Freddie Stone: Superstar of Sly & The Family Stone

By Environment Man

Freddie Stone simply does not get the historical credit he deserves. But then again, neither does Jimi Hendrix. Then again, according to Eddie Santiago's biography, "Sly: The Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone," Hendrix used to be an opening act for Freddie & the Family Stone. Although Hendrix gained more fame, Freddie was no less gifted. In fact, Freddie could sing and play rings around Hendrix. Hendrix never really liked his own voice. According to Santiago, Hendrix tried to recruit Larry Graham and Gregg Errico for The Band of Gypsies. Yet no way could Hendrix have integrated his brand of playing into the super funk rock that Freddie anchored with the Family Stone. If Sly was the head and Larry was the heart, Freddie was clearly the lungs of one of the world's true megagroups. He put the air in the head and the heart of the Family Stone.

I caught Freddie twice in 1971 and one thing was clear from that experience: Freddie would carry Sly when Sly was too distracted by, well, you know. It is amazing how much Freddie and his brother looked and sounded alike in their youth. That is how Freddie could carry Sly's vocal parts. But Freddie's guitar work is some of the best musicianship and 'art' ever created. Sometimes when I listen to Stone cuts, I just check out Freddie's riffs. He had that strange playing style but it was perfect for the groups' formula of super funk/rock. Freddie was the first to 'fuzz-it-up' too. Nobody, let me repeat, nobody put the guitar licks in the soup the way Freddie did. He still does it in his latest disc. And with all the talent that was in the Family Stone, Freddie was efficient in delivering the chops. I could list the songs and licks but I recommend you go back and listen for yourself.

Now I doubt the group will ever get back together before one of the principals dies. A whole lot of stuff went down between Freddie and Larry, Freddie and Sly, Larry and Sly and surely among the other members of the band. Probably humanly impossible for them to bury all those hatchets to make wonderful music for their fans again. But we can long for the day. Sly already stumbled around and gave us some joy over the last year or so. I would be willing to bet, that with the right corporate and management backing, this supergroup could raise the roof and burn the joint down just the way they did it forty years ago. We are hearing that Freddie is playing better than ever too. [Fred's MySpace]

No Black People Live in Greensburg, Kansas

By Environment Man

Relax. This is not a complaint, just a casual observation. I recently watched another show about the town in Kansas that was completely destroyed by a Tornado on May 17, 2007 and noticed the basketball team. It featured them winning some type of championship after the gym was rebuilt and there were no black players. This got my interest so I decided to check on the demographics of the town and found that no blacks are listed in the percentages. Greensburg, Kansas is 97% white with the rest being Asians and Hispanics. Of course, according to the 2000 Census, the city has only 1,574 people with 730 households.

I only cover it here because Greensburg is often featured on television as a subject for reality shows as a result of the Greensburg City Council's decision to rebuild the city as a 'green' town. A documentary on its reconstruction, called "Greensburg," has received heavy rotation on the new green network called "Planet Green." So there are no environmental justice issues in Greensburg based on race. No black side of town. No 'soul food' joints. But it sounds like there are plenty of green jobs. And don't forget, Barack Obama's mother was from Kansas. (Wiki)

Reggie Love and Eugene Kang Assist President-Elect Obama

If President-Elect Obama is Morris Day, then Reggie Love, left, is Jerome Benton. And if Love is not available then Eugene Kang is there to assist the Commander-In-Chief-Elect. Do they carry the codes. Not yet and probably never will. Do they assist the most powerful chief executive in the world-to-be to be all he can be? Of course. These two personal assistants are confidants to an incoming United States president.

Reggie Love, 26, attended Duke University where he was a wide receiver on the football team and played on the basketball team.

Eugene Kang, 24, is a political activist who ran for the Ann Arbor City Council and lost. Kang, right, was an assistant and adviser to Obama during the campaign.

Golden Globes 2009: AAEA Hollywood's Best Guesses

By Holly Wood

Our best guesses of which nominees will win a 2009 Golden Globe award at the 66th Annual event.

BEST PICTURE - COMEDY/MUSICAL - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA - Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

BEST ACTOR - COMEDY/MUSICAL - Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY/MUSICAL - Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia"

BEST DIRECTOR - Danny Boyle - "Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST SCREENPLAY - Eric Roth - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - "Gomorrah"

The Golden Globes are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Klaatu Barada Nikto - "The Day The Earth Stood Still"

By Environment Man

The 2008 remake is getting mixed reviews, particularly for leaving out the favorite phrase from the 1951 classic. Yet it has Neo with Gort as a cross between Morpheus and the Sentinels. It has an environmental theme compared to the cold war nuclear holocaust theme of the 20th century film.

It opened at $31 million domestically, taking in $70 million with the international take. With a production budget of $80 million, we would say it is a big hit.

Our favorite 'cool' alien dude, Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, says:

"...if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth. …I came to save the Earth [woman's response--you came to save the Earth from us].”

The globes were arks collecting species. All except humans. The plan was to wipe the Earth clean of the polluting, Earth-destructive humans. This is deep ecology hoowee.

Genetically Organized Robotic Technology [GORT] did not disappoint. He is a cross between 'old GORT and the Silver Surfer. GORT had nano robotic helpers that eat through anything and everything. Gort morphed into countless locust and they ate through the underground military facility. Then they started eating everything. Nano locust. Klaatu stopped the locust and left. Mankind was worth saving after all.

Of course Keanu as Klaatu did his Jesus routine. He walked on water and raised the dead. With 'GREEN' everywhere these days, I guess Klaatu as savior ain't all bad. 'Gort, Klaatu Barada Nikto.'

Shootout Among Top Hollywood Stars On Christmas Day

By Alan Smithee

Whoever comes out on top after the Christmas Day shootout will be perceived as being the number one box office star for 2009.

It's Will Smith vs Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt vs Jim Carey vs Adam Sandler for Christmas 2008. Who will come in first and who will come in fifth in the superstar shootout? Our guess is the listed order except for the Cruise wild card. Do people REALLY want to see an assassination-of-Hitler movie on Christmas? He would have a better chance with Mission Impossible IV.

Will Smith has "7 Pounds." Tom Cruise has "Valkyrie." Brad Pitt has "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Jim Carey has "Yes Man." And Adam Sandler has "Bedtime Stories." WOW. The most interesting ones are "7 Pounds" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." They will also get all of the ladies and men. The two comedies will get the preteens and teens. That does not leave very much for Mr. Cruise. The kids sure aren't going to see a war movie on Christmas Day.

What's Happening Over There At NPR?

By Holly Wood

"News & Notes" has been dropped due to budget cutbacks. We thought Ray Kroc's widow left NPR about $250 million. Let's say right up front that they better leave "Tell Me More" alone or we will get the signs out and circle the Massachusetts Avenue headquarters. It is very disappointing that NPR did not attract the African American audience they have tried to reach for years now with different formats and personalities. "News & Notes" is just the latest casualty. Neither Ed Gordon nor Tavis Smiley attracted an African American audience. Clearly these are talented guys so it must be the formats. Michel Martin is a dynamo and we hope her show will stay on the air.

Live Nation Goes Green By Signing Environment Man

By Alan Smithee

Live Nation signed Madonna for $120 million. Live Nation signed Jay-Z for $150 million. They signed U-2 for a similar amount excluding recordings. The deals for these megastars are for 10 years and include recorded music sales, concert tours, merchandise sales, Web operations, endorsements and even some entrepreneurial business ventures. Live Nation is headed by promoting wizard Michael Rapino, left, and he is the mastermind behind Live Nation's 360 deals.

But now Michael Rapino has pulled his biggest coup by signing Environment Man for $120 thousand and in an unprecedented move, the deal is for 10 months instead of 10 years. Rapino believes Eman T-shirts alone will generate massive profits for Live Nation. They are banking on the Emeister selling millions of T-shirts and other merchandise. A television show is also in the works on Planet Green called "The Never Ending Adventures of Environment Man." Eman's live show includes caulking guns and solar panels. Of course, the nuclear power plant replica in the live show stage background is sure to generate some controversy on the worldwide tour. There are rumors that it is real and is used to power the electric live show. [TMZ.com, and other unverified sources]