Artist: Absolute Beginner
Genre(s):
Rap: Hip-Hop
Discography:
Bambule
Year: 1998
Tracks: 10
Rapper Warren G arrested on drug-related
Thursday 26 June 2008
Absolute Beginner
Artist: Absolute Beginner
Genre(s):
Rap: Hip-Hop
Discography:
Bambule
Year: 1998
Tracks: 10
Rapper Warren G arrested on drug-related
Wednesday 18 June 2008
Biz watches AFTRA-studio cliffhanger
Questions could be answered as last day of talks closes
It was as tense and dramatic as any primetime drama's season finale: The industry was left in a holding pattern Tuesday, waiting for word about whether AFTRA had inked a deal on its primetime TV contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.
The contract expires June 30, and Tuesday marked the last day of talks for AFTRA and the producers, with SAG waiting in the wings to restart its negotiations today.
No deal has been announced as of late Tuesday afternoon, but questions abound: Will there be yet another changing of the guard, with AFTRA not reaching a deal and SAG swooping in today to pick up where it left off on its formal talks? Or will AFTRA ask SAG to postpone its talks, just as SAG had done with its sister union during its 18 days of negotiations, which ended May 6? And if so, will SAG graciously say yes or refuse to give up its date with the AMPTP?
AFTRA and the AMPTP began formal negotiations May 7. Under a news blackout, little information about the talks has come out during the past 16 days other than two updates sent by AFTRA president Roberta Reardon to members and a "basic facts" message posted on the AMPTP's Web site.
In both, Reardon said that while progress had been made, the talks had not gone as smoothly as many watchers had expected, citing similar stumbling blocks SAG had revealed following its negotiating sessions with the producers.
The biggest roadblock for both unions is the re-use of actors' clips by the studios without individual consent. The AMPTP has proposed that an online clip library be established to combat the increasing Internet piracy of such excerpts while at the same time generating revenue. But administratively, the requirement to get consent from each actor to use those clips would be overwhelming.
"Under the rules of the existing SAG and AFTRA contracts -- rules which originated 50 years ago -- clips from the library, even those lasting only a few seconds, can only be used if the producer 'bargains' separately with every performer in the clip and reaches an agreement to pay each performer at least the day pay minimum of $759," the AMPTP said in a statement posted May 20 on its Web site. "This could require the producer to bargain hundreds or thousands of times with an individual performer over clips from a single series or feature. Hundreds of thousands of separate negotiations would be required to clear a library."
Reardon told members in a message this Sunday that the union's negotiating committee is standing firm in protecting members rights while "trying to think out of the box in order to reach pragmatic resolutions."
Reardon later added, "AFTRA is focused on working with employers to find a creative solution that will protect our members' images while at the same time encouraging the growth of the new market."
SAG also has indicated its willingness to work with the AMPTP, saying it's ready to return to the bargaining table, but it has issued stronger statements about giving up consent.
"They (AMPTP members) are now seeking to reach back into their vaults and release nonpromotional clips and sell them for use in various new-media platforms," SAG said in a statement to members last week. "As proposed, they want to use clips form all motion pictures and television shows produced to date and into through the future without your consent.
"While the companies have proposed nominal, nonnegotiable payments for the use, your right to consent and negotiate would be gone if we accept this proposal."
With the clip issue surfacing, the uncertainty of a deal has left most in the industry worried that another strike is imminent. Already, many studios are operating under de facto conditions by not scheduling any productions after June 30.
In the meantime, SAG has inked deals for guaranteed completion contracts with such indie producers as Yari Film Group and the Film Department. Under the agreements, SAG promises not to strike their productions in the event of an actor walkout.
See Also
Monday 9 June 2008
BET Networks Provides Comprehensive Coverage of Historic 2008 Presidential Campaign On-Air and Online
BET News Special "OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS" To
Be Re-Broadcast on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.*
BET.com's DECISION '08 Site Offers Informative Analysis and Updates from
the Campaigns, Including Blogs, Polls, Exclusive Videos and More
NEW YORK, June 4 -- In support of this year's historic
presidential race, BET will be re-airing the BET News special OBAMA'S
JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30
p.m.* BET News will also be covering reactions to Obama's nomination with
news briefs throughout the day, culminating with the news special.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )
OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS originally aired on
BET on Tuesday, June 3, following BET's LIVE broadcast of Barack Obama's
groundbreaking speech regarding his win of the Democratic nomination.
OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS explores Obama's
path to becoming the Democratic front-runner in the race for President of
the United States. The special recalls the most memorable moments of this
historic campaign and features commentary from a number of entertainers and
opinion leaders, as well as video and interviews from the campaign trail
and beyond.
In addition to this informative news special, BET Networks is providing
its audiences with extensive coverage of this landmark development in the
2008 presidential election, both on-air and online:
-- YOU(th) VOTE! -- BET Networks' multiplatform initiative for Black
youth to discuss, debate and actively participate in this momentous
race to the White House broke the news of Obama's likely nomination
at 6:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 3 with a post "Yes We Did," followed
by another post stressing the influence of young people's involvement
in Obama's win in "Dear Young American, YOUR VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD."
-- Another post will be set up today outlining the next steps for the
election and looking at which candidate will be more viable in the
eyes of young America.
-- On-air, there will be a YOU(th) VOTE!-branded blast noting Obama's
monumental nomination, giving the youth an opportunity to sound-off
on their thoughts on YOU(th) VOTE!
-- YOU(th) VOTE! Blog - Four college students blog daily, giving their
unique points of view on the presidential campaign and how the
national issues being debated are impacting pop culture, their lives
and life, more broadly, on their college campuses and in their
communities.
-- Pamela on Politics -- The blog by Pamela Gentry, Senior Political
Producer, BET News, will provide daily, up-to-the-minute, close-up
coverage of the presidential campaign.
-- Weekly Polls -- Weekly polls will survey our users on the hot-button
issues of the day.
-- Barack Obama Timeline -- An interactive timeline will detail defining
moments in Obama's life -- from his youth in Hawaii through his
collegiate years to his work as an activist and organizer and his life
as husband, father, elected official and presidential candidate.
-- McCain vs. Obama -- Users will be given an opportunity to rate the
political positions of the Obama and McCain campaign on key issues such
as affirmative action, health care, foreign policy, trade, etc.
-- The Running Mate Photo Gallery -- Who will be Vice President? Potential
Republican and Democratic Party vice presidential candidates will be
featured with short blurbs about their service and a poll that will
allows users to rate each one.
-- Video -- Missed it on TV? BET News video from the campaign trail and
other related political coverage will be available for the BET audience
to watch online. BET News will also offer exclusive political coverage
online.
All of BET Networks' presidential election coverage will be promoted on
BET's DECISION '08 site: http://www.bet.com/news/decision08.
*All times ET/PT
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the
nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public
affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The
primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to
Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the
Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a
diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet
destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital
Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for
cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale
event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a
collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs
and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video
content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET
network programming for global distribution.
See Also
Be Re-Broadcast on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.*
BET.com's DECISION '08 Site Offers Informative Analysis and Updates from
the Campaigns, Including Blogs, Polls, Exclusive Videos and More
NEW YORK, June 4 -- In support of this year's historic
presidential race, BET will be re-airing the BET News special OBAMA'S
JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30
p.m.* BET News will also be covering reactions to Obama's nomination with
news briefs throughout the day, culminating with the news special.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )
OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS originally aired on
BET on Tuesday, June 3, following BET's LIVE broadcast of Barack Obama's
groundbreaking speech regarding his win of the Democratic nomination.
OBAMA'S JOURNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE: TOP TEN MOMENTS explores Obama's
path to becoming the Democratic front-runner in the race for President of
the United States. The special recalls the most memorable moments of this
historic campaign and features commentary from a number of entertainers and
opinion leaders, as well as video and interviews from the campaign trail
and beyond.
In addition to this informative news special, BET Networks is providing
its audiences with extensive coverage of this landmark development in the
2008 presidential election, both on-air and online:
-- YOU(th) VOTE! -- BET Networks' multiplatform initiative for Black
youth to discuss, debate and actively participate in this momentous
race to the White House broke the news of Obama's likely nomination
at 6:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 3 with a post "Yes We Did," followed
by another post stressing the influence of young people's involvement
in Obama's win in "Dear Young American, YOUR VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD."
-- Another post will be set up today outlining the next steps for the
election and looking at which candidate will be more viable in the
eyes of young America.
-- On-air, there will be a YOU(th) VOTE!-branded blast noting Obama's
monumental nomination, giving the youth an opportunity to sound-off
on their thoughts on YOU(th) VOTE!
-- YOU(th) VOTE! Blog - Four college students blog daily, giving their
unique points of view on the presidential campaign and how the
national issues being debated are impacting pop culture, their lives
and life, more broadly, on their college campuses and in their
communities.
-- Pamela on Politics -- The blog by Pamela Gentry, Senior Political
Producer, BET News, will provide daily, up-to-the-minute, close-up
coverage of the presidential campaign.
-- Weekly Polls -- Weekly polls will survey our users on the hot-button
issues of the day.
-- Barack Obama Timeline -- An interactive timeline will detail defining
moments in Obama's life -- from his youth in Hawaii through his
collegiate years to his work as an activist and organizer and his life
as husband, father, elected official and presidential candidate.
-- McCain vs. Obama -- Users will be given an opportunity to rate the
political positions of the Obama and McCain campaign on key issues such
as affirmative action, health care, foreign policy, trade, etc.
-- The Running Mate Photo Gallery -- Who will be Vice President? Potential
Republican and Democratic Party vice presidential candidates will be
featured with short blurbs about their service and a poll that will
allows users to rate each one.
-- Video -- Missed it on TV? BET News video from the campaign trail and
other related political coverage will be available for the BET audience
to watch online. BET News will also offer exclusive political coverage
online.
All of BET Networks' presidential election coverage will be promoted on
BET's DECISION '08 site: http://www.bet.com/news/decision08.
*All times ET/PT
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the
nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public
affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The
primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to
Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the
Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a
diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet
destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital
Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for
cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale
event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a
collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs
and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video
content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET
network programming for global distribution.
See Also
Sunday 1 June 2008
Lily Allen - Allen Slams Unprofessional Paparazzi
LILY ALLEN has hit out at the photographers who took topless pictures of her while she was on holiday in France - insisting there is "nothing professional about them".
The Smile singer was snapped relaxing in only a pair of blue bikini bottoms at a French resort during the Cannes International Film Festival last week (beg19May08) - and her semi-naked form quickly made the headlines.
The star claims she is not ashamed of sunbathing topless, but insists there is nothing noble about being a prying paparazzo.
She writes on her MySpace internet page, "Occasionally I drink wine with lunch and yes I swim topless, this in my book is not embarrassing behaviour.
"I'm 23 years old, it's not my fault if photographers follow me everywhere and need a story to print with their pointless pictures. I wish digital cameras hadn't been invented, if these photographers had to pay for film, it wouldn't be worth their time. There is nothing professional about them, most of them look like they wouldn't be out of place at a BNP (British National Party) meeting."
And Allen goes on to deny stories that she was ejected from Formula One boss Flavio Briatore's yacht for drunken behaviour.
She adds, "I don't really like to respond to things I read about my self in the press but, for the record, I was not thrown off anybody's yacht in Cannes."
See Also
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