http://www.blackpeopleone.com/ Black People One Official Site. Social Community Network See photos, send messages and chat with thousands of african american people. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:50:52 -0400 http://www.konsort.org en http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_1/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_1/ Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:39:27 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_1/
By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

Turner died Wednesday at his San Marcos home, Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, which managed Turner's career, told The Associated Press. There was no immediate word on the cause of death, which was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Turner managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in later years, touring around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim for his work. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for ``Risin' With the Blues.''

But his image is forever identified as the drug-addicted, wife-abusing husband of Tina Turner. He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie ``What's Love Got To Do With It,'' based on Tina Turner's autobiography.

Tina Turner declined to comment on her ex-husband's death.

``Tina is aware that Ike passed away earlier today. She has not had any contact with him in 35 years. No further comment will be made,'' said her spokeswoman, Michele Schweitzer.

In a 2001 interview with The Associated Press, Turner denied his ex-wife's claims of abuse and expressed frustration that he had been demonized in the media while his historic role in rock's beginnings had been ignored.

``You can go ask Snoop Dogg or Eminem, you can ask the Rolling Stones or (Eric) Clapton, or you can ask anybody _ anybody, they all know my contribution to music, but it hasn't been in print about what I've done or what I've contributed until now,'' he said.

Turner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is credited by many rock historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, ``Rocket 88,'' in 1951. Produced by the legendary Sam Phillips, it was groundbreaking for its use of distorted electric guitar.

But as would be the case for most of his career, Turner, a prolific session guitarist and piano player, was not the star on the record _ it was recorded with Turner's band but credited to singer Jackie Brenston.

And it would be another singer _ a young woman named Anna Mae Bullock _ who would bring Turner his greatest fame, and infamy.

Turner met the 18-year-old Bullock, whom he would later marry, in 1959 and quickly made the husky-voiced woman the lead singer of his group, refashioning her into the sexy Tina Turner. Her stage persona was highlighted by short skirts and stiletto heels that made her legs her most visible asset. But despite the glamorous image, she still sang with the grit and fervor of a rock singer with a twist of soul.

The pair would have two sons. They also produced a string of hits. The first, ``A Fool In Love,'' was a top R&B song in 1959, and others followed, including ``I Idolize You'' and ``It's Gonna Work Out Fine.''

But over the years their genre-defying sound would make them favorites on the rock 'n' roll scene, as they opened for acts like the Rolling Stones.

Their densely layered hit ``River Deep, Mountain High'' was one of producer Phil Spector's proudest creations. A rousing version of ``Proud Mary,'' a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, became their signature song and won them a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a group.

Still, their hits were often sporadic, and while their public life depicted a powerful, dynamic duo, Tina Turner would later charge that her husband was an overbearing wife abuser and cocaine addict.

In her 1987 autobiography, ``I, Tina,'' she narrated a harrowing tale of abuse, including suffering a broken nose. She said that cycle ended after a vicious fight between the pair in the back seat of a car in Las Vegas, where they were scheduled to perform.

It was the only time she ever fought back against her husband, Turner said.

After the two broke up, both fell into obscurity and endured money woes for years before Tina Turner made a dramatic comeback in
1984 with the release of the album ``Private Dancer,'' a multiplatinum success with hits such as ``Let's Stay Together'' and ``What's Love Got To Do With It.''

The movie based on her life, ``What's Love Got To Do With It,''
was also a hit, earning Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination.

But Fishburne's glowering depiction of Ike Turner also furthered Turner's reputation as a rock villain.

Meanwhile, Turner never again had the success he enjoyed with his former wife.

After years of drug abuse, he was jailed in 1989 and served 17 months.

Turner told the AP he originally began using drugs to stay awake and handle the rigors of nonstop touring during his glory years.

``My experience, man, with drugs _ I can't say that I'm proud that I did drugs, but I'm glad I'm still alive to convey how I came through,'' he said. ``I'm a good example that you can go to the bottom. ... I used to pray, `God, if you let me get three days clean, I will never look back.' But I never did get to three days.

You know why? Because I would lie to myself. And then only when I went to jail, man, did I get those three days. And man, I haven't looked back since then.''

But while he would readily admit to drug abuse, Turner always denied abusing his ex-wife.

After years out of the spotlight his career finally began to revive in 2001 when he released the album ``Here and Now.'' The recording won rave reviews and a Grammy nomination and finally helped shift some of the public's attention away from his troubled past and onto his musical legacy.

``His last chapter in life shouldn't be drug abuse and the problems he had with Tina,'' said Rob Johnson, the producer of ``Here and Now.''

Turner spent his later years making more music and touring, even while he battled emphysema.

Robbie Montgomery _ one of the ``Ikettes,'' backup singers who worked with Ike and Tina Turner _ said Turner's death was ``devastating'' to her.

``He gave me my start. He gave a million people their start,''
Montgomery said.

Accolades for Turner's early and later work continued to come in as he grew older, and the once-broke musician managed to garner a comfortable income as his songs were sampled by a variety of rap acts.

In interviews toward the end of his life, Turner would acknowledge having made many mistakes, but maintained he was still able to carry himself with pride.

``I know what I am in my heart. And I know regardless of what I've done, good and bad, it took it all to make me what I am today,'' he once told the AP.

Associated Press Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York and Associated Press Writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

http://www.iketurner.com

]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_2/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_2/ Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:41:12 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_2/
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush announced on Thursday a plan to freeze interest rates for five years for hundreds of thousands of strapped homeowners whose mortgages are scheduled to rise in the coming months.

"The steps I outlined today are a sensible response to a serious challenge," Bush said.

Seeking to counter criticism he is violating his free-market principles, Bush said the private-sector plan does not represent the imposition of a government solution to the mortgage crisis.

"We should not bail out lenders, real estate speculators or those who made the reckless decision to buy a home they knew they could not afford," he said.

Bush has stressed that the deal is not a bailout because no government money is involved.

The effort is aimed at stemming a threatened wave of foreclosures in coming years as 2 million subprime mortgages, loans provided to borrowers with spotty credit histories, reset from their introductory rates of around 7 percent to 8 percent to levels as high as 11 percent, adding hundreds of dollars to the typical monthly payment.

The mortgage companies will offer to freeze the loans at the lower introductory rates as long as the borrowers did not miss any payments at the lower rate.

The program is the biggest effort yet to deal with a tidal wave of mortgage defaults, which have piled up billions of dollars in losses for big banks, hedge funds and other investors as well as roiling financial markets around the globe. The defaults are the latest economic blow from the worst housing slump in more than two decades. Some economists believe the housing bust could become severe enough to push the country into a recession.

Two Democratic presidential contenders, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, complained Wednesday that, given the risks to the economy, Bush's proposal did not go far enough. They put forward their own plans that would not only freeze mortgage payments but also declare moratoriums on further foreclosures for a period of time as a way of adding pressure on lenders to reach at-risk homeowners.

The financial services industry applauded the administration for negotiating a plan that will allow free-market forces to operate. The hope is that the five-year freeze will buy time for the housing industry to work down record levels of unsold homes and for sales and prices to start rising again.

A housing rebound would allow homeowners to refinance their current adjustable rate mortgages into fixed-rate loans with more affordable monthly payments.

The big sticking point in the lengthy negotiations was getting investors who have purchased the mortgages after they have been bundled into mortgage-backed securities to agree to accept lower interest payments. Critics have said even with a deal, there are likely to be lawsuits.

"The $64,000 question remains: will investors who might balk at going along with this be able to maintain legal roadblocks and prevent the plan from going into effect?" said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

But officials representing major players in the mortgage industry said they believed the plan would withstand any legal challenges and would help at-risk homeowners avoid defaulting on their mortgages.

Steve Bartlett, president of the Financial Services Roundtable, a trade group representing the country's largest financial service firms, said the deal would benefit banks, investors and homeowners since there is a significant cost when a mortgage is foreclosed.

Under the administration plan, the rate freeze will apply to loans made at the start of 2005 through July 30 of this year and will cover loans that had been scheduled to rise to higher rates between Jan. 1, 2008, and July 31, 2010.

The plan represents an about-face for Treasury Secretary Paulson, who until recently had insisted the mortgage crisis could be handled on a case-by-case basis. However, he and other administration officials became convinced the tide of foreclosures threatened by the mortgage resets represented such a severe threat that a more sweeping approach was needed.

Associated Press writers Alan Zibel, Deb Reichmann and Nedra Pickler contributed to this report]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_3/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_3/ Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:42:20 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_3/
By RYAN PEARSON
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pimp C, who spun searing tales of Texas street life into a key role in the rise of Southern hip-hop, was found dead in an upscale hotel on Tuesday. He was 33.

The rapper formed Underground Kingz with partner-in-rhyme Bun B while the pair were in high school, and their often laconic delivery paired with wittily dangerous lyrics influenced a generation of current superstars like Lil' Wayne. T.I. had the group on as guests when he remade their 1994 song "Front, Back and Side to Side" for his "King" album.

To a mainstream audience, Pimp C was best known for UGK's cameo on the Jay-Z hit "Big Pimpin'," and for "Free Pimp C" T-shirts and shout-outs, ubiquitous in rap several years ago while he was jailed on gun charges. On Tuesday, his MySpace page had been changed to read: "C the Pimp is FREE at last.

Born Chad Butler, Pimp C was found dead in a room at the Mondrian hotel, a longtime music industry hangout not far from the House of Blues on Sunset Strip, where he had performed Saturday night alongside rap veteran Too $hort. Capt. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Butler had apparently died in bed.

"At this time there's no signs of foul play," Winter said. "It appears to be possibly natural, but pending autopsy and toxicology we can't say the cause."

Butler had been in Los Angeles to work on his next solo album for Rap-A-Lot Records, according to James Prince, the Houston-based label's CEO. Manager Rick Martin identified Butler's body, and said in a statement, "He was my best friend and I will always love him."

Though they never enjoyed massive pop chart success, UGK's early CDs are considered landmarks for the then-burgeoning Texas hip-hop scene, which also featured the Geto Boys. Signed to a deal with Jive Records, they released "Too Hard to Swallow" in 1992, "Super Tight" two years later, and "Ridin' Dirty" in 1996, considered a rap classic.

Over laid-back beats, they laid out incisive details that remain Southern rap mainstays: descriptions of sex and conspicuous consumption, wood-grain steering wheels and triple-beam scales used to weigh drugs.

Butler led off Three 6 Mafia's 2000 ode to drinking cough syrup to get high, "Sippin' on Syrup," with the lines: "I'm trill working the wheel. A pimp, not a simp. Keep the dope fiends higher than the Goodyear blimp. We eat so many shrimp I got iodine poisoning."

Butler was jailed for three years in 2002; he had plead no contest to aggravated assault for brandishing a gun during an argument with a woman at a mall, then fell behind on required community service. UGK's rise was derailed, but the "Free Pimp C" slogan caught on and an unauthorized album of Pimp C's freestyle rhymes was released while he was in prison.

When Pimp C and Bun B finally put out an album this year, they felt such a need to re-establish themselves they titled their album "Underground Kingz," as if to underscore a new start.

Critics praised the CD, which included the hit "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)," featuring OutKast. Pimp C's verse riffs on high-class women and cars: "I'm pullin' Bentleys off the lot. Smashed up the gray one, bought me a red. Every time we hit the parking lot we turn heads," he raps.

Barry Weiss, CEO of Jive, said in a statement: "We mourn the unexpected loss of Chad. He was truly a thoughtful and kindhearted person. He will be remembered for his talent and profound influence as a pioneer in bringing southern rap to the forefront."

Butler, who grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, came from a musical lineage. His father was a professional trumpet player, and the rapper studied classical music in high school. He even received a Division I rating on a tenor solo at a University Interscholastic League choir competition.

"That's how I came up listening to everything," he told The Associated Press in a 2005 interview. "Music don't have no color or no face. It's a universal language. I think being exposed to all that kind of stuff influences the way I make records."

Butler is survived by a wife and three children.

Associated Press writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_4/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_4/ Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:34:53 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_4/ Dec. 24, 2007, 10:00 AM EST
The Associated Press

Will Smith is angry over celebrity gossip Web site articles that he said misinterpreted a recent remark he made in a Scottish newspaper about Adolf Hitler.

In a story published Saturday in the Daily Record, Smith was quoted saying: "Even Hitler didn't wake up going, 'let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'"

The quote was preceded by the writer's observation: "Remarkably, Will believes everyone is basically good."

Over the weekend, dozens of celebrity gossip Web sites posted articles about the comment, many saying that Smith believed that Hitler was a "good" person.

"It is an awful and disgusting lie," Smith said in a statement Monday provided by his publicist. "It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation."

"Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet," read the statement.]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_5/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_5/ Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:24:42 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_5/
"We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007's outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television," said Jorge Camara, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. "We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year's Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled."

The show had been set to air on Sunday.

Faced with a threat by actors to boycott the ceremony rather than cross picket lines, the association and NBC were forced to adopt another approach for the ceremony.

The association will forgo the typical network payment, reported to be $5 million, it receives for the broadcast, said a person close to the show who was not authorized to comment and requested anonymity.

But NBC will have exclusive electronic rights to the show will be able to sell advertising for it, the person said.]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_6/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_6/ Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:27:33 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_6/
In a phone call to E! News anchor Ryan Seacrest Sunday night, McGraw said the TMZ report that he ambushed the singer in her Cedars-Sinai Medical Center room Saturday morning was not only greatly exaggerated but altogether false. He told Seacrest he did not show up at the hospital to exploit the Blackout singer's meltdown but rather at the solicitation of longtime friends, the Spears family.

However, just as McGraw said he visited the singer out of consideration for the Spears clan, he cites the same reason for now calling off the devotion of an already high-profile episode of his daily talk show to the singer's plight.

"We had planned to tape a Dr. Phil Now show tomorrow, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney's latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case," McGraw said in a statement on his official website. "Clearly, it is not just Britney's family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help.

"Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time. Britney and her family are in our prayers and we ask that they be in yours."

The nixing of the headline-grabbing special comes in the wake of reports that Spears' father, Jamie, was upset with the media traction McGraw's account of his meeting with Britney was receiving.

One of the peddlers of McGraw's media message was Seacrest, who recounted on his KIIS-FM radio show Monday details given to him by the TV doctor of his visit with the singer. McGraw was adamant that he went to the hospital to visit the 26-year-old by specific request of her family. (Hear the complete audio from Ryan's radio show.)

He further said he went to the hospital free of any designs to treat the singer himself, instead to simply "open a dialogue" and possibly start the troubled mom on the path to receiving treatment from a qualified professional.

McGraw told Seacrest he was first contacted by mother Lynne Spears more than a year ago and has since kept open communications with the family about the often bumpy and always public exploits of its most famous member.

McGraw said the Spears family's concern this time around was that Britney, who was released a little more than one day into what was expected to be an involuntary three-day hold—so enforced after the singer was determined to pose a danger to either herself or others—was not yet suitable for discharge.

He also denied reports that either Cedars-Sinai or he violated any sort of patient privacy by arriving unannounced to visit Spears and that both he and staffers adhered strictly to hospital policy during the brief stop.

The TV doctor reiterated those comments on Monday's CBS Early Show.

McGraw said that in addition to Lynne, who remained in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, throughout the ordeal with pregnant 16-year-old daughter Jamie Lynn, he also spoke to Spears' father and brother, all of whom chafed at her being released as soon as she was.

"I went to see Britney at the request of her family, I talked to Lynne, I talked to Jamie, I talked to Bryan, her brother," he said. "They were very frustrated that she apparently wasn't going to be held for a longer period of time."

In the CBS interview, which airs in its entirety on Entertainment Tonight, he said Spears' mother phoned him shortly after the "Gimme More" purveyor was transported via ambulance to the hospital.

"Thursday night, the phone rang, and it was Lynne—she has a very close relationship with my wife, Robin—and, clearly, she was very upset, which you would expect, as any parent would be."

Meanwhile, Spears has already hightailed it out of Los Angeles and was spotted Saturday morning, just hours after her release from the hospital, having brunch with new paparazzo pal Adnan Ghalbi in Palm Desert, just outside Palm Springs.

According to Vegas Confidential, which first reported the sighting, Spears and Ghalbi, with whom she was spotted checking in at several L.A. hotels in the week prior to her hospitalization, spent about an hour eating out and drinking mimosas, and Spears was said to be in a "really good mood."

Extra has since spotted the duo patrolling the streets of Santa Barbara.

While reports of her imbibing alcohol so soon after her release may raise a few eyebrows, People reported that during her hospital stay, at least, she remained alcohol and illegal drug free.

Spears reportedly tested clean during her stay, contradicting initial police reports from Thursday night that the singer was under the influence of an unknown substance during her hours-long custody standoff. (Police on Friday reversed that early pronouncement and said there was no evidence she was under the influence.)

A source also denied to People rumors that there was a gun present in Spears' home when she locked herself in a room with one-year-old son Jayden.

Meanwhile, Seacrest also spoke over the weekend to longtime Spears pal Sam Lutfi, who expressed concern for the singer and, despite the fact that he said upon Spears' release that she was doing "a lot better," said he had yet to see her in person since last week's incident.


Copyright © 2008 E! Online, Inc. All rights reserved.
]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_7/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_7/ Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:31:05 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_7/ The forecast is for a longer, deeper home-price slump than previously expected, with double-digit declines in many markets.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The United States is deep in its worst housing slump since the Great Depression, and according to a new report, it's not going to get better any time soon.

In a new survey, Moody's Economy.com says many metro areas will record losses of 20 percent or more during the downturn, with the national median price for single-family homes dropping 13 percent through early 2009. Factoring in discount offers from sellers, the actual price decline would be well over 15 percent.

Eighty of the 381 metro areas covered by the report will record double-digit losses, according to the report. Most of the worst-hit markets are in once high-flying areas, such as California and Florida.

The steep losses were bound to arrive sometime. Throughout the housing slump, which began in the summer of 2006, experts kept expecting prices to tumble, but it wasn't until recently that they dropped substantially, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com.

"There has been a sea change in seller psychology since the subprime shock this summer," he said. "Sellers now realize they have to drop their prices to make a sale and prices are coming down very rapidly in some markets."

One such place is Punta Gorda, Fla. In Moody's outlook, prices there will undergo the steepest correction of any U.S. market. From their peak during the first three months of 2006, to their bottom, forecast for the second quarter of 2009, prices will decline 35.3 percent. That's in nominal dollars; adjusted for inflation, the loss will be even greater.

Other metro areas expected to go through crushing price drops include: Stockton, Calif., where prices are forecast to drop 31.6 percent, Modesto, Calif. (-31.3 percent), Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (-30.4 percent) and Naples, Fla. (-29.6 percent).

The worst hit market outside the Sun Belt is expected to be Ocean City, N.J. where prices will fall 24.9 percent, according to Moody's. Prices in St. George, Utah (-21.8 percent), Grand Junction, Colo. (-18.9 percent) and Atlantic City, N.J. (-18.6 percent) will also suffer. In the Washington, D.C. metro area, Moody's forecasts a decline of 18.4 percent.

Home prices are being pulled down by an even more severe decline in home sales, which Moody's expects to bottom out in early 2008, when unit sales will be down more than 40 percent from their peak.

Home builders continued to add to inventory even as the slump got well under way, contributing to what is now an 11-month back-log of homes for sale, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Many of these homes are sitting completely empty: The Census Bureau reported a total of 2.1 million vacant homes for sale. Vacant homes add pressure on prices because owners of these houses are usually more willing to slash prices to move the properties. They cost out-of-pocket cash each month while providing neither income nor shelter.

Even though home construction has now contracted severely - the Census Bureau reported Tuesday that new housing starts were down to an annualized rate of 1.187 million units in November, the lowest in 16 years - it will take time to work through the excess inventory.

The housing slump will have a substantial impact on the overall economy, according to Moody's, which says it will depress real gross domestic product by more than a percentage point this year and by 1.5 percentage points in 2008.

Speculative investment in the mid-2000s helped fuel the current slump. Zandi pointed out that 16 percent of mortgage originations during 2005 were for non-owner-occupied housing, twice the number of a few years earlier.

"And that's a very conservative estimate of investor demand," he said. "Many home buyers lied on their mortgage applications." That's because interest rates are lower for owner/occupied dwellings.

Buying for investment was especially prevalent in many resort areas, such as Ocean City, N.J. Many buyers were betting they could hold onto the property for a short time and sell it for a quick profit, a difficult feat to finesse, considering the high transactional costs. Many speculators came late to the party and got caught in the slump. Now their properties are adding to mountainous inventories.

Another factor was excessive new home construction, especially in once hot markets. As prices skyrocketed, builders rushed to take advantage of the increases, contributing to the now high inventories.

Also adding homes to markets was the increase in foreclosure filings. When lenders take back properties, they put them back on the markets. Foreclosures have just about doubled this year.

For the slump to end, much of the excess inventory will have to be worked through. Zandi doesn't envision that happening much before 2010, which he forecasts to be a very modest recovery year with low, single-digit growth.]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_8/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_8/ Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:54:31 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_8/
Tilghman was laughing during the exchange Friday with analyst Nick Faldo at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, and Woods' agent at IMG said he didn't think there was any ill intent.

But the comments became prevalent on news shows Wednesday, and the Rev. Al Sharpton joined the fray by demanding she be fired immediately. Golf Channel didn't know who would replace Tilghman in the booth this week at the Sony Open or next week at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

``There is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this,'' Golf Channel said in a statement.

Tilghman became golf's first female anchor last year when the PGA Tour signed a 15-year deal in which Golf Channel broadcasts the first three events of the year, weekday coverage of all tour events, and full coverage of the Fall Series and opposite-field events.

The suspension ends in time for the Buick Invitational on Jan. 24, when Woods will make his 2008 debut.

Faldo and Tilghman were discussing young players who could challenge the world's No. 1 player toward the end of Friday's broadcast at Kapalua when Faldo suggested that ``to take Tiger on, maybe they should just gang up for a while.''

``Lynch him in a back alley,'' Tilghman replied.

``While we believe that Kelly's choice of words was inadvertent and that she did not intend them in an offensive manner, the words were hurtful and grossly inappropriate,'' Golf Channel said in its statement. ``Consequently, we have decided to suspend Kelly for two weeks, effective immediately.''

Woods and Tilghman have known each other 12 years. She was picked to host a club demonstration with Woods in south Florida when he talked about new products from Nike Golf.

Tilghman was helped when Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent at IMG, said it was a non-issue and considered the matter ``case closed.''

``Tiger and Kelly are friends, and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly,'' Steinberg said Tuesday night in a statement released by Golf Channel. ``Regardless of the choice of words used, we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments.''

Tilghman had said in a previous statement she apologized directly to Woods, and the immediate support from Woods' camp was critical.

After Woods won the 1997 Masters at age 21 to become its youngest champion, Fuzzy Zoeller referred to him as ``that little boy,'' and suggested that Woods not serve fried chicken or collard greens, ``or whatever the hell they serve,'' at the Champions Dinner.

Woods, who had a different management team in his first full season, did not respond for three days to Zoeller's apology, and it took Zoeller years to recover from the fallout.

Tilghman's comment made the rounds Wednesday on TV shows such as CNN's Headline News, and it was prominently discussed on blogs and message boards on the Internet. It also was a topic on the practice range at the Sony Open.

"I'm sure Kelly wishes she never said that,'' Jim Furyk said. ``I haven't spoken with Tiger, but I've been told that they've had their talk and they've discussed it. Anything I say is kind of just like pouring salt in the wound at this point. Obviously, she would love to not have said that and for it not to be news. I'm glad that her and Tiger spoke.''

Fred Funk only heard about the comment Wednesday morning.

``There was no ill intent at all,'' he said. ``I think it was just a slip, and they said that Tiger has already forgiven her. I think when you're in the TV tower for that many hours, you're going to wish you didn't say some things probably, and that was one thing that slipped out. I think you've got to give them a little grace.

``Her integrity, how Kelly is respected out here, is pretty good. I think Tiger really likes Kelly, so that helped squash it. Because Tiger could have run off with that if he took it the wrong way. But he didn't, so that was good.''

Before her suspension was announced, Sharpton spoke earlier on CNN's ``Prime News'' and continued to push for her firing, saying he wanted to meet with Golf Channel because the comments were ``an insult to all blacks.''

``Lynching is not murder in general, it's not assault in general,'' Sharpton said. ``It's a specific racial term that this women should be held accountable for. What she said is racist. Whether she's a racist ... is immaterial. She's a broadcaster. The channel has to be accountable to the public.''
]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_9/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_9/ Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:56:46 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_9/
Prosecutors allege that Simpson, identifying himself as "Miguel," telephoned Clarence "C.J." Stewart on Nov. 16 and expressed frustration with Stewart's testimony at a preliminary hearing, court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said.

That was two days after a Las Vegas justice of the peace ruled that Simpson, Stewart and another co-defendant should stand trial on 12 charges, including kidnapping and robbery.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger was filing a motion Friday to revoke Simpson's bail, according to a court clerk.

Simpson was to go before a judge Wednesday.

"We understand he's in the custody of his bail bondsman in Florida right now and will be brought to Las Vegas for the hearing," said Elana Pitaro, a clerk for District Court Judge Jackie Glass.

A bail bondsman at You Ring We Spring bail bonds in North Las Vegas declined to comment.

Simpson was freed Sept. 19 on $125,000 bail following his arrest on allegations he and several friends burst into a Las Vegas hotel room and robbed two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Simpson has maintained that he was retrieving items that belonged to him. He and the two other men are scheduled to stand trial April 7.

His lawyer, Yale Galanter, did not return phone messages seeking comment.]]> http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_10/ http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_10/ Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:58:10 -0500 admin1 http://www.blackpeopleone.com/article/article_10/ Filed under: blackspin

In the old days, the Rev. Jesse Jackson's annual Wall Street Project gala was held on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

This week, the 11th annual event had to settle for a fancy New York hotel ballroom, but that didn't stop Angie Stone and other artists from doing their thang to raise money to bring diversity to Wall St.

This year, Jackson's conference focused on the financial crisis that could send America spiraling into a devastating depression. Recently, Jackson has been urging Wall St. to get a grip on the subprime mortgage crisis. According to Jackson, the project has brought underserved communities into the economic mainstream.

The Wall Street Project has also long promoted better hiring and promotion practices in industry for minorities, the appointment of larger numbers of minorities to corporate boards, and increased business and cooperation between majority- and minority-owned companies.]]>