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abaici 07-08-2003 10:16 PM

Re: Britney Finally admits the truth
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Gina1201
Two revelations are available courtesy of W magazine's cover profile of Britney Spears, due on newsstands Friday. First, she's no longer a virgin. And second, she's enlisted P. Diddy and Moby for her upcoming album.

Spears' admission to sleeping with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake isn't all that surprising, except for the fact that after years of prodding she's finally come clean. It's been a question on everyone's mind ever since she began touting her no-sex-before-marriage beliefs while at the same time playing the part of a vixen and singing that she's "not that innocent."

Perhaps it shouldn't matter, but the virgin vamp dichotomy was a large part of her image, and it couldn't last forever. After all, she did have a live-in relationship with Timberlake, who after their breakup jokingly told a New York radio station that the couple did have sexual relations of a sort. Spears cleared it up when she told interviewer Robert Haskell that she had only slept with "one person my whole life."

"It was two years into my relationship with Justin. And I thought he was the one. But I was wrong. I didn't think he was gonna go on Barbara Walters and sell me out," she said, referring to Timberlake's November 2002 interview on "20/20" in which he talked about their breakup and sex life.

"The most painful thing I've ever experienced was that breakup," Spears told W magazine. "We were together so long, and I had this vision. You think you're going to spend the rest of your life together. Where I come from, the woman is the homemaker, and that's how I was brought up — you cook for your kids. But now I realize I need my single time. You have to do your own thing."

Her own thing, for now, is focusing on finishing her latest album. So far Spears has enlisted a slew of producers, composers and collaborators, including Moby and P. Diddy, her spokesperson at Jive Records confirmed. "She did spend some time with them, but we're not even sure if those tracks are going to be picked, if they're going to make the album," her spokesperson said. "It's too soon to know for sure."

Diddy told "E! News Live" on Monday that he had recorded two songs with the singer, while Moby told W that the song he did with Spears is "brooding and atmospheric. ... It's very simple and, for lack of a better word, sexy."

Other producers working with Spears include Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, the Matrix (best known for their songwriting for Avril Lavigne), 7 Aurelius (Ashanti), Metro (Cher's "Believe"), the Atlanta collective RedZone and Fred Durst (see "Who's Been Hooking Up With Britney? We Got 'Em To Talk" and "Britney Spears And Fred Durst Shack Up ... In The Studio, At Least").

"[RedZone] are the first people I've ever worked with where it's like I'm listening to it off the radio," she told W, "where I'm like, yeah, I'm jamming ... with myself. And it's weird. I've never done that before."

None of the tracks created with the newly announced producers, however, were among those played during MTV's visit to her studio sessions, where she previewed "Touch of My Hand," "Brave Girl" and "Every Time" (see "Britney Previews LP, Denies Rumors of 'Cry Me A River' Response").

Spears plans to continue working in the studio for another two to three weeks, her label spokesperson said, before finalizing a track listing. The album is expected out by October.

—Jennifer Vineyard


As one Soror put it, that belongs in the DUH Files. Like we really thought she was a virgin. ESPECIALLY, after the moving in thing,

RedefinedDiva 07-08-2003 11:39 PM

Re: Re: Britney Finally admits the truth
 
Quote:

Originally posted by abaici
As a Soror pu it, that belongs in the DUH Files. Like we really thought she was a virgin. ESPECIALLY, after the moving in thing,
What I feel is ridiculous is that she really wants us to believe that it took TWO YEARS before Justin got that....:rolleyes: It can happen, but with her, it's highly unlikely.

Afrochic 07-09-2003 05:02 PM

4-1-1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 7, 2003


Another music giant died last week. Songwriter/Producer Skip Scarborough lost his battle with cancer on July 3rd. Skip was a great songwriter who wrote “Love Ballad” for LTD, “Can’t Hide Love” and “Love’s Holiday” for Earth Wind and Fire, “Lovely Day” for Bill Withers, “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” for The Emotions, “The Answer Is You” for Phyllis Hyman, and “Giving You The Best I Got” for Anita Baker. Skip was very talented and he gave us great songs that are still played on the radio today.

Jenny Craig wants The American Idol! The diet firm Jenny Craig is offering American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard, a million dollars to lose weight with their help. Ruben would get ten thousand dollars for every pound he lost and he would have to lose one hundred pounds. Friends say the offer is tempting, but they don’t know if Ruben wants to subject himself to a public diet.

Luther Vandross continues to improve. Doctors say he is more responsive every day. Luther suffered a major stroke in April and he is now in a rehab facility. Doctors say it may be months, even years before he is well enough to perform again.

The music duo/group Floetry is working a Live CD. The CD was recorded over the weekend in New Orleans and it should be out by Thanksgiving.

Jill Scott donated nearly $60,000 in scholarship money to graduates at Camden’s Creative Arts High School.

Vivica A. Fox is teaming up with the hot music group B2K for the movie Boot Camp. In the movie B2K will play troubled teens that are sent to a military facility. Vivica is going to play their drill sergeant.

Robin Givens, the former Mrs. Mike Tyson, opens up in the new issue of Heart and Soul Magazine. Robin talks about raising her two young sons as a single mom. Robin says she is happy with her life and that she has found religion. Robin says that at this point in her life she doesn’t want a career. She also talks about her troubled relationships with men and her disastrous marriage to boxer Mike Tyson.

Gina1201 07-09-2003 05:06 PM

RL of Next Gets Married
 
From the August issue of Sister 2 Sister:

R.L., lead singer of Next, recently walked down the aisle with Ra'Sheda Watkins in Minneapolis. A mutual acquaintaince introduced the couple. When they met, Next was just taking off with their hits, "Butta Love" and "Too Close". Ra'Sheda was in college in Georgia. They couldn't get serious because of R.L.'s commitments to Next, but once they decided to take it to the next level, Ra'Sheda said, "From that point on it was all about R.L. and Ra'Sheda."

R.L. and Ra'Sheda honeymooned in the Bahamas. They plan to live in Minneapolis.

Here is a pic of the couple:

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL212/...3/29117279.jpg

RedefinedDiva 07-09-2003 05:47 PM

Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Gina1201
http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL212/...3/29117279.jpg
She's really pretty.

1savvydiva 07-10-2003 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Afrochic
4-1-1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 7, 2003

Jenny Craig wants The American Idol! The diet firm Jenny Craig is offering American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard, a million dollars to lose weight with their help. Ruben would get ten thousand dollars for every pound he lost and he would have to lose one hundred pounds. Friends say the offer is tempting, but they don’t know if Ruben wants to subject himself to a public diet.

Dag...I wish someone would do that for me...talk about 'Mo Betta Motivation!


Quote:


The music duo/group Floetry is working a Live CD. The CD was recorded over the weekend in New Orleans and it should be out by Thanksgiving.

AWWWW WOW!!!! That's what I'm talking 'bout!

1savvydiva 07-10-2003 01:59 AM

Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Gina1201
From the August issue of Sister 2 Sister:

R.L., lead singer of Next, recently walked down the aisle with Ra'Sheda Watkins in Minneapolis. A mutual acquaintaince introduced the couple. When they met, Next was just taking off with their hits, "Butta Love" and "Too Close". Ra'Sheda was in college in Georgia. They couldn't get serious because of R.L.'s commitments to Next, but once they decided to take it to the next level, Ra'Sheda said, "From that point on it was all about R.L. and Ra'Sheda."

R.L. and Ra'Sheda honeymooned in the Bahamas. They plan to live in Minneapolis.

Here is a pic of the couple:

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL212/...3/29117279.jpg

They make a really cute couple. I have a question tho. Wasn't RL involved with some other industry person during that time? Was it Queen Pen or somebody? Well, I guess the article did say they weren't serious at first. Oh well, no skin off my hide...congrats to them!

kiml122 07-10-2003 08:30 AM

Re: Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by 1savvydiva
They make a really cute couple. I have a question tho. Wasn't RL involved with some other industry person during that time? Was it Queen Pen or somebody? Well, I guess the article did say they weren't serious at first. Oh well, no skin off my hide...congrats to them!
Yup, he was invloved with Queen Pen. I think he even had a child with her, but I cna't remember for sure.

Conskeeted7 07-10-2003 11:50 AM

Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men and his wife just had twin boys on June 29.

Anyone know what the rest of the group is doing?

kiml122 07-10-2003 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Conskeeted7
Anyone know what the rest of the group is doing?
Not a damn thang!!

RedefinedDiva 07-10-2003 03:08 PM

Re: Re: Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by kiml122
Yup, he was invloved with Queen Pen. I think he even had a child with her, but I cna't remember for sure.
I thought she was gay....

Queencece 07-10-2003 06:38 PM

NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Conskeeted7
Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men and his wife just had twin boys on June 29.

Say it aint so!!!! That was my favorite next to Bass Man (Michael McCreary)

Twin boys....good luck to the both of them.

Q

lovelyivy84 07-10-2003 07:27 PM

Re: Re: Re: Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by RedefinedDiva
I thought she was gay....
Yeah didn't she come out a few years ago? I guess they went out before then.

kiml122 07-11-2003 07:56 AM

Re: Re: Re: Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by RedefinedDiva
I thought she was gay....
Well is she is gay, she also has a son by that fat rapper that died from the Fat Boys.

FeeFee 07-11-2003 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kiml122
Not a damn thang!!
They are scheduled to perform at Wingate Park this summer in Brooklyn. It will be their first time ever performing in BK. Donnie McClurkin and India.Irie are also slated to perform there as well some time this summer. ;)

Conskeeted7 07-11-2003 10:56 AM

Their last album didn't get too much publicity...and only one single was released. Plus, I think that they were beginning to have some personality conflits within the group too. They were performing as a trio for a while.

CrimsonTide4 07-11-2003 07:24 PM

Lakers' Rick Fox Gets 'Lifetime' Role
Fri Jul 11, 2:34 PM ET Add Entertainment - AP to My Yahoo!


By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Lakers forward Rick Fox is playing a new role this summer — as the romantic interest of Gloria Reuben (news) on the new Lifetime series "1-800-Missing."

He'll appear in five episodes of the series, starring Reuben as an FBI (news - web sites) agent, which debuts Aug. 2.

Fox had a recurring role in the HBO prison drama "Oz," and appeared in the films "Holes," "He Got Game," "Eddie" and "Blue Chips."

"I saw him on `Oz' and said, `Can we get him, please?'" said William Laurin, executive producer and writer of the Lifetime series. "He's a very intelligent guy and takes his craft very seriously."

It's possible Fox could appear on additional episodes, Laurin said Thursday.

Fox, 33, has said he'd like to pursue an acting career when his pro basketball days are over. He's married to actress-singer Vanessa L. Williams (news).

Fox tore a tendon in his left foot in the first round of the NBA playoffs, had surgery in May and is rehabilitating. He is off crutches and able to tape the series, Laurin said.

1savvydiva 07-12-2003 08:53 AM

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: RL of Next Gets Married
 
Quote:

Originally posted by kiml122
Well is she is gay, she also has a son by that fat rapper that died from the Fat Boys.
She got married a year or two ago. I remember seeing her wedding pics in a magazine, maybe S2S. She looked horrible! Her dress was too tight, she had on too much makeup and all of her tats were showing, I just thought she looked really bad.:(

Steeltrap 07-14-2003 02:06 PM

Oh. Brother. Diesel.
 
The Lakers are poised to sign PG Gary Payton and PF Karl Malone to new contracts. So Shaquille, who needs to drop some l-b-s, is running smack. I'm a fan, but I have to :rolleyes:

Shaquille O'Neal, in Saturday's New York Times, on the Laker additions and what it means in the West: "Last year, I had a couple tanks, a couple grenades. Now I got atomic weapons. I'm going nuclear. I'm Colin Powell, and I can drop the bomb any time I want to.

"I'm not going to talk about Sacramento, because I've been hard on them in the past. But San Antonio's window is shut. That's right, the Diesel is back.

"Hey, they had a great year. It was their turn. Congratulations. That's all right. 'Cause they don't got two 7-footers anymore."

David Robinson retired at the end of the season, leaving Tim Duncan without a true center.

toocute 07-14-2003 04:00 PM

Re: Oh. Brother. Diesel.
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Steeltrap
The Lakers are poised to sign PG Gary Payton and PF Karl Malone (Phi Beta Sigma) to new contracts.
So ST - do you think this will work? Don't you think there will be too many BIG EGOS running loose...too many brothas wanting the dang ball?

How about them Nets? They signed Alonzo and Kidd is coming back.

Steeltrap 07-14-2003 04:08 PM

Re: Re: Oh. Brother. Diesel.
 
Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
So ST - do you think this will work? Don't you think there will be too many BIG EGOS running loose...too many brothas wanting the dang ball?

How about them Nets? They signed Alonzo and Kidd is coming back.

Good question, toocute. I am hopeful that Payton and Malone can become super-role players and that "Laker Head Coach Phillip" is able to keep all four stars happy.

Mourning's a good addition to the Nets -- if he's healthy. Remember, he had kidney problems. I was also glad to see Jason Kidd stay in Jersey.

Steeltrap 07-14-2003 04:15 PM

Oh, Soror abaici
 
Report: Webber plea to scuttle federal trial
By David Shepardson, The Detroit News
DETROIT — Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber will avoid a federal trial on charges of lying to a grand jury by agreeing to plead guilty to a lesser charge, several people familiar with the arrangements told The Detroit News on Monday.

Under the agreement expected to be announced in court later Monday, Webber, 30, will plead guilty to a single count of criminal contempt of court. All charges against his father, Mayce Webber Jr., will be dismissed.

Webber isn't expected to face any jail time under the agreement, officials said.

Under the plea agreement to be filed in U.S. District Court, Webber will admit to repaying Eddie Martin about $40,000 for money he received while he was a student athlete.

U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds will have to approve the plea deal and decide whether to treat the contempt of court as a felony or misdemeanor — a key sticking point in negotiations over resolving the case.

Both the government and Webber's lawyer will be able to argue over what they believe is the correct classification, with the government seeking a felony designation and Webber insisting that a misdemeanor is appropriate.

Typically, felony contempt of court is defined as a person who is sentenced to more than a year in prison. Edmunds could sentence Webber to a year and a day and then suspend the sentence — meaning he wouldn't have to serve any time.

Edmunds will also have to decide what amount Webber should be fined. Under federal law, he will be required to pay a small amount in mandatory court fees for pleading guilty.

Webber, 30, a former star basketball player at the University of Michigan and Detroit Country Day, was to stand trial on charges of lying to a grand jury along with his 59-year-old father, Mayce Webber Jr. of Farmington Hills.

Both were charged with making false statements to a grand jury in the summer of 2000 about their dealings with Eddie Martin, a banned U-M booster.

Martin, a retired Ford electrician who worked at the Rouge Engine plant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and admitted to giving at least $616,000 to four former University of Michigan players, including $280,000 to Webber. He died Feb. 15 while awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors were forced to dismiss all charges against his aunt, Charlene Johnson and drop obstruction of justice charges against Webber and his father as a result of Martin's death.

abaici 07-14-2003 04:55 PM

Re: Re: Oh. Brother. Diesel.
 
Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
So ST - do you think this will work? Don't you think there will be too many BIG EGOS running loose...too many brothas wanting the dang ball?

How about them Nets? They signed Alonzo and Kidd is coming back.


I thought the same thing. This sounds like a dream, but it will take all of Phil's powers to get them to play as a team. Karl Malone said that he will gladly become the 4th guy, but we'll see. I was a big Malone fan back in the day. I'm still surprised he agreed to come to the Lakers, but I guess the allure of a ring will make anyone do anything. But, it took Phil awhile to get the other groups to play as a team (and he still has problems with Kobe), so it'll be interesting to say the least.

abaici 07-14-2003 04:58 PM

Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
You beat me to the punch, I was about to post the same article. It just received it as a part of my Kings-Alert News e-mail. Yeah, what! I am signed up to receive news from the Sac Bee's Sports page. I know, I have a problem. *Sigh* Oh, well.


Quote:

Originally posted by Steeltrap
Report: Webber plea to scuttle federal trial
By David Shepardson, The Detroit News
DETROIT — Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber will avoid a federal trial on charges of lying to a grand jury by agreeing to plead guilty to a lesser charge, several people familiar with the arrangements told The Detroit News on Monday.

Under the agreement expected to be announced in court later Monday, Webber, 30, will plead guilty to a single count of criminal contempt of court. All charges against his father, Mayce Webber Jr., will be dismissed.

Webber isn't expected to face any jail time under the agreement, officials said.

Under the plea agreement to be filed in U.S. District Court, Webber will admit to repaying Eddie Martin about $40,000 for money he received while he was a student athlete.

U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds will have to approve the plea deal and decide whether to treat the contempt of court as a felony or misdemeanor — a key sticking point in negotiations over resolving the case.

Both the government and Webber's lawyer will be able to argue over what they believe is the correct classification, with the government seeking a felony designation and Webber insisting that a misdemeanor is appropriate.

Typically, felony contempt of court is defined as a person who is sentenced to more than a year in prison. Edmunds could sentence Webber to a year and a day and then suspend the sentence — meaning he wouldn't have to serve any time.

Edmunds will also have to decide what amount Webber should be fined. Under federal law, he will be required to pay a small amount in mandatory court fees for pleading guilty.

Webber, 30, a former star basketball player at the University of Michigan and Detroit Country Day, was to stand trial on charges of lying to a grand jury along with his 59-year-old father, Mayce Webber Jr. of Farmington Hills.

Both were charged with making false statements to a grand jury in the summer of 2000 about their dealings with Eddie Martin, a banned U-M booster.

Martin, a retired Ford electrician who worked at the Rouge Engine plant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and admitted to giving at least $616,000 to four former University of Michigan players, including $280,000 to Webber. He died Feb. 15 while awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors were forced to dismiss all charges against his aunt, Charlene Johnson and drop obstruction of justice charges against Webber and his father as a result of Martin's death.


FeeFee 07-14-2003 05:10 PM

Probe of Franklin Arson Finds Accelerants
Jul 12, 2:38 PM EST

Traces of accelerants were found in the charred remains of Aretha Franklin's home and on the clothing of her son, Edward Franklin, according to a state investigator's report.

An investigator's dog sniffed the accelerants on Edward Franklin's shoes and jacket, and tests later confirmed traces of flammable substances were on the items, the reports said.

Although the reports named Edward Franklin as a suspect, no one has been charged in the Oct. 25 arson fire that destroyed the 10,000-square-foot home in Bloomfield Township, about 20 miles northwest of Detroit.

Stu Sandler, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's office, declined to comment, saying the case remains under investigation.

Edward Franklin's lawyer, William Mitchell III, said the chemical traces on his clothing and in the house were the result of contact with materials routinely kept in the house, which was used for storage.

"The Oakland County prosecutors have never been shy about charging people," Mitchell told the Detroit Free Press. "If they have reached a credible conclusion, they would have done something about it."

He said further investigation showed his client wasn't responsible for the blaze.

Steeltrap 07-14-2003 07:16 PM

RIP Benny Carter
 
From the Los Angeles Times. Benny Carter was a great musician.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...,4271664.story
OBITUARIES
Benny Carter, 95; Legendary Saxophonist Also Was Composer-Arranger, Bandleader
By Jon Thurber
Times Staff Writer

July 14, 2003

Benny Carter, whose versatility as a first-rate saxophonist, composer-arranger and bandleader made him a leading figure in jazz for more than eight decades, has died. He was 95.

Carter died Saturday morning in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following a brief illness. Carter was hospitalized in late June with bronchitis and other ailments, said publicist Virginia Wicks.

Although he never attained the broad public recognition of contemporaries such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, he was among the most influential players and leaders in the history of the music. Indeed, among jazz professionals and knowledgeable fans, nobody had a better reputation.

"I stand in awe of the proficiency his vast experience has given him," Ellington said years ago in a tribute to Carter. "He has tremendous scope, instrumentally, musically."

"He was a great man and a great human being," said Quincy Jones, the multifaceted entertainment industry figure, who was also a leading jazz composer and bandleader. "He gave lots of young guys help and encouragement, including myself."

"He left the room [Saturday] with the same dignity he lived with," Jones told The Times on Sunday.

Critics voiced similar words of praise.

"He ranks among the leading individualists in jazz, not only as an alto saxophonist, but as an arranger of exceptional skill," jazz critic Nat Hentoff said Sunday. "Nobody could arrange for a reed section like Carter.

"He had the clearest alto saxophone sound that I can ever recall," Hentoff said. "It was crystalline and thrilling. He was always reaching for something new and never fell back on familiar licks."

While Carter's musical talent peaked in jazz, he did not limit himself to that form. He was highly successful as a composer, orchestrator and arranger of all types of music for motion pictures and television.

Although first and foremost a musician, and a man not given to crusading, Carter was one of the first blacks to succeed in the musical side of the film industry.

His view was that race should have nothing to do with a person's acceptance. Once, according to an anecdote related by a biographer, a woman asked Carter: "Is your piano player white or black?" Carter replied: "I don't know — I never asked him."

In 1945, Carter fought and won a legal battle against the then-common restrictive covenants that prohibited blacks from owning homes in some areas of Los Angeles. He also played a strong role in the early 1950s in uniting the separate black and white American Federation of Musicians' locals in Los Angeles. And while the consolidation of the two unions didn't fully open all the doors for blacks to do studio work, it did eliminate the exclusionary excuse that "you don't belong to the union."



Sophisticated Player

Although considered by fellow musicians as one of the most sophisticated and knowledgeable of players, Carter had little formal musical education and was largely self-taught. He could hardly have had a better teacher.

He arranged for virtually every major big band of the 1930s and '40s, including at various times Ellington, Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Charlie Barnet, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and Count Basie. Ironically, his own big bands — considered among the most swinging, solidly musical outfits of their time — never achieved the success of some of the lesser orchestras for which he arranged.

Carter had a modest, understated view of his bands' relative lack of fame. "No band I ever had achieved a sound the general public could immediately identify," he once said. "Goodman had one, and so did Glenn Miller."

Nevertheless, Carter's arrangements helped establish "the big-band sound," especially in his use of reed instruments.

In later years, after the big bands went into decline, Carter did special arrangements for such vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Ray Charles, Mel Torme and Lou Rawls.

A number of his compositions, such as "When Lights Are Low," "Blues in My Heart" and "Malibu," became jazz standards.

A novelty tune that he co-wrote, "Cow Cow Boogie," became a huge hit for singer Ella Mae Morse and bandleader Freddie Slack in 1942, and the number's success is credited by pop historians with helping establish the then-infant Capitol Records as a major power in the recording industry.

Carter wrote the bossa nova hit "Only Trust Your Heart," made famous by saxophonist Stan Getz and singer Astrud Gilberto. Many attributed this hit to the great Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim, which Carter took as a compliment.

Carter's primary instrument was the alto sax, but he also was an outstanding trumpeter and performed skillfully on clarinet, trombone and piano. When necessary he could fill in as a vocalist.

"He was as good as he wanted to be on anything he attempted," trumpeter Clark Terry told The Times on Sunday.

"He was the king, we all respected him that much," Terry said. "Musicians called him from time to time just to recharge their batteries. He was a beautiful person."

Carter was born Bennett Lester Carter, in the Bronx, N.Y. A cousin, Cuban Bennett, was a skilled trumpet player, and became one of young Carter's heroes. Carter bought a cornet from a pawnshop, hoping to emulate his cousin, but soon traded the difficult brass instrument for a C-melody saxophone.

Although his mother encouraged him in his playing, she did not want him to become a professional musician. "After all," he said decades later, "jazz was a dirty word to many black people, who saw it played in an unwholesome atmosphere She would have been most pleased if I could have combined music with a respectable career, say, as a clergyman."

Carter was a teenager when his family moved to Harlem and he began learning the jazzman's trade from great players such as Bubber Miley of the Ellington band.

His first professional job probably was at Harlem Connor's Inn in 1923, where on the recommendation of Miley, Carter earned $1.25 a night as a substitute for another C-melody sax man.

Carter played all over Harlem and Manhattan and worked with virtually all the leading jazzmen of the time.

It was Willie the Lion Smith who persuaded Carter to give up the C-melody sax and take up the alto sax, an instrument on which he became one of the masters in jazz.

Carter played with Earl Hines, Chick Webb, Horace Henderson and Fletcher Henderson, among other jazz legends. By the mid-'20s he was a well-established and much-sought-after sideman, playing in famous clubs like Small's Paradise.



Impeccable Reputation

His reputation already was impeccable. Johnny Hodges, himself a jazz giant and an alto sax player not known for his modesty, once told a colleague: "When you got time, you go to Small's Paradise and hear the greatest alto saxophone player in the world." He was talking about Carter.

Carter began arranging in the late '20s, a few years after he began recording. He became an arranger of some note, working with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, and many jazz historians say his work revitalized the band.

"Carter was now the arranger everyone followed," music scholar Gunther Schuller said of Carter's time with Henderson. By 1933, he formed his first big band and won considerable critical acclaim, but was not financially successful.

Carter's band included such players as Teddy Wilson on piano, Chu Berry on tenor and J.C. Higginbotham on trombone.

Carter disbanded in 1934 to join an orchestra as featured soloist in Paris. He became a huge success in Europe and virtually a cult figure in Denmark. With the help of a young critic named Leonard Feather, who years later became the jazz critic for The Times, Carter was hired as a $300-a-week arranger for the BBC dance band in London, where he also led a British band on several recording sessions. In 1937 he organized the world's first international and interracial jazz orchestra for a summer residency in the Netherlands. Carter returned to the U.S. in 1938 to resume his career as a recording artist, arranger and composer.

He formed a new band that played a long residency at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem and toured the country. While on the West Coast with that band in 1943, he was asked to do arrangements for "Stormy Weather," an early all-black musical.

He gave up the orchestra in 1946 to concentrate on film and television work. Over the years Carter played on more than 100 movie soundtracks and orchestrated and arranged music for scores of films, among them "The Gene Krupa Story," "The Five Pennies," "Thousands Cheer," "A Man Called Adam," "Buck and the Preacher," parts of "The Guns of Navarone" and the jazz sequences for "Flower Drum Song."

He also composed background music for dozens of television shows. Carter took his last big band on the road in 1946, but continued to play as a featured soloist in jazz concerts and on recordings into the late 1990s.

Ed Berger, associate director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University and co-author of the definitive biography of the musician, "Benny Carter: A Life in American Music," told The Times on Sunday that Carter's career was phenomenal in terms of longevity.

"He is the only artist to have made an acoustic recording through an old-fashioned horn before electrical records and then lived to see his own Web site," Berger said.

And in his 80s, when many musicians see a decline in their work, Carter was extremely active and vital.

"He recorded 15 albums in all types of settings, duo to combined jazz band and chamber orchestra," said Berger, who also produced many of Carter's recordings and was his road manager. "He wrote and performed six extended works. His most recent was commissioned by the Library of Congress in 1996. Called 'Peaceful Warrior,' the work was dedicated to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr."

That same year he completed another major commission called "Echoes of San Juan Hill," about the area of New York City where he was raised and where Lincoln Center now stands. Carter was 89 when he introduced this work and was the featured soloist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under Wynton Marsalis.

Throughout his life, the soft-spoken Carter was an elegant man with eclectic tastes and a definite style.

Berger recalled Sunday that Carter was a voracious reader who was passionate about language and had a brilliant understanding of English usage. He also collected art and became an excellent cook. Beginning in the 1970s, he conducted seminars and workshops at Harvard, Princeton and a number of other colleges around the country.

Carter received a variety of awards. In 1987, he was given a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which in many careers marks the culmination of an artist's efforts. However, Carter was nominated for seven more Grammy Awards in the 1990s, and won two.

In 1996, he received the Kennedy Center Honors for an extraordinary lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts.

Jazz critic Don Heckman, who reviewed what were Carter's last public appearances as a player at Catalina Bar & Grill in March 1998, when Carter was 90, wrote later that he was "amazed at the quality of his playing."

"There was, first of all, his sheer ability to execute the mechanical aspects of playing the alto saxophone, which require a complex combination of lip, teeth and mouth control, synchronized with precise finger movements, driven by a constant flow of breath Carter still delivered the same cooly expressive tone and subtle sense of swing that have always been distinctive elements of his playing."

After that final appearance at Catalina, when friends asked when he would play again, he told them: "I'm retired!"

Carter is survived by his wife of 24 years, Hilma; a daughter from an earlier marriage, Joyce Mills; one grandchild and one great-grandchild.

Funeral services will be private, although public memorial services may be planned.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that any memorial donations be sent to the Morroe Berger-Benny Carter Jazz Research Fund at the Institute of Jazz Studies, Dana Library, Rutgers University, Newark, N.J. 07102.


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Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times

CrimsonTide4 07-15-2003 12:44 PM

usher is soooooooooooo full of shyytt
 
Living up to the name "Mr. Entertainment" means being able to shake your thing from the window to the wall and hold it down on the set of a movie — among other things. While Usher has triumphed in many aspects of showmanship, he doesn't want people to forget why they started feeling him in the first place: his singing.

"[With] this one, I just really wanted to be about my vocal ability," Usher explained, enlightening a room full of reporters after his performance at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans last weekend. "I wanted to make real music. I feel like soul music, R&B music is somewhat in jeopardy. It's in trouble right now. If I can make a contribution to R&B, then that's what I'll do."

The originator of the "U-Turn" dance said Jermaine Dupri, the Neptunes and Babyface are among the producers he plans to work with. Usher has already recorded in Atlanta with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as well as Andre Harris and Vidal Davis (Michael Jackson). The 24-year-old wants to take his song-making back to the essence.

"If you go back to what R&B is, or what soul really is, I think the work ethic is way down," he huffed, calling out some of his fellow artists. "You look at the videos, you see women shaking their ass, you see the cars, you see the 22s. It's really marketing, if anything. It's not real music; that sh-- don't make me move. I'm trying to get back to that. I wanna get back to where it's really about the performance.

"Where I come from and how I was raised was to really understand music," he added. "It's past just a hit record — it's about the performance. You gotta find a way to get it, so I'm gonna do that with my album and hopefully set the trend and continue to keep it going."

The heartthrob who does it all estimated that the first single from his still-untitled album will be out October 13, with the LP following November 18.

—Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Jermaine Linton

Miss. Mocha 07-15-2003 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by encouraged1
I agree with Cricket. There is little information out there for someone to be accusing this woman of just trying to get money. Look at Michael Jordan. He had a squeaky clean image in public but in private was cheating on his wife. The police wouldn't have made an arrest without sufficient evidence.
I don't think Michael Jordan had that much of a squeaky clean image. I mean there was ALWAYS the gambling thing. The bad temper thing. The bad sportmanship thing. The trash talking thing. Not to mention that everybody in Chicago knew about the white woman. Including Juanita. I mean he was seen out on the town with the broad on NUMEROUS occasions. She just flipped the script on him, and it became a NATIONAL headline.

toocute 07-15-2003 02:19 PM

Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by abaici
Yeah, what! I am signed up to receive news from the Sac Bee's Sports page. I know, I have a problem. *Sigh* Oh, well.
OK...LOL. I just realized you're in Cali also. What fun YOU two must have. A Kings fan and a Lakers fan.

I was surprised at Malone too. He won't mind being the 4th guy.
OOOKKKAAAAY....we'll see. I was a HUGE Malone fan back in the day too. Bald spot and all. :D

CrimsonTide4 07-15-2003 02:22 PM

Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
OK...LOL. I just realized you're in Cali also. What fun YOU two must have. A Kings fan and a Lakers fan.

I was surprised at Malone too. He won't mind being the 4th guy.
OOOKKKAAAAY....we'll see. I was a HUGE Malone fan back in the day too. Bald spot and all. :D


karl malone is seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Steeltrap 07-15-2003 02:30 PM

Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
OK...LOL. I just realized you're in Cali also. What fun YOU two must have. A Kings fan and a Lakers fan.

I was surprised at Malone too. He won't mind being the 4th guy.
OOOKKKAAAAY....we'll see. I was a HUGE Malone fan back in the day too. Bald spot and all. :D

Karl Malone's got a banging body for a nearly 40-year-old guy., what chiseled muscles.:D

toocute 07-15-2003 02:30 PM

Re: Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Steeltrap
Karl Malone's got a banging body for a nearly 40-year-old guy., what chiseled muscles.:D
Oh YES gurrrll!:o :D

Steeltrap 07-15-2003 02:34 PM

Re: Re: Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
Oh YES gurrrll!:o :D
Umm, umm. I can only pray that Shaq Diesel can see the light of muscular development with his new personal trainer. Supposedly, he's down to 345.;) :p

abaici 07-15-2003 03:38 PM

Re: Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
karl malone is seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Yeah, I was feenin' for him when I was in high school. Question: His daughter is in the WNBA, has anyone seen her play? I CANNOT watch girl's play basketball. I know, that sounds bad. But I just can't get into it.

CrimsonTide4 07-15-2003 03:44 PM

Re: Re: Re: Re: Soror Steeltrap, you beat me to the punch
 
Quote:

Originally posted by abaici
Yeah, I was feenin' for him when I was in high school. Question: His daughter is in the WNBA, has anyone seen her play? I CANNOT watch girl's play basketball. I know, that sounds bad. But I just can't get into it.
LOL, me either. It does not have the same OOMPH as NBA IMO.

CrimsonTide4 07-15-2003 05:01 PM

Monica's Fiancee
 
http://www.supacindyonline.com/galle...monicanman.jpg

Gyrl7 07-15-2003 05:32 PM

Re: Monica's Fiancee
 
Quote:

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
http://www.supacindyonline.com/galle...monicanman.jpg


Ummm, why I take a quick glance at that pic and thought that guy was Puffy???:eek:

CrimsonTide4 07-15-2003 05:41 PM

Re: Re: Monica's Fiancee
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Gyrl7
Ummm, why I take a quick glance at that pic and thought that guy was Puffy???:eek:

me too . . . :o

narcolept 07-16-2003 12:39 AM

I thought Monica was dating C-Murder, Master P's brother. Guess I'm late.

RedefinedDiva 07-16-2003 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by narcolept
I thought Monica was dating C-Murder, Master P's brother. Guess I'm late.
Girl, that has been over for a while. C-Murder is in jail on some murder charges.... I hope he's not "dating" anyone currently! :p


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