Environment Man Show On New Oprah Winfrey Network

By Holly Wood

Rumors are circulating all over Hollywood that green cult figure Environment Man will have a new show on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The name of the program will be either "The Environment Man Show" or "The Never Ending Adventures of Environment Man." Regardless of which name is used, Eman will combine talk show and variety skit elements with travel/adventure show segments. Environment Man and The Ecology Band, pictured at left, will be the house band. The show will not only address the serious environmental issues facing us today, but will also bring an entertaining sense of humor as well.

It is being speculated that Former MTV programming chief Christina Norman recruited Eman because of her experiences at MTV, where she worked for 17 years and eventually became president. Oprah Winfrey hired Ms. Norman to be Chief Executive Officer of OWN. It is a shrewd and bold move by Ms. Norman in the formative stages of the network. She expects Eman to be a big hit. She knows about Eman's substance concerning environmental issues. She is also aware of his cult status in the underground internet world. Many have said that he is Neo in "The Matrix" meets Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone with a William F. Buckley, Jr twist.

Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications created "OWN and it will be a new multi-platform media venture designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN will debut in 2010 in more than 70 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel. The venture will ... include the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. The Eman Show will include the quirky Eman Blog listed at the link above. [See Eman at practice: "Interracial Couples"]

Oprah Appoints Christina Norma as CEO of OWN

Former MTV programming chief Christina Norman, left, has been hired by Oprah Winfrey to be Chief Executive Officer of her Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Norman worked for Viacom's MTV for 17 years eventually being president of MTV and its sister network VH-1. Norman will work with Robin Schwartz, president of the network and Robert Tercek, president, digital media who oversees Oprah.com and will also oversee OWN's web operations. Norman quit MTV on February 7, 2008 wanting some 'time for herself.'

OWN will launch early in 2010 and is is expected to debut in 70 million homesbacked by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications. The network will be based in Los Angeles and Norman will start work later this year. (Broadcasting and Cable, Gawker)

SAG Executive Director Doug Allen Fired. Now What?

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Executive Director Doug Allen, far left, was fired on Tuesday. He was the chief architect and negotiator of its hard-line approach to labor negotiations. How will his firing affect the proposed strike? Alan Rosenberg, left, the guild’s president has no plans to resign or even back down, despite being weakened. When the SAG board fired Allen, they stripped Mr. Rosenberg of his authority to speak to the press on behalf of the guild. Mr. Rosenberg's term expires in September.

David White, right, former SAG general counsel, has been installed as interim executive director and John McGuire, left, is taking Allen’s place at the negotiating table. Mr. McGuire is the consummate insider, participating in or leading more than 30 contract negotiations in his 40 years with the guild.

Doug Allen was an outsider and came to SAG from the National Football League Players Association in 2006. It is speculated that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will make some concessions to speed the process and to make Mr. Allen look bad. Producers are not expected to budge on compensation for online productions — a major demand of Mr. Allen’s — but they may yield on actor compensation. AMPTP negotiates on behalf of studios, declined to comment. (The New York Times, 1/27/09)

Barack Obama Inaugural Balls

Official Inaugural Committee Balls

1) Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center
2) Obama Home States (Illinois and Hawaii) Inaugural Ball at Washington Convention Center
3) Biden Home States (Penn & Delaware) Inaugural Ball at Washington Convention Center
4) Midwest Inaugural Ball at Washington Convention Center
5) Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball at Washington Convention Center
6) Western Inaugural Ball at Washington Convention Center
7) Commander in Chief's Ball at National Building Museum
8) Southern Inaugural Ball at the National Guard Armory
9) Eastern Inaugural Ball at Union Station
10) Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton

Unofficial Balls

1) Congressional Black Caucus Inaugural Ball at the Capitol Hilton
2) Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball at Harman Center for the Arts
3) Recording Industry Assoc of America's Ball for Feeding America
4) BET's Inaugural Ball at Mandarin Oriental Hotel
5) Africa on the Potomac Inaugural at Crystal Gateway Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
6) Africa & Internat'l Friends Inaugural Ball at Gaylord Hotel & Convention Ctr (Nat'l Harbor)
7) American Music Inaugural Bal at Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
8) Inaugural Purple Ball at the Fairmont Hotel
9) Human Rights Campaign's Equality Ball at Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
10) Inaugural Peace Ball at Smithsonian National Postal Museum
11) Impact Film Fund Ball
12) Black-Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball at Gaylord Convention Center

Source: Associated Press

Television Earpiece Needs Change For African Americans

By Environment Man

Since Barack Obama ascended to prominence, I have noticed more blacks on television. I have also noticed the earpiece more because it is white and stands out against brown skin. It really dawned on me when I was watching Dr. Ron Walters, Director of the African American Leadership Center at the University of Maryland, when he appeared on C-Span on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. I noticed then that if the earpiece had been brown or clear, that it would not have distracted from the important information he was sharing with his audience. I also noticed that I did not notice the earpiece on the moderator, who happened to be white.

Oh these pesky little racial details. But this just shows that television studio appearances have included few blacks up until now because there has been no consideration to the earpiece issue. Of course, it will be solved over the next year of so because I am sure the television show producers notice it too. And television being what it is, it will get some brown or clear earpieces specifically for African American guests. Just one more step in our move towards being a post-racial America.

The Barack Obama Inaugural Celebration: Lincoln Memorial

"We Are One: The Barack Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" is star studded. The show starts around 2:00 p.m on Sunday, January 18, 2009 and will be aired on HBO at 7:00 p.m. Rehearsals will be Friday and Saturday. Acts include: Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, U2, Herbie Hancock, Mary J. Blige, John Mellencamp, Usher, Wil.I.Am, John Legend, Shakira, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and more. Each artist will be limited to one song.

President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families will attend the concert and and Obama will appear onstage. The event is being co-produced by Don Mischer and George Stevens, Jr. Mischer has produced Super Bowl halftime shows, Emmy Awards telecasts and Olympics opening ceremonies. The event is free.

The Africa and International Friends Inaugural Ball

The Africa and International Friends Inaugural Ball will be staged January 20, 2009 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. It will be one of the largest events to celebrate the election of Barack Obama and was conceived as "a festival of the cultures of the world." The ball will be hosted by Kenya, birthplace of President-elect Barack Obama's father. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has embraced the event. Leaders from from Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe will be attending the ball.

Reverend Walter Fauntroy and Nelson Mandela are cochairs of the ball. The Gaylord resort can accommodate the 15,000 people expected to attend the ball. The ball will be held in 265,000 square feet of space at the Gaylord. The main event, in the 50,000-square-foot Potomac Ballroom, with tickets priced at $1,000, will include a full dinner and the main staged entertainment. The 35,000-square-foot Maryland Ballroom will host a celebration with a buffet and staged entertainment for $500 a ticket. In the 180,000-square-foot exhibit hall, revelers will be treated to hors d'oeuvres, staged entertainment and music from a local disc jockey for tickets of $250 each. The three venues will be linked by JumboTron giant screens. will allow people in each of the rooms to see what is going on in the other events," she said.
At a three-hour meeting yesterday, Fauntroy, Bryant and event planners walked the hotel, completed the menu and finalized the program.

The main event in the Potomac Ballroom will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., opening with a recorded message of congratulations to Obama from Mandela, followed by the O'Jays with their anthem "Love Train." Other confirmed performers include Pieces of a Dream, Lalah Hathaway, Raheem DVaughn, Brick and Maxi Priest. The parties in the Maryland Ballroom and exhibit hall begin at 8 p.m. Tickets or Call 301-358-3845 for more information. (The Washington Post, 1/4/09)

Should We Be Worried About Ms. Janet Jackson?

Janet Jackson did not have a very good 2008 professionally. But that is relative. A bad year for Janet would be considered complete success by some other artists. Her February 2008-released album "Discipline" did not hit the traditional Jackson numbers. In March 2008, she dropped out of her performance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and she canceled a number of concerts on her "Rock Witchu" tour. It was reported that she had been suffering from migraine headaches and vertigo (dizziness). Janet Jackson left Island Def Jam [or got dropped] for an autonomous situation without restrictions in September 2008. Ms. Jackson postponed concerts in Montreal after a two hour hospital stay in Montreal in October 2008. She had to cancel her tour – reportedly because of poor ticket sales. Of course she did not see the financial collapse when whe scheduled the tour. Regardless, it was a tough year for Janet. Yet we know Janet does not doubt herself or her talent. Have a kid Janet. Take a break. Then come back and give us: "Miss Jackson If You're Nasty."

Yet "The Wall Street Journal" heralded this headline in its "Media and Marketing" section on Dec 31, 2008: "Concert Industry Bucks the Recessionary Trend." Madonna sold $105 milion in tickets and Celine Dion did $94 million in ticket sales. The Eagles did $73 million, Kenny Chesney did $72 million and Bon Jovi did $70 million. And Janet is as good as, if not better than, any of these acts. So what gives? Live Nation is not chasing after Janet to give her one of those mega 360 deals. Yet Janet is Da Bomb. Maybe it is time for ALL OF THE JACKSONS to get together and show the world what they can really do.