Black Star

  Talib Kweli and Mos Def presents Black Star.    Nokia Theatre Times Square New York, NY Sat, May 30, 2009 07:00 PM

KRS One with DJ Kool Herc

Legendary KRS One and DJ Kool Hercz! Saturday May 31 Santos Party House 96 Lafayette St.  $25.00

Beleza NYC @ drom

  LIVE Brazilian band:  RABECA DO FORRO and Eliano Braz   DJ David Medina spinning Samba, Broken Beat, Soulful house, Afro Brazilian, Axe, Salsa and Forro      Live  percussion by Toca & Ale Ale Drummers Saturday, May 30, 2009 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM 21+ cover: $10.00 | $10 all night  music: World Grooves, Brazilian Contact Email: Drom 85 Avenue A btwn 5th and 6th | F or V to 2nd Ave New York, NY  http://www.dromnyc.com

James wills Cavs to Game 5 victory over Magic

 LeBron James wouldn't let Cleveland lose Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 37 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists, as the Cavaliers staved off elimination with a 112-102 victory over Orlando at Quicken Loans Arena. James was magnificent on Thursday, waiving off teammates for isolation opportunities in the fourth, fouling out Orlando stud big man Dwight Howard with 2:22 to play and even doing what seemed like an unthinkable feat in sports -- bringing Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to his feet to cheer for an athlete from Cleveland. As a jump-shooter, James was consistent with 11 made field goals. As a slasher, he shot 19 free throws and converted on 15. He even found his teammates at the right time, and the role players responded. "We can't keep putting James on the line 20 times a game. We have to find a way to stop that," said Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy. Mo Williams scored 24 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 points and six rebounds and Delonte West chipped in with 13 points. Together, the trio made 19-of-35 shots from the floor, as Cleveland now trails the best-of-seven series 3-2 and heads to Orlando for Game 6 on Saturday. "I was just taking what the defense gave me," said James about his supporting cast. "It makes it easier when my guys are making shots. They know we are a much stronger team when they are making their shots." Hedo Turkoglu led Orlando with 29 points, Howard notched his customary double- double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Rashard Lewis added 15 points and Mickael Pietrus donated 13 off the bench. Rafer Alston, who poured in a career playoff-high 26 points in Game 4, managed just three points on 1-of-10 shooting. "We just have to step up our intensity," surmised Howard when asked about the changes needed for Game 6. The fourth quarter belonged to James. He had a hand in scoring or assisting on 32 straight Cleveland points, and his step-back jumper preceded a drive right into Howard's chest, drawing the sixth and final foul on the big man and softly floating a short shot through the net. The three-point play opened a 101-93 edge. He drained a jumper to maintain the eight-point edge just moments later then again took the ball at the top of the key on Cleveland's next possession. This time he drove into the lane and found a streaking Anderson Varejao, who scored and was fouled with 1:07 left. That bucket and subsequent foul shot pushed the lead to 107-96. "We gave him (James) the ball in what we call 'the nail' and told him 'big fella, get us some looks' and he did just that," said Cavs head coach Mike Brown. Riding high from a raucous home crowd and a hot shooting start, Cleveland raced out to a double-digit lead off the opening tip. Five straight from Williams made the score 9-3 not even two minutes in, then four straight from Ilgauskas triggered an 11-0 burst that opened up a 26-8 edge. Two free throws and a mid-range jumper off James' right hand capped the stretch, as Orlando made just three field goals in the first six-plus minutes. The guards got into the act with two jumpers from the smooth southpaw West sandwiched around a James jumper for a staggering 32-10 lead. The Cavs held a 35-18 advantage after 12 minutes of game action, and the rout appeared to be on. Yet, any knowledgeable NBA fan knew quite the opposite. With a big man like Howard to score and help space the floor for a flurry of three-point shooters, the Magic had the Cavaliers right where they wanted them. Battling back from substantial deficits several times already in the series, the Magic never wavered, never blinked, and continued to attack. Howard's and- one hoop and subsequent foul shot completed an eight-point onslaught to start the proceedings in the second stanza. Orlando continued to hang around, yet Cleveland still held a 52-42 edge on Ilgauskas' bucket with 2:34 left in the first half. Orlando scored 13 points in the final two-plus minutes to quiet Quicken Loans Arena and end the half on the verge of the lead. A driving layup by Lewis followed by a three from the sharp-shooter capped the scoring, leaving Orlando in just a 56-55 hole after 24 minutes. The third quarter foreshadowed the closing stretch -- a tight game well into the fourth quarter. Neither team gained concrete control in a back-and-forth period capped by a Daniel Gibson three that drew the Cavs within 79-78. Orlando led by as many as six in the period, while Cleveland also held a one- possession lead for a short period of time. Game Notes James tied Michael Jordan for second on the all-time list with 16 straight playoff games of 25 points or more. The record belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 25 or more points in 20 straight playoff games...Gibson chipped in with 11 points...Cleveland made 50 percent of its shots and actually made more three-pointers (9) than the long-distance shooting Magic (8).        

Sex scandal Miami priest quits Catholic Church

A popular Roman Catholic priest photographed frolicking with a woman on a Florida beach announced on Thursday he had joined the Episcopal Church to pursue the priesthood in a faith that allows married clergy. "I've seen with my own eyes how many brothers of mine serve God as married men and with the blessing of having their own families," said Father Alberto Cutie, whose removal from his Miami Beach parish prompted public debate about the Catholic Church's celibacy requirement for priests. The charismatic 40-year-old is a well-known religious leader in Miami who dispensed relationship advice on Spanish-language television shows, church radio programs and newspaper columns. He was relieved of his duties at St. Francis de Sales parish in Miami Beach earlier this month after the entertainment magazine TVnotas published photos of him in swim trunks, snuggling and kissing a woman on the sands of a beach in Florida. Cutie later said he had fallen in love with the woman and broken his vow of celibacy. He apologized for his behavior, but told the Univision Spanish-language television network, "I didn't stop being a man just because I put on a cassock. There are trousers under this cassock." The woman in the photographs, identified in media reports as Ruhama Canellis, stood at Cutie's side as he held a news conference at Trinity Cathedral, where the couple underwent a ceremony to join the Episcopalians. The Episcopalian church is part of the Anglican Communion, which traces its roots to the Church of England, formed when King Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church in order to divorce and remarry. The Episcopal church ordains men and women as priests, married or single, and has seen controversy within its own ranks for ordaining gay priests. At his news conference, Cutie described his move as "going into a new family" and said he would continue to proclaim God's word. "I will always love the Catholic Church and all its members who are committed in their faith and have enriched my life in so many ways," he said. Some Catholics expressed sympathy for Cutie and said it was time to end the celibacy rule. Others said that, given the recent scandals involving U.S. priests sexually abusing young boys, and Irish priests raping, flogging and enslaving children in Catholic schools, they were relieved that Cutie had merely become involved with an adult woman.

Phil Spector sentenced to 19 years to life

Phil Spector was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth in the music producer's home six years ago.

Questioning Hasn’t Fazed Nominee Sotomayor

Senate Republicans have yet to decide how tough they will be in grilling Judge Sonia Sotomayor in her confirmation hearings, but this is clear: The Supreme Court nominee already has shown an ability to withstand rigorous questioning. Partisan tensions were high when Sotomayor arrived in Washington in 1997 for her confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. A rumor was making Republican rounds that President Bill Clinton wanted to elevate her from the federal trial bench because he planned to "fast-track" her to the Supreme Court if Justice John Paul Stevens decided to retire during Clinton's second term. Senate Republican leader Trent Lott (Miss.) delayed her confirmation by the full Senate, which occurred nearly a year after her hearing. And the rumor of Stevens's retirement turned out to be false. But first she needed to survive the hearing, where Republicans asked astringent questions about some of the most sensitive issues of the time: mandatory minimum prison sentences, the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and gay rights. She survived the hearing with a combination of assured self-defense and well-placed ingratiation, although she also avoided one line of questioning by saying she could not recall the case. It remains to be seen whether the current Republicans on the Judiciary Committee will set a similar tenor for her Supreme Court hearing, and only one of the senators at the center of earlier questioning remains on the panel: Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican. But Sotomayor's 1997 hearing, as well as a far friendlier Democratic-led hearing in 1992 after President George H.W. Bush nominated her for a judgeship, does hint at what senators can expect from Sotomayor. She came across as a self-confident jurist who enjoys speaking about her humble roots, discusses legal reasoning in accessible language and is adept at tactfully defending controversial positions. In 1997, Sotomayor seemed to satisfy then-Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) by assuring him that she did not agree with those who think the Constitution needs to be read above all in terms of what "the words and the text mean in our time." And she told him that she did not care for the American Bar Association's practice of taking stands on issues such as abortion, because that "undermines their effectiveness on the central issues of their mission, which is the education of lawyers." The toughest questioning came from Sessions, who scrutinized the depth of her support for minimum sentencing guidelines. First, he drew out of her a general statement of support for the guidelines. Then he countered with a seemingly contradictory quote from the past: her strongly worded 1993 apology to a defendant to whom she gave a mandatory minimum sentence of five years: "I hope that yours will be among the many that will convince our new president and Congress to change these minimums. The only statement I can make is this is one more example of an abomination being committed before our sight. You do not deserve this, sir. I am deeply sorry for you and your family, but the laws require me to sentence you to the five-year minimum. I have no choice." Sotomayor, a former state prosecutor, said the apology expressed her frustration over a feature in the sentencing rules that was later changed by Congress: the lack of a "safety valve" provision for defendants such as this one, a first-time offender without a history of violence who had shown a willingness to cooperate with prosecutors. But Sessions pressed her on her "abomination" remark, saying a judge "has to be careful in conducting themselves in a way that reflects respect for the law." She conceded that "maybe I would not have called it an abomination" and assured him that "great respect both for the law and the process is terribly important." While she often gets letters from "heartbroken" families of defendants, she added, "I explain to them that as much as I understand their pain, that I have a greater obligation to society to follow the law in the way that it is set forth." Sessions also challenged Sotomayor on whether she had applauded or remained sitting -- as some of her colleagues had -- when Thomas came to speak to the 2nd Circuit conference. Sotomayor had declined to say what she had done when asked later by a newspaper reporter. This demurral, she told Sessions, was only because she wanted to avoid making a "political statement." Sessions pressed further: Did she applaud or not? "He was my Supreme Court justice of my circuit. I stood up," she said. Then-Sen. John D. Ashcroft (R-Mo.) engaged Sotomayor over a case in which an inmate had sued prison officials who had removed him from his food service job because he was openly gay, a move that, as Ashcroft put it, would "prevent disciplinary problems that could arise from having open homosexuals prepare food." Ashcroft moved to a broader question: "Do you believe that there is a constitutional right to homosexual conduct by prisoners?" Sotomayor answered: "No, sir, there is not. . . . The only constitutional right that homosexuals have is the same constitutional right every citizen of the United States has, which is not to have government action taken against them arbitrarily and capriciously." Ashcroft pressed on. "Are there any rights that are not protected by the Constitution that . . . you would like to see protected?" "I have not thought about that in a while, sir. No," Sotomayor said. Ashcroft was dissatisfied. "My time is not up," he said. But Sotomayor held firm. "I think I answered," she said. Sotomayor also came up short for then-Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), who asked her about a 1993 drug-trafficking case in which DeWine quoted her as telling the defendant, "We understand that you were in part a victim of the economic necessities of our society, but unfortunately, there are laws that I must impose." She said she could not recall the case. The committee confirmed her five months later, with Ashcroft and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) voting no.

Tropical Depression forms over the Atlantic

The first tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season formed on Thursday off the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, the National Hurricane Center said. At 11 a.m. EDT , the Miami-based center said the storm system was centered about 310 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island, and churning northeast at 17 miles per hour. The depression, packing maximum sustained winds near 35 mph was not expected to threaten any land areas but it was the first of the six-month Atlantic hurricane season which officially get under way on June 1.

Time Warner to Spin Off AOL, Ending Ill-Fated Deal

Media giant Time Warner announced this morning what it had said it intended to do more than a year ago: Unload its struggling AOL advertising-and-dial-up unit, which will face life as a standalone, publicly traded company. The move officially ends the nine-year saga of Dulles-based AOL and New York's Time Warner, which began when AOL co-founder Steve Case engineered what was hailed at the time as the first of what would be several mega-marriages between old and new media. Time Warner owns 95 percent of AOL, with Google holding the remaining share. Time Warner plans to purchase Google's share of AOL in the third quarter of this year then spin off the company. It will be run by current chief executive Tim Armstrong, who came from Google in March. The move was signaled as early as February of last year by Time Warner chief executive Jeffrey Bewkes. "We believe that a separation will be the best outcome for both Time Warner and AOL," Bewkes said in a statement. "The separation will be another critical step in the reshaping of Time Warner that we started at the beginning of last year, enabling us to focus to an even greater degree on our core content businesses. We believe AOL will then have a better opportunity to achieve its full potential as a leading independent Internet company." Time Warner explored a number of options for AOL, including splitting it up and selling it off for parts. Other dial-up Internet businesses sniffed around AOL's dial-up division, for instance. But in the end, and after hiring Armstrong to run AOL in March of this year, Time Warner felt a spin-off was the best option. It will be up to Armstrong if he wants to keep the dial-up business in AOL's portfolio. At the time of the 2001 merger, AOL's stock was peaking at nearly than $100 per share, pushed skyward by the euphoria of the dot-com bubble. On paper, the merger seemed like a no-brainer: With 22 million subscribers, AOL would be the pipeline to distribute Time Warner's world-class content, from its Warner Bros. movies to its Time Inc. publications to its WB television shows. But things never worked out that way. In the pre-broadband Internet era, movies and TV shows were nearly impossible to watch via dial-up. Time Inc. was not Web-savvy; it had already tried and failed to create its own portal for its magazines. And the culture clash between the brash, deal-oriented AOLers and the established Time Warnerites was poisonous. One small example: Time Warner chafed at taking on the "@aol.com" suffix on their work e-mail address. A procession of layoffs and executives streamed through Dulles as they tried to turn around AOL. They included longtime radio salesman Jimmy De Castro to Barry Diller acolyte Jonathan Miller to former long-time NBC sales chief Randy Falco. Miller's plan was radical: Turn AOL from a dial-up subscription company to an advertising-supported business. He allowed dial-up subscribers to shed by the millions and built out AOL's Platform A advertising business. It worked, to a point. But not enough for Bewkes and the other Time Warner overlords. After four years, Miller was ousted in 2006 for Falco, who had been passed over for the top NBC job for Jeff Zucker. Falco shed more AOL staffers -- 700 more, or 10 percent, this year -- and moved AOL's headquarters business to New York. He drew on his advertising experience to work to complete AOL's transition to an advertising company. In March, Falco was ousted for Armstrong, who carried the tech bona fides that Falco never had.

Pharoahe Monch at Press Day

Shout out to Sav One who got this up in record time From Sav: "I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite artists in hip-hop history, Pharoahe Monch, at the press event for Brooklyn Bodega's Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. I spoke to him about the Festival (its importance to the culture & to him personally), his original Demo, his new solo album, a new Organized Konfusion track, the current climate in hip-hop, artists he supports, and so much more. This is one of the most in-depth interviews I've conduced on camera & I'm real happy to share it with everyone. "

Pharoahe Monch Interview W/ DJ SAV*ONE @ Brooklyn Bodega Press Event from THEUNDERGROUNDCOMEUP.COM on Vimeo.

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