01-03-07 EUR: Oprah's School Opens in South Africa / Obama: Junkie, Pothead?!

EUR Headlines

OPRAH’S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS OPENS IN S. AFRICA: Plus, TV mogul answers critics who would rather see her help poor students in U.S.
*The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls officially opened in a small town south of Johannesburg Tuesday with such stars as Sidney Poitier, Tina Turner and Mary J. Blige among the star-studded crowd in attendance. Read Full Story

BUSTA RHYMES FACING ANOTHER ASSAULT CHARGE: Rapper allegedly beat down driver who requested his back pay.
*Busta Rhymes will have another assault charge added to his impressive collection following a Dec. 26 incident with a driver who was just trying to collect his past-due paychecks. Read Full Story

‘GHOST RIDE THE WHIP’ TURNS DEADLY: Bay Area hip hop pastime leads to two dead.
*It was only a matter of time before reports like these would surface in connection with “ghost riding the whip,” the current rage among devotees of the Bay Area’s “hyphy” hip hop movement and all of its wannabes across the nation. Read Full Story

BARAK OBAMA: Junkie, Pothead?!
*In a Washington Post story, Senator Barak Obama admits that he has a past that might come back to haunt him. "Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind," is what he wrote in his memoir, "Dreams From My Father," when he was in his 30s, the Post reports. Read Full Story

FREEDOM WRITERS: Story Reveals Teens' Write Stuff.
By Kenya M Yarbrough
*Coming to theaters this weekend is the story of a teacher who used writing to inspire students who had been written off. The film is called "Freedom Writers" and is the true story of educator Erin Gruwell and the incidental way she encouraged students in an unconventional way. Read Full Story

JENNIFER HUDSON PREPARES FOR A WILD 2007: Singer-actress talks to ‘People’ about increased fame.
*Gaining fans from appearing on “American Idol” is one thing. Being thrust into another celebrity stratosphere for her performance in a movie is something Jennifer Hudson says she is still trying to navigate. Read Full Story

OKLAHOMA, UTAH FILM CRITICS ANNOUNCE YEAR’S BEST: Whitaker, Hudson ignored in Mormon country.
*Movie critics in Oklahoma and Utah are the latest to release year-end film honors, and both groups have made choices that go against the norm established by other critics circles across the U.S. Read Full Story

EUR FILM REVIEW: Notes on a Scandal
By Kam Williams
*Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the new art teacher at a high school in London, finds herself soon befriended by Barbara Covett (Dame Judi Dench), a lonely colleague who happens to be a very repressed lesbian. Sheba's straight, though mired in a passionless marriage to a much older man (Bill Night), and burdened by a bratty daughter (Juno Temple) and a Down Syndrome son (Max Lewis). Read Full Story

JAMES BROWN BAND TO CONTINUE TOURING: First concert may be scheduled for February.
*The Christmas Day death of James Brown will not curtail touring plans for the entertainer’s 11-member band, who have announced that they will continue on the road with dates beginning as early as next month. Read Full Story

50 CENT PULLED OVER…AGAIN: Rapper cited in Harlem for making illegal turn.
*Rapper 50 Cent was given another traffic citation on Thursday, this time for making a wrong turn on the streets of Harlem. Read Full Story

TV ONE TO AIR ORIGINAL SERIES ‘BLACK MEN REVEALED’: Fellas engage in real talk over dominos in new program premiering Jan. 14.
*Four men put it all on the game table when they come together with the cameras rolling for frank conversation and dominoes in the new, eight-episode original TV One series “Black Men Revealed,” premiering Sunday, Jan. 14 from 10-11 p.m. Read Full Story

SPRINT EMPLOYEE FIRED OVER LUDACRIS BOOKING: Woman tried to hire rapper for office party; boss accused of discrimination.
*A white woman formerly employed at Sprint Nextel Corp. says she was fired after securing rapper Ludacris to perform at a company party, supposedly without first obtaining permission of her boss, reports the Kansas City Star. Read Full Story

EUR DVD REVIEW: Snakes on a Plane
By Kam Williams
*The self-explanatory title of this campy disaster flick represents a rare case of cinematic truth-in-advertising, because it's all about snakes on a plane. Read Full Story

ITTY BITTY BITS: Darrent Williams' mom; Ella graces stamp; Oprah among 'most overpaid'; Dennis Green fired.
*The mother of slain Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams is hoping that her son’s dreams for kids will continue on. Read Full Story

THE EURweb FREE-4-ALL PAGE/BOARD: Talk about the stories we didn't cover in this issue.
Just like the headline says, this page/board is where you can discuss the stuff that we didn't cover in today's issue. (It's sort of like feedback with a twist) Remember, NO name calling, racial taunting, graphic sex talk and vulgarity in general, PLEASE. Read Full Story

01-03-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
EUR all on ONE page Read Full Story