Jul 31, 2009

Court Orders Student To Pay $675G For Illegal Music Downloads

0 comments

A Boston University grad student was ordered to pay four record labels $675,000 Friday for illegally downloading and sharing songs on the Internet - but he's not singing the blues.
"I'm disappointed, but I'm thankful it wasn't millions," said Joel Tenenbaum, a 25-year-old doctoral student in physics. "To me it sends a message of 'We considered your side with some legitimacy.'"
If the verdict stands after a planned appeal, Tenenbaum said he'll file for bankruptcy to cut his losses.
A Boston federal court jury took just three hours to agree that Tenenbaum "willfully" infringed on the copyrights of 30 songs, including Nirvana's "Comes As You Are" and Nine Inch Nails' "The Perfect Drug."
The jury awarded the labels $22,500 for each infringement.
But the songs at issue were only the tip of the iceberg.
On the witness stand Tenenbaum unapologetically admitted downloading more than 800 songs from 1999 to 2007 on his home computer in Rhode Island and at college in Maryland.
Often smiling at the jury, he explained he grew up in a family that loves and plays music - his mother is a professional harpist who appeared in court every day - and that music-sharing networks made it easy for him to get the songs he liked.

Meet Your Advertising Needs With Us!

0 comments

WHY SHOULD YOU ADVERTISE WITH US?
Theblackurbantimes.com is the #1 NY/NJ news website for the global urban
audience. Advertising on TheBlackurbantimes.com site will benefit your business by
reaching a demographic that is one of the most powerful consumer base in
the world-African-Americans.
The blackurbantimes.com is a news website that is seen by over 5,000
people monthly in the U.S. alone. Over 7,000 people visit the website
globally. We reach over 100 people per day. We measure in people and not
just visits and pageviews.
Advertising in theblackurbantimes.com would be beneficial to your business
if you're trying to reach the coveted 18-34 age demographic. Advertising is
very simple and is done by http://www.realblack.com/ network an http://www.essence-online.com/
company owned by Time Warner. The ads are served through http://www.adify.com/.
Ad sizes include:

728x90-leaderboard
Skyscraper-160x600
Button-125x125
Rectangle-300x350


Send ads directly to our subscribers that reach over 300 people in our weekly
newsletter. Ads for newsletter rates are $300/per month. Ads will be placed at the bottom of the newsletter in a prominent position. Graphic design of company,logo, or business must be in jpeg format. All payments must be made upfront through http://www.paypal.com/.
If you are interested in meeting your company or organizations advertising needs through theblackurbantimes.com please contact:
CEO/FOUNDER
MR. A. Onyeani
or
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ALICIA CRUZ

Tahiry With A Black Eye & Argues w/Joe

0 comments


I'm a big fan of Tahiry's and I want to know who the hell punched her in the eye like that? All she mentions in the clip is the person was a coward...DAMN! But I'm loving the whole argument her and Joe Budden have about cheating. I'm always on Tahiry's side and don't get mad at me but she ain't wrong on this one Joey! She's got you on this one....and by the way, Tahiry confirms what I've written before and that's that the Tahiry Jose page on Twitter is a fake!! Don't say I didn't tell yall! Enjoy the clip below courtesy of Joe Budden TV:

Why Does Superhead Think She's Soo Much Better?

0 comments


This was one of the first interviews Karrine Steffans has done where she doesn't get out of pocket. I'm proud of her. For some reason, Karrine seems to think very poorly of her own people by calling them simple minded, THOSE people and how she doesn't want to associate herself with the industry. I found that statement funny when all this time this is the industry she's been trying to get into. Sleeping with all the men in the industry......making money off the industry and now having nothing to do with the industry? It just doesn't add up. But hey...whatever works for you right? I love the candid way Irv talks about her.....check it all out below:



Did she just throw shots at Lil Wayne? She has some nerve when she was one of the girls Lil Wayne has smashed. Seems that Ms. Steffans has a long way to go. When will we learn people? We gotta get it right!

Get your classified ads and job postings on THE BLACK URBAN TIMES today!!!

0 comments
POST JOB ADS AND CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS HERE!!

$50 FOR 30 DAYS..THE LOWEST PRICE ANYWHERE!!!

News Today

0 comments
Mediabistro.com 's Revolving Door newsletter reports that...
Potential buyers make their bids on the Boston Globe
Two local groups -- one led by former Globe executive Stephen E. Taylor and the other featuring the Boston Celtics co-owners at the helm -- submitted preliminary bids for the newspaper to meet The New York Times Co.'s Thursday deadline. Mort Zuckerman, publisher of the New York Daily News, may also have entered a proposal. Assuming ownership of the Globe for a dollar would mean the winning bidder actually takes on almost $100 million in debt...
At The Associated Press, about 100 staffers take a buyout...

Bill Nagel joins The Los Angeles Times as executive vice president of business services, and the newspaper will takes over home delivery of the Orange County Register. The move will save the latter paper seven-figures a year in payroll and warehousing costs...

Roni Selig joins CNN's medical team, while ABC News hires Dr. Richard Besser as senior health and medical editor and promotes Tim Johnson to chief medical editor...
NBC's John Yang jumps from Washington, D.C. to Chicago... Jenna Briand moves from AOL City Guide to NBC Local Media, where she'll be editorial director, digital...

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is considering taking a radio syndication gig. Clear Channel, however, has already passed. If Palin does find work in radio, she would be following in the footsteps of Mike Huckabee, a potential 2012 presidential candidate who took to the airwaves after leaving the governorship of Arkansas...

AOL continues its editorial power grab, snagging David Corn from Congressional Quarterly for its PoliticsDaily.com portal and bringing former BusinessWeek.com technology editor Alex Salkever on as a senior writer at DailyFinance.com...

Two ex-New York Times ad executives launch a marketing and advertising sales rep company... Keith Hensel and Peter Leeds join Garbardine as design director and creative director, respectively...

NEED TO REACH THE 18-34/35-49 AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHIC? THEN ADVERTISE ON THEBLACKURBANTIMES.COM OR BLACKURBANTIMES TV!!

0 comments


ARE YOU A RAPPER, MODEL, AUTHOR, SMALL BUSINESS, POLITICIAN,SINGER, PROMOTER, OR CORPORATION? WHO WANTS TO REACH THE 18-34 DEMOGRAPHIC? THEN TAKE OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT ON THEBLACKURBANTIMES.COM

DOES YOUR NEW CLOTHING LINE, LIQUOR, BOOK, CD, DOWNLOAD, BEER, OR PRODUCT NEED EXPOSURE..THEN GET THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT TREATMENT ON THE FIRST URBAN ONLINE TELEVISION NETWORK ON BLACKURBANTIMES TV NETWORK!

NEED VIDEO EXPOSURE? NO HITS ON YOUTUBE? THEN TAKE OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT ON BLACKURBANTIMES TV NETWORK SEEN ON THEBLACKURBANTIMES.COM AND ITS NETWORK OF WEBSITES AND GET EXPOSED TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE..NOT JUST PAGEVIEWS!!

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY.



Abba A. Onyeani
OWNER/FOUNDER
THE BLACK URBAN TIMES LLC NETWORK
THEBLACKURBANTIMES.COM/BLACKURBANTIMES TV
AGIANTSFANRANT.COM
WTFOMGNEWS.COM
URBANENTREPRENEUR.COM
BLACKURBANBOOKS.NET

BELIZE: The Jewel of Central America

0 comments
Photographs courtesy of / Paul Welcome, Jacksonville NC

By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
TheBlackUrbanTimes
Belize, the jewel of Central America, is located on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. Belize, formerly British Honduras, is shaped like a rectangle that extends about 170 miles north-south and about 100 62 miles east-west. She borders Guatamela on the South-West and Mexico to it's North. The origin of the name Belize is unknown but speculation says the name hails from the Maya word Belix, meaning "muddy water" in reference to the Belize River which runs through Belize City.

The Maya people are thought to have been in Belize and the Yucatán region since the second millennium BC; however, much of Belize's original Maya population was wiped out by disease and conflicts between tribes and with Europeans. Three Maya groups now inhabit Belize: The Yucatec (who came from Yucatán, Mexico to escape the Caste War of the 1840s), the Mopan (indigenous to Belize but were forced out by the British) and Kekchi (they also fled from slavery in Guatemala in the 19th century).

The Belizean society is composed of many cultures and many speaking languages. Surprisingly, Belizeans consider themselves to be both Caribbean and Central American and their country is the only country in Central America whose official language is English. Many residents also speak Spanish and Creole. Bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the south and west, and the Caribbean sea to the east, Belize is 8,867 square miles of land with an estimated 320,000 people.

Featured photographer and retired Marine Master Sergeant, Paul N. Welcome and his wife, Gennittee have traveled to Belize and Honduras (his native country) several times throughout the years and as seen in these surreal photographs that bring even the most minute details within the image to life.

Master Sergeant Welcome, his parents, brother and two sisters left Roatan, Honduras when he was seven-years-old moving to Belize. Their humble beginnings began in a small village named Independence in a four-room Hacienda they shared with three other families. With dreams of a better life, MSgt. Welcome left Belize for the United States where he joined the United States Marine Corp in 1974 at age 23. His tenure in the Marine Corp took to him many States and countries to include a tour of the Middle East in 1990 in support of Operation Desert Storm. MSgt. Welcome retired honorably in 1995 and settled in Jacksonville, North Carolina with his wife, Gennittee who works aboard the MCB Camp Lejeune as a Health Technician at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital. Together they have one son, two daughters and five grandchildren. MSgt. Welcome is currently employed by PPD in Wilmington, NC as a Technical Operations Analyst. One of his hobbies, obviously, is photography. Belizeans celebrate their independence from the United Kingdom on September 21. Look out for more photographs from MSgt. Welcome's collection in the weeks to come.
**Editor's Note: All photograph's attached to this story are copyright protected Paul N. Welcome / Photographer. Do not use or reproduce without written permission of Paul N. Welcome. **

God can you help me please?

0 comments

Stephon"Starbury"Marbury cries on youtube
By:Jarred Powell
Sports Editor
TheBlackUrbanTimes.com


Stephon Marbury, NBA free agent and formerly point guard for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics has a good heart people. These were the words from Stephen A Smith, a personal favorite that he said on his podcast. Marbury has seen some bad and not so bad this past season to say it best. He's probably reached a wall where he's fed up with how his life is going and is turning to good? So he cried listening to Kurt Franklin. He's not the first nor the last person this will happen to. If God has a calling on your life Stephon, follow it and don't worry about what everyone will think about you brother.

Collins Pennie, who will be playing Malik in the upcoming feature film remake of "Fame" USTREAM INTERVIEW HERE..BELOW POSTS!!! Shout out to USTREAM!!

0 comments


Collins Pennie, who will be playing Malik in the upcoming feature film
remake of "Fame", will be doing a live, interactive web chat on "The
Rob Redstone Show."

CODEBLACK ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM DVD

0 comments
CHECK OUT THE EXCLUSIVE CLIP ON BLACKURBANTIMES TV NETWORK ON THEBLACKURBANTIMES.COM!!!!!!!!

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THE BRITTO AGENCY FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!!



CODEBLACK ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM
DVD

PRODUCED BY SHAQUILLE O’NEAL AND JEFF CLANAGAN, COMEDY SPECIAL HOSTED BY CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, BRINGS TOGETHER COMEDIANS TOMMY DAVIDSON, KEVIN HART, ARIES SPEARS AND DERAY DAVIS

New York City¬¬--(July 08, 2009): The first installment of Shaquille O'Neal and Jeff Clanagan’s All-Star Comedy Series will be released on DVD on September 8th. Featuring some of America’s most celebrated stand-up comics, the series will provide sidesplitting, no holds barred hilarity on topics ranging from America's new president to shopping at Target.
Filmed before a spirited crowd in Phoenix, AZ, the night before this year's NBA All-Star Game, the Original King of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer performs 30 minutes of his latest material in between comedy sets by fellow comedians such as Tommy Davidson (In Living Color), Kevin Hart (Soul Plane), Aries Spears (Mad TV), and DeRay Davis (Scary Movie 4). The hysterical 88 minute DVD features celebrity cameos by Katt Williams, Nelly & Ashanti and includes uproarious backstage commentary from each comedian.
The ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM series recaptures the spirit of past successful franchises like The Kings of Comedy series, and features some of today's hottest urban comics. It also provides the up-and-coming comedians with an opportunity to showcase their creativity and perform alongside the stalwarts of comedy.
On his partnership with Shaquille O'Neal, Clanagan says, "I am thrilled to collaborate with one of the NBA's most distinguished athletes on these multi-star live comedy events. This partnership will help expand Codeblack's reach into television and further cement our desire to both develop and produce exciting entertainment projects."
Given Shaquille O'Neal's entrepreneurial endeavors this project marks a natural evolution of his brand. "I am excited to partner with a veteran like Jeff Clanagan and I am thrilled to be venturing into the comedy and television world."
The highly anticipated second installment of the ALL STAR COMEDY SERIES was filmed live at the 13th annual American Black Film Festival in Miami. Comedy genius DL Hughley was the host of this stand-up special alongside some of the industry's most talented and sought after comedians - Earthquake, Arnez J, Lavell Crawford and Melanie Comarcho.
For more information on All-Star Comedy Jam, visit www.allstarcomedyjam.com.

###
ABOUT CODEBLACK ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Codeblack Enterprises LLC is the first African American-owned new media & entertainment company. Codeblack Enterprises' reach is all-encompassing, from production and national distribution of feature films to its innovative e-commerce arm. The company's portfolio consists of Codeblack Entertainment and Codeblack Interactive. Codeblack Entertainment is the first African American-owned film studio, engaged in the business of producing, acquiring, marketing and distributing quality content to today's urban consumer across a variety of traditional and digital platforms. The studio, which is both independent and vertically integrated, was created out of the necessity for the positive representation of African Americans in film. Codeblack Interactive focuses on distributing content across digitally interactive platforms, including global distribution to mobile and digital carriers such as Codeblack TV, a broadband on-demand channel, by which viewers can download, stream and deliver Codeblack properties over the internet. The company's home on the Web is http://www.codeblack.com/default.aspx.

Sheree Explains Fight On Real Housewives

0 comments


Everyone is talking about the argument/almost brawl Sheree Whittfield had on Real Housewives of Atlanta! If you missed the argument, check it out below:



And here is Sheree explaining why and how the fight went down courtesy of ABC:

Part 2 Of The Fubu Story

0 comments


In this second installment of "The Fubu Story", you will hear Keith Perrin talking about how Diddy came to the Fubu offices looking for advice to start his own clothing line! Very interesting! Of course the story is narrated by yours truly but check it out for yourselves below:

Jul 30, 2009

Elise Neal In "My Manny"

0 comments


Elise Neal will be starring in a new show called "My Manny" on TBS. I've been wondering what she's been up to. I haven't seen her since that show with LisaRaye and Duane Martin...what the hell was the name of that show? I forget sometimes. Anyway, "My Manny" is presented by Walmart and will be on TBS, I believe, right after the "House Of Payne" (which is one of my favorite shows on TV right now). Here's a brief bio of what the show will be about below:

Jennifer is the single mother of Jamel, an adorable, energetic 7 year old. She works hard and puts all of her energy into raising her son and expanding her catering business, leaving very little time or energy to take care of herself. Since her husband passed away, it's been just the two of them, and Jennifer often uses nannies to help out with Jamel when her schedule gets too hectic. When her regular nanny has to leave town for a family emergency, Jennifer is surprised when the agency sends Mike, a male nanny and a handsome one at that. The series starts on Mike's first day of work and follows Jennifer as she gets used to having another man in her life. Over the course of 20 episodes, Jennifer begins to realize that Mike may not only be the perfect nanny, he might just be the perfect man.
(Bio courtesy of TBS)

Check out one of the trailers to "My Manny" below:

Swizzy & Alicia.....

0 comments


Ain't afraid to let people know they are now a couple! What gets me though is when all the drama was going on didn't J-Lo and Marc Anthony have a problem with that? Weren't they the same ones that left the Guggenheim party early because they weren't cosigning Swizz's relationship with Alicia? I'm just saying.....I didn't forget about that!

Bow Wow Is Goin In

0 comments


Anyone who's been a reader of my blog knows that I have a special place in my heart for Bow Wow. He reminds me soo much of my son, Marquis. I've been stopped before while walking with my son because young girls think he might be Bow Wow. The only difference my son and Bow Wow have is the height. My son is rather tall and although I've never met Bow Wow in person I'm hearing he's short. But enough about that and check out Bow Wow killin the track "Goin In" originally done by Lil Wayne and Drake below:



And for the Lil Wayne and Drake version check it out below:



Speaking of my son, he turns 17 this Saturday and do you know what he wants for his birthday? A damn tattoo!!! Do I allow him to get one since he's only a year away from being 18? I need help on this one! Please give any suggestions.

Fabolous & Drake - Throw It In The Bag

0 comments


I've heard this song before and I know I'm a little on the late side with reporting this but I just paid attention to the words of this song.........HAWTTTT!!!! The hook....crazy! All we do is shop until we drop! My kind of hook! ;) Now this is the true meaning of a remix! Diddy take note!.....(Just kidding) Check out the song below:

Smoke Causes Evacuation of 4, 5 Subway Lines

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes

Smoke from hanging cables at the Wall Street subway station led to the evacuation of The Bowling Green subway station this morning. Service was restored around 11:00 a.m. The MTA said that the incident affected subway libes 4 and 5 at the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall and Bowling Green and Wall Streets.



Antonio Pierce Testifies in Plaxico Gun Case

0 comments
By Laura Italiano
Daily News Writer

Yesterday, Plaxico Burress.

Today, Antonio Pierce.

Pierce walked into a Manhattan courtroom this morning and prepared to testify before a grand jury in his former teammate's gun case.
Burress spent three hours yesterday inside Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday telling 23 grand jurors that he was sorry about bringing his loaded, unlicensed Glock into a Midtown nightclub last November, and shooting himself in the thigh.
"I was truthful. I was honest," the former Giant wide receiver told reporters, wearing a hangdog expression as he emerged from the courthouse with his lawyer. "And I'm truly remorseful for what I've done, for what happened, for what I did."
He added, "I just want to thank everybody -- family and friends, fans -- for their prayers and support."
This morning, star linebacker Pierce is scheduled to testify before the same grand jury. He's also likely to throw himself on their mercy in hopes they'll not indict him on the same felony gun-possession charges that Plax may get -- for allegedly failing to turn Plax's gun over to cops.
Officials say Pierce was at Burress' side the night of Nov. 29 in the VIP vestibule of the Latin Quarter nightclub. When the gun went off, Pierce sprang into action to save his teammate's life -- driving the bleeding, trembling Burress to the hospital, says his lawyer, Michael Bachner.

Read Andrea Peyser's Plaxico Editorial: SWAGGER'S GONE FOR STAR'S DESPERATE HAIL MARY




U.S. Sailor Gets Life For Murder in Japan

0 comments

By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes
In Tokyo news... The Japanese foreign ministry hasreported that U.S. sailor Olatunbosun Ugbogu has received a life sentence for killing a Japanese taxi driver. The ministry said Thursday Ugbogu was sentenced in the Yokohama District Court.

Ugbogu, a 23-year-old Nigerian citizen serving in the U.S. Navy, was tried for the murder of 61-year-old Masaaki Takahashi. Officials state that Ugbogu admitted to stabbing the taxi driver to death near a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, in March 2008.
To family and friends, Ugbogu is known as Kenny from Irvington, N.J., according to a profile posted on MySpace.com.
Ugbogu's attorney, Yasutoshi Murakami, had stated early on that Ugbogu suffered from mental illness and heard voices. Photographs of Ugbogu posted on MySpace show him scowling, showing off gem-encrusted jewelry and pressing a $100 bill to the chest of another man.
The online profile, listed under "LAZZZZZYYYY!!!," also has 51 friends and contains a photograph of what appears to be an M-60 machine gun over the caption "my … toy."
According to testimony, Ugbogu's taxi ride racked up a $195 fare so the Sailor stabbed Takahashi in the neck with a kitchen knife and left him to die as he bled to death in the front seat of his taxicab, his seat belt still fastened.
Ugbogu, then a seaman aboard the USS Cowpens, was declared absent without leave on March , 2008 and taken into U.S. custody March 22. He was handed over to Japanese authorities April 3.

Court: Katherine Jackson To Get Custody of Children

0 comments

By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes

Look like a victory for the Jackson family as the courts decided that Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother, will get custody of the King of Pop's three children afterall. According to court reports, Debbie Rowe, the mother of the Michael's eldest children, will get visitation, but no extra money.

Under this new deal, Rowe will retain her parental rights but has agreed not to claim custody. NBC has reported that Prince and Paris know Rowe is their mother, and that part of the agreement stipulates that they will begin to have a relationship with Rowe. Katherine Jackson's attorney Londell McMillan said on CBS' The Early Show Thursday: "It's an agreement, an agreement for the best interests of the children. This is not a money deal. This is not about money."


See different photos of Michael Jackson through the years (The One and Only)


(Photo Left) My favorite photo of a very handsome Michael Joseph Jackson Circa 1970's

See 32 photos from inside Michael Jackson's Staples Center memorial



Day oneBrings No Takers For Michael Vick...Yet

0 comments
Vick sweepstakes: One day and, so far, no takers
By RACHEL COHEN

AP Sports Writer

A day after the quarterback was conditionally reinstated to the league, only the Baltimore Ravens would directly acknowledge evaluating him.
“We’ve had long discussions about Michael Vick and we have a feeling about how he would impact our team and not impact our team,” coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday.
General manager Ozzie Newsome declined comment. Previously, he has said the Ravens have enough quarterbacks.
Other teams either refused comment or insisted they wouldn’t pick up the former Atlanta Falcons star, who served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring and was released from home confinement on July 20.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games—if he can find a team.
Full story HERE

Rev. Ike Dead at 74

0 comments
By Leo Standora
Daily News Writer
The Rev. Frederick Eikerenkoetter, known as Rev. Ike to a legion of followers here and across the nation to whom he preached the blessings of prosperity while making millions from their donations, has died. He was 74.
A family spokesman said he died Tuesday in a Los Angeles hospital, two years after he suffered astroke from which he never recovered.
Rev. Ike's ministry reached its peak in the mid-1970s, when his sermons were carried on 1,770 radio stations to an audience estimated at 2.5 million.
He also preached his philosophy of self-empowerment on television and the Internet, in books and magazines, and on audiotapes and videotapes.
From the stage of the former Loews movie theater on 175th St. in Washington Heights, which he restored and transformed into his United Church Science of Living Institute, Rev. Ike would tell thousands of parishioners "this is the do-it-yourself church. The only savior in this philosophy is God in you."
He then would exhort the believers to "close your eyes and see green ... money up to your armpits, a roomful of money, and there you are, just tossing around in it like a swimming pool."
As payback for spiritual inspiration, Rev. Ike asked for cash donations from the faithful - preferably in bills not coins. "Change makes your minister nervous in the service," he would say.
Critics called Rev. Ike a con man, saying the only point of his ministry was getting rich from the donations.
They noted that he made a show of sumptuous clothes, jewelry, posh residences and exotic cars. "My garages runneth over," he would boast.
Full Story HERE

Obama Clears Way For Pardon of First Black Boxer

0 comments

House OKs pardon for first black boxing champ Jack Johnson
By Richard Sisk
Heavyweight Jack Johnson, the first black boxing champ, deserves a presidential pardon, the House unanimously concluded Wednesday.
A resolution urging a pardon by President Obama cleared the House after previously being passed by the Senate last month.
Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.), chief sponsor of the bill along with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), called Johnson "a trailblazer and a legend."
King urged swift consideration by Obama of a pardon for Johnson, who was killed in a car crash in 1946.
In 1913, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act against "transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes." The woman, who later became his second wife, was white. Johnson fled to France and served a year in jail on his return to the U.S. in 1920.
Johnson's third wife, Irene Pineau, said at his death: "I loved him because of his courage. He faced the world unafraid. There wasn't anybody or anything he feared."

Jul 29, 2009

CAM'RON ANNOUNCES THE FORMATION OF U.N., DIPSET WEST, AND THE APPOINTMENT OF OMAR "ICEMAN" SHARIF AS ITS NEW CEO AND CO-OWNER.

0 comments

After leaving the Dipset crew, Cam'ron returned in 2009 with his first solo album in three years, Crime Pays, and a new movement The U.N. and Dipset West. Originally a co-founder of Dipset, Cam'ron calls his new company, The U.N. and its subdivision Dipset West, an expansion of the Dipset brand which now includes the music, film, and DVD sub-divisions. "When we started Dipset, it was more than just a crew, it was a movement. The U.N. is a continuation of that movement. Our new roster: Charlie Clips, Byrd Lady, Vado, Fly Boyz, Begetz and Young Hustle were all selected by me and my business partner, Omar "Iceman" Sharif. He has made his name in the music and film industries brokering and securing multi-million dollar deals, merging hip-hop with Hollywood. His experience is exactly what we need to make strategic connections at the next level," explains Cam'Ron.

Omar "Iceman" Sharif, CEO of The U.N. and partner/co-owner of its subdivision, Dipset West made his name brokering multi-million dollar deals in the film and music industries. In his career, he's executive produced over 40 albums with artists such as Onyx, ODB, Mariah Carey, Trey Lorenz, AZ, Sheek Louch, Hell Rell, Killah Priest, RZA, Sunz of Man, Loon, Slim Thug, and Xzibit. In 2000, before Koch Records (now E1) became a major independent recording powerhouse, Sharif secured a deal for Onyx member, Fredro Starr, one of the first deals for the newly formed label. In 2002, he brokered a ground-breaking multi-million distribution deal for Suge Knight's Death Row Records catalog to be distributed through Koch.

In film, Sharif made his name executive producing the longest running hip-hop documentary to date, American Rap Stars (2002) featuring Jay-Z, Run DMC, Russell Simmons, Rick Ruben, and Ludacris to name a few. In 2005, he released the follow-up Female American Rap Stars featuring Missy Elliot, MC Lyte, Eve, and more. Sharif also secured the $2 million dollar deal with Lions Gate for director/actor/rapper Sticky Fingaz's directorial debut, A Day in the Life featuring an all-star cast of Hollywood's elite actors such as Mekhi Phifer, Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, Bokeem Woodbine, Drena De Niro (Robert's daughter), Tyrin Turner, Faizon Love, Fredro Starr, Troy Garity, Treach, Mike Williams and Malinda Williams just to name a few.

No stranger to the big screen himself, Cam'ron made his acting debut on the 2002 film Paid in Full, where he played the character Rico, based on former Harlem drug dealer Alpo. Fascinated with the creative process, in 2006, Cam'ron made his screenwriting and directorial debuts in the direct to video movieKilla Season. He played a high school basketball player who eventually drops out of high school to begin his own drug ring. The first installment sold over 200,000 DVDs.

While he sets his eye towards Hollywood, Cam'ron keeps a timb in the streets with several upcoming studio releases: The Gangsta Grillz Mixtape with DJ Drama, U.N.'s debut album, solo albums for Vado, Begetz and ultimately a solo album from Cam himself. "We got a movie coming out called The Bakery and then we'll drop the second installment of Killa Season. We're also discussing the release of The Guy Fischer bio-pic." Guy Fischer is the convicted racketeer, once part of The Council, a notorious African-American crime organization, who controlled the heroin trade in Harlem from 1972-1983. "In between films, we'll keep the streets hot with The Gangsta Grillz Mixtape and we'll most likely release Vado's album immediately after. Vado got the streets on smash, and in Harlem, he's got an unbelievable buzz. Everybody in Harlem already knows what it is," expresses Cam'ron. "Between the films and the music coming soon on U.N. and Dipset West, we gonna keep the 'hood in a frenzy!"

Two Birds...Two Strikes

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
Theblackurbantimes.com
At 5:45 p.m. John F. Kennedy International Airport had a similar emergency landing to the one in Missouri this evening, except this flight never left the runway. A Delta Airlines flight getting ready to take off from JFK enroute to Instanbul, struck several birds, forcing the pilot to hit the brakes in order to stop the flight. The abrupt stop flattened two tires, but the plane, passengers nor the crew suffered any injuries.
Aviation officials aren't sure where the birds struck the plane, but the impact caused the pilot to abort his takeoff. The heat and force of the immediate stop made so-called blow-out plugs in the plane's tires to activate, causing the wheels to decompress in order to avoid a blowout, aviation officials explained. There were 202 passengers and 11 crew members on-board the Delta flight 72.

In More 'Idol' News...

0 comments
by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks

Ex-Idol Contestant Says Show Is Rigged
Some ousted season 8 American Idol top 36 semi-finalists--including Felicia Barton, Kendall Beard, and Ju'Not Joyner--participated in an online chat with the Idol website AI Now today. And during his frank online conversation with fans, Ju'Not came right out and said that the TV talent show is in fact rigged, and that its contracts are unfair to contestants.
"It's a fixed thing if I ever saw one," he boldly declared--much to the shock of many naive chatters, who responded with capslocked interjections and frowny-faced emoticons.

Full Story Here

Latino News: 'Lopez Tonight' Lands Clip of Prez for Show

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
Theblackurbantimes.com

The NY Daily News is reporting that President Obama appears in a clip of actor George Lopez' late night show "Lopez Tonight" which is scheduled to debut in November.

Lopez hopes the president will actually make an appearence on his late-night TBS talk show, but for now, he'll settle for the clip.

Click here for the full story

Joe Jackson Admits MJ Had Love Child!!

0 comments
Hello Beautiful is reporting that: "We broke the news that MJ was rumored to have a secret love child, well we can now say that it’s TRUE!!! Joe Jackson recently sat down for an interview and admitted that the love child Omer Bhatti is indeed Michael’s biological son."

Click Here to read Hello Beautiful's post



Four Police Caught Framing a Florida Motorist

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes
Police corruption and misconduct will get you on the 6 0'clock news in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs these days, but that fact didn't seem to stop these four officers from blatantly plotting to frame a motorist for an accident that was actually the fault of one of the police officers.
In this video, the policemen are recorded by their own dashboard camera discussing their dastardly deed. Watch:


Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Gates 911 Caller Contradicts Police Officer Descript

0 comments

{MSNBC} Joined by her husband, Lucia Whalen told reporters that she never told a police sergeant that she saw "two black males with backpacks" at the Harvard scholar's home.

Full Story HERE

BREAKING NEWS: Another Bird Strike Causes Emergency Landing

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes.com
An American Airlines MD-83 flight from Saint Louis, Missouri enroute to Los Angeles, California suffered a bird strike to it's right engine shortly after takeoff this evening and was forced to make an emergency landing back at the St. Louis Airport.

Flight 449 was carrying 140 passengers and five crew members when the strike was felt by the flight's captain. The airplane levelled off at 3,000 feet, shut the damaged engine down and returned to the St. Louis airport within minutes of taking off. The flight landed safely and there have been no injuries reported at this time.

Bloomberg Offers the Homeless One-Way Tickets Back Home

0 comments
By Alicia Cruz
TheBlackUrbanTimes

(Photo Left) Justin Little and Eugenia Martin, with Inez, returned to North Carolina after only a few days when relatives paid their back rent.
Photo By / Michelle V. Agins / The New York Times

It costs $36,000 a year for the City of New York to house a homeless family and the City has shelled out multi-millions since over the years to house them in several of the cities shelters.

Mayor Bloomberg devised a plan to shave these costs and move homeless individuals closer to relatives where they may have support systems: he's offering anyone with a homeless status or currently residing in one of the city's many shelters or shelter programs a one-way ticket back to their home of record.

550 families have left the city since the inception of this program in 2007 and so far, none have returned to New York City.

Some are going by bus, some by plane and some are driving, but all are headed home to what they hope is going to be a better life. Many of these families and individuals arrived in New York hoping for a shot at a better life, but instead met the inability to find jobs which eventually led to them entering or re-entering shelters.
Read the entire story here

Remorseful Plaxico Testified Before Grand Jury Today

0 comments
By Laura Italiano
Embattled former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress emerged this afternoon from a Manhattan courthouse after nearly three hours of testifying before a grand jury considering an indictment against him on gun possession charges.
His former teammate, Antonio Pierce, will testify before the same grand jury tomorrow morning, according to two sources familiar with the case.
Burress, meanwhile, looked and sounded contrite after his testimony.
"I was truthful, I was honest," he said afterward. "And I'm truly remorseful for what I've done, and for what happened, and for what I did.

"I just want to thank everybody -- friends and family, fans -- for their prayers and support."
Burress' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said his client "asked the grand jury for compassion, and understanding.
"I think it took a big man, not just physically, but a big man to come here today to acknowledge his responsibility and ask for the compassion of the people who he testified before."
Brafman said if Burress hadn't testified, he believes the grand jury's decision would've been an easy one.

"My hope is now that they've seen and heard him they'll have a tougher decision," he said.
He added, "People need to understand the mitigating factors that have been overlooked by everyone, including the mayor and the district attorney. This was a lawfully purchased weapon. This was a lawfully registered weapon. He had a pistol permit in another state.
"The weapon was not used in the commission of a crime. It was not used to hurt anyone else. The only person hurt was Mr. Burress."
Plaxico and Pierce were side by side in the VIP vestibule of the Latin Quarter nightclub in Midtown last November, when Plax's .40-caliber apparently slipped down from inside his waistband, and the player, who was holding a drink in his other hand, accidentally pulled the trigger while grabbing for it.
It was the shot heard 'round the NFL. The bullet went straight through Plax's thigh, leaving him crumpled on the floor, bleeding and screaming.
The bullet cost Burress his $35 million contract, and leaves him vulnerable to a mandatory minimum sentence of 3½ years prison for felony gun possession.
A club security guard stashed Plax's Glock in the glove compartment of Pierce's Cadillac Escalade before Pierce drove off to take his bleeding teammate to the hospital -- and prosecutors may have flipped that guard to testify against Pierce, sources said.
Officials allege that after dropping Burress off at New York-Cornell hospital, Pierce drove back home to Totowa, NJ, first dropping the gun off at Plaxico's estate in the same town.

Mj's Chef Knew Something Was Amiss Morning of MJ's Death

0 comments
{AP} LOS ANGELES -- On the day Michael Jackson died, his personal chef says her first hint of something amiss was when his doctor didn't come downstairs to get the juices and granola he routinely brought the King of Pop for breakfast each morning.
Kai Chase, a professionally trained chef hired by Jackson to maintain a healthy food regimen, recalled the singer's final days in an interview with The Associated Press. She also spoke about the role of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who is now the focus of a manslaughter investigation.
Chase said Tuesday that she had gotten used to seeing Murray coming and going from the mansion. The doctor usually arrived about 9 or 9:30 p.m. and would go upstairs to Jackson's room, and she said she would not see him again before she left -- sometimes late in the evening -- but understood he was staying the night.
In the morning, when she arrived for work, Chase said she would see the doctor coming down the steps carrying oxygen tanks. When Murray didn't come downstairs the morning of June 25, "I thought maybe Mr. Jackson is sleeping late," Chase said.
"I started preparing the lunch and then I looked at my cell phone and it was noon. About 12:05 or 12:10 Dr. Murray runs down the steps and screams, 'Go get Prince!' He's screaming very loud. I run into the den where the kids are playing. Prince (Jackson's oldest son) runs to meet Dr. Murray and from that point on you could feel the energy in the house change.
"I walked into the hall and I saw the children there. The daughter was crying. I saw paramedics running up the stairs."
At that point, Chase said, the small group that was gathered -- the children, their nanny, a housekeeper and Chase -- held hands and began to pray. As paramedics raced up to the room, Chase recalls, "We were all praying, 'Help Mr. Jackson be O.K.'
"Then everyone was very quiet."
At about 1:30 p.m. she said security guards told her and other staff to leave the property because "Mr. Jackson was being taken to the hospital."
When she came outside, she said, ambulances were in the courtyard and a crowd had gathered.
Chase, 37, who has cooked for other celebrities and comes from a show-business family, was hired by Jackson in March, let go in May, then returned on June 2. She said the pop star's focus was on fresh, healthy food for him and the children.
Click here for page 2 of story

PLEASE DONATE JUST $1.00 SO WE CAN KEEP BRINGING YOU GREAT NEWS!

Follow by Email

AD

Our Followers