YouTube Partners with Warner Brothers

Warner Music Group will distribute and license its copyrighted songs and videos through YouTube in a revenue-sharing deal that will inject needed capital into the young, money poor company. YouTube wants to cut similar deals with other media outlets and already has a deal with NBC to promote television this fall.

YouTube wants to remain independent even though they could probably sell the service for billions right now. YouTube and Warner will make money from the ads placed next to Warner's videos as well as other copyrighted amateur videos. YouTube developed a royalty-tracking system that detects when homemade videos are using copyrighted material and will enable Warner Music to monitor and decide whether to support videos.

Hollywood Celebrities Oppose Plans for LNG Facility

The Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility is being proposed by BHP Billiton, which wants to locate the terminal 15 miles off the coast of Malibu. Opponents are trying to kill the project by complaining that the terminal fails to meet federal clean air requirements. Pierce Brosnan, Barbra Streisand, Cindy Crawford, Martin Sheen, Tom Hanks, Sting and Charlize Theron and other celebrities are protesting plans to build the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing a draft air pollution permit for BHP but is still reviewing public comments and will make a decision in 2007. The Malibu City Council passed a resolution opposing the project.

AAEA supports this project. Where are these celebrities when these projects are being proposed for minority neighborhoods. Nowhere to be found. It is a good project for the residents of California. We support a similar that is proposed to be located in the middle of Long Island Sound (Broadwater). We believe this project would provide a reliable source of low-polluting natural gas. Next the celebrities will be complaining that the project represents a disproportionate impact on rich, famous people and will be calling for environmental justice.

BHP Billiton, an Australia-based company, has submitted an license application to construct a $800-million floating deep-water liquefied natural gas port terminal off the Ventura County coast. Public hearings by the Coast Guard and the California State Lands Commission will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to participate in the environmental review process, which will take into account economic, environmental, marine habitat and public safety issues. The Cabrillo Deepwater Port, which would act as a receiving point for shipments of California-bound natural gas, would be the first such floating terminal on the West Coast. Stored liquefied natural gas would be converted to vapor through a heat exchange system and transported by an undersea pipeline to existing onshore natural gas facilities. BHP has stated that the terminal would also be placed outside shipping lanes. Once the environmental review process is completed, the Coast Guard will issue a recommendation on the review to the state Department of Transportation, which will ultimately decide whether to issue an operating license to BHP.

MSNBC

LA Times

Pee Wee Herman Does Sly & the Family Stone

Linny Boyette: Today Show Outside Audience Star

Update: Linny Boyette Died on Sunday, October 6, 2013

Every time the camera pans the audience of the 7-10 am "Today" show on NBC, Linny is always there - - cool as ever. He has been there everyday for 12 years except for illness and is retired from the U.S. Army.

 

He is 63, was born in Jamaica and raised in New York and London. He speaks with a deep British accent. We must admit that he has taken a unique path to fame.

AAEA President Norris McDonald was in the "Today" show audience and met Linny, left. Linny is cool with his fans.

Krumping: Hip Hop Meets White Frat Beer Blast Dancing

Krumping is evidently the new dance thing. There always has to be a new dance thing for teenagers. Remember the 'Swim,' 'Watusi,' 'Twist,' 'Breaking,' 'Robot,' 'Electric Slide?' And we thought the 'Dog' had taken over. Krumping is Hip Hop dancing like a spastic clown. Reminds us of white guys ater 10 bears at a keg party. But hey, this is America and hybridization of culture has made for all types of expressions. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Krumping

"Survivor" : More on the Racial Theme

There is a fine line between celebrating your race and taking it to that perverse place Hitler chose. But whites, blacks, Asians and Latinos should be proud of their races. Humans are competitive even to the point of war. Humans are violent even to the point of murder. But perversity and evil-doing are not unique to interracial and inter-ethnic conflicts. Man and woman's inhumanity to man and woman are not limited to race or ethnicity. So racial pride does not have to be evil. As Jim Greene wrote to the New York Daily News, "Competing by race is not racist; it's the same as the Irish cheering St. Patrick's Day, Puerto Ricans cheering their parade, Harlemites cheering Harlem Week, etc."

Well we celebrate race in our organization's name. Proudly so. And we clearly state in our goals that membership is open to anyone interested in working for improvements in the black community. There is one in virtually every city in the U.S. There does appear to be some politicking going on though because the New York City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucuses are assailing "Survivor." Don't they know it makes no sense for them to condemn CBS' racial theme when they created themselves using race and ethnicity.

MTV Video Music Awards & the U.S. Open

By Norris McDonald. I went to the awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, its Red Carpet at Rockefeller Plaza and the U.S. Open on the same day. What a great day. Watched Nadal and Serena win in Arthur Ashe Stadium, left, and Layton Hewitt in the Louis Armstrong Stadium. The facility was named the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Always wanted to attend this event in Flusing Meadows, New York.

Radio City Music Hall did not have good acoustics. Maybe it wasn't designed for amped up rock and rap music. The stars were there: Beyonce, Cristina, JLo, Paris, Pink, Missy, Shakira, Fergie, Jessica and the guy stars were there too: Nick, Justin, Will I Am, Puffy, Jay, Rev Run, Russell, and more. I stayed at the Mayfair Hotel across the street from the Ambassador Theater where Usher was starring in "Chicago."

The Red Carpet was one block away from the side entrances of Radio City Music Hall. I think this takes away fun for the fans because police barriers keep them from roaming between both places. So the people standing outside the hall do not get to see the stars enter because they take a back entrance closer to Rockefeller Plaza. It was my first time at the awards and it was great. Free food and booze off the first floor lobby. The ladies really come out for this event. Lines just to stand outside stretched for blocks. Video screens set up outside. And an opportunity to rub shoulders with luminaries. Al Gore was there too. He is clearly campaigning for the presidency.

I hate to admit it but I had not heard of the following bands that performed or were recognized at the awards: The Killers, Panic at the Disco, The Raconteurs, AFI, and All American Rejects. My 14 year old son knew them all very well though. Does this mean that I am officially old? And Hype Williams is a genius. He received the Video Vanguard Award. I hope to work with him one day.