special meaning in 2010 as we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine by paying homage to phenomenal women throughout the year," said ESSENCE editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray. "We are proud to carry the ESSENCE legacy into the future by honoring the accomplishments of such brilliant performers as Latifah, Zoe, Mary J., and Gabourey, whose incredible talent and sheer grit are serving to change the face of Hollywood."

Queen Latifah is not only a celebrated television and film actress, but also a gifted musician, as well as an established author and entrepreneur. As a one-woman entertainment conglomerate, Latifah's rise has been nothing short of remarkable--landing her a place in history as the first hip-hop artist to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. Her production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, is currently co-producing the sports-driven romantic comedy, Just Wright, in which she will also star.

Zoe Saldana has shown she can hold her own in major blockbuster productions and has proven herself to be an amazing Hollywood star on the rise. After landing her first leading role as a ballet dancer in the film Center Stage, her turn as a leading lady in both the college-set drama Drumline and romantic comedy Guess Who followed shortly thereafter. Over the past decade, Saldana has grown into stand-out performances in popular films such as Avatar and Star Trek and continues to demonstrate the versatility necessary for longevity in Hollywood.

As one of the greatest singers of our time, Mary J. Blige's accomplishments are beyond impressive. A multi-faceted mogul and philanthropist, with a career spanning 15 years--including nine Grammy awards, eight multi-platinum records, and over 40 million albums sold--she has lent her tremendous talent this year to the official soundtracks for two powerful films with original songs: "I Can See in Color" from Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and "Stronger" from the Lebron James documentary, More than a Game.

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe has wowed the public and taken the industry by storm with her compelling breakthrough role as the title character in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which is garnering serious awards buzz. With the film winning numerous prestigious awards, including the Sundance Film Festival Audience and Grand Jury Awards, it's been a whirlwind year for the young actress, who was a student pursuing a degree in psychology when she was cast in Precious. A native New Yorker, Sidibe is the daughter of R&B/gospel singer Alice Tan Ridley. Next up for Gabourey is the Showtime pilot The C-Word opposite Laura Linney for director Bill Condon and the film, Yelling to the Sky.

The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon is an annual event to honor African-American women, who through their work in Hollywood--both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes--have helped to change and inspire positive images of Black women in television and film.

The inaugural event, which took place in 2008, honored Jada Pinkett-Smith (Power Award), Ruby Dee (Legend Award), Suzanne de Passe (Visionary Award) and Jurnee Smollett (Star to Watch Award), and hosted A-List stars including Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Kerry Washington, Star Jones and more.

In 2009, celebrities such as Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and Queen Latifah, to name a few, were on hand to fete honorees including Halle Berry (Power Award), Diahann Carroll (Legend Award), Gina Prince-Bythewood (Visionary Award), and Taraji P. Henson (Star to Watch Award), with a posthumous honor given to Eartha Kitt.

Black Woman Wins 112 Million Through Lotto, Starts Hollywood Film & TV Studio

By Lisa Horowitz of The Wrap

While Hollywood goes chasing to Abu Dhabi and Mumbai for ever-scarcer funds to finance its movies, the industry might do better just heading to 7-Eleven.

The latest film fund, $30 million to make romantic comedies, thrillers and faith-based dramas, comes from the lottery winnings of Cynthia Stafford, who shared a $67 million jackpot with her father and brother in 2007.

Now the African American single homemaker from Hawthorne, California wants to make movies.

"What I like about movies is it's something ongoing," Stafford said. "Movies from the '20s, '30s, '40s -- I still see them today and think, 'Wow, this is something that can go on forever."

The film fund, which follows the creation of her production company Queen Nefertari Productions, will be repped by the Gersh Agency. The banner already has four projects lined up.

Stafford is CEO and executive producer of Queen Nefertari.

The production funding, which comes from private investments, will be used to finance or co-finance commercial feature films. They aim to expand the fund over the next 18 months by recruiting other investors or forming partnerships.

Given the difficult financing climate in Hollywood of late, with even big names such as Imagine Entertainment, George Clooney and Brett Ratner turning to outside sources like India's Reliance Big Pictures, Stafford definitely has a leg up with her lottery winnings.

With the assistance of the Gersh Agency, specifically Jay Cohen, the Queen Nefertari partners have been setting up meetings and putting together projects. Gersh's film financing and packaging division represents the banner.

Stafford was quietly raising her late brother's five children in Hawthorne, California, when she and her father and another brother bought a $2 Mega Millions lottery ticket. They won $112 million, but took a lump-sum payment of $67 million.

Since that life-changing event, Stafford has become a philanthropist, donating $1 million to the Geffen Theater and becoming part of its outreach efforts. She said she named her company after the Egyptian queen Nefertari because she was a patron of the arts, and “a queen for peace. She had tremendous power, a great love of herself and her family – that's who I am.”

Stafford recently produced a pair of independent movies, multicultural coming-of-age tale “Polish Bar” and supernatural thriller “The Gathering.”

Queen Nefertari expects to have its first film in production by the end of this month or, at the latest, the first of the year.

The company is looking primarily at commercial projects in four broad genres: comedy, romantic comedy, thriller/horror and faith-based.

Continue...

The Movie Precious, From A Black Woman's Perspective

Why African Americans Are Divided on Film's 'Precious'-ness

By Erin Aubry Kaplan (LA Times)

Long before it opened, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" had racked up plaudits for its groundbreaking depiction of the inner life of a black, overweight, ghetto-dwelling teenage girl. But since its release, a story-outside-the-story has developed that's equally fresh and complicated: black people's reaction to the movie and what it means.

Verdicts about high-pitched movies from black viewers and public figures are usually swift and decisive -- "Do the Right Thing," "The Color Purple," and the recent Robert Downey Jr. performance in "Tropic Thunder" come to mind. But that's not what happened this time out. That's partly because the embrace of "Precious" by the white film establishment has been a bit disorienting for black folk, even off-putting. But it's also because the tough stuff in "Precious," whether you like the movie or not, is striking chords of recognition for many black people that are making them not angry or enthusiastic, but uncertain. That's new territory.

The many issues raised in the course of this one story -- class tensions, self-image, racial progress, how Hollywood bears on all of the above -- have hit black viewers squarely in the gut, rendering the usual right-brain arguments about stereotypes inadequate. For black filmgoers, assessing black-themed films is generally a political process; "Precious" has made it emotional.

That discomfit was evident recently in a packed theater with a largely black audience in Marina Del Rey. The viewers were characteristically vocal at first -- gasping, clucking tongues, even tittering at the initial haplessness of Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) and the villainy of her mother, played by Mo'Nique. But as the film got more intimate, zeroing in on issues such as Precious' illiteracy, the repeated rapes by her drop-in father and her casual wish to be white with "good" hair, people fell silent; it was as if they were no longer viewers, but participants.

They applauded at the end, but filed out of the theater much more soberly than I've ever seen a black audience file out of any performance, especially one that had a clear impact. It's quite a contrast to reviews and commentary that ranged from supportive to effusive on black-oriented websites including The Loop21.com, Racial icious.com and thegrio.com. But even the praise has a bit of apology about it, as if to allow for the fact that blacks can -- or perhaps even should -- admire "Precious" without necessarily liking it.

Not everybody is buying into the nuance. The unrelenting inner-city misery that frames "Precious," including a foul-mouthed welfare mother and an absentee father, has raised plenty of alarms among blacks, notably film critic Armond White. In his review for the New York Press, the famously curmudgeonly White excoriated "Precious" for being an "orgy of prurience," "a Klansman's fantasy," racist propaganda cast from the infamous mold of "Birth of a Nation." For White, "Precious" is bad art because it is a bad representation, a reminder that for black people, art and politics are inseparable.

Yet one of the unusual things about "Precious" is that it doesn't try to separate those things, and so forces us to think beyond the negative/positive binary that often keeps discussions about movies like this airless and superficial.

Certainly other black people share White's condemnation. But that condemnation has dimensions: C. Jeffrey Wright, writing at UrbanFaith.com, a conservative Christian site, fretted less about the images in "Precious" than about the fact there are too few black films released to provide a diversity that would make the movie less controversial. That's a fact nobody on any side of the discussion would disagree with.

Nonetheless, Wright decries the movie for its lack of what he calls "achiever values." And here we get into the thorny issue of class. For black people that means not solely money and education, but a concern about how we are being represented in public. How blacks are represented in movies always galvanizes such concern, and "Precious" is no exception.

"We just don't want to see black pathology on screen," says T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, a professor of critical race studies and hip-hop at Vanderbilt University. "There's clearly a segment of us that worries about what white people think."

That worry, she says, is usually about representations of the black poor, a group that's long been an anathema to whites -- and to some blacks as well. "Precious" exposes that unflattering divide. "Americans despise poor people, and they really despise poor black people," Sharpley-Whiting says. "Unfortunately, we [black people] buy into it."

Widespread debate

The good news is that the Internet encouragesa broader discussion of these complexities than black people have had in the past. At thefreshx press.com, a site geared to young African Americans, one blogger who had read White's review but hadn't seen the movie wrote that he was leery of incest being portrayed as a "black" thing, but he supported a filmmaker's right to tell his own story.

Another objected to White's comparing "Precious" to "Birth of a Nation," saying that missed the real critique the film was making about the troubled internal dynamics of black communities. "We've made a lot of strides, but what are we really doing to bring those who haven't been as fortunate as our college-educated selves out of the gutter?" she wrote. "This is a very real opportunity to bring a very real problem into the mainstream where it belongs."

At Racialicious.com, a blogger named Tiffany grumbled that she was "tired of the black aristocracy getting up in arms about anything that isn't 'The Cosby Show.' " Ironically, White himself bolsters that point: When he huffs in his review that " 'Precious' hyperbolizes the class misery of our nation's left-behinds . . . the Obama-era unreachables," he's at least acknowledging those unreachables and their plight.

But how can that plight be authentically represented? Is it ever possible for a black character -- dark, light, poor, privileged, whatever -- to vault above, or through, the stereotypes and emerge chiefly as a person and not a trope? Rarely. "Precious" breaks that ground, but it feels like alien terrain because blacks have been defined by extremes for so long. In an interview with Essence.com, director Lee Daniels says the harsh themes of "Precious" should be taken at face value. "Life is life," he said. "Life is what it is."

But grim subjects such as institutional poverty, illiteracy, child rape and incest are reasons enough to stay away from any movie, and many black folks say they will bypass "Precious" for that reason -- too much of that trouble in real life, they say.

Richard Yarborough, an associate professor of English and African American Studies at UCLA, says there might be something else to the aversion for not just blacks, but all Americans. "The abject degradation of black people in 'Precious' is as close as you can get to a modern film that may be similar to a film about slavery," says Yarborough. He points out that slave-era films such as "Beloved" and " Amistad" didn't do well at the box office, and those were mainstream movies with big budgets and established directors. Those movies also presented widespread black exploitation and oppression as phenomena of the past; "Precious" has no such buffer.

"If people aren't going to see slavery in a historical context, why would they go see a movie about slavery in a modern context?" says Yarborough. He adds that the legacy of slavery -- racism -- is another issue that feels much too close for movie-watching comfort. "Racism is not dead," he says. "The immediacy of racism and the pressure it still puts on [blacks] is tremendous. We're still arguing about the Confederacy flag."

Despite these macro-level realities, it's nice to contemplate the possibility that "Precious" could start a new trend of black movies that are more individual-oriented and inward-looking. Todd Boyd, a professor of critical studies at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, says that will only happen if "Precious" makes the kind of money that Hollywood can't ignore. It grossed an impressive $11 million on 629 screens last weekend.

But, he says, don't hold your breath. One of the enduring truths about the movie business is that even a widely acclaimed black movie made by blacks doesn't guarantee that another one will be made, let alone start a trend.

"What Spike Lee was doing in the '80s was more challenging and visionary [than 'Precious'] -- and he talked stuff while he did it," says Boyd. "He's still working, he's still making movies. But nobody talks about Spike anymore. With features, it's about the money vehicles now, like what Tyler Perry is doing. The days of the small 'impact' film are over."

Erin Aubry Kaplan is a freelance writer and contributing editor to Opinion. She is a former weekly columnist for The Times and a former LA Weekly staff writer. She blogs at threebrothersandasister.blogspot.com

Are Anti-Obama Protestors One Step Away From Calling The President A N-Word?

The Water Line Keeps Rising, And All We’re Doing Is Standing There

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

Worst thing first: the loosely confederated but commonly paranoid, almost proudly malevolent anti-America forces that pass for a conservative movement in this country is about two seconds away from calling our shining President Obama a nigger.

But that’s not the worst thing—actually, it may be best thing.

My husband is an American history teacher who’s been arguing for years that the racism that’s supposed to be such a thing of the national past has always stewed just below our surface, give or take an inch or two. The virulent resistance to Obama’s health-care reform efforts—and increasingly to Obama himself-- exposes this inconvenient truth more effectively than any argument that my husband or anybody else could make.

The big conservative march on Washington this past weekend paraded a grab-bag of grievances that all reduced down to one thing: Obama is an Other who doesn’t think like Us.

I wish this was so much political theater staged solely for the benefit of Fox News, et al, but I’m afraid it’s more than that. How else is it possible that the very centrist senator from Illinois, momentarily demonized as a liberal, was very quickly made into a socialist/fascist dictator with an oily smile and even oilier words who was trying to sneak Big Brother government past the loyal watchdogs of liberty and individual rights?

For many true and overwhelmingly white believers, Obama is Hitler meets the mythical black trickster Br’er Rabbit, a dread colored Communist who must be kept from power at all costs, because of course Negroes were most in need of social and economic redress, and must always be barred from the inner sanctums of capitalism.

Electing Obama was one thing, realizing we all must now follow the path he defines, whether we like it or agree with it or not, is entirely another.

The panic is setting in. Even the white folks who voted for him are rethinking their position, wondering seven months into this experiment if it was such a good idea.

It reminds me of a dynamic that black people know all too well—you get hired for a job in a burst of white generosity, but as soon as the going gets tough, you’re the first to be let go. Except that in the case of the President, he can’t be fired, at least not right away. So a certain segment of the population, including certain members of Congress, are trying to neutralize Obama with panic and character assassination.

I should have known this was coming, and I did. But I’m disheartened nonetheless.

I hardly agree with all that Obama’s doing, starting with ramping up the war in Afghanistan; I’m one of those disaffected progressives that he still calls friends. But to see him not even being treated like a president, when so much unearned respect was accorded George W. Bush for so long, is painful. It’s personal.

And it’s not just Republicans and conservatives colluding on the diss, it’s Obama’s fellow weak-kneed Democrats who either are blue dogs or who have no stomach for racial matters, and therefore say nothing; in not regularly calling out the bullshit of the opposition, they are standing with them.

Alas, President Obama looks as isolated right now as black people in high places have always been—isolation is the price of their success. The irony is that a president is elected to lead, not to be the prominent but innocuous face of affirmative action.

That’s the change Obama assumed came with the mandate of his election.

He was wrong.

ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN is the first African American in history to be a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her musings continue to appear in the Times, Essence magazine, and on the blog 3 Brothers and A Sister. Among her many projects, Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book.

Hot New Actor Jesse Williams Is Making People Go Terrence Howard Who?

Brooklyn native Jesse Williams is intentionally trying to seduce you with those piercing hazel green eyes. Is it working???

Hollywood's new "it" guy has quite a lot on his plate, causing the Black actors IMBD page to be up almost 20% in popularity. Two films, The Cabin in The Woods and Red Tails are currently in production, he's in Sarah Jessica Parker's The Washingtonienne, and Jesse is also making hearts flutter in Brooklyn's Finest (Yes he is!)


Keep your eyes on this one ladies. We likey!

The Kinsey Collection Takes Black Art To A New Level At The Brogan Museum

Philantropists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey have spent a lifetime amassing an unprecedented collection of African American art and artifacts.

The Florida A&M Unversity grads will once again allow the public a rare glimpse when The Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science on Kleman Plaza hosts "The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey"

With the theme, " Where Art and History Intersect, " the exhibition will include works by such significant artists as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Henry O. Tanner and others, as well as historical documents and other artifacts from Frederick Douglass, Alain Locke, Malcolm X and more. The exhibit kicks off Sept. 10, when patrons can meet the Kinseys at a lavish catered reception. Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door. The exhibit will be up through March.

Visit The Brogan Museum.

Obama Gives Nod To Black Woman As Next Surgeon General

With Dr. Regina Benjamin, POTUS Makes Good On Diversity Promise

President Barack Obama has selected Dr. Regina Benjamin, an Alabama family physician, as the U.S. surgeon general. Obama is to announce Benjamin as the top authority on U.S. medical matters at a Rose Garden ceremony today.

A graduate of Xavier and the Morehouse School of Medicine, expect this dynamic African American woman to be in the news on a regular basis given the pervasiveness of the global Swine Flu epidemic. She would be the second black woman to hold the post behind Dr. Jocelyn Elders, appointed by President Bill Clinton, who created controversy for her blunt and candid conversations about sex.

A biography of her by the MacArthur Foundation said Benjamin is a "rural family physician forging an inspiring model of compassionate and effective medical care in one of the most underserved regions of the United States."

It said that in 1990, she founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic to serve the Gulf Coast fishing community of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, a village of approximately 2,500 people devastated twice in the past decade by Hurricanes Georges, in 1998, and Katrina, in 2005.

Rev. Al Sharpton Takes Media To Task About Michael Jackson, Ends Up Saving A Soul!

(Terrence, right, with CA Assemblyman Mike Davis)

FIRST AME CHURCH CELEBRATES CHANGE, ONE MAN IN THE MIRROR AT A TIME

Driving up from San Diego, Terrence was a tall, lean, young black man with God on his mind. He couldn't have a picked a better morning. It was a beautiful communion Sunday at First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, California.

As the city awakened after joining with the rest of the country celebrating barbeque, family, freedom and fireworks - all the typical things associated with the 4th of July - now was the time for a different type of commemoration.

This day was particularly special to Terrence and others as they began the official mourning, and for throngs of fans a deeper level of grieving, over the still incalculable loss of music icon Michael Jackson.


Before the 10:00 AM service, it was agreed that the controversial political and civil rights social activist Reverend Al Sharpton would say a few words on Michael Jackson’s behalf. Sharpton met with First AME Pastor John Hunter, First Lady Denise Hunter, and a host of recognized community leaders in the criminal justice, legal, political, and ecumenical arenas.

While this was unfolding, a cacophony of mainstream media outlets descended south of Interstate 10 tasked with ferreting out any additional information about the legendary talent who, even in death, has seen renewed appreciation for his extraordinary talent.

Since word spread of Jackson’s death, radio airplay for songs including “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Pretty Young Thing” and “Remember The Time” has increased by a staggering 1,735%.

Sales of his solo albums “Thriller” and “Off The Wall” are up an unprecedented 4,000-percent, from 10,000 copies sold the week before his death to 422,000 sold for the week that ended June 28, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

And he has caused over 1 million people across the globe to salivate over the improbable chance that they, straight from the pages of Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, will be so lucky as to witness a special memorial tribute at the fortress-like Staples Center, a mere four miles away from the sanctuary that just the week prior LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa chose to be sworn into his second term in office.

The purpose of Al Sharpton’s visit to the oldest black church in the Southland was to announce the commencement of a “Love Vigil” Tuesday July 7.

This would not only take place at Staples, the adjacent Nokia Theatre and First AME, but the goal was that it would spread to countless venues around the world.

In addition, efforts had already begun to have a national day of honor along with a postage stamp to recognize the King of Pop’s significant contributions to the arts.

Not that Terrence was necessary consumed by these things taking place. Wearing a simple t-shirt, black jeans and black tennis shoes, he listened as Pastor Walt “Baby” Love schooled those in attendance about Michael Jackson’s classic “Man in The Mirror” song, played during a three minute video tribute that paid homage to the award winning entertainer’s incredible journey.

Pastor Love revealed how the acclaimed gospel family “The Winans” had actually sung back-up on the track, and that noted gospel singer Pastor Andre Crouch had arranged the song that continues to give special meaning to so many.

But then the conversation at the pulpit quickly turned to more somber news, including the murder of famed former NFL Quarterback Steve McNair, along with the heart-wrenching details of a congregation member who lost four family relatives in a fatal car accident.

Before audience members could completely absorb these tragedies, uplifting news came in the form of the FAME Assistance Program gearing up to host an inaugural, full-day school initiative over the summer for 100 kids in response to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s canceling of a majority of course studies due to massive cuts in education that continue to wreak havoc on California.

Palpable among Angelenos, the frustration over the state’s continued loss of millions of dollars while lawmakers in Sacramento try to resolve a bleak situation did not deter Terrence and others who sat in their pews and received the message being delivered by Al Sharpton.

In fact many shouted Amen as the Harlem-based pastor, never at a loss for words, thanked God for another day before describing how he first met Michael Jackson when he was only thirteen in 1969. He answered critics by detailing the numerous times he had stood by the Jackson Family before chastising the despicable way the media who, according to Sharpton, was attempting to destroy, degrade, denigrate and undermine a man who has broke every record in the history books. Or as he further noted, a genius that had to “deal with a freakish situation” in life.

By not showing the proper deference and respect for a struggling African American working family from Gary, Indiana who saw their dreams materialize, who proved to be a powerful symbol in the face of racism and discrimination, who have given so much to the world, Sharpton warned that this double standard playing out, through comparisons to the passing of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, had clear racial undertones.

Undeterred, he preached about how these global vigils would deal with the message, while the media would be reduced to dealing with the mess.

But it was Reverend Sharpton’s statements about praising God through trials, tribulations and suffering, no matter what a person is going through, that clearly resonated with the congregation and elicited the longest standing ovations among the many.

After the church erupted in a crescendo of praise and Sharpton turned to take his seat on the pulpit, Pastor John made a call to anyone in the sanctuary who was ready to surrender their life to a Higher Power.

From nowhere, Terrence emerged. The toothy young man from San Diego rose from where he had been stationed, made his way to the altar, and accepted God in his life.

Of course for many, this was all overshadowed by the press conference that immediately followed. Here is where a long row of cameras rolled, shutters flickered, and questions were lobbed with ferocity about the details surrounding the actual funeral for Michael Jackson, the current status of his three small children, and musings over whether if more diversity was seen in the mainstream media, would that cause the tone to be less jarring and astringent.

Those questions would linger. But for one person who decided to follow Michael Jackson’s call to take a look at them self, it was a service like no other.

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways.
And no message would have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and make that… CHANGE!

July 5, 2009

By Kevin Ross, President & CEO 3BAAS Media Group

Barry Diller's IAC Kicks Black Search Engine Rushmore Drive To The Curb

On The Kevin Ross Show, George Mason University Professor and Author Michael Fauntroy broke the news that Rushmore Drive has run out of gas.

The black search engine company that was under the IAC conglomerate never gained traction after it's much touted, splashy launch a lttle more than a year ago. CEO Johnny Taylor offically resigned yesterday according to Black Web 2.0, and Barry Diller, CEO of IAC, confirmed the company's uneventful demise

An IAC (NSDQ: IACI) spokeswoman said the move is "part of our continued effort to rationalize the IAC emerging businesses." The closure affects 17 employees; some people will be staying as the site's business winds down and IAC said it will help others find new positions.

The Washington Post is reporting that as for the potential sale CEO Johnny Taylor mentioned in his resignation letter to staff, apparently the company had exhausted all possibilities. According to April comScore numbers, the site had 439,000 uniques; internal tracking is higher (as is usually the case), around 600,000.

I'm sure more than a few folks are left scratching their heads wondering "What was even the point of Rushmore Drive???

Let's hope the new site The Grio doesn't suffer the same fate. It's all about content, folks!

1st Annual Urban New Media Conference for African Americans To Be Held at USC

Join African American leaders from the Greater Los Angeles area as we examine the current state of black media and best practices on innovations in online communications at the 1st Annual Urban New Media Conference sponsored by 3BAAS Media Group.

This panel is a part of the 2009 Beyond Broadcast Symposium taking place at University of Southern California's Annenberg Center June 3-6.

Confirmed Panelists:

LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
KJLH Radio General Manager Karen Slade
Christ our Redeemer Pastor Mark Whitlock
Political Consultant and Journalist Jasmyne Cannick
Actress & Media Personality Rolonda Watts

Moderated by Kevin Ross, 3BAAS Media Group

With the theme, "Embracing the Digital Renaissance" the panel will explore how the Internet is being used among different constituencies. We will also discuss the implications of digital and other technologies for the future of reaching communities of color, employment opportunities and the latest in mobile applications. An important aspect of the panel will be to build lasting virtual and real world bridges across the spectrum of organizations and ideas in the public information space.

The afternoon forum provides an opportunity for media, academia, politicians, business and the technology sector to convene to chart the course African Americans have already embarked on as the Internet re-imagines how society receives news, information and entertainment. The goal is to identify opportunities where these conversations will produce the highest value in the United States and abroad.

Seating is limited so attendees are strongly encouraged to RSVP. For those unable to attend, the free event will also stream live via the Internet. (Parking is not included). Hope to see you there!
For more information go to the 4th Annual Beyond Broadcast Conference website

Media Contact: dwayne.foster@3baas.com or check out our event page on facebook.

Why Did Blacks Cry When Obama Won? This Powerful Piece Answers The Question

State of The Black Union 2009 - 10 Years Later, Any Progress?

ARE WE CREATINNG AN AMERICA AS GOOD AS ITS PROMISE?

Love him or hate him, you have to give it to Tavis Smiley for his ability to gather some of the most influential thinkers, entertainers, and political leaders of our time each year to discuss the state of the Black America. This year is no execption, as Smiley holds court in Los Angeles this weekend during Black History Month.

One of C-Spans most popular live programs, the 2009 State of the Black Union celebrates its 10th anniversary of historic conversations. As Americans celebrate the inauguration of our new President, along with other important national, state, and local elections, this year’s panels examine the role that African Americans can and must play to create an America as good as its promise, from health to housing, criminal justice to environmental justice, and education to economic prosperity.

Panelists from the first State of the Black Union in 1999 will return and take center stage to address and undress the media images and social realities of African Americans.

This year there will be a blogger's panel, featuring the like of Carmen Dixon of All About Race, Lenny McAlister of Hip Hop Republican, and yours truly, Kevin Ross of 3BAAS Media Group. Trust me, it's going to be very interesting.

Electric Purgatory by Raymond Gayle Reveals The Struggles of Black Rockers In The Music Industry

Black Colleges Struggle For Relevancy As Opportunities, Money Change The Game

Historically black colleges and universities, like many other schools, are struggling with both fewer resources and a growing demand from students for financial aid.

But the institutions known as HBCUs have another problem that some leaders contend is theirs alone: Many African-American students are finding their needs met elsewhere.

In 1977, 35 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded to black students were from historically black colleges. By 2002, the share was down to 22 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, even though the number of African-American students earning bachelor’s degrees from historically black colleges actually grew.

In the days of segregation, African-American students had limited options. Now, with a wide range of choices, only 13 percent of African-American college students are enrolled in HBCUs.

Kristin Mason, a junior English major at Atlanta’s Spelman College, is one. Mason, who is from Colorado, chose Spelman, she said, because of the “sense of belonging” she felt surrounded by smart black women.

Morehouse College senior Shaun Harris, a business major from Illinois, said he was “looking for brotherhood” at the Atlanta men’s school whose alumni include the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

But Mark Gamble of Columbus said he “embraced the diversity” at Georgia State University, where about 60 percent of the students are white, 26 percent African-American, and the rest are other ethnicities or identify themselves as multiracial.

“I like being around whites, blacks, Asians and all the other minorities,” said Gamble, a sophomore film major.

Georgia State freshman Mercedes Callaway of Atlanta said she chose the state research university over Spelman, a private women’s HBCU, because of money. A friend at Spelman is “getting a good education,” said Callaway, who is on the HOPE scholarship. “But she’s in debt to pay for school.”

HBCUs are losing students to a range of institutions, said William “Sonny” Walker, who graduated from a historically black college in Arkansas and has served on the boards of three others, including, currently, Atlanta’s Morris Brown College.

“Many of the students who came from middle- and upper-income families, whose parents could afford to pay tuition, are going to Harvard, are going to Georgia, are going to Georgia Tech, are going to Vanderbilt,” Walker said.

Many historically black schools have lower endowments than other colleges, making less money available for scholarships, school officials say. But those institutions play an important role, said Leonard L. Haynes, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

At historically black institutions, he said, students of color can “get an education, get nurturing, get to mature and get to be good citizens after they graduate” in an environment that celebrates their cultures. “If they didn’t exist today, they would have to be created,” Haynes said.



The current economic climate —- which is hitting universities across the country, public and private —- is making it harder to pay the bills, exacerbating problems both for families of students and for the schools themselves, officials of local colleges say.

Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman all revealed this month that they are cutting back on expenses.

Clark Atlanta President Carlton E. Brown said 70 faculty members and 30 other staffers were being laid off because of an “enrollment emergency” after years of declining numbers. At least 200 students recently dropped out or transferred to state colleges because they could no longer afford Clark Atlanta, Brown said.

Morehouse officials confirmed that they had not renewed the contracts of about 25 adjunct professors, about a third of the school’s part-time instructors.

And Spelman officials announced that they are eliminating 35 positions, 23 of them staffed, phasing out the college’s department of education and discontinuing some programs.

Spelman, whose donors include Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey, is in high demand among black women, said its president, Beverly Tatum.

“Students want to go to Spelman,” she said. “The issue is whether they can afford to go to Spelman.”

Morris Brown has struggled for years. It faces a Feb. 17 deadline to pay the remaining $214,000 of past-due water bills to the city of Atlanta. The college lost its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2002, largely because of financial instability.

The Morris Brown board and its president, Stanley Pritchett, say they are looking at specialty programs and projects that might save the school, which, he said, would probably not be able to continue as a traditional liberal arts college.

Despite their troubles, historically black colleges and universities have fierce defenders.

“We need to find a way to preserve these institutions,” said state Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. “Our universities have struggled to survive just as we as a people have struggled to survive.”

Historically black colleges “speak to the legacy of our forefathers,” he said.

Jones, whose degrees are from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, packed his oldest child off to college this fall.

He’s a freshman at Johns Hopkins University.

ATLANTA’S HBCUs

Clark Atlanta University Research university Enrollment: 3,900 Founded: 1988, merging Clark College and Atlanta University

Morehouse College Traditional men’s college Enrollment: 2,800 Founded: 1887 as Augusta Institute

Morris Brown College Liberal arts college Enrollment: About 200 Founded: 1881

Spelman College Traditional women’s college Enrollment: 2,200 Founded: 1881

By Gayle White, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Meg Whitman Wants To Be Govenor of California: Will African Americans Embrace The New Face of The GOP?