SHAQ AND SHAUNIE’S REALITY SHOW IN
LIMBO

The reality show filmed by
Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal before
their marriage took a decisive turn
last week may find its way to at
least one network still willing to
give it a chance. A&E still
considering whether to purchase the
show filmed before last week’s turn
of events.

CHRIS BROWN HECKLED DURING NY
APPEARANCE

Chris Brown got an earful of
judgment from a woman during a
public promo appearance in New York
last week. Whe woman shouted ‘I
hope someone beats the f**king crap
out of you!’

DENZEL WATCHES SON’S FIRST COLLEGE
GAME

As Malcolm Washington suited up for
his first game with the University
of Pennsylvania basketball team
Friday night, his dad, Denzel, sat
three rows behind the bench
cheering him on.

LEBRON MAY SWITCH JERSEY NO. TO
HONOR JORDAN

He has worn #23 in honor of NBA
legend Michael Jordan since his
high school days, but now,
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron
James says he and everyone else in
the NBA should give up the number
out of respect to His Airness.

Fram oilfilter in the 1955 Oval

Actor Denzel Washington was playing the role of proud father as he cheered on his son  Malcolm’s first game with the University of Pennsylvania basketball team.

The 5-foot-9 Malcolm Washington is a walk-on guard at Penn. He did not play in Penn’s 70-55 loss.

The  AP reports that Washington went “virtually unnoticed in the Jordan Center crowd,”and didn’t want to respond to any reporter’s questions before the game, waving this arms and nodding in the direction of the Penn bench.

 Washington is in central Pennsylvania  filming the movie “Unstoppable”.

The 5-foot-9 Malcolm Washington(b. April 10, 1991) has a twin sister named Olivia, and he was named in honor of Malcom X, which was a significant role for Denzel Washington.

Malcom has an older brother John David (b. July 28, 1984), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 after playing college football at Morehouse college in Atlanta, Georgia.

Being Denzel Washington’s son probably brings a lot of unwanted attention from people who want to be associated with the mega star, but if Malcolm is anything like his older brother John David, he will be able to excel on his own right, as he is a polite and self-sufficient young man.

All the reports that I have heard concerning Malcolm, is that he is very polite, personable, and has a strong work ethic. Denzel has a long-standing policy that he will not speak for his children,and is committed to being involved in supporting their athletic pursuits, just like most proud fathers.

I wish him well at his new college, and success in his role as a team member on his college basketball team.

Go Penn State!!!…and get with em’ Malcolm!!!

To learn more about the life and times of Denzel Washington, click on the source below…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzel_Washington

Denzel Washington at son Malcolm's Penn State Basketball game

from Playbill.com:

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington will star in the 2010 Broadway revival of late playwright August Wilson’s Fences, according to the New York Times.

Washington, who also appeared in the 2005 revival of Julius Caesar and the 1988 comedy Checkmates, will portray former baseball player Troy Maxson, a role which earned veteran actor James Earl Jones his second Tony Award.

The New York Times reports that Kenny Leon is in negotiations to direct. The project, which is produced by Carol Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin, had previously announced Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks as director.

Fences will begin rehearsals this February with an April 2010 opening, Variety is reporting. Denzel has signed on for a 14-week run through mid-July.

Leon, who is the artistic director of Atlanta’s True Colors Theatre, has staged the Broadway productions of A Raisin in the Sun, as well as August Wilson’sRadio Golf and Gem of the Ocean, the latter of which was produced by Hays

Washington garnered Academy Awards for his performances in “Training Day” and “Glory.” He also earned Academy Award nominations for his work in “The Hurricane,” “Malcolm X” and “Freedom.”

Fences, Wilson’s 1950-60’s Pittsburgh-set drama, follows the struggle of a former Negro League baseball player who now finds himself working as a garbage collector.

The original staging of Fences earned a Tony Award for Best Play as well as a Best Leading Actor award for James Earl Jones, Best Featured Actress for Mary Alice, Best Direction for Lloyd Richards and the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The late Wilson penned a ten-play cycle that documents a different decade in the history of African-American culture during the twentieth century, beginning with Gem of the Ocean (set in the 1900s) through Broadway’s recent Radio Golf (set in the 1990s). The majority of Wilson’s plays are set in the Pittsburgh Hills District where he was born and raised.

In addition to earning the Tony Award for Fences, Wilson was also honored with a Tony for The Piano Lesson. All of Wilson’s plays were Tony-nominated for Best Play, with the exception of Jitney, which played Off-Broadway and won an Olivier for its London production. Wilson is the first African-American playwright to have a Broadway theatre in his name. Mr. Wilson died of liver cancer in October 2005, shortly after finishing rewrites on what would be his last play, Radio Golf, the final chapter in his ten-play legacy

Let’s start off with something light..

It’s been a long time since I watched a good movie..Transformers 2 suck, Hurt Locker was mediocre, and those sitcoms and J-Doramas doesn’t count.

Until a good friend of mine told me about this movie. I have seen the preview about a month ago, and well, if it’s John Travolta AND Denzel Washington, it must be good. And, it is.

The story tells about a train hijack, the hijacker being Travolta, and he wants a huge sum of money, or else he will kill the passengers of the train. Cliché? Quoting How I Met Your Mother’s Barney, wait for it.

He made contact with a train operator, played magnificently by Denzel Washington, who is currently having a major load of troubles in life. The two then interacts, each having their own thoughts about life itself, making this bond which grows stronger as the story develops. The cliché hijack situation then transforms into a deep reflection about mistakes and the difficult decisions in life that sometimes we should choose.

There is no question about the quality of the actors. The story revolves heavily around the main protagonist and antagonist, and heck, it was delivered perfectly by Travolta and Washington. Although the ending is quite guessable, but the way it is presented doesn’t bore the audience, with all the intense chase and all that stuff.

The only drawback is there’s too much talk in a supposedly hostage-full-action movie. This will surely bore people who expects insane hostage rescue or whatnot (SWAT and Swordfish comes to mind), which only comes near the end of the movie. But I have to say, all the talks means something, and it “humanized” the characters as well.

Bottomline is, this movie offers more than your regular action-packed-hostage-story. In fact, it contains a whole lot more. I’d rate this movie to a 8.5 out of 10. Definitely a must watch.

“Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer.”
— Rita Mae Brown

In general I like my men tall, dark, and handsome. This is just a preference though. I have dated every type of man imaginable. I’m not what you would consider superficial, well at least I wasn’t, until this Tiny Tot for Christ walked into my life.  My soul was not prepared for this muttha fugga I was about to meet via an AOL chat room. His screen name was SikyAce12.

SilkyAce12 was the last of the three men I met online while I was a freshman in college. I’ve had bad experiences thus far with online dating, but I’m a pain freak so of course I gave it the old college try yet once again. It was a typical Friday nothing out of the ordinary. I was online doing homework, which is rare by the way. I was logged into an AOL chat room called Young Tenderoni’s. I wasn’t really chatting I just had it up. So, I’m finishing my online homework then all of a sudden I hear a chime, some dude initiates a private conversation with me. Normally I would ignore such requests, but I’m in procrastination mode, so I accept.

We exchange the normal information, you know A/S/L. (Age, sex, location). Silky tells me that he is a 20yr old male in Covington, Georgia. He has his profile picture displayed, but it’s one of those lil azz pictures. The picture wasn’t even thumbnail size more like microscopic honey I shrunk the kids size. So, I could barely make out what he looked like. No worries at least he has a picture. We continue chatting and have an insightful conversation about college and life in general. Then all of a sudden 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 “So when can we meet?” he asks. Ohh Gawd I am not in the mood for this shyt, but he seems pretty nice so I agree. “Lets meet Saturday I say”, with all types of reluctance.

Silky shows up Saturday around 6pm. He called from the gate requesting to be let in. I couldn’t go down to meet him because I was in the bathroom freshening up Ms. Kizzy, just in case the unexpected popped off. So, I asked my cousin to do the honors. I had already decided that I wasn’t doing the extra shyt to be disappointed again. I was dressed very casual with my hair gelled back into a ponytail, more pony than tail, but it’s all good. I’m in the kitchen when my cousin and Silky walk in. My cousin walked in first, and by the look on her face…I already knew he wasn’t a Denzel. She walks in the door, and I’m looking for Silky and I don’t see him right away. Maybe because I am looking above my cousin’s head for Silky’s face, but my attention should have been on her waist. I kid you not!!!! I can’t make this shyt up even if I tried…Silky was a little bit taller than Roscoe from Martin.

I have to give SilkyAce12 props for his screen name choice because his appearance embodied his screen name to the tee. Silky-because his hair was long and straight, kinda like Real from the show Real Chance Of Love. I didn’t understand the Ace part of his name, but the 12 was definitely for 12 years old or 12 inches. Silky Ace looked like he belonged on somebody’s playground. I didn’t know whether to greet him or ask him if he wanted me to push him on the swing or spin him on the merry go round. What have I done to spite thee O’ Lord? Whyyyyyy this Tiny Tot for Christ, this Midget Mac? He’s cute though real cute. If only he had bout 2 more inches, he’d be in there, but at his current height we can’t even go to  Six Flags on a date. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of the rides grown folks ride together, because the height restriction won’t let him be great! My cousin is snickering as I walk up to introduce myself to my online suitor. I say “Hi”,  he says “Hello”, then I think HELL NOOO! This dude mouth look like Where The Wild Things Are!!! I have never seen soo much tartar in all my life!!! He had enough tartar to serve the whole entire projects at the annual fish fry! Mouf just YUCK for no reason at all! His grill, His grill gleaming!

Times like this I hate that my momma raised me to be so polite. I had a few choice curse words for this nicca, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that mean to him. I mean it’s not his fault that his teeth are in disarray? No phuck that, it is his fault. If he didn’t have enough money for braces, there is plenty of free barbwire out here just waiting to be used. I’m not gonna make it through this date I know I’m not. WWJD I kept on thinking? Seriously though who goes out with teeth like that? If it was me I’d live the life of a deaf person. I’d learn sign language and just pass notes to communicate. It was hard to have a meaningful conversation with him cause his teef (s) were so distracting. Luckily he brought drinks, but he didn’t get the good shyt..NO that would be too much like right. Instead he pulls BITE SIZE ALCOHOL out of his coat pockets. Where the phuck do they do this shyt at? Tiny couldn’t get no liquor out his parents liquor cabinet? WTF? I ain’t gonna lie I drunk it though.

I suggested we watch a movie, that way I wouldn’t have to stare at his YUCK MOUF any longer. I can’t remember the movie we watched, but I’m certain the cinematography in the movie was better than the cinematography in his mouf…eew! It was getting kinda late, and I’m thinking okay time to wrap this shyt up. So, I tell him “It was fun, but its getting kinda late, and I’m really tired.” He agrees, and then he says “I just need to call my ride” What the phuck his ride???? He calls his ride, and I can’t hear exactly what is being said, but by the position of his teef I can tell it’s not good news! He proceeds to tell me that his ride has a flat tire, and he asks can he spend the night! “Yea, I guess you can stay”, I replied. Long story short SilkyAce12 spent the night on the couch. After that night I vowed to myself I would never turn to the innanet to find love again! From now on I will meet men the old fashioned way, on prison basketball courts, at the clubs, or if it gets real hard out here for a pimp just steal a friends man. The other alternative is to just chill and let a man find me..I think I’ll choose the latter.

By Virginia Sowers
Community Manager

When 16-year-old Denzel Matthew left his rural village of La Plaine in Dominica last Friday en route to the United Nations in New York City, it would be an understatement to say he was a tad nervous.

Accompanied and reassured by Francis Joseph, ChildFund’s national director for Dominica/St. Vincent, Denzel rose to the occasion from the moment he landed at JFK.

Representing ChildFund International, Denzel appeared at three separate events related to the United Nations Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Throughout the day, Denzel mingled with ambassadors and U.N. officials.

While in New York, Denzel also had the opportunity to meet with a number of ChildFund donors as well as fellow Dominicans now living in the U.S.

As Denzel was preparing to return home, he graciously agreed to one more in a long line of interviews.

Q: What will you tell your family, friends and teachers about your experience at the United Nations?

I will tell my family and friends that speaking at the United Nations was a great experience for me.

Q: How did you feel when you stood up and delivered your statement before the large crowd at the United Nations?

At first I felt nervous and afraid, but I had a lot of support from ChildFund and friends, so I just stood up and delivered.

Q: What did you learn about yourself during this trip?

I learned that I’m a great photographer and a good speaker.

Q: Do you think that it is important for young people’s voices to be heard at the United Nations?

I think it’s important for young people to be at the United Nations because many people from all around the world go to the United Nations, and the young people’s voices will be heard.

Q: What was it like to meet the United Nations ambassador for Dominica?

Meeting the U.N. Ambassador (Hon. Crispin Gregoire) for Dominica was great! We even sat down at a panel discussion together.

Q: Has this trip inspired you to keep working on your goal to help other children when you return to Dominica?

This trip has inspired me in many ways, and I hope that I can help other children reach their goals by introducing positive and fun activities that they can take part in.

Q: Do you think this experience has changed your life?

This experience changed my life by opening a new door for me and allowing me to see my future in a positive and successful way.

Q: What was the most fun thing you did while in New York City?

Everything I did while in New York was fun and exciting! I went to see the play “Shrek” on Broadway. We went sightseeing and walked through Central Park. We went to see 3-D movies. And even though I was scared to speak at the United Nations, I enjoyed it and it was fun.

Hilarious interview with Bronson Pinchot, who claims Tom Cruise made ‘constant’ homophobic comments as a 20-year-old.Let’s join him as he recalls the Risky Business set:

Risky Business (1983)”"Barry”

BP: We didn’t know it was going to be a big hit. We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth. He had spent some formative time with Sean Penn”we were all very young at the time, Tom was 20, I was 23. Tom had picked up this knack of calling everyone by their character names, because that would probably make your performance better, and I don’t agree with that. I think that acting is acting, and the rest of the time, you should be you, but he called us all by our character names. He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, “You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?” I mean, his lingo was larded with the most There was no basis for it. It was like, “It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.” Very, very strange.

Years and years later when people started to torment him with that, I used to think “God, that’s really fitting, because he tormented a lot of people as a 20-year-old.” He made such a big deal about it. Same thing with Eddie Murphy”I remember somebody calling and saying, “You’ll never guess who was just caught with a transvestite!” [Laughs.] And I remember thinking that seemed fitting, because there are certain people in showbiz who make it an agenda, every third sentence has to have something knocking that life choice, and you think, “What are you doing?” Like, these women came up to me in a restaurant”I was wearing a bright red shirt, and I was with some friends, and they said, “Would you like to join our club? We wear red.” What kind of choice is that? If you spent many years in the theater, and then you show up in movies, and people have on their to-do list for the day that they’re going to make a comment every third sentence, it strikes you as very strange. I just thought it was very funny that years later, that became his bugaboo. Which is a nice 1930s term I thought you’d enjoy.

AVC: Do you think he was just insecure? Or that he was young?

BP: I really don’t know. It is what it is; there’s nothing I can add to it. If someone’s 20 years old and every third line out of their mouth is anti-something specific, then draw your own conclusion. I thought it was very weird. Similarly, there’s a certain type of middle-aged woman that will tell you within 20 seconds of meeting you that she can’t find anyone to take her to bed. And that really strikes me as strange, too, like, “Why are you telling me that?” I don’t like any kind of conversational agenda; it makes me uncomfortable. I just think it’s weird. Unless you’re with your very best friends and you’re being silly. Then you can do whatever you want.

Continue Reading

If you’re like me and enjoyed the hell out of the late 80s-early 90s sitcom “Perfect Strangers,” a pillar of the original TGIF lineup, then you’re sure to enjoy a new interview with series star Bronson Pinchot in the Onion A/V Club.

This excellent Q&A was passed along by our organization’s invaluable C. Dave…

It’s headlined simply “Bronson Pinchot,” but it could easily have been called “Bronson Pinchot Shit Talks Everybody.”

Pinchot (born Bronson Alcott Poncharavsky, btw) has been around for a while, and played supporting roles in a ton of films that also featured huge stars…either at their zenith, on the rise, or on the way down.

He’s not afraid to dish on each and every one of those chumps, and this interview features him wielding a gossip flamethrower against half of Hollywood.

Possibly the most damning comments are those leveled against Tom Cruise, with whom Pinchot co-starred in the 1983 classic “Risky Business.”

Pinchot slams Cruise, describing him as a bizarre, midgetary douche with a very odd penchant for dissing homosexuals.

BP: We didn’t know it was going to be a big hit. We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth. He had spent some formative time with Sean Penn—we were all very young at the time, Tom was 20, I was 23. Tom had picked up this knack of calling everyone by their character names, because that would probably make your performance better, and I don’t agree with that. I think that acting is acting, and the rest of the time, you should be you, but he called us all by our character names.

He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, “You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?” I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, “It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.” Very, very strange.

Years and years later when people started to torment him with that, I used to think “God, that’s really fitting, because he tormented a lot of people as a 20-year-old.” He made such a big deal about it.

[...]

If you spent many years in the theater, and then you show up in movies, and people have on their to-do list for the day that they’re going to make a comment every third sentence, it strikes you as very strange. I just thought it was very funny that years later, that became his bugaboo. Which is a nice 1930s term I thought you’d enjoy.

AVC: Do you think he was just insecure? Or that he was young?

BP: I really don’t know. It is what it is; there’s nothing I can add to it. If someone’s 20 years old and every third line out of their mouth is anti-something specific, then draw your own conclusion. I thought it was very weird…I don’t like any kind of conversational agenda; it makes me uncomfortable. I just think it’s weird. Unless you’re with your very best friends and you’re being silly. Then you can do whatever you want.

AVC: Did you have a sense that even though Tom Cruise was boring and unpleasant, he would be exciting onscreen?

BP: Oh, no. I thought the movie would disappear. It just goes to show you, I obviously don’t have the antennae for that. I didn’t see it at all, but neither did any of the actors. All of the actors who talked about him were like, “What is this guy all about?” And you know, honestly, I never got it, and I don’t get it to this day. But it was his breakout film. He always talked about himself like he was a mega-superstar; that was weird, too.

Pinchot has kind words for Tom Hanks — he likes both Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson — and holds him up as proof that not all A-list stars are evil. Then he gets back to ripping A-listers!

After his brilliant performance in Beverly Hills Cop, Pinchot later returned to the series for an appearance in Beverly Hills Cop 3.

This time, series star Eddie Murphy was no longer on the dizzying upswing of his career, and he was depressed about it:

Beverly Hills Cop opened up a whole world. I got the television show and movies, and I would go sign autographs for one hour and get paid $25,000. I had bodyguards and police barricades, and I had that whole life from 1985 to about 1992, ’93. Eddie was going through his period at the time of doing movies that were not hits, and he was very low-spirited, low-energy. I said to him, “All anyone ever wants to know when they meet me is what you’re like.” And he said, “I bet they don’t ask that anymore.”

[...]

And I can understand it—he was just having a bad stretch. And that stretch lasted… When did Dr. Dolittle come out? I think his funk really did last until then. I don’t know what started the funk, but it lasted a chunk of time, and that was in the belly of the funk, and he was just really sad and low-energy and I basically did the scene without him there.

“In the belly of the funk.” Awesome turn of phrase!

Pinchot also has harsh words for Bette Midler. According to Pinchot, she was a total bee-yotch to director Hugh Miller on the set of The First Wives Club:

AVC: So Hugh Wilson would be the director in question?

BP: Yes, because Bette Midler was such a bitch to him. While he was directing, she would be rolling her eyes, pantomiming with her favorite actors, and she made it very difficult. And he was at his wit’s end. He was actually a very nice man, but she was very unkind to him on that movie. Am I not supposed to say these things? Because it is The Onion after all, the highest form of journalism. [Laughs.]

However, the most brutal takedown of all is that of Denzel Washington, who Pinchot basically describes as an evil person.

The set of Courage Under Fire was apparently an awful place to work, because Denzel was on a rampage:

That was a low point, because Denzel Washington was behind the incredibly cowardly bullshit of “This is my character, not me.” He was really abusive to me and everybody on that movie, and his official explanation was that his character didn’t like me, but it was a dreadful experience. I spent my salary on time with my shrink just for helping me get through it, and what that led to was the very next big movie that I did. I should have said to the producers, “You get that guy in line, or I’m out of here.” Life’s too short.

[...]

Denzel Washington cured me forever of thinking that there is any amount of money or anything that could ever, ever make it okay to be abused. The script supervisor on that movie said it’s like watching somebody kick a puppy. He was so vile. And after that, I just would never endure it again.

Now — let’s be fair here — Bronson Pinchot is no angel himself.

As this blog evocatively recalls, he groped all the shady ladies who were on “The Surreal Life” with him. Pretty gross behavior, if you ask me…

He’s a Freemason. Highly suspicious.

Then there’s this weird photo sequence I recently discovered, in which the elderly Richard Dreyfuss is sexually assaulted by Pinchot and Eric Stoltz!

Aaaaaaaaaanywho, while you try to put those thoughts and images out of your mind, we’ll close with some happy news.

I’m pleased to report that Pinchot and his PF co-star, Mark Linn-Baker, are still homies. Bronson aims at lots of stars with his shit-talk cannon, but Cousin Larry is OK by him:

I discovered my inner physical comic there, because I felt that the writing was weak. I mean, I received my training in Shakespeare, Shaw, and Beckett, and all of a sudden I’m doing this stuff, like… What the hell is this about? Who cares? And so I put all my energy into coming up with physical business, and all of a sudden I was a physical comic, and that is exactly how it Perfect Strangers happened. I’d always admired physical comics, but I didn’t think there was that much going on. The character wasn’t stupid, but you’d look at the script and say, “What is this about?” So I made my own life up, and I had a lot of fun doing that with Mark Linn-Baker, because he loved all that stuff, too.

[...]

Our curve was that we started out bickering about everything because we were being territorial, and then we realized over the course of time that we very dearly did care about each other, and that we did dearly love each other, and that was interesting. We eventually had a deep bond.

Cue the studio audience: “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Further required reading/watching: The entire A/V club interview, which also features Pinchot’s comments on Quentin Tarantino, Scorsese and Janet Jones, and his story about the key to making Mischa Barton cry (spoiler: make fun of her fat ass).

Once you’re done with that, there’s a nice post from Uncoached featuring some of Pinchot’s memorable moments on film.

Yesterday we met Denzel Matthew, a 16-year-old boy from Dominica who turned his life around to help others. The help he is providing to younger children is greatly needed in that country, as well as in nearby St. Vincent in the Caribbean.

ChildFund Caribbean, which runs programs in both Dominica and St. Vincent, reported recently that violence among youth in schools has become a major issue.

“The youth are expressing their restlessness through violence with each other, their teachers, parents and even community members,” says ChildFund Caribbean National Director Francis Joseph. “The list of juvenile offenders is increasing in each country.”

However, there are signs of hope, as you read about yesterday with Denzel. The photography course is just one example of how ChildFund programs work to give youth alternative ways of expressing themselves without turning to violence.

“Consistently from one school to the next, we saw youth becoming friends and finding that common passion for life, for a skill, for opportunity given, for the chance to see life and see their future in a different light,” Francis says.

Youth who participate in ChildFund programs typically become closer to their parents and caregivers; many become more actively engaged in learning.

“Many of them are now excited about being at school. This is a small step we’re taking toward a long-term partnership with the youth through their school system to get them excited about learning, leadership and self-improvement,” Francis says.

For more information about these two countries, click here.

More on St. Vincent and Dominica
Population: 177,000
ChildFund beneficiaries: More than 36,000 children and families
Did You Know?: St. Vincent and the Grenadines are celebrating 30 years of independence in 2009, following centuries of French and British rule. St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain statehood status on October 27, 1979.

What’s next: We meet children in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan.

By David Hylton
Public Relations Specialist

Denzel will speak in New York on Oct. 19 as part of the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

A 16-year-old Dominican boy who overcame a violent and hopeless past through a program sponsored by ChildFund International will share his transformational story at the United Nations next week. The event is part of the commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the world body’s continuing observation of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Denzel Matthew is one of five children from an impoverished family in the Caribbean nation of Dominica. His troubled life centered on his involvement with a spate of violent activities until a photography course brought him purpose and direction. He will take part in two U.N. events on Monday, Oct. 19.

The first, “Children and Families Speak Out Against Poverty,” takes place 1:15-2:30 p.m., in Conference Room 2, U.N. Secretariat Building. This commemoration is organized by the International Movement ATD Fourth World, the NGO Subcommittee for the Eradication of Poverty and the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and co-sponsored by the Missions of France and Burkina Faso to the United Nations.

The presentation will be followed by an interactive panel: “Children: The Future and the Present — Participation in Poverty Reduction and Accountability for Rights.” This event takes place at UNICEF’s Labouisse Hall, 3-5:30 p.m. The panel is organized in partnership with UNICEF by the NGO Subcommittee for the Eradication of Poverty and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of the NGO Committee on UNICEF.

About Denzel
Like so many youth in Dominica, Denzel faced a bleak future, having been involved in violent activities since a young age.

“Every day was a struggle for me to survive, as I come from a poor family and community,” he says. “I could not see my future. I had nowhere to go.”

But last year, a photography course made possible by ChildFund International donors opened an unexpected doorway for Denzel. After years of despair, he discovered how to channel his energy in artistic rather than violent ways. In addition to providing him with new skills, the photography class introduced the teenager to others with similar interests. When the program ended, Denzel wrote in his evaluation that he no longer felt like dropping out of school or hanging out with the local gang.

“For the first time in my life, I had a way to let out my emotions without being violent,” he says.

As he shapes his own future, Denzel also wants to change the lives of those following in his footsteps. He has joined a youth group of about 20 peers who are committed to making a difference in their community. Denzel’s latest effort is to create a mentoring program to assist children in his community with reading and writing skills.

The youth group also is developing a conservation program to help protect an area known as Nature Island, a popular tourist destination on Dominica.

“Today, I am a happier person and am happy to tell my story,” Denzel says. “I hope I can change the future of others who may be in situations like me.”

For more on Denzel’s story, click here. Denzel will be the featured blogger on Monday as part of our “31 in 31” blog series.

ฉากจากแทง Lee's 1,998 ฟิล์ม, เขาได้ Game ที่พระเยซู Shuttlesworth (เรย์ Allen) เล่น Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) หนึ่งเดียว. รายงาน, แทง Lee พวกเขาต้องการเล่นให้จริงในฉากนี้และพวกเขา. คะแนนสุดท้ายคือ legit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtKi9SCEJK4&hl=en

mario galaxy Game to play Game Nintendo Wii

In the movie The Book of Eli, you get to see Denzel Washington kicking ass in a post-apocalyptic world. The film seems interesting and I’m liking the cinematography(the overall look of the film). In my opinion, it kinda has a Fallout 3 vibe to it.  Too bad we have to wait until early next year, January 15, 2010 to be exact.

We’ve all heard of women referring to Denzel as the perfect mix of educated and street culture.  That means that you should emulated Denzel right? Wrong! Please excuse this, but I’m gonna have to nerd out on you for a minute. These women aren’t looking for a man in the middle of the Urkel/Ike spectrum. That would take effort despite the fact that statistically you should expect more men in the middle. In reality it wouldn’t form a bell curve, it would be a dumbell distribution. The ends have way too many guys at the extremes of the personality types. Why? Because women are pushing them in that direction!

You see, a while back women decided that it was better to have a portfolio of men they don’t desire, than one man they do. They pick out the dude that gets them hot and bothered, then supplement his flaws with men with more practical skills hoping that they’ll average out to the man of their dreams. What they ended up was with some Island of Dr Moreau type shit and now everyone is dysfunctional. You see, they have a desire for traits that don’t go together in one man (Tupac with a degree) unless he’s schizophrenic. They are manipulating men to be more towards the extremes to get those traits. Even the “well balanced” man (in this case Denzel)  is bound to come up short when one extreme or another is needed. That guarantees that being a Denzel you will never be the only man. She’ll always have Ike and Urkel in the background in case they are needed. You would be wiser to go to one of the extremes, that way only the opposite extreme is guaranteed and the guy in the middle is only a possibility.  They want the mid spectrum man to show off to their friends but they need the extremes to survive.

The best solution tho their problem? A man who can be anything when he needs to be it, right? Sounds perfect right? Wrong! I am that dude and I constantly have women trying to push me to whatever extreme meets her wants, not needs, if not outright trying to compete with me her damn self. One reason that a portfolio of men is desired is that she can always have the upper hand. All of the men possess a fatal flaw that she can manipulate. They can’t pull that bullshit with a full spectrum man. She will never be the best at anything. She can’t deceive you, and she can’t strong arm you. They value being on top more than they value a healthy relationship. This is why the choose the synthetic man (Denzel’s image) over the real man.

Am rezolvat un mare mister zilele trecute. Intotdeauna m-am intrebat cine are sarcina de a decide  si care o fi procedeul in urma caruia se hotaraste sub ce titlu vor aparea la cinematografele din Romania filmele straine. Nu va mai tin asteptand si va spun:

…undeva in Bucuresti, intr-o sala de cinema unde accesul este interzis muritorilor de rand, intra la ceas de seara Tarky, Sexy Braileanca, Nikita, Vali Vijelie, Simona Senzual, Eleva Porno, Piticul Porno,Bunica Porno, Calugarul Porno,Profesoara Porno, cativa parlamentari si cativa jucatori de fotbal. Fiecare dintre ei, primeste un set de instrumente de scris de lux, coli de scris la alegere si cate doua laptop-uri. Luminile se sting, liniste absoluta, filmul ruleaza iar la sfarsit, extenuate dupa vizionarea unui film fara titrare, vedetele autohtone acorda productiei un titlu in baza a ceea ce au priceput.

Trebuie sa mentionez ca nu sunt 100% sigur ca aceasta este procedura, dar asta ar fi singura explicatie pe care as putea sa o dau faptului ca filmul The Taking of Pelham 123 cu Denzel Washington si John Travolta, remake dupa filmul cu acelasi nume care ii avea in distributie pe Walter Mathaw si Robert Shaw, ruleaza in Romania sub numele 123 s-a furat un tren!!!!

It’s September 2009 and Barack Obama is still the President of the United States. Honestly, I was pretty worried that there would be a successful assassination attempt against the POTUS, so I’m glad I still see him giving his spiel on National Health Care (Which I don’t know if I agree with him on) today. Fortunately, the one assassination attempt that I know of was foiled, where some racists had their plans interrupted by their addiction to Meth. I hope much blessing and success to this man, who helped change me from being a Republican to be a Psuedo-Democrat. And though history will tell how Obama’s presidency will play out, the door has been opened to other African Americans in the United States. And I already know a few who should run in 2012/2016.  I just want to highlight a few Black folks who I would definitely be excited to see on a ballot.

(Black men after the jump)

1. Jay-Z

the one and only

Bad ass Denzel

Who doesn’t like Denzel Washington? He is possibly the best African American Actor out there. I would serious put him as the biggest contender to the throne (presidency) cause the man got some major huevos and popular support. I remember when Wong Way, Samuel Kim, and Galeb Lin saw Denzel on the way to watch a basketball game at UCLA. They all started squealing like little girls trying to get his attention, and he looked over like a G and gave them a peace sign. I believe the story goes that Wong Way fainted. Denzel also is known to be a family man. That would win over all those white folks on the religious right. He goes to church and also loves to shoot guns. What’s not to like?

3. Spike Lee

NYC

Spike Lee is a legend in black filmmaking. Shoot he’s a legend in filmmaking in general. Of course many of his joints are hits or misses, (Malcolm X vs She Hate Me) but its always exciting what he’s brewing behind the camera. Shoot he gets to direct Denzel Washington in like half his movies. So guys, Do the right thing, vote Spike Lee into office.

4. Charles Barkely

Sir Charles always says it the best

He’s a ex-basketball star who is a Black republican. He also gets busted for soliciting prostitutes and driving under the influence. BUT hes an Ex-basketball star that has the freakin best basketball show EVA. My vote.

5.  Dennis Haybert

My number 1 pick

He plays a president on TV. He has that presidential vibe on those Allstate commercials. I don’t know where he stands on any issues, how smart he is, where he’s from, but damn he makes a fine looking black president. And REAL americans all watch 24. And guys, a name like Dennis Haybert definitely deserves to be president.

So vote guys, let the world know.

Today in ‘filmclass’ , my group and I were working on a musivideo.
Or, we are still in the early stages, we are going to make an imageboard and work with the ’story’ next class.
We chose our song today that wwe are gonna use, and it is a good one indeed.
Liam Kyle Sullivans “ What are you guys talking about” as performed by kelly

We also had our first ‘filmknowledge‘ class today, or introduction rather since it was our very first.
It is my classmentor who holds that class…and she is utterly boring to listen to, she has a sort of nasal and highpitched voice, also it is just so genreally hard to take her seriously…but alas, it only a 50 point course, so it will be over soon.
Filmknowledge seems like a fun course though, just watching moives, talking about movies, analyzing and learning about movies…simple
But I expect it to be very slow and boring nonetheless, with this teacher…
Just look how bored my friend is!
We also had our first religion class today, but all we did was watch the movie “Seven” with Brad Pitt and Wesley Morgan Denzel Dave Washington Freeman Snipes Chapelle.

I really like tht film, I like thrillers or horror movies with a religious theme, makes it more interesting because religionis scary, stupid and allround thrilling, especially when it comes to religion and evil.
Another awesome religious movie is ” End of days” with Arnold Schwarz, “Da vinci Code” with Thomas Hanks…and there is also aother one,
BUT I cant remember the name, urgh it makes me mad because it was really super awesome.
-It was about a serialkiller who collected bodyparts to ultimately build a Jesus figure on a cross. The movie was really gorey, thrilling, scary and deep.
If anyone knows which movie I am referring to, please comment me

Speaking of school, there is a very, very hot gurl who goes in a firstgrade class.
yeah I know, young girls….but hey, shes hot!
Im gonna give it a try, what have i got to lose, just gonna give her some of the old Tomio charm

After school today , my thai friendess and I went into town with her GF, we went to the mall.
I found a super awesome t-shirt I wanto buy from TopShop.
From their line of PlayBoy t-shirts, this one has a hot girl with extreme sideboob, I came!
After the mall we went and ate thaifood with my thaifriendess’ss mom :p
It was very fun, so typical funny thai
-Plus the food was exquisite

Tjabba Thai in town, check it out, apparently THE BEST thai in town

This is one of Denzel's photos that he took recently in Dominica.

 Today, Denzel Matthew, a youth in Dominica, is presenting his success story to the United Nations as part of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. As part of our blog series “31 in 31,” we are sharing Denzel’s story in his own words, as well as some of the photos he has taken as part of a ChildFund-sponsored photography course.

By Denzel Matthew

I am 16 years old and one of a group of other people close to my age who are working together to address the needs of our community.

Denzel will speak in New York on Oct. 19 as part of the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

We have a high rate of school dropouts in my community. High poverty rates mean that many children and youth cannot attend school. Some quit school early because they are not happy, or they are thrown out because they do not behave properly. We hope to change this by mentoring and tutoring them in reading and writing schools. Our group has made a proposal to ChildFund staff to see if this is possible.

We are also focused on providing positive social activities, such as attending sporting events and playing football and hiking together.

We also want to help protect the environment. We are proposing a conservation program to help protect an area called Nature Island, a popular destination for tourists in my country. We want to help conserve the animals in this area, which includes rare turtles and a frog species known as a Mountain Chicken.

But this wasn’t always my story. Less than two years ago I was known in my community for other reasons. I used to feel frustrated and hopeless. I turned to violence to express my unhappiness with life. Every day was a struggle for me to survive, as I come from a poor family and community. I could not see my future. I had nowhere to go. I felt helpless.

These goats are among many photos that Denzel has taken of animals.

But something happened at my school that changed my life — a photography class was introduced thanks to ChildFund. One of our assignments was a photo essay to show off our community. It seemed strange because in my world, there was little beauty. But I liked taking photos and my other friends liked it as well.

We also had a football program at our school that I participated in with my friends. For the first time in my life, I had a way to let out my emotions without being violent.

Today, I am a happier person and am happy to tell my story. But much work remains. I hope that by helping others in school and getting more youth involved that I can change the future of others who may be in situations like mine.

For more on Denzel and today’s event, click here.

Living on an island nation allows Denzel to take many photos of water.

What’s next: Our discussion of island nations continues as we stay in the Caribbean to visit neighboring St. Vincent.