WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has marked the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a moment of silence with First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and his wife Jill Biden today. Obama, along with Mrs. Obama, walked out of the White House at 1246 GMT, the moment the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center tower in New York City. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks that led to a long war in Afghanistan. The President went on to speak at a Sept. 11 ceremony at the Pentagon today (see video below).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLjrMCSHzpo&w=420&h=315] article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
First lady Michelle Obama visits with children at the USO Warrior and Family Center in Fort Belvoir, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, during a service project to commemorate the Sept. 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance at Food and Friends. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama drew a pair of construction paper hands for a project with military children during a 9/11 visit to a USO center at the Army’s Fort Belvoir. The first lady said she wanted to highlight the organization’s work on behalf of wounded service members and their families.
The USO Warrior and Family Center opened in February at the Army installation in Virginia, just south of Washington. The USO says it’s the largest ever to support wounded troops, their families and others by providing relaxation, home-cooked meals, kids’ playrooms and other support. Mrs. Obama helped children complete banners decorated with cutouts of handprints for a rock concert Wednesday night. She was joined by actor Gary Sinise, a USO supporter whose “Lt. Dan Band” was performing at the event. Sinise played the character “Lt. Dan” in the movie Forrest Gump. Mrs. Obama also brought along cookies shaped like the family’s new Portuguese water dog, Sunny. Afterward, she toured the Intrepid Spirit center, also at Fort Belvoir. The facility was dedicated Wednesday and provides outpatient care to service members and veterans with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions. She met privately with wounded service members and their families and participated in a round-table discussion with caregivers. Mrs. Obama traveled to Fort Belvoir after observing a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, and White House staff members. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
Eighteen year-old hip-hop dancer and Las Vegas street performer Du-Shant Stegall, better known as Fik-Shun, took the top male spot in last night’s So You Think You Can Dance finale on FOX. Fik-Shun beat out tapper Aaron Turner, and shares the Favorite Dancer title with jazz dancer Amy Yakima (pictured above with Fik-Shun), who beat out contemporary dancer Jasmine Harper for the top female spot. Fik-Shun and Amy each won $100,000 and will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Dance Spirit Magazine. This was the 10th season of So You Think You Can Dance, which was renewed for an 11th season according to producer and head judge Nigel Lythgoe. Check out one of Fik-Shun’s mind-blowing hip-hop solos that helped earn him his Favorite Dancer crown below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMY8YTVip1E&w=420&h=315] article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
NoViolet Bulawayo is a Zimbabwean author. She is currently a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. (Smeeta Mahanti/Courtesy Reagan Arthur Books)
According to npr.com, the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award, was announced today. Among the short listers was We Need New Names author and Stanford University fellow NoViolet Bulawayo. Although the Booker Prize is limited to writers from the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland, the list skews international, and includes novelists from Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Canada. The complete shortlist is:
Arsenio Hall’s return to the late night circuit after nearly 20 years produced some promising ratings results on Monday night. “The Arsenio Hall Show” averaged a 1.9 rating/4 share in Nielsen’s 53 metered markets, building from its lead-in on the stations that carried it by 27% (1.5/3). It’s nearly double the 1.0/2 that these stations averaged in the time slot in September of last year. The show is anchored by the 17 stations in the Tribune Broadcasting station group, which is also a partner in the show. In key demographics, “Arsenio” scored a 1.0 rating/4 share in adults 18-49 and 1.2/5 in adults 25-54 in Nielsen’s markets with Local People Meters, beating every latenight program on the broadcast networks. “Arsenio” fared especially well in some of the largest markets, including Los Angeles, where it was the No. 1 show in its 11 p.m. time slot on KTLA with a 3.2 household rating/9 share — up about 90% from its local news lead-in (1.7/4). Among the top 20 markets, the only ones to fare better were Cleveland (4.6/10) and Chicago (3.3/6). The premiere of “Arsenio” did a relatively modest 1.6/4 in New York on WPIZ, but that was a nice surge over its lead-in (1.0/2). It was also the No. 1 latenight talk show in the market in both adults 18-49 (1.2 rating) and adults 25-54 (1.5). In the first episode, Hall welcomed comedian and actor Chris Tucker as his first guest, as well as surprise guests Snoop Dogg and Paula Abdul and a tape appearance by Jay Leno. article by Rick Kissell via variety.com
Robin Quivers in New York City (Gary Gershoff/WireImage) Longtime Howard Stern show co-host Robin Quivers revealed this morning that she’s been declared cancer-free after a long battle with the disease. She’s been broadcasting from her home by an ISDN line since she had a grapefruit-sized tumor removed from her bladder in May of 2012, missing only two episodes despite undergoing extensive radiation therapy, chemotherapy and highly invasive operations. “Howard was wrecked when this first came out,” said Stern producer Jon Hein on the air. “He didn’t feel comfortable doing the show without her. It looks like she’s cancer-free and will hopefully be back here sometime soon.” Quivers has been an essential part of the Howard Stern show since she was first paired up with the shock jock in March of 1981 at a Washington, D.C. radio station. With the exception of a very brief time period when Stern moved over to WNBC in New York in 1982, they have been together ever since.
Actor Michael Fassbender, left, and director Steve McQueen on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Nathan Denette / Associated Press / September 6, 2013) Brad Pitt didn’t say much during the question-and-answer session that followed the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of “12 Years a Slave” on Friday night, just a short comment on why he produced and co-starred in the Steve McQueen period drama.
But, like his turn as an abolitionist-minded maverick amid a group of brutal slaveowners, Pitt spoke volumes as he stood on the stage with cast and filmmakers. “If I never get to participate in a film again,” he said, his voice trailing off as if to imply this would be enough, “this is it for me,” he finally finished. It’s a sentiment you could imagine the lead cast members — Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o and of course Chiwetel Eijiofor, standing out amid the standouts — sharing with Pitt. And it’s a sentiment you could imagine the audience feeling. Festivals come and go; movies rise and fade. But once in a great while there’s a film that feels almost instantly, in the room, like it’s going to endure, and change plenty of things along the way. And “12 Years” offers that feeling. Most narrowly, that’s true on Oscar level. By 9 p.m. Friday night, just six days into September, the film had already become a top contender for various acting, writing and directing prizes, as well as the big prize. You could say that’s premature. But you probably wouldn’t if you sat in the room. (Vulture’s Kyle Buchanan certainly didn’t hold back.) It’s equally true on a social level. “12 Years” tells the fact-based story of Solomon Northup (Eijiofor), a free man who in 1841 was kidnapped and sold into slavery, and his travails — at once horrifying and surprising, no matter how much you think you’re ready for them — when he is trafficked to a series of Southern plantations for more than a decade.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiiFzKfuPMk&w=560&h=315] Today, Eddie Murphyunveiled the worldwide release of the official music video for his new single “Red Light”, on VEVO from his forthcoming solo album “9”. Featuring Snoop Lion, “Red Light,” showcases Murphy’s vocals over a laid back Reggae tune, serving as a postive anthem attempting to raise awareness about social injustice, stop violence and self-sabotage. Eddie Murphy’s “9” is slated to be released in the first quarter of 2014. article via eurweb.com
Feminist and human rights activist Aminata Touré is making history in Senegal. According to reports, the 51-year-old former justice minister was named Prime Minister last Sunday, only the second woman in the country’s history. (Mame Madior Boye served between 2001 and 2002)
Known as Senegal’s Iron Lady, Touré named her cabinet, which includes four other women, just one day of the announcement.
Ms. Touré earned much respect in Senegal in her role as justice minister. It was during her tenure that the judicial process against former Chad dictator Hissène Habré saw great progress, leading up to his arrest in Senegal earlier this year. Also under her leadership, the fight against corruption and illegally-acquired wealth was intensified, seeing millions of francs held by corrupt officials in foreign banks repatriated.
As for her plans in office? Touré says she will “speed up the pace of our public development programs and reforms to enable every person in Senegal to feel the change in their daily livelihood.” The new Prime Minster holds a Masters in economics and a PhD in international financial management. article by Myeisha Essex via blackamericaweb.com
Vin Diesel helped light up what is usually a dark post-Labor Day box office period, with Universal’s franchise pic “Riddick” scoring a solid estimated $18.7 million domestically. The film claimed the weekend’s No. 1 spot, unseating the Weinstein Co.’s “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which stayed strong in second place with $8.9 million. The three-week champ, which fell just 40% in its fourth frame, reached $91.9 million Stateside through Sunday. Total domestic box office was up over this time last year by roughly 25%, thanks also to a excellent expansion for Lionsgate-Pantelion’s “Instructions Not Included.” The Hispanic-targeted crowdpleaser earned $8.1 million from just 717 locations, up from 384 last weekend, for a U.S. cume now past $20 million. It was a sci-fi-themed weekend globally: Sony’s futuristic pic “Elysium” ranked first overseas with an estimated $21.2 million, of which China contributed $11.7 million in its first weekend locally. In total, “Elysium” has cumed $127 million internationally and $212 million worldwide. While “Riddick” defied the post-Labor Day slump, the film still came in on the low-side of expectations. Pic opened with less than its predecessor’s $24 million debut in 2004, but the $38 million three-quel outperformed the original film, 2000′s “Pitch Black,” which grossed $11.6 million during opening weekend. “We always try to find the right time for the right films,” said Universal distribution prexy Nikki Rocco. “This was an inexpensive venture for Universal, and we wanted Vin to have the No. 1 film.” Not surprisingly, “Riddick” earned most of its opening from men, at 59%, with Hispanics contributing a sizable 37% of the gross. Imax also helped with fanboy appeal, posting $2.5 million of the domestic opening. article by Andrew Stewart via variety.com
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