“Life has two rules: Number 1, never quit! Number 2, always remember rule number 1.”
–Duke Ellington, legendary jazz pianist, composer and bandleader
Posts published by “goodblacknews”
When the developer Bruce Ratner set out to buy the New Jersey Nets and build an arena for them in Brooklyn, he recruited Jay-Z, the hip-hop superstar who grew up in public housing a couple of miles from the site, to join his group of investors.
Mr. Ratner may have thought he was getting little more than a limited partner with a boldface name and a youthful following that could prove useful someday. But Jay-Z’s contributions have dwarfed the $1 million he invested nine years ago. His influence on the project has been wildly disproportionate to his ownership stake — a scant one-fifteenth of one percent of the team. And so is the money he stands to make from it.
“Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company?”
–Zora Neale Hurston, anthropologist and author of “Their Eyes Are Watching God”
Ugandan Olympic Gold medallist marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich, holding the Ugandan flag centre accompanied by Education and Sports Minister Jessica Alupo, centre left, inspect a guard of honor, at Entebbe International Airport 42 kms from the capital Kampala, Uganda, Wednesday Aug. 15, 2012. Kiprotich’s win has been deeply felt in Uganda, which had not won gold since the Munich Games in 1972. Lawmakers are considering a motion that declares Kiprotich a national hero, his employer has promised to promote him at work. (AP Photo/ Stephen Wandera)
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s only medal winner at the London Olympics cried tears of joy as hundreds of people welcomed him home on Wednesday with celebrations of music and dance in honor of the African nation’s first gold since the 1972 games in Munich.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ZjVDMyfv4]
Singer Janelle Monáe is the latest addition to the gorgeous legacy of Cover Girl spokeswomen. She is joining fellow music artists Pink, Queen Latifah, and Taylor Swift to become the new face of the cosmetic line. Her first Cover Girl campaign is set to launch in next month’s Vogue.
Monáe has a unique hip-hop and soul sound. The Bad Boy artist, known for wearing only black and white, was nominated for a Grammy for her debut EP. Monae is more than a singer and songwriter, she is on a unique mission to encourage women to use all their artistic powers to play, change, and transform. Her website reports that she is excited to open up a new platform to inspire women.
via Janelle Monáe named the new face of Cover Girl | theGrio.
Blair Underwood has signed a major development/talent holding deal with Universal Television. Under the pact, the studio will develop a starring vehicle for the actor, with him and Tagline Television attached to produce.
“Beauty may be skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone.”
— Redd Foxx, comedian, writer, film & TV actor
ITHACA, N.Y. — Hip hop pioneer DJ Afrika Bambaataa (pictured) (bam-BAH’-tah) has been appointed to a three-year term as a visiting scholar at Cornell University.
EXCLUSIVE: Feature producer Debra Martin Chase is making a major move in television with a two-year overall deal at ABC Studios. Under the pact, Chase will develop series projects through her company, Martin Chase Prods., with the help of a dedicated TV executive she is in the process of hiring.
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
–Maya Angelou, writer, poet and playwright