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Desperate Housewives Cast List Includes Vannesa Williams and Others

2010-09-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

Desperate Housewives is an American television series which is aired on ABC television. This series is created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It was announced that Desperate Housewives would return for a seventh season on 18th May 2010. And on 26th September 2010, the seventh season premiered and is supposed to have a total of 24 episodes, to be broadcast during 2010-2011.
According to creator Marc Cherry, season seven was originally going to be the final season. To extend the series two more seasons he has a new plan for eighth and ninth season. On the air until the year 2013, Marc Cherry has signed a new two-year deal with ABC that will keep Desperate Housewives. On the series both series were Bree and Orson moving on towards. Bree confessing to Gaby it was her son Andrew that ran over Carlos’ mother. Mike tells Susan that he is considering going to work on an oil rig and Susan and Mike have moved into an apartment. Susan takes a new job and becomes determined to get back into their rented home. Probably the most dramatic twist though came with Carlos learning that he and Gaby’s daughter Juanita is not really theirs due to a mix-up at the hospital while she was born.

Baby Talks Lil Wayne's Birthday And New Album

2010-09-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

Last year, Birdman handed over a sachet with $1 million in cash to his son Lil Wayne for his birthday. But on Monday (September 27), Wayne's 28th birthday, the #1 Stunna can't celebrate with his loved one like he wants to. Wayne is still incarcerated on Rikers Island.

"It ain't kicked in," Baby told MTV News. "My family, I like to do things for him for his birthday, you hear me? This the first time we not gonna get a chance to do that. But he is putting a new album out called I Am Not a Human Being. We pop bottles for him while he's gone."
Wayne's album landed online Monday; 10 songs are being sold digitally, and on October 12, a physical copy of the album will land at retailers. That version has 13 tracks.
"When Wayne do what he do, he takes serious pride in his work," Birdman told us in Miami last week for the kickoff of Drake's Light Dreams and Nightmares Tour. "Nothing we do is half-stepping or half-cocked. I think it's a great album. To me, he's switching back. This album has no Vocoder; he's back to raw rap. He's just rapping how he's feeling. He's a genius, so the music is always gonna be great. He wanted to put I Am Not a Human Being out to show people he's always in the building. Every album we put out, we're going to do the most. We're gonna go for it. We're never gonna come half- cocked. You expect to see a lot, you gonna get a lot. It's a great album."
Wayne has exactly 39 days left on his sentence until he comes home November 4. Birdman said he'll most likely go see his family right away.
"That's my son. I love him. You always gonna miss a loved one. At the same time, we doing what we have to do," the Cash Money CEO said. "Work hard. We all excited he's about to come home. He's happy. He wanna get out that place. That ain't no place for him to be. Everybody is energized that he's coming home. He walked the little walk. That was a left turn in our life. We wasn't expecting nothing like that."

Comic-Con 2010: Quick Review of Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim!

2010-07-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

I got to watch Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at Comic-Con last week and I've been kicking myself about not writing anything about it since. I saw at a special secret premiere on Thursday night, which I followed with Flynn's Arcade's re-opening, then lots of glorious sleep because I was already exhausted and immediately crashed after I returned to my hotel. But if my tweet was any indication ("Scott Pilgrim vs the World was AMAZING! Wow just wow. Edgar Wright's BEST movie. Totally loved it!") I absolutely adored it, easily one of my favorites of the year, a kick ass, visually energetic, totally awesome comic book adaptation.
First off, I've got to hand it to Universal at Comic-Con this year, as they pulled off some fantastic marketing for Scott Pilgrim at Comic-Con, with this (and other) surprise screenings and lots more. It's now coming out of the Con with a lot of buzz, which it certainly deserves as it's a great movie. But I fear it's generational, as in if you're not the kind of person who grew up loving video games, comic books and geeking out like Scott does in Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, you're probably not going to like this too much. That includes not enjoying Edgar Wright's very fast paced, energetic, visually striking style that works perfectly in the film.
The best part about Scott Pilgrim (for me at least) is that it's exactly like the comics, complete with the little identification black boxes, video game and comic references galore, and no explanations for anything. That's not a bad thing either, there is no explanation for Ramona's weird "subspace" scenes in the books, so why do we need one in the movie? Nor is there an explanation for how Scott knows all that martial arts and can kick anyone's ass with any kind of video game weapon or otherwise. But who cares, right? This is about watching Scott defeat Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends at any cost. And also collect the coins that they leave behind.
While some older critics may disagree, I loved nearly every second of Scott Pilgrim, from start to finish. The fight scenes are incredible, some of the best video game/comic book/music mash-ups I've ever seen on the big screen. I think Wright has defined a new visual style that we'll soon see other lesser movies ripping off in the future. It gets a little slow during the downtimes, like it needed a bit more magic with the romance, but I still found myself geeking out in my own seat watching each and every fight. The music in it is fantastic, too, and if you weren't already planning on picking up the soundtrack, you'll certainly want it after seeing this.
I can really only speak for myself and what I thought of Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim adaptation and I truly did love it, as I expected I would. If you're also of this generation and love comic books, video games, and great music as much as I do, make it your mission to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at any cost, you won't be let down. It kicks ass; in fact, it's a total knock out, unquestionably one of my favorite movies of 2010.Read more: http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/07/28/comic-con-2010-quick-review-of-edgar-wrights-scott-pilgrim/#ixzz0vGDh0JlA

Snooki Arrested! (Photos)

2010-07-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Snooki arrested! OMG Jersey Shore’s Nicole Polizzi was picked up by cops in Seaside Heights, where season 3 of the MTV reality show is being filmed. Get the details along with the photos and video here!Snookie arrested! Yes, you read right! The reality star was picked up for alleged public intoxication.
MTV is currently filming season 3 of the Jersey Shore, so we will probably see it go down when that premiers. Something to look forward to next season. I love Snooki, she absolutely made the show what it is!
Anyway, we have the pictures posted below of how it all went down, so be sure to check them out. Look how many people are watching! I can’t wait to see the Snooki mugshot! It looks like she was just a stumbling mess, and needed a few hours in the drunk tank! I would not expect that from her – maybe Ronnie, or The Situation.
A source told People, “She didn’t hurt anyone or get in a fight. She just needs to be in a drunk tank for two hours…J-WOWW was spotted trying to talk Snooki into going back into the house. But Snooki was out of control and seemed drunk.”
TMZ reported that Snooki was at the beach drinking out of a beer bong, but it only contained Coca Cola. They also have video of her attempting to mount a bike, and that did not work out so well. That is posted below. Poor girl!
She has reportedly been charged with disorderly conduct and has been released from custody.
I am sure Snooki’s Twitter will be updated soon with her side of what went down. Also in popular searches this evening everything Snookie! Snooki’s height, her boyfriend and who punched her. The Chilean beauty is 4’9”. Well Brad Ferro is the douche who punched the poor girl last season. You can get the details here. And she is currently single, she just broke up with her boyfriend, Emilio Masella.
So readers, will you watch to see Snooki arrested? Check out pictures and video below, and leave me your comments!!!

Country music icon Merle Haggard coming to EMU

2010-07-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

He’s 73 years old, he’s been making records for nearly 50 years and he just came out on top in a battle with cancer.But you’d be walkin’ on the fighting side of Merle Haggard if you made the mistake of calling him old.“You know, until I look in the mirror every day, I don’t feel old,” the country music legend told No Depression recently.The Hag, as he’s affectionately known by friends and fans, is also on a creative roll, having recently released “I Am What I Am,” and launched a tour, which stops at Eastern Michigan University’s Pease Auditorium on July 17.
PREVIEW
Merle Haggard
Who: Music icon.
What: Classic country sound.
Where: Pease Auditorium at Eastern Michigan University, College Place and West Cross Street, Ypsilanti.
When: Saturday, July 17, 8 p.m.
How much: $45-60, available from EMUTix, or by phone at 734-487-2282.
Not bad for someone who wasn’t really expected to be around much longer after cancer was discovered in his lung last year.The notion of borrowed time isn’t just something that might end up in Merle Haggard song. It’s something he takes seriously.“It’s been about 14 months since the surgery and I was told it would take 18 months to heal. I think I’m healed right now,” he said. “I feel good anyway.”And so it should probably come as no surprise that Haggard’s new record touches on themes of mortality. But the record is more than a rumination on a near-death experience. It’s also populated with love songs that would do a younger man proud.
For all of his hard-livin’, drug-takin’, hell-raisin’ reputation — he did, after all, serve three years in San Quentin Prison for armed robbery — Haggard, in his soul, remains a songwriter of the highest order. He’s penned and/or performed no fewer than 38 No. 1 country hits, ranging from the patriotic (“Okie from Muskogee”) to the defiant (“The Fightin’ Side of Me”) to the tender (“Hungry Eyes”) and established himself, along with his old buddy and duet partner Willie Nelson as the elder statesman of the outlaw country movement.

Irish Terrier

2010-07-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

There are a few breeds you might want to consider: Bichon Frise Irish Terrier and Poodles. These dogs enjoy being in family surroundings they are considered to be excellent with children and they also make great watch dogs. …
Originally posted here: Irish Terrier Latest Buzz
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Running: Arbutus 10K participants beat the heat

2010-07-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Runners of all ages, including 81-year old Martha Trimmer, invaded Arbutus on July 3 for the 28th annual Arbutus Firecracker 10K.
Outaleb Mouncine was the overall winner as he cruised through the streets on a cool morning in a crisp time of 31:47.
David Berdan, attempting to win his third straight Firecracker 10K, was second (32:11) in the field of 397 runners.
Malika Mejdoub was the top female (36:53) and Pam Maldeis (37:20) was second.
"We had the most runners since our first and second year," said race coordinator George Kendrick, who estimated around 200 walk-up runners arrived on race day to participate. "I think it was the weather and because it was on a Saturday and they had two days to recover."
Age groups winners included:
Female 1-19: Brittney Rooks, Sarah Harding and Caroline Gerand.
Male 1-19: Ty Stump, Markus Massimini and Philip Clelland
Female 20-29: Malika Mejdoub, Pam Maldeis and Sandra Gallagher-Mohler
Male 20-29: David Berdan, Mark Buschman and Izzy Mehmedovic.
Female 30-39: Hannah Hanson, Deborah Hicks and Tina Trider.
Male 30-39: Outaleb Mouncine, Matt Margini and Karsten Brown.
Female 40-49: Sheryl Kline, Janelle McIntyre and Vicki Lang.
Male 40-49: Dave Berardi, Chris Chattin and Remus Medley.
Female 50-59: Allison Suckling, Nelda Clelland and Cynthia Evans.
Male 50-59: Maurice Pointer, Weems McFadden and Joe Hanle.
Female 60-69: Ruth Hens, Susan Zevin and Frances Daum.
Male 60-69: Ronnie Wong, Mike Fleming and Bruce Randle.

Irish Terrier Puppies for Sale

2010-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Taban is an old Irish name that means “Genius”,this is one smart little guy. Even at this age youcan tell he is the one that is always thinking andfiguring everything out. He has been very aware ofhis surroundings from the time his eyes opened.Taban will make an excellent companion becauseIrish terriers love to please their owners, theylove to be told they are doing a “good job” andthat they are a “good boy”, when you couple thatneed to please with Taban’s intellect, well youreally have something special.

Granta makes us think

2010-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

After the deluge of sex on the internet, is it possible to write something non-pornographic, meaningful, literary even, on the subject? This is tackled head on in the spring 2010 issue of Granta, arguably the Anglophone world's most successful literary magazine, and the answer surprisingly is, yes, quite a lot. Some pieces work better than others: an excerpt from a forthcoming novel by Nobel laureate Herta Muller, set in a POW camp during World War II, is a little gem;a little snippet from the late Roberto Bolano's new book is too slight to leave an impact. James Lord, who died last year, led an extraordinary life after moving to Paris after the War, cultivating artists like Picasso and Giacometti and their circle of friends and hangers on. His memoirs paint their lives vividly, and his piece here, 'My Queer War, ' describes his discovery of his homosexuality. Tuned just right, it ends at a moment where you want to continue reading. Jennifer Egan's 'The Gold Cure', about a middle aged music executive's struggles with a failed marriage, lousy recording artists, his attachment to his son and sudden desire for a long ignored colleague, shines in this collection. And Michael Symmons Roberts's luminous account of time spent with celibate, silent Bendictine monks is less about sex than the tug of war between self denial and the pull of an 'impossibly plural' world. Natsuo Kirino is one of Japan's best known writers. Tokyo Island tells the strange tale of Kiyoko, castaway on an island along with her husband. Twentyodd Japanese men capsised on the high seas join them soon, and her husband dies mysteriously. Sometime later, a handful of Chinese men also arrive from a shipwreck and, shunned by the Japanese, start their own colony. Kirino spins this strange, tense tale deftly, to make it the most outstanding piece in a collection of excellent stories. Some things don't work as well: neither of the two photo essays leaves much impact, and the sketches by the talented Dave Eggers (who edits what could be Granta's sole rival, Mc-Sweeny's ), called 'Four Animals Contemplating Sex', look like they could be contemplating anything, even an old newspaper. Rupert Thomson writes of a languorous, easygoing time in the mid-1980 s, when he spent long days selling books in Central Park, hanging out with friends and smoking pot. It's a lovely piece, but one that should have been included in the other volume under review: Granta's winter 2009 issue, Work. What happens when Paulo Coelho's people call his publishers in Peru to tell them that the bestselling writer is livid, because pirated copies of his new book have been selling on the streets of Lima before they've been officially translated into Spanish? It sets Daniel Alarcon in motion to investigate the bizarre world of book pirates. Alarcon shows a major contradiction in developing countries: governments spend money trying to improve literacy, yet the majority of people are too poor to be able to afford books, or even reading material for school-going children. Yes, pirating books is work, as is the job of chasing them down. Sloth, one of the seven deadly sins listed in medieval Europe, is the opposite of work. But is it a sin, asks Salman Rushdie in his 'Notes on Sloth'. He quotes supermodel Linda Evangelista, "We don't wake up for less than $10, 000 a day, " and contrasts this with Ilya Ilych Oblomov, the most indolent of Russia's 19th century aristocrats, in a piece that sparkles. His recent novels haven't been spectacular, but what a great essayist Rushdie is, spinning his erudition with the lightest of fingers. Copying articles on dialectical materialism from newspapers can be work, but it could have unexpected rewards, discovered a young Yiyun Li, when her father, a nuclear scientist, decided that he'd had enough of building bombs for Mother China in 1981. He was demoted to a new job and to make some extra income, 2 yuan for 1, 000 copied characters, took the assignment in which everyone at home pitched in. In the process, Li started reading other things in the papers, and she writes brilliantly of the near magical consequences of this unsupervised browsing. It's also a lot of work if you have to hack people to death with a machete, for many hours everyday. That's what Martin Kimani discovered when he investigated the genocide in Rwanda, where Hutu peasants fell upon a small Tutsi minority to eliminate them. Ngugi wa Thiong'o's wonderful memoirs of growing up in a sprawling family in colonial Kenya are less sanguinary, but nevertheless shot through with great happiness and loss. It's pointless to compare the merits of the two issues, Sex has more fiction and Work, probably because of its subject matter, revels in reportage and memoir. The cover art, especially of Sex, is outstanding and one is left wondering how Granta continues to maintain the standards it sets for itself, quarter after quarter.
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Rate of Drop in Teen Smoking Slows Down

2010-07-11T05:56:00.000-07:00

The rate of drop in teen smoking has slowed down or become more sloth-like after seeing a number of years of progress and great amount of efforts are necessary to upturn this latest finding, said the CDC’s new report.
Across all racial and ethnic associations, as well as amongst males and females, there has been either sluggishness or leveling off of the rate of drop, study researcher, Terry Pechacek, PhD, Associate Director of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, tells WebMD.
Pechacek, Author of the report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for July 9, 2010 said that due to this slowing trend, thousands of youths are developing an addiction of smoking from due to which one in three dies before the stated time.
After the kind of drop that has been seen the objective to attaining tremendous success in maintaining the rate of decline will be not be achieved.
Partially to blame has been a decline in concentrated anti-smoking crusades, he says, and a lot of formerly successful attempts have been blocked by states, mostly due to financial reasons, Pechacek says.
CDC Director, Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, says in a news release that even though four in five high school students did not smoke, it is discouraging to see the existing scenario.

Local wines take top state honors

2010-07-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

San Joaquin County winemakers scored a fistful of top awards at the California State Fair Commercial Wine competition this week.
Those included regional awards for Best of Lodi White won by Vino Con Brio of Lodi and, somewhat surprisingly, Best of North Coast Red won by Michael-David Winery in Lodi.
In the Best of California varietal awards Lodi vintner Harmony Wynelands took the title for Best Rhone Red Blend and McManis Family Vineyards in Ripon was named the Best Viognier (rated double gold, 98 score) with a wine crafted to sell for $10 a bottle.
More online
For a full list of California State Fair Commercial Wine winners, visit www.bigfun.org/competition-wine.php
Mike Phillips, co-owner of Michael-David, admitted his winery may have stepped on a few toes by winning the North Coast prize with its 2007 Sloth Zinfandel Mendocino County.
"They grow good grapes," he said of the famed North Coast wine region. "We just know how to make the wine. It's just a credit to our winemakers and our winery."
Sloth is the third and latest sin-themed reserve wine, priced at $59, from a winery whose most popular brand is 7 Deadly Zins. It previously released Lust Zinfandel and Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon.
"I love that name," Phillips said of the brand. "Sloth was always one of my top sins I wanted to get to."
Vino Con Brio's winner is its 2009 Brillante, an estate bottled white blend from the winery's Amorosa vineyard.
"The Amorosa vineyard is just a great spot for white grapes, and here we are with some proof," said Anne Matson Khasigian, winery manager.
The winning blend, with a suggested price of $16 a bottle, is primarily viognier with roussanne, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc. While initially designed as a Rhone-only blend, Matson Khasigian said the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc provide a bit more acid and mineral quality to the finished wine.
At Harmony Wynelands (just a couple of stone's throws down Lodi's Harney Lane from Vino Con Brio) co-owner Robert Hartzell said the inspiration for his state fair winner, the 2007 GMA Proprieter's Reserve, came from a stop in Tasmania while on a wine cruise to Australia and New Zealand.
"Most of the folks were buying New Zealand pinot noirs. I saw in the wine rack something I never saw before, GSM, which stands for grenache, syrah and mourvedre," he said.
Shared among other travelers at dinner that night, Harzell recalled, "it was a big hit."
So he brought home a few bottles of GSM.
The winery's winemaker ultimately dropped syrah in favor of alicante bouschet, resulting in Harmony's GMA blend, priced at $30 a bottle.
"It was us getting creative, I'd guess you would say," Hartzell said.
California's best viognier, at least according to the state fair judges, is a wine crafted to sell for $10 a bottle, like most wines from McManis Family Vineyard in Ripon.
"We were pretty excited about that," said Jamie McManis, vice-president and co-owner about the state fair prize.
Grapes for the 2009 McManis Family Vineyard Viognier were all grown in the winery's own vineyards in the River Junction appellation, at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Stanislaus rivers.
Ron McManis, president, co-owner and Jamie McManis's husband, credited the prize-winning quality to a team effort: "the care of the people we have out in the vineyard taking care of the grapes as well as the winemaking team here at the winery."

'Despicable Me' Has Us Thinking About The Most Despicable Villains In Movie History!

2010-07-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

'Despicable Me' Has Us Thinking About The Most Despicable Villains In Movie History!
Posted 7/9/10 1:01 pm ET by Terri Schwartz in Commentary
Steve Carrell isn't an actor we would typically think of as being despicable, but that seems to be the point of "Despicable Me." The villain he voices, Gru, actually ends up having a heart of gold -- as it turns out, he's not so despicable after all.
But there are quite a few other villains out there who are not as redeemable by the time their movies end. Here's a look at some of the most despicable bad guys in movie history, who we're sure will be keeping audiences terrified for years to come!
Mama Fratelli How Sloth was able to stand Mama Fratelli for so long in "The Goonies" is beyond us, because she is one of the most despicable villains from one of the most lovable movies we can possibly think of. Goonies never say die, but this is one villain we wish we could say met an unfortunate demise.
John DoeWhen it comes to twisted villains, John Doe in "Se7en" is pretty high up there. He gives Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) his wife's head in a box, for goodness sake! It's one of those movies that, even though we know the ending, we hope Mills is able to contain his Wrath and prove Doe wrong.
Lord VoldemortHe willingly split his soul into seven parts by killing, even if it meant killing an infant. He started a genocide against Muggles and non-pure blood wizards just because he could. And he's played by the delightfully despicable Ralph Fiennes. If Lord Voldemort isn't despicable, we don't know who is.
Freddie KrugerWe're choosing the original Robert Englund version of Freddy Kruger, but even Jackie Earle Haley's new nightmare is a pretty nasty villain. Any child molester deserves to be on a bad guy list, but one who never dies and nails those witty one liners is a step above the rest.
Senator Palpatine/The EmperorSay what you will about the "Star Wars" prequels, but we must say that getting to know Senator Palpatine before he became the evil Emperor did make us hate the man even more than we did in the originals.
The JokerSorry Jack Nicholson, but Heath Ledger took The Joker to a whole new level of despicability in "The Dark Knight." He completely owned that performance and gave us a villain that both terrified and fascinated us, and will set the bar for despicable villains for years to come.

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2010

2010-07-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival began sixteen years ago with the simple idea that a group of “conscious music” lovers from around the world could come together and live in their ideal community for one weekend of the year. In this Utopia, love reigns supreme and the order of the day, all day everyday, is music. The most powerful leaders are Senegalese singers, Jamaican DJs and Nigerian drummers and the most significant social practice is dancing. All present people are represented and all needs are fulfilled. Differences are not only celebrated but attended to with tailored offerings. In their seventeenth year, with a line-up of artists from locations spanning the global conscious community, the festival organizers have evidently mastered the art of bringing something for everyone.The festival began early on Friday evening but to me, there was one reason to race to Mendocino from Oakland after work hours on Friday: David Rodigan. It was everything I’d hoped it would be: A sea of all the vintage Dennis Brown, King Tubby and most extravagant dubplates on Earth. It was dozens of spellbinding boom tunes, which shall remain unnamed because they’re so ridiculously far over my humble head. It was just the way I think the dancehall ought always to be. Uplifting, empowering, joyful and educational. Rodigan did talk a lot, breaking to share a story or little known tidbit from days passed. He also had an interesting way of hyping the crowd, saying “Give me some signal for Alborosie,” or “Give me some signal for King Tubby.” Whether it was an extra shout, an extra wind or toke, the crowd in the converted livestock warehouse was brimming with signals of gratitude until just shy of three a.m.
The next morning, we rolled back to the festival grounds just in time to catch Messenjah Selah’s She Ask Me Say in the Saturday morning sun. His was the first set of the day, and like any proper messenger he brought the good word loud and clear. Backed by an eight piece band with two back-up singers and a two-piece horn section, he careened into Your Own World a nice laid back jam with drawn out, sloping horn parts perfect for swaying between patches of sun and shade in the little grove of the festival’s smaller, Village Stage. Selah noted that “whoever is the president is always going to be a puppet” before launching into big tune Focus and continuing with Real Rasta and an unflinching exclamation that “the number one criteria for Rastafari is love.”
“I’m gonna represent livity, upliftment, liberation, and positive words that can inspire and motivate people to just do better within themselves. So that’s the vibes. If I could get someone to just think, I feel like that’s the way to create change. So that’s what I try to do with my music and my message,” said Messenjah Selah after his set.
With a new mixtape that dropped just hours before the first band hit that weekend, Guayana-born Jahdan Blakkamoore blessed the Village Stage just minutes after Messenjah Selah stepped down. (The festival ran extremely smooth just so throughout.) One of the standout shows of the weekend, he took the cake for cramming the most diverse set of stylings into an abbreviated festival set, not to mention a striking stage presence and fresh to death style. (The man rocked cargo shorts over blue jeans and looked damn good doing it.) One part reggae, one part dubstep and an indefinite number of parts for which there are no words just yet, Blakkamoore is captivating in his resistance to be trapped in a box. Exploring an evident glut of influences from reggae, dubstep, hip-hop and Afro-beat, you may catch him in a box for a minute, but don’t expect him to linger; he’ll be busy digging tunnels from one genre to another, marking his territory and then moving on for more. A SNWMF virgin, Blakkamoore praised the northern California reggae scene for it’s open mindedness.
“I notice that the scene here [Northern California] is more open minded, because people are open to new things and open to exploring different artists and not only checking the artists from Jamaica alone. People are more open minded, they want something more real, they want something clean, they want conscious, and New York City is like, everybody is trying to meet up to the trend so much. They’re trying to be like cookie cutter and run of the mill,” said Blakkamoore.
Flaunting fluid versatility, he sang Jah praises on one-drop boom tune Mountains to Climb and then dove head first into hip-hop Rasta-chat rock jam Live From the Frontline from his group Noble Society. He also hit with the ultra funky Out of the Slaughter, Songs of Love, Down in the Ghetto (sampling Eek-A-Mouse’s Ghetto Living), Cash Flow and was joined at the end by his Village stage predecessor, the ever-fired-up MessenjaThe festival began early on Friday evening but to me, there was one reason to race to Mendocino from Oakland after work hours on Friday: David Rodigan. It was everything I’d hoped it would be: A sea of all the vintage Dennis Brown, King Tubby and most extravagant dubplates on Earth. It was dozens of spellbinding boom tunes, which shall remain unnamed because they’re so ridiculously far over my humble head. It was just the way I think the dancehall ought always to be. Uplifting, empowering, joyful and educational. Rodigan did talk a lot, breaking to share a story or little known tidbit from days passed. He also had an interesting way of hyping the crowd, saying “Give me some signal for Alborosie,” or “Give me some signal for King Tubby.” Whether it was an extra shout, an extra wind or toke, the crowd in the converted livestock warehouse was brimming with signals of gratitude until just shy of three a.m.
The next morning, we rolled back to the festival grounds just in time to catch Messenjah Selah’s She Ask Me Say in the Saturday morning sun. His was the first set of the day, and like any proper messenger he brought the good word loud and clear. Backed by an eight piece band with two back-up singers and a two-piece horn section, he careened into Your Own World a nice laid back jam with drawn out, sloping horn parts perfect for swaying between patches of sun and shade in the little grove of the festival’s smaller, Village Stage. Selah noted that “whoever is the president is always going to be a puppet” before launching into big tune Focus and continuing with Real Rasta and an unflinching exclamation that “the number one criteria for Rastafari is love.”
“I’m gonna represent livity, upliftment, liberation, and positive words that can inspire and motivate people to just do better within themselves. So that’s the vibes. If I could get someone to just think, I feel like that’s the way to create change. So that’s what I try to do with my music and my message,” said Messenjah Selah after his set.
With a new mixtape that dropped just hours before the first band hit that weekend, Guayana-born Jahdan Blakkamoore blessed the Village Stage just minutes after Messenjah Selah stepped down. (The festival ran extremely smooth just so throughout.) One of the standout shows of the weekend, he took the cake for cramming the most diverse set of stylings into an abbreviated festival set, not to mention a striking stage presence and fresh to death style. (The man rocked cargo shorts over blue jeans and looked damn good doing it.) One part reggae, one part dubstep and an indefinite number of parts for which there are no words just yet, Blakkamoore is captivating in his resistance to be trapped in a box. Exploring an evident glut of influences from reggae, dubstep, hip-hop and Afro-beat, you may catch him in a box for a minute, but don’t expect him to linger; he’ll be busy digging tunnels from one genre to another, marking his territory and then moving on for more. A SNWMF virgin, Blakkamoore praised the northern California reggae scene for it’s open mindedness.
“I notice that the scene here [Northern California] is more open minded, because people are open to new things and open to exploring different artists and not only checking the artists from Jamaica alone. People are more open minded, they want something more real, they want something clean, they want conscious, and New York City is like, everybody is trying to meet up to the trend so much. They’re trying to be like cookie cutter and run of the mill,” said Blakkamoore.
Flaunting fluid versatility, he sang Jah praises on one-drop boom tune Mountains to Climb and then dove head first into hip-hop Rasta-chat rock jam Live From the Frontline from his group Noble Society. He also hit with the ultra funky Out of the Slaughter, Songs of Love, Down in the Ghetto (sampling Eek-A-Mouse’s Ghetto Living), Cash Flow and was joined at the end by his Village stage predecessor, the ever-fired-up Messenjah Selah.h Selah.I made my way over to the bigger, Valley Stage to catch the second show of the day there, Ken Boothe, but was greeted by the unmistakable sound of the strictly roots DJ Big Youth, screeching on repeat, “If You Drink Don’t Drive!” I’m still not really sure why. Clearly on a crusade to be the first to wake the town of Booneville and tell the people, Big Youth, “always come to tell the truth,” charged through the rest of his set sliding across the stage hips first blasting a roots rock medley featuring Hit the Road Jack and What the World Needs Now.
Next on the Valley Stage was Ken Boothe, who opened with Dandy Livingstone original (People Get Ready) Do Rocksteady and offered up a great set for easy rocking, not raging, after swallowing the musical equivalent of venti-sized Cuban coffees (by the names of Messenjah Selah, Blakkamoore and Big Youth). When he sang When I Fall in Love, Boothe’s beautiful voice seemed to bounce to the summits of the little hilltops surrounding the valley and back.
Around 5:30 Alborosie rolled deep onto the set with his band, The Shengen Clan. Around this time I noticed David Rodigan, perched on a hay bail a few feet away. As Rodigan had gone out of his way the night before to speak volumes of the Sicilian star in the dancehall, it was nice to see that he rolled out to support in the crowd among us festival-going underlings. (In the reggae parish of this utopian community, Rodigan is royalty.) As this was the final date on the clan’s month-long tour, which both began and ended in Northern California, the Alborosie crew certainly had an ample warm up. The stars of the show were The Shengen Clan, boasting two of the most notable back-up singers/dancers/straight-up hot gals of a weekend chock full of fire. Running through the roster from a cool version of Money with a nice extra repetition of the word “money” in the typically three-word refrain, Waan the Herb with the Shengen Clan ladies standing out once again and an always awesome, sped-up live rendition of Sound Killa, the clan also did versions of Black Uhuru’s Stalk of Sensimilla and John Holt’s Police in Helicopter. The common, crowd-pleasing covers were too easy an out for a new artist that I think still has something to prove. Worth mentioning was Albo’s comment on the recent relocation of Rototom Sunsplash from Italy to Spain, citing that “The Italian government don’t like Rasta. They don’t like freedom.”
During what was the closest we came that weekend to a press and radio DJ circus centered around fresh-off-the-stage Alborosie, (during which I managed to piss off the guest of honor by inquiring about a connection between his sophomore album 'Escape from Babylon' and the Martha Velez album of the same name from the 70s which was produced by Bob Marley and Lee Perry), I had my sights set on Rodigan, who had slipped back stage at the end of the show presumably to give big ups to the artists who’s debut album he blessed by calling it “real authentic reggae music” on the intro track. While radio DJs, photographers and writers swarmed the “Soul Pirate” (his words, not mine) I had a chance to ask Rodigan just what he meant by his statement on the album.
“Real authentic reggae music is melodic, soulful, deep. It’s the kind of music you never forget, and when you hear the rhythm it sends shivers down your spine. And that’s real authentic reggae,” Rodigan said. In other words, it’s completely subjective and it doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with his personal picks; authenticity is about what the music does to you and for you, personally. Way to hit the nail on the head, Rodigan! (I also had the chance to ask him about one particular tune he played that cast a spell on me in the dancehall during which I could not stop smiling. It was Dennis Brown’s Created by the Father, from his album 'No Man is an Island', which was released when Brown was just fifteen years old.)
During his press conference, Alborosie had a chance to respond to the same question, to which he said, “Authentic passion. My music is authentic passion. I don’t know if it is real authentic reggae music, but I just like to do my thing and hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed. But it is passion and love.”
When Don Carlos stepped off his tour bus leaning on a cane, it looked like his might be a lower energy show, granted featuring some of my own personal first favorite roots tunes. As I’d hoped, he played a heap of songs from his album 'Lazer Beam', including Come In Girl, continuing with Ride on Christine, Hog and Goat, I Like It, Jamaican Woman, Johnny Big Mouth, and Dice Cup. He also pulled up a few tunes from his new album including Rude Boy (Go Easy). In a glistening, all white suit as the sun began to set, Carlos gave everything he had, which is to say a whole lot. From the minute he set foot on stage, Carlos was the opposite of the modestly meandering man who had made his way slowly from the bus. I guess he was preserving his power for a grand gesture of his undeniable love for us. Although he could have charmed the crowd on past merits alone (from nearly forty years in the business), his reluctance to take that free ride ranked his set among the highest heights of the weekend.
The next morning we were a little late for Sunday morning “church” at the Village stage but were still warmly welcomed by Queen Makedah’s Israel-infused gospel over robust reggae rhythms. Followed by the legendary Lloyd Brown’s straight lover’s set, they were the perfect two acts to lead a communal thanks giving in the sun on the final morning of fest.
The Bay Area-based Queen Makedah and The Sheba Warriors band did their collective thing performing rootsy compositions iced with throaty, gospel vocals. Makedah and her impressive all-star band really embodied the spirit of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival; conscious music artists and projects representing influences from all corners of the globe, simmering together on a common ground and bubbling over with all-goodness. At one point, during a Hebrew blessing about a king and his wisdom, the guy next to me grinned that his mother “would love this.”
When Lloyd Brown hit the stage backed by Bodhirock, a nine piece band of fresh faced California youths from L.A., the crowd continued to lap up the late morning love. His set featured a participatory performance of Bob Marley’s One Love featuring Brown humming a rhythm and bass line as the crowd sang the words. Breaking out from his lover’s vibe, Brown busted into an impressive vocal dub beat-box tune during which the crowd jammed down and rocked back with approving laughter and smiles. He moved on to a Marley medley, which kicked off with a Get Up, Stand Up, progressed into Exodus and wrapped up with I Shot the Sheriff just as Brown shook down his locks and worked it out. Twenty-seven years in the business, and I’m happy to report that Brown’s still got it. Definitely deserving of a shout out were Brown’s backing band, Bodhirock, featuring two fantastic, corset busting back-up singers and a tight but splendidly slippery three-piece horn section.
“Here in California, one thing that has basically sustained throughout is the love for roots music and reggae music. But with me, I’m trying to bring something different to it, where I bring love as well, not sickly kind of love or a sweet kind of lover’s vibe, but just love that is there between a man and a woman, which no one can doubt or deny. So just trying to bring that as well but keeping it solid and grounded, and singing songs of love and songs of lust as well,” Brown said after his set.
Rootz Underground graced both the Village and Valley stages, first on Saturday night and then Sunday afternoon. Admittedly, I don’t know this band and had a hard time taking notes on their tunes since they lack the repetitious choruses of many of the other reggae acts on the bill. They were definitely a favorite among lots of loyal fans and it was easy to see why; they were infectious, hard-edged and ultra high energy. They had the rebellious vibe of Rage Against the Machine layered in fine balance with the melodic layers of Midnite. And I’m pretty sure Stevie G (the lead singer) has superpowers. But don’t quote me on that. They don’t have a horn section but they don’t really need one, (although my New Orleans sensibilities tell me there’s no situation not suited for horns), and once they reached their musical climax, they kept the high-flame fire burning till the end. One song I did manage to recognize was the apparently big tune Power to the People, which I only knew because of its familiar “No Vacancy” riddim from Sugar Minott’s number of (I think) the same name.
I managed to catch four tunes from Queen Omega, the proclaimed “Queen of Reggae” of Trinidad. With ladies like Marcia Griffiths around I wouldn’t go so far as to say she’s the reigning queen of all the reggae kingdom, but she’s definitely pretty royal. She blasted the crowd with renditions of tunes like Ganja Baby and Judgement, exclaiming, “Can’t stop spit fire pon Babylon!” And spit fire she did, straight through until it was Jimmy Riley time.
Jimmy Riley and his lover’s set on that bright Sunday afternoon were deliciously calming, giving just the right bit of energy to keep the fire burning without wearing us out. His son, the currently gigantic Tarrus Riley, played on a bill with Cocoa Tea, Barrington Levy and Michael Rose in Oakland back in February and it was a treat to see the older generation still holding it down. Launching into his big tune from the 80s, Put the People First, he slid into a cover of pop-country hit Baby I’m Amazed By You which frankly, I could have done without. Following another less than stellar cover choice of Love the One You’re With, Mr. Riley rapped a bit to the crowd:
“There are so many nice ladies out here to love! And if you don’t have your own, well…Maybe you can borrow one,” he mused.
Wait, what? But he did redeem himself later when he niced up the place with a nostalgic Love and Devotion, and alas, all was right again.
After a weekend dominated by men, there was no one more fitting to close out the experience than Ms. Marcia Griffiths, whose presence alone was a treat.
The actual closer was Barrington Levy, who I unfortunately had to miss. But I did hear from a trusted source, the one Lee Abel, that Barrington was, not surprisingly, very well received. I should note that I could have, with confidence, written a glowing review of Mr. Levy’s set at SNWMF because when I saw him just a few months ago his voice was sharp as tacks, energy high as the most, and his command over the crowd was exceptional.
Ms. Griffiths started out at a young age working with the likes of Jamaica’s immortal producer Coxsone Dodd, and has been around every block since. But up on stage that Sunday, she proved she is far from slowing down. Her roots and rocksteady set was sprinkled with tight replications of classic dancehall riddims from the kinds of dances I’ve only dreamt of, and her grace and power were unparalleled. There was no doubt that as promised, she shall, indeed sing as long as she lives; boasting both her own respective big tunes and giving a nod to those of the new reggae set. She tipped her hat to the younger generation of musical youth by scatting her way through Stephen Marley’s familiar hook from Traffic Jam, and by performing a handful of moving duets with her son, (whose name unfortunately escaped me but is a force worth watching for in the coming years) including a spine tickling Live On during which said son played the role of Beres. She continued giving big ups to artists from Junior Gong to Eek-a-Mouse through little snippets of tunes like Welcome to Jamrock and Wah Do Dem also shouting out to the women in the business which she called “no longer male dominated, it’s fifty-fifty.” Channeling the vibes of a summertime secondline or a block party punctuated with a big-ass soundsystem, I had more fun busting a wine to tunes like I Feel Like Jumping, and Toots’ 54-46 than I’d had all weekend. When she burst into Bob Marley’s evergreen Could You Be Loved, I broke a sweat in the shade and lost my breath for the first time, too. And yes, in the “something for everyone” spirit of Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, she even did the Electric Slide. Something for everyone, indeed.

Sugar Minott continues to groom the next generation

2010-07-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

When it comes on to music, Lincoln 'Sugar' Minott eats, sleeps and breathes it. He has a passion that sees him grooming one generation to the next. Through his Youthman Promotions outfit, Sugar Minott has propelled artistes such as Little John, Musical Youth and Garnet Silk in the spotlight. Today, the experienced singer and producer is still doing his duty, only this time he is now working with his own offspring.
His daughter, Fire Pashon, has taken up the mantle and is now determined to carve her own niche in the music business, his sons formed a group called 3B2 and from all indication his two grand daughters might just be heading in that direction too!"You should hear my grand daughters singing 'Happy Birthday' to me the other day," he shared with the Sunday Observer, unable to hide his pride in them.
Sugar Minott feels very passionate about the business to which he has given so much of his life and expressed that Reggae is now dying.
"We need to merge the wisdom of elders with the versatility of youth," he pointed out as he added that there is just too much selfishness in the business at this time.
"Back in the day the singers introduced the deejays to the crowd whenever they are going to perform. No one would listen to deejays alone," he reminisced stressing that it would have been nice to see that same kind of partnership being carried out now that the tables have turned. "We would have liked the deejays to bridge the gap, by bringing in the singers," Minott shared.
Sugar Minott said it would be something to see the current crop of hot DJs teaming up with the likes of U-Roy and other experienced singers. This is says would be a sure hit.
Sugar, who has recorded numerous hit songs such as Mr DC, Vanity, Herbsman Hustling, Hang On Natty, Stop Fight Rasta and Ready Or Not, made no secret of the fact that he considers the term 'veteran' offensive.
"We need to get that stigma out of people's minds about veteran - people will think you done out or you're a has been," he said adding that once you don't stop singing you're a singer.
Looking ahead, the solution Sugar Minot says in bringing back the real vibes into the dancehall is to get the negativity out of it.
"Come with a new attitude towards the business. We need a new mentality to the old business, the old ways not working. There are just too many young producers without any wide experience," were his sage comments.
Hailing from Kingston, Sugar Minott has been a driving force in pioneering the creation of reggae music. After leaving school Sugar began his journey in the music business selling records and playing on a sound named, Sound of Silence Keytone. It wasn't long after that he started his own sound Black Roots which then led to the creation of Youthman Promotion.
In 1969 Sugar teamed up with Tony Tuff and Derrick Howard and formed the group, the African Brothers. Tony was the lead singer and they recorded for Micron Music which was run by Mick Johnson and Ronny Burke of Sunsplash fame. The group then recorded for other producers from the likes of Keith Weston, Winston 'Merritone' Blake, Rupie Edwards and Coxsone Dodd. Some of the releases were Lead Us Father, Mystery of Nature, Party Time and Righteous kingdom.
Fast forward to 2010 and you will find Sugar Minott still keeping the positive vibes flowing through his work with upcoming artistes as well as his children, plus he is now putting the finishing touches on his upcoming album, Raw Sugar, which is expected to be ready for release in August.
Produced by himself and his son Daniel, Sugar Minott says Raw Sugar will see him maintaining his original dancehall roots.
"It's original dancehall style, something that young and old can listen. I'm trying to bring a more positive dancehall vibes to it," said Sugar Minott about his upcoming project. Among the tracks that will be included on the album are Money, Hits After Hit and Youth Justice.
Another project in the pipeline for the artiste is a single with Caucasian reggae artiste Gentleman.
Later on in July he will be embarking on a US west coast tour which will see him making stops in places such as California, San Diego and LA.

YENDI PHILLIPS WINS MISS JAMAICA - AGAIN

2010-07-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

Yendi Phillips, former Miss Jamaica World 2007 and one of Jamaica's favourite former beauty queens, was crowned 'Miss Jamaica' again, this time winning the crown of the other global beauty contest, Miss Universe 2010, at a ceremony held last Saturday night. Jamaia was very surprised that Yendi did not place among the finalists in 2007's global contest, as she won two of the special categories, facts that should have entitled her to the Caribbean Queen crown.
Certainly one of Jamaica's great beauties, with a matching personality, Jamaica will be rooting her to to show the world that our country has the world's most beautiful women. Good luck, Yendi

On 12th Take Your Dog to Work Day, employers encouraged to go furry on Friday

2010-07-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Bob Page will welcome more than 50 dogs, two ferrets and the odd duck into his china shop on Friday. Lucky for him, his employees don't own bulls.
Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day, a campaign sponsored by Pet Sitters International to promote pet adoption. The group doesn't track how many workplaces participate, but said in the months leading up to it last year nearly 100,000 people visited takeyourdog.com.
Page's company, Replacements, Ltd., in Greensboro, N.C., is the world's largest retailer of old and new china, crystal, silver and collectibles. And while the four-legged turnout will be bigger on Friday, it won't be that much different than any other day because employees at his plant are encouraged to bring pets every day.
The invitation on Page's company's front door reads: "Well-Behaved Pets Welcome," and it extends beyond Page's 490 employees to visitors, buyers, tourists and travellers, said spokeswoman Lisa Conklin.
"When you walk through here, people are smiling," explained Jeanine Falcon, vice-president of human resources.
The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association says about one in five U.S. companies allow pets in the workplace. Many of the companies are smaller, but a few of the larger ones are Google, Amazon, Healthwise in Idaho and headquarters of the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C.
Sophie, a five-year-old bulldog, not only goes to work every day with her owner, Rev. G.T. Schramm, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Shepherdstown, W.Va., but she has a job and a title too.
As "special pastoral assistant," her job is to greet and to listen. "She has an uncanny way of knowing when somebody comes in here upset or out of sorts," Schramm said.
And if there is a room full of people, it is her job to circulate and greet everyone, he added.
At Bare Necessities in Avenel, N.J., about 10 per cent of the company's 90 employees planned to bring their dogs with them Friday.
Each dog owner makes a donation and the company, which sells branded intimate apparel for men and women online, matches the money and sends it to a local shelter, said Kiera Lim, director of acquisition marketing.
Lim and her husband, who also works for the company, will be bringing their boxers, Pixie, 2, and Jax, 3.
"It's a day to blend your home life and your work life," Lim said. "You spend so much time at work and your colleagues are great. If your pets are important to you, your co-workers have probably heard all about them. This is their chance to meet them."
Some companies will host contests, fundraisers or invite someone from a local shelter or pet-sitting service to talk to employees, Pet Sitters International spokeswoman Beth Stultz. There's an online photo contest for $500, a pet prize pack and a donation of $500 to the animal shelter or humane organization of the winner's choice.
But the main hope is that people who don't own pets see how happy pet owners are and go out and adopt a pet of their own, Stultz said.
On a normal day at Page's warehouse, retail store and museum, you can see 20 to 30 dogs, Conklin said. They've had visits from a few cats on leashes, a student duck, potbellied pigs, a rabbit and an opossum.
There are pet-free zones and common-sense rules. But the pet policy is considered a major perk for employees.
Falcon brings her two-year-old, 57-kilogram Bernese mountain dog Zola to work at least once a week and a lot more during the summer.
"When you come as a visitor and you see a dog, you can't help but smile or be tickled or delighted by that. When you start as a new employee, you are going to greet that dog or puppy and get to know that owner," Falcon said.
Employees remain strangers in some companies, never even looking at fellow workers, Falcon said.
"That doesn't happen here," she said. "The pets create an opportunity for connection. It happens without us trying to make it happen. We value it."
And, Conklin said, "If you are having a bad day or you're feeling stressed out and you see a fuzzy face and wagging tail, it really lifts you."

La La Vazquez Reveals How She Lost 13 Lbs. in Two Months!

2010-07-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

Former MTV VJ LaLa Vazquez and NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony have officially tied the knot and became married in New York City Saturday night. [Visit SOHH.com for more information]
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La La Vazquez Reveals How She Lost 13 Lbs. in Two Months!

2010-07-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

La La Vazquez is preparing for her wedding to Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony this weekend, and we got a chance to catch up with the chatty Latina to find out how she shed 13 pounds (and still going!) for the big day. Here's what she had to say... On working it out
"For two months I've been training with Gunnar Peterson, who has trained Melo for years, but is also known for training J.Lo, Halle Berry, Kim K., Ciara, you name it. I hate exercising, but I like him because he has me doing different exercises everyday like boxing, which is the only exercise I actually enjoy."
On giving up Latin food
"I loooove something as simple as rice and beans, so I would never give it up completely. I just have a little bit and maybe do like a brown rice instead of white rice, and maybe just small pieces of platanos, making sure I don't go crazy. It's been about portion control. I would never deny myself completely because I feel like when you do then you go overboard, so I give myself a little taste and leave it at that. But a Spanish dish that I would never give up is pasteles, and what's great about that is that I only get to eat them on Christmas because they're not that accessible, so I can¿t get tempted."
On her goal weight and new body
"I'm not at my goal weight; but I don't think anyone ever is. I don't care what they say, you always feels like you can lose 5 more pounds, but I'm happy. It's funny how you lose the weight and then there's so much more pressure to keep it off because that's a challenge as well. You could easily gain it all back."
Her advice on how to stay fit
"Most importantly, you have to mentally commit to it. It's hard sometimes because it takes a while to see. But once you start seeing the change you'll get motivated and want to continue. Don't take too long of a break because if you get out of the routine of doing exercise, it's so hard to jump back on. It's also all about discipline and control. You don't HAVE to eat certain things, you just WANT to, so you allow yourself a bite. You can't deny yourself entirely because then you won't be able to maintain it. And lastly, drink a lot of water!"

NBA Star Carmelo Anthony, LaLa Vazquez Wed in New York City

2010-07-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony married his longtime girlfriend LaLa Vazquez in New York City on Saturday (July 10), before over 300 guests.
The ceremony took place at the ritzy Cipriani 42nd St, where the likes of Lebron James, Kim Kardashian, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, tennis star Serena Williams, his teammate Kenyon Martin, and several other attended.
The couple's 3-year-old son Kiyan served as ring bearer, while Dr. Michael Eric Dyson performed the ceremony, reports People.
According to People's report, the Manhattan venue "was transformed into a red-themed celebration featuring red table cloths, centerpieces of red Ecuadorian roses, hundreds of candles and thousands of red roses hanging from the high ceiling."
Following the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds joined their guests for cocktails and a sit-down dinner and dancing to a live band.
It was extravangant -- everything down to the wedding invitations. Reports said their guests were invited with a red and gold wedding invitation decorated with Swarovski crystals, which was delivered in a black box featuring their first initials.
Apparently, the wedding was filmed for an upcoming VH1 reality show.
The couple have been engaged since Christmas Day 2004.

Why LeBron James Is Just Like Kim Kardashian

2010-07-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

We currently live in a world inundated with reality TV and reality TV stars. Because of this, a generation of people have been created that strive to be rich and famous, but don't want to put in the work to get there. They crave notoriety and attention, but don't think it is necessary to develop any real talent or skill that would make them worthy of all the attention.
Kim Kardashian is a leading example of the talent-less reality star, and apparently, LeBron James is no different.
Of course James is talented. Lack of talent isn't James' flaw. But, he is still just another product of the reality TV generation, as evidenced by his announcement last night that he was quitting on the Cleveland Cavaliers and going to the Miami Heat.
Reality TV stars can't be bothered to better themselves when they can just go on reality TV.
Why spend time going to acting school, and dancing school, or studying or practicing, when you can just go on reality TV?
It is a shortcut to fame and to money.
Seeking a shortcut is where the comparison to James lies.
Just as reality TV stars do not see the difference between being known and being loved, or between having fame and earning fame, LeBron James apparently sees no difference either.
He said this move was about winning. Yes, winning championships is the ultimate criteria in separating and ranking all-time greats.
But, all titles are not created equal, and there is a difference between winning and earning a championship.
Isn’t there a difference between the World Series the Yankees won in the 1990s with teams built on their farm system and players like Paul O’Neil, David Cone, David Wells, and Scott Brosius, and the World Series they won last year with a roster filled with hired guns and a $200 million payroll?
Each team won a championship, but how they got there matters when thinking of the big picture.
Kevin Garnett finally winning a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 was a great accomplishment. But wouldn’t it have done more for his legacy had he been able to win a title when he was in Minnesota, as the unquestioned leader of the team?
Same holds true outside the sports world.
Have you ever met someone who went to a great college like Harvard? It is an impressive accomplishment. But, there is something very different about someone who got into Harvard based on studying hard, testing well, and doing extra curricular activities as compared to someone who got into Harvard because his well-known and wealthy parents went to Harvard, and his uncle went to Harvard, and his grandfather went to Harvard.
Or what about someone who is a millionaire? Isn’t it a greater accomplishment to have started with nothing and built your fortune through hard work as compared to someone who inherited the money, or married into wealth, or won a lawsuit because the top on their hot coffee fell off?
See what I'm saying?
When trying to determine the importance historically, the road taken to reach a destination—whether it is personal wealth, college education, or achievement in sport—is as important as the final destination.
This brings me back to LeBron. He wants to be the King, he wants to be a global icon, and he wants to be an all-time great. And he knows that regular season wins and MVPs are nice, but ultimately, he will be judged based on championships.
So, just like someone like Kardashian wants to be famous so she takes the easy route of becoming a reality TV star, James thinks he can take a shortcut to legendary status too. Kardashian did it with a certain video of herself, and James has now done it by leaving Cleveland and going to Miami.
James does not want to worry about what it would take to lead Cleveland to a title (or New York, New Jersey, or Chicago for that matter), when he sees what he believes is a path of less resistance.
Why work on improving his game when he can just stay the same and team with Wade and Bosh.
Why develop any low-post game when he can just sign in Miami?
Why dig deep within yourself to find a way to lead your team to a championship the way Michael did in Chicago and Kobe has done in L.A., when the Heat were giving him this easy option?
Obviously, no one told James there is no shortcut to basketball immortality. Winning five championships in Miami is what it may take to equal what one ring in Cleveland or New York would have meant to LeBron’s legacy.
James doesn’t care. He wants that ring, and it has been shown the last few years in Cleveland that he might not have what it takes to do it on his own.
Before anyone jumps in, I know no one does it on his own. But, when you want to be among the game’s all-time greats, and when you have shown the talent to potentially put your name on a list next to Magic and Bird and Kareem and Russell, and maybe even Jordan, you have to do it on your terms and as the unquestioned leader of the team.
As long as James is in Miami on Dwyane Wade’s team, that will never happen. Think A-Rod on the Yankees, as no matter what he does, the Yankees remain Derek Jeter's team.
If James doesn’t get this, his career will ultimately be a disappointment. In James, basketball fans saw someone with the potential to be right there among the handful of the game’s greatest. We all wanted to see him put a team on his shoulders and carry them to a championship.
We all felt he had it in him. But maybe, we were just wrong.
Let’s quickly look back. In 2007, James takes the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals at age 22 and along the way, he had one of those games that made us think we were seeing someone on the path to legendary status— the same way those watching had to feel watching Jordan score 63 points against the ’86 Celtics.
I am talking about his Game 5 performance against the defending Eastern Conference champs Detroit Pistons. James went for a memorable 48 points, including scoring his team’s final 25 points, as the Cavaliers took control of the series.
Unfortunately, looking back now, it may have been too much too soon.
James thought he had arrived, that his place among basketball’s elite had been secured.
The Cavs got swept by the Spurs in the Finals, and LeBron failed to win a championship in 2008 and then again in 2009. Then this past season, in the second round of the playoffs, with the series tied 2-2 against the Boston Celtics, James delivered a truly head-scratching performance.
In what is now his last game in Cleveland as a Cavalier, James saw his team blown out by 32 points, as he did nothing to help, shooting 3-14 for just 15 points. The numbers do not even come close to painting the entire picture of just how little effort James put forth in that game.
His numbers and his effort improved in the next game, but only marginally, as again his team lost, and again James’ body language was of someone who was not entirely committed to winning the game.
Whatever James goes on to do in his career, the record will always reflect that he went out a loser in Cleveland, losing his final three games by an average margin of 17 points to a team with eleven fewer regular season wins. In those final three games, James averaged a mere 21.3 points on 34-percent shooting from the floor (18-53) and 15-percent from three (2-13).
But to a reality TV star, failure and embarrassment does not matter. You just move on because nothing is ever your fault and you never really cared that much to begin with. Fame is all that matters. That is why it was easy for James to move on. He just wants the fame and the attention.
Having been upset in the playoffs the last two years, James did not like hearing the criticism that he has not won a title. In response, he went to Miami— the shortcut route to winning a championship, the same way so many reality stars take the shortcut to fame.
Reality stars have this narcissistic belief that what they are doing makes them worthy of all the attention. Similarly, James believes the attention he is receiving now, and the attention he will surely continue to receive, makes him worthy of being called the King and will make him worthy of being mentioned with the game’s true all-time greats.
Here is the thing though about reality stars like Kim Kardashian—they may be famous, they may be rich, they may be on TV all the time and in magazines every week. But no one takes them seriously.
That is what LeBron doesn’t seem to get. By making this move, and becoming just another person trying to take the shortcut to fame, how can he ever be taken seriously?
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Marlon Wayans, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler Team for Richard Pryor Flick

2010-07-11T00:54:00.000-07:00

Chris Rock and Adam Sandler are producing a new biopic focusing on the life of well-loved comedian Richard Pryor, who inspired countless comics during his career. Pryor appeared in films and on stage from the 1960s to his 2005 death, though he is best known for his ribald standup routines.
Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said details Pryor’s early life, rise to fame and his serious drug problems, which led to the famous “freebasing incident” of 1981. Marlon Wayans will portray Pryor in the flick, though the role was originally given to Eddie Murphy. Murphy passed on the movie due to “creative differences.” Rumor has it that Pryor himself, who passed away in 2005 at 65, wanted Mike Epps to play the role.
Chris Rock said that Marlon’s screen test was amazing, and Wayans himself stated “I’m ready” to play the part.

Mickey Spillane’s Son DEAD – LALATE news

2010-07-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

The son of murdered Irish mobster Mickey Spillane fell out the window of his sixth-floor New York apartment and fell to his death earlier today. Robert “Bobby” Spillane was an actor who had roles on television’s “Rescue … Read more…

Son of NYC Mobster Mickey Spillane Falls to Death

2010-07-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

The actor son of infamous mobster Mickey Spillane died Saturday after falling from the sixth floor of his Hell’s Kitchen apartment in New York.
Robert “Bobby” Spillane, 45, was discovered by his lawyer brother, Michael, 46, about 8:00am on the sidewalk outside his Eighth Avenue apartment building, police sources and witnesses told the New York Post.
Spillane was leaning against a screen when it gave way and he fell through an open window, his uncle James McManus said.
“Michael was coming from Starbucks (a coffee chain store) this morning and he crossed the street and saw Robert lying there,” witness John, who manages of the nearby Cosmic Diner, said.
“He was the one who called 911, you know? It’s just so sad.”
Spillane is survived by his wife Heather.
“Michael saw him as he was crossing the street, he panicked you know, he was in shock. It’s so sad,” said Judith, 50, a waitress at the diner.
“Rest In Peace Robert,” read a sign that Spillane’s friends posted, along with flowers, on a telephone booth outside the Cosmic Diner.
As police pored over Spillane’s apartment and the street below, “Saturday Night Live” comedian Colin Quinn -- whose production company produced Spillane’s first play, “All Dolled Up” -- was seen talking with detectives before leaving in a police car.
The two are close friends and Spillane had played various roles on the comedian’s self-titled series, “The Colin Quinn Show.”
Spillane starred in award-winning TV series “NYPD Blue,” “Law and Order” and “Rescue Me,” and also had a minor role in 1999’s “Thomas Crown Affair” movie remake starring Pierce Brosnan.
The youngest of three children, he was the son of Mickey Spillane, an Irish-American mobster who ran the rackets for the "Westies" Irish gang for decades before it was taken over by more violent gangsters.
The mobster, who was called the "last of the gentleman gangsters" in contrast to the violent "Westies" who succeeded him, was shot dead in 1977 when Bobby Spillane was just 12 years old.
During an interview with the Post’s Steve Dunleavy, Spillane recalled his father’s murder.
“I was a kid. We were living in Woodside (Queens). Someone buzzed on the door. It was Friday the 13th, 1977,” he said. His father answered the door and was gunned down in a hail of bullets.
Bobby grew up in the family’s huge Hell’s Kitchen apartments and his play “All Dolled Up” -- about the mob using cross-dressing gangsters to muscle in on Greenwich Village gay bars in the 1960s -- opened in 2006 in the neighborhood’s Acorn Theatre.
Bobby -- who is also survived by a sister, Denise -- was most recently being considered for an open freelance seat on the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) council.
In 2004, Bobby sold comedian Adam Sandler’s production company a screenplay for $200,000.

JOHN DILLINGER DIED FOR YOU Society invites you

2010-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

DALEVILLE -- If you blew it on Father's Day, here your chance to make it up to Dad; just take him to the 23rd Annual John Dillinger Bank Robbery Run Car Show this Saturday, June 26.

Held at the Daleville American Legion, 14708 W. Sixth St., the car show will have registration 8 a.m.-noon with awards at 3 p.m.
The judged show will honor the top 50 cars in such classes as Fat Fender Pick, Chevy Muscle and Kool Gen-X and many more. Specialty awards will be given out for Best Paint, Engine, Interior, Young Guns for those 25 and younger and Best of Show.
The Legion is also having a hog roast. Door prizes and 50/50 drawings will go on throughout the day. The main door prize is a set of Firestone Indy 500 Tires.
All entrants will get dash plaques.
Information: American Legion, 387-0235.

JOHN DILLINGER DIED FOR YOU Society invites you

2010-07-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

The 76th anniversary gathering at the John Dillinger death site 1934-2010The "John Dillinger Died For You Society" invites you to Lincoln Station, 2432 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, on Thursday, July 22, 2010, from 8:00 to 10:30 pm, for a SPECIAL COMMEMORATIONSHOOTING of JOHN DILLINGERPUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONEMeet fellow gangster buffs, authors & authorities, indulge in bar specials, and enter to win a special prize for the "Hottest Lady in Red". Shortly after 10 PM there will be a bagpipe procession led by Mike Dietz (of the Celtic rock group Stirling), retracing the last steps of Dillinger to the alley by the Biograph Theater where there will be a ceremony - on the very spot that the outlaw met his grisly fate! Words will be spoken by Michael Flores on "the place of John Dillinger in pop culture & modern society".And Richard Crowe, famous Chicago folklorist and ghosthunter, will talk on "the supernatural legacy & legends of John Dillinger".Note: This event may be filmed for newsreels! Be prepared to protect your identity by wearing a disguise, if necessary.

John Dillinger's fake escape pistol

2010-07-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

I have often opined that truly creative problem solving comes from limiting one's options, rather than expanding them. Which is why prisoner's inventions fascinate me so much. (If you've not had a chance to browse Angelo's Prisoners' Inventions book, BTW, I highly recommend it--it's not about shivs or improvised weapons, but about how prisoners make game pieces, heat water, control the climate in their cells, etc., etc. using only the odds and ends they are permitted by, or can slip past the attention of, the state.) Compare an object like this prop handgun, which was reportedly used by John Dillinger in his escape from the Crown Point, Indiana Jail in 1934, to, say, a modern-day toothbrush handle, or a Nike sneaker, designed by a professional working with a CAD-CAM system, industrial machine tooling, and a smorgasboard of rainbow-colored polymers and elastomers, most of which add no functional value at all, and are employed just to make a product stand out from competitors on the shelf. Granted, an escaping prisoner and a product designer have wildly different goals, but if asked "who is doing more creative, original problem-solving," I know how I'd answer. [via Boing Boing]

Saturday, Sunday on TV

2010-07-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

World Cup soccer (11:30 a.m., Ch. 4): The championship game — Netherlands vs. Spain
Golf (1 p.m, Ch. 5): Final round of the U.S. Women's Open Championship
Sons of Tucson (6 p.m., Ch. 13): Ron tries to help Robby make friends; Brandon tries to help Gary talk to a girl.
Big Brother (7 p.m., Ch. 2): Two houseguests are nominated for eviction.
Drop Dead Diva (7, 9 and 11 p.m., Lifetime): Jane represents her mother in court; Teri tries to help Fred.

P&G, Walmart Plan More TV Movies

2010-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Procter & Gamble and Walmart will premiere a second made-for-TV family movie, “The Jensen Project,” on Friday, July 16 on NBC. The movie follows the joint-venture “Secrets of the Mountain,” which aired in April and was watched by more than 7.5 million people, per P&G.
The company says “The Jensen Project” is based on a family of science whizzes conducting underground research to help solve global crises.
“‘The Jensen Project’ DVD and soundtrack will be sold together in a bonus pack exclusively at Walmart starting Saturday, July 17, while the “Secrets of The Mountain” DVD and CD soundtrack is also on sale.A third movie, “A Walk in My Shoes,” is already in post-production and will air later this year, per P&G and Walmart, and a fourth movie is also in production.
The companies say that among moms aged 18-34, 93% percent liked “Secrets of the Mountain,” and 88% said it was good/excellent quality. Eighty-five percent thought it was right for families and 79% want it to be a series.

A comedy dream

2010-07-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Grand Forks man aspires to be professional standup comedian
Kevin Decker of Grand Forks has a dream to become a successful standup comedian. And he doesn’t hesitate to use his own life experiences to make people laugh, including his cerebral palsy, which gives him a bit of a bumpy gait.

2010-07-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

aseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley recently told ‘Late Late Show’ host Craig Ferguson that although he’s remembered in Cooperstown for being an Oakland A’s pitcher, ‘my allegiance is now with Boston.’

Eck, who appeared last night on the pretaped CBS talk show, said why wouldn’t it be? ‘(The fans) treat me wonderfully. That is why I haven’t left. No one cares in Oakland. The passion is in Boston.’

Ferguson, who played the Wilbur Theatre last night, will get a bigger taste of that Boston passion when he hosts the city’s televised Fourth of July festivities on the Esplanade tomorrow. He better put some cheese on it!

Famous Footwear Latest Deals and Updates

2010-07-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Famous Footwear is offering 40 to 60% off as part of the Independence Day celebrations. Famous Footwear, you’ll definitely be making a step in the right direction when shopping Famous Footwear today! Their current Clearance Sale is pack with brand names like Nike, Skechers, Puma, and many others, and they’re all. Shop a great selection of footwear for the entire family at Famous Footwear. Famous Footwear also provides free shipping and handling available. Find a Famous Footwear store near you by entering your city, state or zip code below. The Famous Footwear is part of the Mind Body Sole Tour or Brown Shoe Company, Inc.

Average discount of 40 to 60% with these Famous Footwear coupon codes and promo codes. You also get the best famous footwear coupon available in the entertainment section. Famous Footwear is America’s #1 retailer of value brand name shoes for the entire family. With more than 930 stores nationwide and high-volume discounts.

Blades Of Glory Live Stream: American Comedy Film

2010-06-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Stream: American Comedy Film – June 19, 2010 – Blades of Glory is an American comedy film directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and the all star casts starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. This comedy movie was released on March 29, 2007 by DreamWorks and MTV Films.

Watch Blades of Glory, it was released on DVD and HD DVD and also on Blu-ray Disc. The movie grossed $33,014,202 on its opening weekend in March 30 – April 1 with 3,372 theaters, getting an average $9,790 per screen, beating Disney’s Meet the Robinsons movie to be the number 1 film.

TV best bets: Fri., June 18

2010-06-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

If there's one film that defines lowbrow comedy, 1980s-style, it's this 1980 romp directed and co-written by Harold Ramis. Set in a country club, it stars some of the era's best comic actors, including Rodney Dangerfield as the club's newest member, a developer long on cash and short on couth. (6 p.m., AMC)

BLADES OF GLORY — Whatever it takes, right? Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star as Chazz and Jimmy, two former skaters who were banned from singles competition. In order to get back in the game, they partner up to compete in the pairs category. (9 p.m., TBS)

MIAMI MEDICAL — The personal lives of several victims of a boating accident cause chaos for the team, while Dr. Zambrano (Lana Parilla) winds up in a tight spot after Dr. Deleo's (Mike Vogel) brother, Rick (guest star Bailey Chase), arrives at the hospital. (10 p.m., CBS)

PARTY DOWN — While catering a party for a college gridiron golden boy (guest star Aaron Hill), who unexpectedly slips in the draft, Casey and Henry (Lizzy Caplan and Adam Scott) become entangled in the secret lives of celebrity sports figures. Meanwhile, Lydia (Megan Mullally) makes a play for the quarterback's single dad. (10 p.m., Starz)

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY — Matt Damon and Jude Law earned acclaim for their work in this Hitchcockian 1999 drama. Damon plays the title character, a poor boy mistaken by a tycoon (James Rebhorn) for a college friend of his playboy son, Dickie (Law). Dad offers Ripley $1,000 to bring the young wastrel home from Europe. Instead, he disposes of him and assumes his identity.

June 17 food recalls: Campbell SpaghettiOs, MariJune 17 food recalls: Campbell SpaghettiOs, Marie Cale Callender Frozen Cheesy Chicken & Rice entrees

2010-06-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Jerry Buss , a famous poker player and a great businessman

2010-06-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Beyond the Cacophony Of Sentiments

2010-06-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

•SANI YUSUF MIJINYAWA, a political analyst illuminates the underlying political intrigues, characterized by the vindictive ploy by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to make Atiku Abubakar pay for his principled opposition to the controversial Third Term Agenda. And he believes Abubakar now stands on a high moral ground to return to the PDP fold …

Former Vice President Abubakar’s decision to return to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP is no doubt one of the most difficult decisions he has ever faced. And predictably, his decision to rejoin his original political family of choice (PDP) has evoked outrage and disbelief among many Nigerians, including of course some of our newspaper columnists. Such sentiments are understandable in the context of what the former Vice President went through politically, especially following his open confrontation with his former boss, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

He was loyal to a fault to the former President until the Third Term Agenda controversy tore them apart. The fact that the tenure extension was widely unpopular its collapse was just a matter of time. On May 16^th 2006, the attempt to change the Constitution to extend Obasanjo’s tenure kissed the dust and the former President never forgave Atiku for joining the national opposition to the third term project.

As part of the strategy to achieve a third term ambition, former President Obasanjo moved so fast to destroy all the sources of Atiku’s political strength and influence. Elected officials of the PDP, including the National Chairman were removed arbitrarily by Obasanjo and installed his ‘yes’ men as new leaders. The former president carried out the policy of re-validation of party membership cards and de-registration of Atiku’s followers throughout the country, including his home state of Adamawa.

With Atiku and his followers deliberately frustrated and ostracized, they were constructively expelled from the party against their will. Since Obasanjo could not get a third term, despite installing Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd) as the PDP National Chairman who officially endorsed tenure extension, his next game plan was to ensure Atiku did not get the party’s presidential ticket.

Despite the frustration of de-registration, Atiku still remained in the party. But it was clear the new leadership imposed by Obasanjo did not want Atiku as its presidential candidate because of his hostility to the third term game plan. As expected, the party revealed its cover and finally suspended Atiku for three months, though the party’s constitution allows for one month suspension. Despite a court order that the suspension breached the party’s constitution, Obasanjo’s men still went ahead to follow up the suspension with outright expulsion.

Thoroughly frustrated and with his options unmercifully limited, because the 2007 presidential election was fast approaching, Atiku Abubakar reluctantly left the PDP and embraced the Action Congress (AC). He became its presidential candidate in the face of all hurdles from INEC, EFCC and Obasanjo’s men. Given his belated entry into the race and obstacles raised against him, the fact that he participated in the election at all was a miracle!

Atiku Abubakar was a founding member of the PDP and he remains sentimentally attached to the party. Despite his reluctant exit, the party remains close to his heart and mind because nobody would want to destroy what he contributed to build. He enjoys tremendous goodwill from party leaders, despite the fact many of them kept a discreet distance from him to avoid Obasanjo’s anger or EFCC’s blackmail.

It is an indisputable fact that Atiku is a mainstream politician who does not want to be a peripheral player. All the existing opposition parties have failed to rise to the challenges of mainstream national politics. Despite all the criticisms against the PDP, no sincere person would deny that it is more firmly and widely established across the country than the opposition parties.

No one should uncharitably blame Atiku for his pragmatic approach to the current realities of Nigerian politics.If Atiku is sentimentally attached to the PDP, that is largely because he was part of the effort to build the party into a formidable political force. He did not seek to destroy the PDP in the first place; he was instead, forced to leave because the then new PDP was structured in Obasanjo’s image. Regardless of his best efforts to remain a loyal party man, the PDP was packed with Obasanjo’s men and their undisguised mission was to force Atiku out of the party. Deliberate obstacles were created to ensure he was ultimately expelled from the party because he refused to support the party’s official policy of endorsing the third term agenda.

Atiku’s reluctant exit from the party in the first place must be understood within the context of this grim scenario. The deliberate policy of exclusion and discrimination against Atiku and his supporters was such that he must quit to pursue his ambition elsewhere, despite the limited time available to him. The PDP was personalized by Obasanjo and his private vengeance against the former Vice President became the party’s official policy.

Humiliated and discriminated against, Atiku was politically at the end of the tether within the PDP. Should we sincerely ignore these cruel realities in understanding the circumstances that forced Atiku to leave? Should a man confronted with this unpleasant choice be honestly accused of lacking consistency and principle? Given the energy and resources he devoted to the birth and growth of the PDP, should Atiku be blamed if he rationally comes to the conclusion that he must return to the fold?

The deliberate destruction of internal democracy by Obasanjo’s PDP forced Atiku out of the party. But now that the PDP has been involved in national reconciliation and the re-union of former members, no fair-minded person should blame Atiku if he chooses to re-join a family of which he was a prominent member. Politics is not rigid science in which you stick to the so-called consistency for its own sake! No matter the distance a bird travels, it may eventually return to its nest, which is its natural habitat.

If we take a ringside view of politics, we may overlook the complex realities that usually force leaders to re-assess their positions on issues. Despite his exit from the PDP, Atiku enjoys tremendous sympathy among many party leaders who regretted the circumstances of his reluctant exit. These party leaders were helpless because of the personalization and regimentation of the party under former President Obasanjo. But these circumstances have changed ever since and if Atiku returns to the PDP, it should not cause much brouhaha because it is close to his heart. He did not leave the PDP because he was opposed to the party per se; he did because the party’s original democratic face was contorted and freedom of choice eviscerated, to achieve personal objective. And since the PDP no longer belongs to a single individual, the man is simply following his conviction.

Reality TV Dad Coming to Boise

2010-06-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

The effort to help a family in Kuna is getting some star power.

A reality TV star will be in Boise Thursday, adding to a long string of good charity for people affected by dwarfism.

The Salman family has lived in their American home for more than a year now. They escaped a dangerous life in Iraq while at the time raising four kids, three with a rare form of dwarfism.

"The very first day that I met the family, they were living in a shack," said Russell Hayes, who lives next door and first met the family on a tour of duty with the U.S. Army.

The Salman family gained national attention on the TLC show, "Little People, Big World."

Before that, it was a newspaper article that caught the attention of Hayes.

"The last sentence really jumped out at me. It said he had three children with some kind of dwarfism, and I thought, 'oh my gosh, that's why I'm here,'" he said.

Now a few years later, Hayes and the Salman's are next-door neighbors, but Hayes will tell you they're family. And they're dealing with issues close to his heart.

Hayes' daughter, Corina, has dwarfism. She'll be 12 this summer.

"People will stare when they see a dwarf, and you can't change them. They're not mean, they're just curious, so we've raised her to be proud," he said.

"Do you feel like you can do anything anybody else can?" he asked Corina, who nodded her head yes.

One of the men behind the national attention that eventually brought the Salman family to Kuna -- and to safety -- was Matt Roloff, the dad on "Little People, Big World."

Since the Salman's story aired, their daughter, Seja, passed away following surgery this winter.

While the Hayes family pours out their hearts and their pocketbooks to keep the family afloat, Roloff is coming to the Treasure Valley to continue what his show started.

"Of course you fall in love with this family, they're just adorable. And they needed help," said Roloff, in a phone interview with Fox 12. "That eventually led to the third trip where we actually got them and brought them home back to the states where we could get them the proper medical treatment."

Ali, 11, and Bara, 9, have a number of surgeries ahead, fixing a problem that causes their bones to twist. That's just one of a number of medical issues.

At a fundraiser Thursday, Roloff with be joined by his son, Zach. They'll be at the Basque Center in Boise.