ELEPHANT IN THE SAND

`'John Legend WRITES LETTER To The NY Post,' Responding To Controversial Monkey Comic!!!!!!!

Dear Editor:

I’m trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that’s not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can’t imagine what possible justification you have for this. I’ve read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It’s about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I’m personally boycotting your paper and won’t do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I’m well aware of our country’s history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don’t need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,

John Legend

The World's Most Powerful Billionaires

They might not be the richest people in the world, but these billionaires have tremendous sway over the world's markets, workers--and, in some cases, armies.

In Pictures: The World's Most Powerful Billionaires

The authority and influence Michael Bloomberg wields is staggering.

As mayor of New York City--America's largest and most complex metropolis--he lords over more than 8 million people speaking 40 different languages within 305 square miles. He commands 311,000 city employees and an annual budget of $60 billion.

Since being elected in 2001, Bloomberg has resurrected New York from the wreckage of the 9/11 attacks, seized control of the city's schools, enforced a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, and taken serious strides to make the city a leader in

On any given day, he might negotiate a workers strike, coordinate various law-enforcement agencies' efforts to combat terrorist threats or handle another crisis (like, say, a commercial airplane crashing into the Hudson River).

Full List: The Most Powerful Billionaires

Video: Most Powerful Billionaires

And he paid for this job. Bloomberg left his massive media and financial information company, Bloomberg LP, in 2001 to effectively buy City Hall when he chipped in $74 million of his own cash to run for mayor. (He threw in another $85 million to keep the gig four years later and recently convinced New York's City Council to allow him to run for a third term this year.)

While he's been mayor, Bloomberg LP has grown. Today, the firm has 10,000 employees in 126 global offices, providing most of the world's trading floors with financial data. Bloomberg's 88% stake in the company helped push his net worth to $20 billion last fall, making him one of America's richest men.

This combination of wealth, media influence and political prowess lofted Bloomberg atop the annual Forbes list of the most powerful billionaires in the world.

50 Cent Presents Pimpin' Curly "The Fast Lane" - Episode #3

A day in the life of Pimpin' Curly. Meet his brother Earl. Then check out Curly and his stable of women as he moves around the city getting his money right.

Twitter gets $35 million in new venture funds

When you're San Francisco's hottest start-up, you don't need to look for funding. The money comes to you.

Twitter Inc. closed a $35-million venture capital round led by Institutional Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital.

Co-founder Biz Stone said the micro-blogging service still had money in the bank from two earlier funding rounds, which totaled $20 million, but Twitter received "an offer we couldn't refuse."

"Our strong growth attracted interest, and we decided to accept a unique opportunity to make Twitter even stronger with a very attractive offer," he wrote in a corporate blog post titled "Opportunity Knocks."

Stone said Twitter's active user base had grown 900% in the last year -- though he didn't mention the total. The company's Web traffic was "amazing" too, he said, but it was far outpaced by the traffic through the tools Twitter makes available to outside programmers.

The service's growth has been powered by a thriving ecosystem of developers who create programs that make Twitter more useful.

Stone said the funding boost would go toward expanding Twitter's 29-person staff, "and yes, to begin building revenue-generating products."

That's its most famous challenge: figuring out how to pull in money not just from venture capitalists but from everyone -- or anyone -- else.

REPORTED BY:ZOREAGA TEAM FOCH ENT. 2Pac's Mother Sued Over Film Rights To Rapper's Biopic

Afeni Shakur, the mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur, is reportedly being sued by film production company Morgan Creek for allegedly backing out of an agreement to sell Tupac's life rights to them for a film adaptation.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morgan Creek filed their suit against Afeni Wednesday (February 19) claiming that a written contract was in place for 2Pac's life rights but Afeni has refused to honour the agreement.Morgan Creek is seeking damages and other relief.Lawyers representing Afeni claim that a deal with Morgan Creek never existed."There is no agreement with Morgan Creek, there never was, and there never will be," said Afeni's lawyer, Skip Miller.Miller claims that Morgan’s lawsuit is an attempt to force Afeni to hand over her late son's life rights.He claims that Afeni and Amaru Entertainment, the company that handles 2Pac’s estate, had been in discussions with other film studios and Morgan Creek threatened to sabotage those negotiations with litigation."They have scared away Paramount, Fox and others, and we are going to sue them and recover millions (in damages)," Miller said.Morgan Creek representatives could not be reached for comment.Tupac Amaru Shakur was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. His murder still remains unsolved.

Shyne On The Verge Of Prison Release * Posted by ZOREAGA OF TEAM FOCH ENT. on February 17, 2009 at 7:37pm

After serving roughly eight years of a ten year sentence for his role in the infamous Club New York shooting on December 27, 1999, Shyne looks to be finally on the verge of release. The attorney for the former Bad Boy Records artist spoke to HipHopDX earlier today to clarify the details of his client’s pending parole, as well as provide some insight into Shyne Po’s post-prison plans.

“We’re hoping for April,” said Shyne’s legal counsel, Oscar Michelen, of when he is anticipating his client’s release from the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County, New York. “[But] they don’t normally let you know [the exact release date] until right before it happens.”

Mr. Michelen went on to clarify that, “A parole hearing is scheduled for June. And if they don’t release him prior to that date, then he gets his parole hearing. But they can advance that depending on the situation at the jail at that particular time. And we’re under the belief that it might very well be advanced [to April].”

Shyne’s stellar personal conduct while incarcerated should contribute to his likely parole this spring.

“He’s been an exemplirary inmate,” Michelen told DX of the now 30-year-old Shyne (who legally changed his name in 2006 from Jamal Barrow to Moses Michael Leviy upon converting to Judaism). “He’s had no problems, been very positive. As a matter of fact, myself and another person were scheduled to go up [on] the 26th of February [to see him]. There’s a dinner in honor of African-American History Month, and so Moses [is] participating in that. And he’s also coordinating, getting some speakers to talk about how things have affected the criminal justice system in the last few years, [and] what we think the affect of the new presidency will be on issues affecting minorities. So he’s always been involved in many positive things at the jail and has never had a problem at all whatsoever. So, he’d be the perfect candidate for [parole]. The only knock against him was that he was convicted of a crime that’s considered a violent crime.”

Shyne was charged and subsequently convicted in March 2001 of four charges—including first degree assault—for allegedly firing multiple shots into the crowded Club New York (and striking three people) after a fellow patron named Michael “Scar” Allen approached Sean “Diddy” Combs, Diddy’s then girlfriend actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, Shyne and their additional entourage and taunted the Bad Boy CEO by throwing money at him.

Diddy was acquitted of all criminal charges for his alleged role in the melee that night. But a subsequent civil lawsuit was filed against both the Bad Boy founder and his then artist by Natania Reuben, who was shot in the face during the incident and is now seeking a $130 million dollar settlement [click to read].

“The matter is still pending in court and we’re awaiting a trial date,” revealed Mr. Michelen, who also represents Shyne in this civil case in addition to providing the rapper’s criminal defense. “Both Mr. Combs and Shyne are being sued; they’re [both] defendants. I’d rather not comment on Mr. Combs’ aspect of it. I can comment on my client. He’s got his own lawyer. But [Shyne] is still a defendant in the lawsuit. There are going to be motions to dismiss. And I guess a judge will ultimately determine whether it goes to trial or not.”

Mr. Michelen did not wish to reveal when asked by DX whether or not Shyne had been deposed in the civil suit yet. Shyne’s testimony was reported to have taken place last year following Diddy’s deposition in March of ’08—marking the first time Shyne would have gone on record (he did not testify during his criminal proceedings in 2001) about the events that took place at Club New York and whether he was or was not acting in defense or under the order of his then label boss, Diddy (Shyne’s then trial attorney claimed that a person in Allen’s entourage shot first) when he fired into the club. Shyne will likely remain on parole for nearly two years following his release, until the maximum expiration date of his sentence on March 12, 2011. Once the aforementioned civil proceeding against him is adjudicated he should be free of any legal entanglements for the first time in more than a decade.

And according to his attorney, the Belize-born/Brooklyn-raised unacknowledged son of Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow [click to read] who went on to gold success as a rapper (first noted for his uncanny vocal similarities to The Notorious B.I.G.) is eager to resume his life free of the criminal justice system.

“I [can] only speak as his lawyer and his friend,” began Mr. Michelen, “but I know he’s anxious to get back into the recording industry. He’s got a lot to say. And people are anxious to hear it.”

“He’s a very spiritual person in general, very committed [to his faith],” he continued. “And of course he wants to see his family. He wants to be able to make decisions for himself for the first time in years. He’s a bright man. He’s still got a lot of things to say. And I think he’s going to try to make the most positive impact out of this very negative experience that he possibly can. And if anybody can do it, he can. He’s a tremendous person. He really is so much more than just a musical artist. And I think he’s gonna be a force.”