Hollywood Pays Black Men Big But Not Black Women

Will Smith made the most money of any Hollywood movie star in 2007, $80 million, and Eddie Murphy was in third place right behind Johnny Depp with $55 million, but no black women were in the top ten Hollywood women movie star wage earners. Unfortunately, Hallie Berry's 2004 Catwoman debacle probably does not help this situation much [we love you Hallie].

Hollywood's Top Earners

Actors .......................................................Actresses

1. Will Smith $80 million..........................1. Cameron Diaz $50 million
2. Johnny Depp $72 million......................2. Keira Knightley $32 million
3. Eddie Murphy $55 million.....................3. Jennifer Aniston $27 million
4. Mike Myers $55 million.........................4. Reese Witherspoon $25 million
5. Leonardo DiCaprio $45 million..............5. Gwyneth Paltrow $25 million
6. Bruce Willis $41 million.........................6. Jodie Foster $23 million
7. Ben Stiller $40 million...........................7. Sarah Jessica Parker $18 million
8. Nicolas Cage $38 million........................8. Meryl Streep $16 million
9. Will Ferrell............................................9. Amy Adams $14.5 million
10. Adam Sandler.....................................10. Angelina Jolie $14 million

Sources: Forbes magazine, NY Daily News 7/23/08

Did You Know Budweiser Beer is made from Rice?

Neither did we. Though the brothers prefer the stronger malt liquors (more bang for the buck), you will not find a better tasting domestic beer than Bud. Smooth. Yet in reading about the recent purchase of Anheuser-Busch by Belgium firm InBev in The Wall Street Journal, it was noted that, "unlike most beers, Anheuser-Busch uses rice in its brewing process."

Now that does not mean that hops and barley are not used, but we don't really know all the ingredients in A-B products. We do know that InBev will not change those ingredients. A-B is based in St. Louis, Missouri and A-B has two large rice mills in Jonesboro, Arkansas (the other is in California) and most of the rice grown within a 90-mile radius around Jonesboro ends up in Budweiser beer. Seventeen percent of the nation's rice goes to beer producting.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Upcoming Movies To Watch Out For

By Holly Wood

1) Tropic Thunder: Ben Stiller vehicle where actors find themselves in a real war zone. Robert Downey, Jr plays a black man. August 6, 2008

2) Watchmen: Tale of superheroes with real-life problems. March 6, 2009

3) Star Trek: Examines the early days of James T. Kirt and the crew of the USS Enterprise. May 8, 2009

4) Terminator Salvation: Christian Bale Is future soldier John Conner. May 22, 2009

5) Max Payne: Mark Wahlberg is the cold blooded sharp shooter in this video game adaptation. October 2008

and lastly but not leastly and probably my favorite:

6) The Day the Earth Stood Still: Keanu Reeves as Klaatu in the remake of the 1951 class. December 12, 2008.

Trailer

The 2008 remake about an alien and his indestructible robot will star (Keanu Reeves) as Klaatu, Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson, (Jaden Smith) as Jacob, and (Kathy Bates). Gort has not been cast at this time and will most likely be created using FX.The remake of (The Day the Earth Stood Still) will supposedly remain true to the original movie, however there is a chance the remake will more likely remain true to the short story upon which the 1951 movie is based. In either case the alien 'weaponry' seems to have been upgraded. In addition to a city going dark, and a very brief look at the new Gort, the film trailer shows a cloud of black smoke, capable of rapid movement and disintegrating matter on contact.In the 1951 movie, Gort is described as one of a race of robots created by the planets to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. If the 2008 remake follows the short story by (Harry Bates), "Farewell to the Master" upon which the 1951 movie is based, it will be revealed at the end of the movie by Gort himself that he is the master, and not Klaatu. (IMDb)

Janet Jackson's Breast Ruled 'Decent' By Federal Court on Technicality

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia ruled the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing a $550,00 fine against CBS for the split second television exposure of Janet Jackson's breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

The 3rd Circuit judges rules that the FCC deviated from its long-held approach of applying identical standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency. The court found that:

"The Commission's determination that CBS's broadcast of a nine-sixteenths of one second glimpse of a bare female breat [with the nipple covered] was actionably indecent evidenced the agency's departure from its prior policy."

The court recognized the impossibility of completely blocking all fleeting material during live broadcasts. Justin Timberlake participated in the now infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' when he pulled the cup from Jackson's bustier.

Kim Wayans Shows Green Chops On "Planet Green"

Kim Wayans, left, appeared on "Planet Green," hosted by Tom Bergeron, right, and shared that she became interested in green issues after she was diagnosed with mercury poisoning. She said she took off a year to cleanse the toxic metal out of her system. Speaking on nuclear power, Kim Wayans said 'they' would dump nuclear waste in minority neighborhoods. The Western Shoshonee would agree. We would not. Give us a call Kim and we would be happy to arrange a tour. She also talked about organic clothes. She was wearing her organic clothes.

Ms. Wayans appeared on the "supperclub" segment of the show. The informal (wine glassses on table) setting was in a panel style and several issues were discussed, including global warming. She plugged her children's book and her one woman show now in New York and Detroit.

Planet Green Host Maria Menounos Got Obama Family Interview

She is a reporter for "Access Hollywood" and a host for the "Hollywood Green" segment of the new show "Planet Green." Her name is Maria Menounos and she got the interview in which Obama and wife Michelle allowed daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, to participate. The interview was spread out in four parts and was conducted when the Obamas were in Montana on July 4.

We agree that it was a very good interview. We also agree with Barack Obama that he would not do it again. A spontaneous moment lasts forever in television and internet land and Senator Obama probably realized after the fact that he did not want to make superstars out of his 10 and 7 years olds just yet. Smart choice. As the senator has made many smart choices.

Hey senator, put in a good word to get us on that "Planet Green" show.

The Latest From Sly Stone: The Day AFTER Earth Day

Hip Pop

Ebony Lists The 25 Coolest Brothers of All Time

Ebony magazine, one of the world's great publications, along with Black Enterprise magazine, is issuing 8 covers for its August issue with 8 different 'coolest brothers.' They include:

1) Muhammad Ali, 2) Marvin Gaye, 3) Samuel Jackson, 4) Jay-Z, 5) Senator Barack Obama, 6) Prince, 7) Denzel Washington and 8) Billy Dee Williams.

Byron Monroe writes for Ebony:

"Black cool has been pursued but never captured. Imitated but never really quite understood. Over the past threee months and nearly a dozen meetings and discussions, the dietors of Ebony sought to identify the 25 Coolest Black Men of our time. We scoured the archives, polled the staff and identified more than 80 names of Brothers who we thought, in their prime, might qualify. We lobbied and we aregued. We even fought over the very definition of cool. Is it how they look? The walk? The confidence? In the end, we decided that there is no single definition of cool. It is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder."

The others included: 9) Don Cheadle, 10) Sidney Poitier, 11) Quincy Jones, 12) Lenny Kravitz, 13) Jimi Hendrix, 14) Richard Roundtree, 15) Sammy Davis, Jr, 16) Bob Marley, 17) Ed Bradley, 18) Tupac Shakur, 19) Adam Clayton Powerll, Jr., 20) Gordon Parks, 21) Miles Davis, 22) Walt Frazier, 23) Malcolm X, 24) Snoop Dogg, and 25) Michael Jordan.

Washington Kastles - World Team Tennis

By Environment Man

The Washington Kastles is the newest of the 10 other 'teams' in the World Team Tennis league, which was co-founded by Billie Jean King. Opening night was Tuesday, July 8 and not only did Billie Jean King attend, Serena Williams was there fresh from her Wimbledon loss to her big sister on Saturday. Serena is actually on the Washington Kastles team because each team reserves one roster spot for a 'marquee player.'

In World Team Tennis games are scored 1-2-3-4 with first to 4 winning the game. Winning a set is winning five games and winning a match is the score of the most total points from each set. So if a player wins a set 5-3, the winning player's team will be awarded five points and the losing team will be awarded three points. World Team Tennis plays 14 matches (seven at home) during the month of July. Matches include men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

I do not like the different colors on the court. That has to be somewhat distracting for the players and it simply does not look as good as a single color, preferably blue or green.

Love the tennis facility and the location though: right in the heart of Washington, D.C. at 11th and H Streets and New York Avenue N.W.

By the way, the Kastles lost but Serena won two of her three events (women's singles and women's doubles--she lost in the mixed doubles). The Boston Lobsters beat the Washington Kastles 22-19.

Cheyenne Woods: Tiger's Niece Playing for Wake Forest

Tiger Woods is Cheyenne Woods uncle. Earl Woods Sr. was Cheyenne's grandfather and her first golf mentor. Earl Woods died in 2006. Cheyenne Woods is one of the best female high school golfers in the country and has decided to attend Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (the alma mater of our president). Cheyenne Woods is a two-time Arizona state high school champion and she plans to major in psychology at Wake Forest.

Cheyenne Woods, right, helped Phoenix Xavier High to four straight championships. Cheyenne Woods was ranked No. 51 in the junior girls rankings by Golfweek after winning her second straight Arizona 5-A high school title at Xavier. She also has won the American Junior Golf Association Nike Golf Junior, the Big I Junior Classic and two U.S. Kids Golf World Championships.

CNN Presents: "Black in America"

On Wednesday, July 23 at 9pm and Thurdsday, July 24 at 9 pm, CNN will premier a series, 'Black" in America.' The first day the series will focus on examining issues, success and struggles of the black men, women and familes and the second day is dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America.

Soledad O'Brien explores the varied experiences of black women and families and investigates the reasons behind the disturbing statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom and the devastating toll of the HIV/AIDS. O'Brien reports on the progress of black women in the workplace, in universities and the status of the black middle class. Premieres in HDTV on Wednesday, July 23, 9 p.m. ET.

It is reported in the series that "companies in the U.S. have said they would hire a white man with a felony record and no high school education BEFORE they would hire a black man with NO criminal record and a 4-year degree?"

Jesse Johnson recorded a song in the 1980's that probably captures this program pretty well. I hope they use it in the piece. See the clip below.

Dick Gregory, Paul Mooney & Franklyn Ajaye on Tour

Do not miss your chance to see three of the greatest, most influential comics in the world September 19th at 8:30 when Paul Mooney, Dick Gregory and Franklyn Ajaye share the stage for the first time at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Tickets are on sale thru Ticketmaster. Would you or your business like to be a sponsor for this show and get your product/services out to thousands of people thru our advertisements, fliers and e-mails. If interested please contact: info@riotactentertainment.com or call us at (202) 625-6229 as many packages are still available and are very economical. This is a great time with the election so close.

Dick Gregory is a founding board member of AAEA and he is still our biggest role model to this day. Keep it up Dick. You have been schooling America forever. And thanks again for all of your help throughout the years. We would not exist with you.

Contact: Riot Act Entertainment 4004 Edmunds Street NW #1 WDC 20007

HANCOCK: Great Movie with Unreasonable Reviews

By Alan Smithee

I read four bad reviews in major publications before I saw the movie "Hancock." They complained about a major plot twist. They complained about the character. They complained about the movie as a whole and predicted a flop for Big Willie. Fortunately, they are completely wrong on EVERY count. Yet when I finally saw the movie, I was shocked at the possible source of the negative reactions of the critics.

The critics did not like the movie because it was an interracial love story. Worse, for them, Will kisses Charlize Theron, a major taboo in Hollywood for irrational fear that it will hurt box office in the heartland (and elsewhere). Yet even in this kiss there is a contrivance just as there was with the first interracial television kiss in 1967 between Captain Kirk and Uhura (he was forced to and looked at the tormenter instead of engaging in the passionate kiss). The Krytonite mechanism kicked in between Smith and Theron and he was repelled completely out of the house into some parked cars outside. Talk about taboo. Even the biggest Hollywood star in the world still cannot just kiss a white woman.

Yet we predict that this movie will be a HUGE hit because it is not only a wonderful movie, it is like no other superhero movie you have ever seen. This comedy turns into a drama during the second half. The critics hated that for some reason (or the reason I listed). The plot twist is a major source of strength in the movie, not a weakness. Then there is a twist within the twist. That is that Will is married to Charlize but they cannot be together because they are Kryptonite to each other. Awesome. And an interesting mechanism for the sequel.

Miller & Coors Merge: Beer Ownership Changing

London-based SABMiller and Denver-based Molson Coors, agreed in October to merge the U.S. and Puerto Rico operations of Milwaukee-based Miller Brewing Co. and Golden, Colorado-based Coors Brewing Company into MillerCoors in an effort to better compete with dominant domestic brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc, of St. Louis, Missouri. Both SABMiller and Molson Coors sell beer throughout Europe and European regulators already have given their approval. The merger cleared the Justice Department and became effective on July 1, 2008.

Interestingly, although the merger is to more effeectively compete with Anheuser-Busch, that company is struggling and fighting a hostile takeover by InBev NV, which made a $46.35 billion takeover bid on June 11. Anheuser-Bush just took a $300-$400 million charge in the fourth quarter from a planned early retirement program. It is cutting pension and health benefits. They plan to cut 1,000 jobs, raise beer prices and buy back more of its shares. Overall Anheuser-Busch intends to cut $1 billon in costs by 2010. (The Business Journal, 7/5/08, The Wall Street Journal, 7/1/08)

Al Bell Honored by National Black Chamber of Commerce

This year's recipient of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Arthur A. Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award will be Al Bell, right. Mr. Bell has had a remarkable career in the music industry and has become known as the Unsung Hero. The 16th Annual Convention for the NBCC is July 23 - 26, 2008 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, LA. The Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, LA has officially sold out and overflow is being directed to the sister hotel, Chateau Sonesta Hotel, located at 800 Iberville Street which is just two blocks away. Call now before they sell out at 1-504-586-0800.

The NBCC will recognize Al Bell's achievements and thank him for developing a vast amount of talent under the STAX label. Artists such as Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, Staples Singers, Emotions, Dramatics, Johnny Taylor and many, many more carried us through the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War Era. Mr. Bell was the "glue that held it all together." Go meet this legend in New Orleans, July 23 - 26, 2008.