Arts & Lifestyle
4
Of Interest ...
BET Awards lineup grows
The lineup is growing for BET Awards, which
will air live at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on
June 29 at 8 p.m.
Songbird Alicia Keys, rapper Ludacris and hot
new producer/rapper Kanye
West will join music superstars
Janet Jackson, Usher. Outkast
and The Isley Brothers, who
are also slated to bum up the
stage with red-hot performanc
es. Other new additions to the
lineup include hip-hop crew 50
Cent and the G Unit, and
gospel music sensation Smok
ie Norful.
Jackson Celebrities confirmed to
appear or present awards
include Jamie Foxx. Jada Pinkett Smith. Steve Har
vey, Gabrielle Union, Boris Kodjoe, Raven, Dorien
Wilson, Twista and Humanitarian Award recipient
Danny Glover.
The BET Awards recognize the biggest and the
best in film, music and sports personalities. Topping
the list of nominees are R&B's hottest leading lady,
Beyonce; Dirty South luminaries Outkast and Lil Joru"
R&B superstar Usher; hip-hop kingpin Jay-Z; and
newcomer Kanye West.
Reprising her role as the first-ever female host of
the BET Awards telecast is Mo'Nique. star of the
UPN Network's "The Parkers."
Sawtooth plans opening
The Sawtooth Center for Visual Art is hosting the
initial showing of 60 8x 10 photographs taken by local
veterans during their tours in Vietnam. The exhibit,
which will be in the Milton Rhodes Gallery of the
Sawtooth Building, will begin with an opening night
reception on Thursday, July I. at 6 p.m.
The N.C. chapter of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots
Association will display a Huey helicopter in the First
Presbyterian Church parking lot across from the Saw
tooth Building from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
LiT Kim blocked from leaving U.S.
NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge Friday
blocked rapper Lil' Kim from performing at a music
festival on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts later this
month.
The performer, whose real name is Kimberly
Jones, is barred from leaving
the united Mates as part ot a
bail agreement in a shooting
case.
Judge Gerard Lynch scold
ed Jones' - known for her
revealing outfits and risque
lyrics - for having agreed in
May to perform at the St. Kitts
Music Festival. She had sur
rendered her passport in April
after she was charged with
lying to a grand jury about a l" K,m
2001 shootout between rival
rap groups at a New York hip-hop radio station.
Lawyer Mel Sachs argued Jones was not a flight
risk: "Your honor, this is a well-known performer." he
said.
"Tell that to Roman Polanski." the judge replied,
referring to the Oscar-winning director who fled the
United States after he was charged in 1977 with hav
ing sex with a 13-year-old girl.
"Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you
don't jump bail and leave the country."
The rapper wore a tan pantsuit to the hearing: her
hair was streaked in red-oraAge hues. She sat with her
hands folded in her lap and did not speak.
Lil' Kim. who won a Grammy Award for her part
in the hit remake of "Lady Marmalade" in 2001. was
to perform at the music festival June 26 along with
Ginuwine and Busta Rhymes. Sachs told reporters
o she would have been paid $35,000. and now will have
to pay an undetermined penalty calculated by concert
organizations.
Museum will offer camps
Reynolda House. Museum of American Art is
offering a series of classes for children in the areas of
art and creative writing during the months of June
and July. Summer Enrichment takes place during the
weeks of June 28-July 2 and July 5-9 from 9:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m.
Rising first- through sixth-grade boys and girls
look at and learn about selected pieces of art in the
Reynolda House collection and then create their own
art through a series of fun hands-on activities. Linda
Grimes, a public school art teacher and 10-year vet
eran of the Summer Enrichment program, leads these
sessions.
"Writing Adventures" has these sessions this
summer: June 28-July 2 and July 5-9 from 1 :30 p.m.
to 4:30 p.m. followed by both morning and afternoon
sessions during the week of July 12-16. As in the
Summer Enrichment programs, the children relate
their creative writing projects to art they have looked
at and discussed. Becky Brown will lead the first two
sessions; Tracy Wilson will lead the last week.
Reynolda House is fortunate to have these two
accomplished teachers leading the summer writing
sessions for children.
Each camp's daily activities include a snack and
a swim in the beautiful indoor Reynolda House pool.
For information and to register children for Summer
Enrichment or Writing Adventures, call 758-5389.
Fees vary according to the session, ranging from $75
to $90 with discounts for siblings.
Usher is the hottest name in popular music these days.
Hometown folks say
Usher has forgot roots
BY BARRY COURTER
CHAT1 \NOOGA tTMES-FREE PRESS
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.
(NNPA) - Darryl Wheeler Sr. glances
over the May issue of Vibe magazine
with R&B star Usher on the cover and
reads again the quotes in the story from
the superstar. "Because of his lan
guage, I don't know that young man."
he says of the Chattanooga-bom artist
who has America's No. I record.
"That's not the same young man that
lived with me and called me dad."
Wheeler, who says he signed the
star to this first recording contract,
wonders out loud about the changes
that Usher Raymond IV has gone
through since he firsr approached hirii
in 1990, as a 12-year-old Dalewood
Middle School student who wanted to
perform with Wheeler's boy band, Nu
Beginning.
Today, Usher, 26, has the top-sell
ing album, "Confessions," and two sin
gles in the Top 5 Billboard music
charts, "Yeah" and "Bum." His photo
graph is also on the cover of this
month's Rolling Stone magazine. Yet,
Wheeler and former members of Nu
Beginning say that the R&B superstar
apparently doesn't acknowledge the
group he spent nearly three years with
when given the chance in national
interviews.
"He (Usher) is not a superstar to
me," Wheeler says. "He's still the
young man that lived in my house and
slept in the same room with my son
and ate at my table. I just want to know
'why he doesn't acknowledge us or the
-family triat was the Nu Beginning.
In the Rolling Stone article. Usher
alludes to his days here and Wheeler
indirectly. He also talks about the days
after he moved to Atlanta with his
mother. Jonetta Patton.
Wheeler said that after seeing a
recent television special on Usher that
contained no mention of Nu Begin
ning. he decided to tell his story in a
documentary titled "When Dreams Are
Shattered." produced by In UR Eye
Media in Florida. It is slated for release
in June under the imprint of Wheeler's
company. Comclean Entertainment,
and is being shopped to various music,
film and television companies.
Usher's mother did not respond to
faxed questions and phone calls seek
ing comment on the documentary.
She and Usher have said in previ
ous interviews that she had moved her
son to Atlanta to be nearer the musical
big leagues. As for the star himself.
Usher's publicist, Simone Smalls,
says, "Usher is not available for any
See Usher on C8
Gibbs joins cast of 'Passions'
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
STUDIO CITY, Calif. -
Eight-time NAACP Image Award
winner Maria Gibbs has joined the
cast of "Passions" in the role of
Irma Johnson. "Aunt Irma," Exec
utive Producer Lisa de Cazotte
announced recently.
Maria Gibbs is a Chicago
native. It was a job transfer as a
United Airlines reservation clerk
that led an adult Gibbs and her
three children from Detroit to Los
Angeles.
Gibbs soon joined PASLA
(Performing Arts Society of Los
Angeles) with her daughter Angela
and studied at the Mafundi Insti
tute and Watts Writers Workshop
(both in Watts). Gibbs soon per
formed in several well-received
productions-, including "Medea,"
"7\men Corner" and "The Ginger
bread Lady" at the Zodiac Theatre.
After a few bit parts, Gibbs
landed the plum role of Florence
on "The Jeffersons," where she
gained international notoriety.
After the ninth successful season
of "The Jeffersons." Gibbs landed
a spin-off series, "Check
ing-In, which was inter
rupted by a writers strike
and never recovered, and
she returned to "The Jef
fersons."
Soon after, daughter
Angela produced the
award winning Christine
Houston play "227," in
which Gibbs was cast as
the lead by noted director
Ed Cambridge. The play
was such a smashing suc
cess that Gibbs purchased
ine i v rigms ana. along
with Norman Lear's Embassy TV,
sold and helped produce the series
for NBC where it became a five
year hit series, now in syndication.
Gibbs is a four-time Emmy
nominee, eight-time Family TV
Award winner, Essence Woman of
the Year, Frances Williams'
Women in Theater West Award
Gibbs
winner. Special Black Emmy nom
inee honoree, winner of two
CEBA Awards and has received a
host of other national
and local honors.
In 2000, she
received at Best Sup
porting Actress award
from The Southern
California Method
Fest. She recently
completed starring in
the feature films "Stan
ley's Gig" and "The
Visit."
Other recent film
credits include "The
Brothers." "Foolish."
Lost ana rouna,
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love."
"Border to Border" and "Up
Against the Wall." She recently
participated in Eve Ensler's play
"The Vagina Monologues" in New
York City.
Gibbs' first air date on "Pas
sion" was June 14. which was also
her birthday.
Writer
Ralph
Wiley
dies at 52
FROM NNPA
WASHINGTON - Ralph
Wiley, an outspoken former
staff writer for Sports Illus
trated and ESPN - the televi
sion network, Web site and
magazine, died the night of
June 13 at his home in Orlan
do of heart failure. He was 52
years old.
Wilev. a 1975 graduate of
Knoxville College in Ten
nessee,
died
three
weeks
after the
death of
a fellow
alumnus
and col
league,
Vernon
president
of the National Association of
Black Journalists, Jarrett died
on May 23 in Chicago at the
age of 86.
"Knoxville College is
noted for producing national
ly-recognized African-Ameri
can journalists," said Barbara
R. Hatton. ? president of
Knoxville College in Ten
nessee. "And to have two
giants in the field of journal
ism die within three weeks of
each other is a blow to the
profession and brings deep
sorrow to our Knoxville Col
lege family."
Johnathan Rodgers, now
president and CEO of TV One
network, was the first black to
work as a reporter at Sports
Illustrated in the late 1960s.
He was followed at SI by
George E. Curry (Knoxville
College, '70), now editor-in
chief of the NNPA News Ser
vice, in the earlf 1970s.
Wiley began writing for
Sports Illustrated in 1982 and
remained there for 10 years,
producing 28 cover stories.
He had been a regular on
ESPN's "Sports Reporters,"
had provided commentary for
ESPN's "SportsCenter" and
had worked as an NFL analyst
for NBC.
At Knoxvilje College, the
Memphis native played wide
receiver on the football team
and obtained his first profes
sional journalism job. writing
sports for the Knoxville
Keyana-Spectrum, a weekly.
After his student days at
Knoxville College. Wiley
began as a copy clerk for the
Oakland Tribune but quickly
got a staff job and was writing
a regular column when Sports
Illustrated hired him in 1982.
Reflecting on his lonely
stint at Sports Illustrated,
Wiley said it was not easy.
"I often thought of myself
as the Larry Bird of Sports
Illustrated during the 10 years
I wrote articles there," he said
in a column. "...Not counting
public sentiment. I know the
Sec Wiley on C8
Sharpton is CNBC 's newest commentator
rile pw
Rev. Al Sharpton was once a Democratic contender.
BY SHENISHE L. KELLY
NNPA INTERN
WASHINGTON - Al Sharpton.
who often outshined his opponents
and entertained the nation during his
short-lived presidential candidacy,
will now use his insight and quick
wit as a CNBC political commentator
during this summer's political con
ventions.
"I will be speaking as a person
that comes from an African-Ameri
can background, which most com
mentators don't, that will see these
conventions and what they do and do
not do for black communities as well
as Latinos and others that have been
left out." said Sharpton.
Beginning in July, Sharpton will
appear on various CNBC shows
twice a week and then nightly during
(he Democratic convention in Boston
July 26-29 and the Republican con
vention in New York Aug. 30 through
Sept. 2.
Among his scheduled appear
ances are the "Dennis Miller Show,"
"Capitol Report" and the new
"McEnroe" shows.
Sharpton. who joined the Kerry
campaign as an adviser last week,
will have direct access to Democrat
ic discussions and strategies and may
help CNBC battle conservative com
petitors.
"It is probably one of their con- (
side-rations and if it is. 1 am proud to
try to help them do that," Sharpton
said, referring to the right-wing com
petition. "I absolutely feel this is an
opportunity to give the opposite view
Sft' Sharpton >>n C8