CUPPA JOE

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Me & Eric Benet 2008

It really has been a busy time for me lately. After the Oakland Film Festival last weekend, four days of film screenings and parties...I got really sick!

As I was recovering, the producer of Keeping It Real Online TV and friend Ron Fulcher, informed me that I would be interviewing Eric Benet, R&B Crooner and ex husband of Oscar winning actress Halle Berry, about his new album "Love & Life" out September 9.
I was literally sick & tired during this interview.
What was supposed to be a short five minute interview turned into a discussion about love, life and charity. So, this is a pretty long interview but very interesting.

Thanks Eric for your time and your talent and you are definitely beautiful, sexy,very loving and giving.
Great meeting you and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
See the video interview below.
Joe

Look through my archives for other celebrity interviews to include those below.

Vivica Fox Boris Kodjoe (Actors)
http://joehawkins.blogspot.com/2007/10/vivica-fox-and-boris-kodjoe.html

LL Cool J (Actor & Hip Hop Legend)
http://joehawkins.blogspot.com/2007/10/mid-40s-battleling-bulge.html

Kelly Price
http://joehawkins.blogspot.com/2007/11/kelly-price-at-50-million-pound.html

Lalah Hathaway
http://joehawkins.blogspot.com/2008/05/lelah-hathaway-interview-about-new.html

Pumpkin (Flava Of Love)
http://www.youtube.com/user/rimshotboi

Raz B. (Former member of B2K)
http://www.youtube.com/user/rimshotboi

Film Festival Pics 2009 - THANK YOU ALL

FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFULL YEAR - NOW ON TO THE
7th Annual Black LGBT Film Fest 2009.

Jackson to design lingerie line

Singer Janet Jackson and fashion designer Bruno Schiavi are to release a new lingerie line called 'Pleasure Principle', named after a 1987 Janet Jackson song.

Schiavi has previously released collections with Australian singer Delta Goodrem and actress Priscilla Presley.

According to Reuters, Jackson, 42, said: "You will see a lot of satin and lace combined and rich colours such as burgundy and beige, silver and peach as well as your classic black and white.

"It makes you feel incredible and offers variety as diverse as the women who will wear it."

The brand's first collection will reach US department stores in November before launching in Australia, Japan and Europe.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Online Demand Overwhelms Clubrimshot.com

It appears that I am now dealing with a first. As of the time of this posting, my website http://www.clubrimshot.com/ is down because it has exceeded its bandwidth due to the large number of individuals who are visiting the website for the Oakland Film Festival and Blatino Oasis 2009. The traffic picked up dramatically over the past 5 days. You can see the schedule of films by visiting the Parkway Theater website - Click here . We should be back up by tomorrow, opening night.
See you at the festival!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Cullen Jones Makes History As First Black Swimmer To Win Olympic Gold Medal

BEIJING - When Cullen Jones powered through the water last night, chasing history, the charismatic kid who learned to swim in Newark could hear the roar from a half a world away.
Amid the deafening cheers from the thousands squeezed into the National Aquatics Center, Jones felt the support from the scores of people that he touched along an incredible and unlikely path that began in inner city pools and led him here to the world's biggest stage.

An ambassador for African American swimmers, Jones wanted to shatter stereotypes one lap at a time, eager to spread his message that, yeah, black kids can swim too.
He also wanted to help out a buddy on his own personal mission.

Jones accomplished both by helping the 4X100 freestyle relay team win the gold medal in a comeback for the ages. In a race soaked with drama and subplots, the Americans shattered the world record they had set just hours earlier in the prelims, blistering through the water in 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds.
Complete story at source>>>

Logo Screens Sneek Peek of Gay Basketball Reality Show In Oakland

I am proud to announce that the 6th Annual Oakland International Black LGBT Film Festival will screen a Sneek-Peek preview of Logo's (MTV-Networks) highly anticipated and ground-breaking reality show "SHIRTS & SKINS" about the San Francisco based, all gay basketball team, the ROCKDOGS and their journey to defend their title. I have reported on the coming of this show for a few years and now it is here! SHIRTS & SKINS will screen this Friday at the Parkway Theater in Oakland. Click here for screening schedules.

Joe

Magic Shave Contains High Cancerous Chemical Rating

After doing some research on beauty products commonly used by African Americans that contain chemicals known to cause cancer, I learned that the product "Magic Shave" was high on the list. Magic Shave, distributed by Soft Sheen Carson, a leader in African American beauty products and manufactured by L'Oreal, rated 9 out of 10 for containing high cancer causing agents according to the website cosmeticsdatabase.

Ingredients in this product are linked to:
Cancer
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards.

The dangers associated with the use of this product is of great concern to me because it is used frequently, in the head area (on the face), directly near the lymphnodes and has an "Enhanced Skin Absorption" rate.

I want to encourage men who use this product to stop and consult your physician. Also, check the cosmeticsdatabase website to learn the rankings of other products containing highly toxic chemicals.

Here are some links for shaving tips for black men:

- Bump Patrol You Tube Clip
-You Tube Clips On Shaving Tips For Black Men
- MyBrotha
- MEN'S SKIN CARE TIPS
- Barc Shaving System

Joe

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Joe Boxer Actor/Model Stars In Disturbing AIDS Film

In a recent report issued by the CDC, it is estimated that 250,000 people may be living with HIV and not know it.
Cut to Vaughn Lowery, the cute and sexy Detroit native who bunnie hopped and "Boxer Boogied" his way into the hearts of America in the popular Joe Boxer Ad (see below). We will see a very different side of this adorable, baby faced actor in the film short "The Young & Evil." Directed by Julian Breece, the film tells an erie story of a seductive young man who is on the path to self destruction and determined to expose himself to HIV (and anything else) as much as possible. The film will screen on Saturday, August 16, at 3pm, at the 6th Annual Oakland International Black LGBT Film Festival.
See trailer below.

JOE BOXER AD

THE YOUNG & EVIL

6th ANNUAL OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL BLACK LGBT FILM FESTIVAL

Isaac Hayes Dead at 65

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.

A family member found him unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.

In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
Steve Shular, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said authorities received a 911 call after Hayes' wife and young son and his wife's cousin returned home from the grocery store and found him collapsed in a downstairs bedroom. A sheriff's deputy administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

"The treadmill was running but he was unresponsive lying on the floor," Shular said.
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.

Complete story at source>>>

GO WHITE BOY

CANCELLATION OF NYC BLACK PRIDE - Rod 2.0 Scoop

Rod 2.0 got the scoop on yet another Black Gay Pride Cancellation.

"Only one day before it was scheduled to begin, New York City's popular black gay pride function, Pride in the City, has canceled events amidst a dramatic upheaval at its sponsoring agency, the Brooklyn-based HIV/AIDS group People of Color in Crisis (POCC). Rod 2.0 has exclusive details on the last-minute event cancellation and firing of former executive director Michael Roberson—including a lawsuit just filed against POCC, alleged financial improprieties, state and federal investigations, and, a possible possible criminal investigation."

See complete story at source Rod 2.0>>>

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Janet for Jaguar

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50

CHICAGO - Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.
The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.
Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.

But despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer.
"Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in 2002. "I have to put on a good show."
Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."

He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.
"The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac ... he gave them their money's worth," Steve Harvey, one of his costars in "Original Kings," told CNN on Saturday.

Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who" topped the box office. It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" — with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.
Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."
In the late 1990s, he had a recurring role in "Moesha," the UPN network comedy starring pop star Brandy.

The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.
The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool."

The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac.
"But television handcuffs you, man," he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. "Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, `Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?'"
He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.
In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.
"I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.

In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood — eating bologna for dinner — and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.
"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."
Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.
"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."

source>>>

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Judge Judy All Shook Up During Earthquake

Click here for more on yesterday's earthquake in Southern California.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

New Whitney Houston Song Leaked on Internet

Whitney Houston says it all in a new track making the rounds online.
"I want you to love me like I never left," the legendary songbird trills in the aptly titled "Like I Never Left."

MIA from the music scene since her private life went on a roller-coaster ride full of substance-abuse problems and a trainwreck marriage to Bobby Brown, Ms. Houston hasn't released a new tune in approximately forever—or at least since 2003's "One Wish (for Christmas)."
While "Like I Never Left" is technically a love song featuring Akon, the lyrics couldn't be more perfect for her return to recording.

In one verse from the three-minute, 39-second cut, Houston coos, "Yes, your girl is coming back."
Whit is expected to release her new—and much anticipated—album this coming fall.
Welcome back, Whitney! And please stay this time.

Remember Notorius HIV - Darnell "Bossman" McGee?

"Boss Man" McGee

His story was the darkest side of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and whispered urban legends that often turn out to be nothing but myths. But in 1996, these events became a harsh and disturbing reality.

He was called "Boss Man," and he roamed through the battle-scarred streets of East St. Louis, where boarded-up storefronts and burned-out cars are a common sight. Frequently at the wheel of expensive, flashy cars, the "Boss Man," whose real name was Darnell McGee, was known as a ladies' man, and rumors of his many conquests, including some very young girls, swept through the riverside slum in 1996. Though his source of income was unknown, McGee always seemed to have a lot of cash and would often take his girlfriends on shopping trips and lavish them with gifts.

To a young girl from East St. Louis, the attention may have been irresistible. But that happiness was short-lived and quickly turned to horror when it was revealed that Darnell "Boss Man" McGee was not only infected with the AIDS virus, but was spreading it to all his sex partners. According to a report in the Times, at least 62 women had been exposed to the deadly virus as a result of McGee's conduct (April 19, 1997).

How many Darnell McGees has there been since and how many are out there today?

At this point in the pandemic and with all of the information that is out there, can people who become infected (barring rape or some other situation outside of our personal control) place blame anywhere except on themselves?

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Black In America Trailer - MEN

Have you been watching the CNN special this week "Black In America"? Today, the focus is on Black women. Tomorrow (July 24) at 9pm, CNN will focus on the state of Black Men in America.
What do you think about the report on Black Women and after viewing tomorrow's show, let me know what you think about the CNN report on the state of Black men.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

AIN'T NO BUGS ON ME COMMERCIAL - RACIST?

Ok...maybe you have seen the commercial below where the White dog sings a cute and infectious, happy song amongst all of the other Non-White dogs that "There Ain't No Bugs On Me." But on closer observation, the White Dog is the star of the show and has No Bugs and all the non-white dogs (particularly the dark and black ones) are infested with bugs. Advertising companies put a lot of money and thought into coming up with these campaigns. Is it a coincidence that they chose the white dog to have no bugs? Bad Dog Advantix!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

How Do You Feel About Your Penis Size?

When founding editor of Vibe Vibe Magazine Poulson-Bryant came out with his book "Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America " (2006 Half Moon Publishing),

he was simultaneously criticized and lauded for challenging prevailing stereotypes about what it means to be a black man.

I remember watching Oprah and her special report on Men with Dr. Oz. According to the statistics presented, the average penis size of black men is one inch longer than that of white and hispanic men. And asian men, on average, have smaller penis's than the groups mentioned above.

Now, this does not mean that black men don't have small penises and that asian men don't have large ones. What it does mean is that, for one reason or another, size does matter.

The Ego is the part of the brain that either says in your mind, “I am wonderful”, or “I am garbage.” The “Id” is the part of your brain that says “I want food, water, sex etc.” Given the statistical averages, I wonder if Asian American men with dicks eight inches or larger experience an increased sense of positive self confidence? And do African American men with dicks that are six inches or smaller, suffer from low self esteem?

Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychiatry, said that men had a sexual thought consciously or subconsciously every 3 seconds. This would suggest that men also think about their penis's during this time as well. And if you are gay, if you are not thinking of your penis, you might be thinking of someone else's.

With an increasing number of penis enlargement products and erectile dysfunction aides on the market (fueled by mail insecurity), our penis's have become big business (pun intended).

How important is your penis size (or that of others) to you?

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (2nd Posting)

I have been involved in abusive relationships and know the difference between a loving and healthy relationship and one that is not.

Over the years, I have advised a number of my male and female friends on how to get out while they still have their self respect and in some cases their lives.

The story usually goes like this; You meet someone, the sparks fly, the sex is great, 6 months go by and then you begin to see who you are really dealing with. But you like them, no...you love them, even though the abusive behavior is getting worse each day.

The honeymoon is over and now the nightmare begins.Domestic violence can be difficult to identify, especially for the person experiencing it. People sometimes misunderstand domestic

violence and think it is only physical abuse when actually it can be emotional, financial and/or sexual abuse as well.

Without education, many gay men may stay in dangerous or life-threatening situations due to the inability to label their experience as domestic violence. Not until it is labeled will they seek to access the help and information they need. Abusers often manipulate victims so that they feel they are to blame for the abuse. Sometimes GLBT abusers will try to tell their partners that “this is how it is in a GLBT relationship”.

Abusers often promise to change their behavior, and the hope for that positive change can keep a victim from identifying the pattern of abuse in the relationship. If you are experiencing this, accept that you are embarassed by it, accept that it is happening to you and get out of the relationship NOW!

Domestic Violence Info & Resource links 1 2 3 4

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Monday, August 11, 2008

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Warning!

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