http://globalgrind.com/discovered/booksen-ushttp://globalgrind.com/content/37017/Does-this-OFFEND-you BoOgie A comic-book character popular in Mexico for generations has run into a cultural barrier at the border, where Americans see him as a racist caricature.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/37017/Does-this-OFFEND-you?sc=1#socialBoOgie7/9/2008 7:51:28 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/35891/Learn-How-To-Be-A-Jerk-Like-Kanye Big Deez Kanye West teamed up with J. Sakiya Sandifer to create "Thank You and You're Welcome." It's supposed to be Yeezy's words of wisdom but I think it'll just get the average person beat up.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/35891/Learn-How-To-Be-A-Jerk-Like-Kanye?sc=1#socialBig Deez7/3/2008 2:25:32 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/35804/Omar-Tyree-Says-I-Quit-Urban-Lit NiaSade "Flyy Girl" and "Diary of a Groupie" author Omar Tyree is fed up with the monster he believes to have created in adult urban fiction. He's abandoning writing the "poison [black readers] become addicted to" for a more "progressive mission." He's on his grown man....]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/35804/Omar-Tyree-Says-I-Quit-Urban-Lit?sc=1#socialNiaSade7/2/2008 2:05:37 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/35620/Mos-Def-Ex-Pens-Tell-All-Book-Alleges-Abuse Craig Redman Alana Wyatt-Smith, 29, a former stripper, video vixen (Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot") and grade seven-drop out from Toronto has penned Breaking the Code of Silence, a memoir of her 2005 marriage to Mos Def which apparently happened three days after they met, as well as encounters with various professional athletes and celebs, including Kanye West.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/35620/Mos-Def-Ex-Pens-Tell-All-Book-Alleges-Abuse?sc=1#socialCraig Redman7/1/2008 2:57:25 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/31079/Snitching-is-for-Btches-according-to-the-White-House CubanChica Former Press Secretary Scott McClellan is finding out the hard way about karma after the White House has branded him a traitor for snitching. His own brother has turned his back on him.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/31079/Snitching-is-for-Btches-according-to-the-White-House?sc=1#socialCubanChica5/30/2008 3:02:11 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/29411/Celebrity-Alter-Egos Big Deez A photographer did an ill shoot of celebrities interacting with their alter egos. It's a hot concept but Amerie's is wack. She couldn't come up with anything better that what she did? Ain't she supposed to be creative?]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/29411/Celebrity-Alter-Egos?sc=1#socialBig Deez5/20/2008 3:10:29 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/27836/Sigh-Cosby-From-Pudding-Pops-to-HipHop waymorethanmusic The 70-year-old has recorded a hip-hop album set for release next month. “Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency” blends the comedian’s concepts and stories with a hip-hop, pop and jazz soundtrack.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/27836/Sigh-Cosby-From-Pudding-Pops-to-HipHop?sc=1#socialwaymorethanmusic5/9/2008 10:14:52 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/27641/The-comics-that-horrified-America-CNNcom Craig Redman World War II was over, but as the 1940s gave way to the 1950s, a new evil lurked in the land... comic books.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/27641/The-comics-that-horrified-America-CNNcom?sc=1#socialCraig Redman5/12/2008 10:50:42 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/27377/NOW-YOU-SEE-US-BUT-YOU-DONT Joyous AA literature and Hip Hop seem to be suffering from a very similar affliction. The shadowing affects of commoditization. I think it's great that more young brothas and sistas are reading and while I personally am not into so called "street lit",I'm not mad at anybody whose choice it is to read or to write in that particular genre. The problem comes from, where it always comes from, the folks w/ the money and power to distribute. IE: the publishing companies. Once they caught on to the fact that there was actually a market out there, they focused their energies on packaging and selling as much of it as they could, but to the near exclusion of any other form of Black literary expression. Street lit, became Black lit, as if that's all we not only can produce, but want to read. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's exactly what's happened w/ rap. I don't know about you, but I'm really getting tired of these money-grubbing companies telling us who we (all) are and what we (all) wish to consume.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/27377/NOW-YOU-SEE-US-BUT-YOU-DONT?sc=1#socialJoyous5/9/2008 11:35:24 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/25525/Margaret-B-Jones-Seltzers-Final-Act-of-Impersonation Big Deez This is video of that chick who lied in her book about being a blood in South Central. It seems like everybody done forgot about it.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/25525/Margaret-B-Jones-Seltzers-Final-Act-of-Impersonation?sc=1#socialBig Deez4/30/2008 9:42:10 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/23589/Stan-Lee-Named-Head-Of-Virgin-Comics-STREET-KNOWLEDGE-MEDIA streetknowledge Iconic Comic Book legend Stan Lee has been named the head of Richard Branson's Virgin Comics. Joining the ranks of Jenna Jameson, John Woo and Nicolas Cage Lee adds star-powered to Branson's expanding comic book empire.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/23589/Stan-Lee-Named-Head-Of-Virgin-Comics-STREET-KNOWLEDGE-MEDIA?sc=1#socialstreetknowledge4/21/2008 5:04:53 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/21501/video-Audis-Iron-Man-Commercial-STREET-KNOWLEDGE-MEDIA streetknowledge As the release date (May 2) for the highly anticipated summer blockbuster Iron Man approaches, the corporate Big Dogs will start rolling out their cross promotions. This is Audi’s effort to align itself with Tony Starks and his Enterprise. Their R8 will be featured heavily throughout the flick. Their brand integration is not so much a shove it in your face approach but rather Audi as a technologically superior work of machinery is tied into the theme of Iron Man and his many technologically superior machinery (his armor). They’ve developed a very engaging website around the promo campaign as well. To check it out go HERE]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/21501/video-Audis-Iron-Man-Commercial-STREET-KNOWLEDGE-MEDIA?sc=1#socialstreetknowledge4/12/2008 2:44:38 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/20725/Method-Mans-Graphic-Novel Kaboom Titled simply Method Man, it won't be on sale 'til July.Okay, so, there's an evil sea monster dwelling in the underground sewer system of "One Bad Ghetto, USA." And man, did that thing pick the wrong kung-fu-obsessed rapper to mess with. In the excerpt, Method Man — er, his thinly veiled alter ego, mystical detective/"murder priest" Mosley Paine — accidentally discovers it swimming around.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/20725/Method-Mans-Graphic-Novel?sc=1#socialKaboom4/7/2008 3:24:06 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/20285/Whats-Hot-In-The-Kitchen liberty Simple Gourmet Classic's author Kimberly Gibson is helping you to be the star chef in your home! Check it out. Vegetarian to Meat lovers. It's Fabulous!]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/20285/Whats-Hot-In-The-Kitchen?sc=1#socialliberty4/6/2008 12:42:39 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/19777/BOBBY-BROWN-TELLS-ALL BlackWomensWeb Bobby Brown is dishing on his rocky marriage to Whitney Houston in a new tell-all autobiography.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/19777/BOBBY-BROWN-TELLS-ALL?sc=1#socialBlackWomensWeb4/5/2008 7:39:55 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/13132/Gangbanging-White-Girl-Is-Really-A-Princess GG Content Writer Margaret Seltzer admitted that the personal story she tells in “Love and Consequences” was entirely fabricated. C'mon, like your favorite rapper isn't guilty of the same thing.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/13132/Gangbanging-White-Girl-Is-Really-A-Princess?sc=1#socialGG Content3/6/2008 12:56:21 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/13104/Rolling-Stone-Endorses-Obama twanthe1 Rolling Stone is backing Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president, the first time the music magazine has endorsed a contender for the White House during the primary.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/13104/Rolling-Stone-Endorses-Obama?sc=1#socialtwanthe13/6/2008 10:29:05 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/12488/030108-Diddy-Moving-To-Hollywood-Speaks-on-Acting Dneen With a ratings victory for his first starring role in the television adaptation of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, Sean "Diddy" Combs is looking to take his acting endeavors to the next level. "Im out here looking for houses now," Combs told AllHipHop.com....]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/12488/030108-Diddy-Moving-To-Hollywood-Speaks-on-Acting?sc=1#socialDneen3/3/2008 11:00:30 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/12152/City-of-Men Mark Anthony Gilbert Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva of City of Men (Miramax) If the title of the new Brazilian film City of Men (opening February 29 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) sounds familiar, it should. It is the spin off or companion piece to Fernando Meirelles' 2002 film City of God, and the follow up to Meirelles' 2002 TV series City of Men. Meirelles also serves as the producer of City of Men, which is directed by his long time collaborator Paulo Morelli. The new film isn't a sequel because there's no continuation of plot or recurring characters from the first film. (Although some actor reappear but playing different roles.) But it does return to the same Rio de Janeiro slums and to similar themes about coming of age amidst violence. City of God served up a sprawling saga of slum life, taking us through three decades and following multiple characters. City of Men narrows the focus down to a pair of young men, Acerola or Ace (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha or Wallace (Darlan Cunha), who are both about to turn eighteen. Ace is already married and has fathered a child. He mourns his unexciting sex life. The first woman he had sex with got pregnant and he ended up marrying her. Wallace, on the other hand, expresses concern over the fact that he doesn't know who his father is and when he turns eighteen his I.D. card will say "father unknown." This leads the two friends on a sometime humorous search for Wallace's father. Meanwhile, Ace's wife Cris (Camila Monteiro) is thinking about accepting a job outside Rio to care for another woman's baby. This means that Ace will have sole responsibility caring for his son Clayton. That doesn't bode well for Clayton since we witness Ace forgetting his son at the beach when he is asked to baby-sit for an afternoon. Paul Morelli's City of Men, a companion piece to Fernando Meirelles' City of Gold (Miramax) Morelli's film looks to the men within this slum community and keeps the women on the periphery. Ace's wife leaves in order to make enough money for them to get a house. Wallace's grandmother leaves when he apartment is burned down during a gang war. And other women enter briefly for sex or romance. But for the most part this is a film appropriately focused on men be they the rivals in a gang war, estranged fathers, wanna be gangsters, or men trying to find a way to live outside the violence. As in City of God, City of Men depicts the Rio slums as crowded, cramped quarters where street gangs rule. Morelli favors graceful aerial shots of the slum hills overbuilt with shacks, homes and apartments. These shots convey the scope of the problems and how entrenched they seem to be. Morelli shows that the violence has become almost routine. When a gang war spills into the streets, residents know to immediately take shelter as stores quickly close up. But as the gunfire rings out, people try to just go about their daily life. What becomes interesting is how Ace and Wallace, who have managed to stay outside the violence for the most part, start to get pulled in once they uncover information about their fathers. Loyalty to these men they have never known threatens to pull the friends apart and they get pulled into a cycle of violence based on honor and revenge. City of Men (Miramax) But in a way, the violence in City of Men feels less threatening than it did in City of God. It's definitely omnipresent, and we do see some innocent people killed, yet it doesn't feel as dangerously woven into Ace and Wallace's lives. But maybe that's because Morelli is trying to pull these characters out of the violence and suggest that there is a way out. Silva and Cunha are amazing as the young friends. When we meet them on the beach in the first part of the film, they seem so young but as we get to know them they reveal the complexity of their lives and the difficult decisions they have to face. Seeing them as fourteen year olds in some of the flashbacks lets us see a joy and fun that they are fast losing. These two young performers never strike a false note. Reflecting the growing maturity of the characters, City of Men takes on a very different style from City of God. Meirelles' film won acclaim for its epic scope, flashy editing and energized camerawork. But director Paulo Morelli opts for a more restrained and intimate approach. Morelli has a few frenzied moments of violent activity, but for the most part he favors a slower pace, and steadier visuals as focuses in on faces and conversations. The few scenes involving women are soft focus blurs, conveying a surreal sense as if in a dream. City of Men also allows for a greater sense of hope and even humor than City of God. You could describe City of God as being all about the frenzy of youth burning out on its own energy whereas City of Men is about these young men trying to find a way out of the cycle of violence, and the cycle of men abandoning their sons. One thing that gives the film an added richness is that these actors worked on Meirelles' TV show back in 2002, and shot nineteen episodes over the next couple years. This allows Morelli to show us footage of these characters as boys hanging out together. It gives a greater texture to their friendship and conveys a greater sense of loss as they seem to get pulled apart. City of Men (in Portuguese with English subtitles, and rated R for violent content, language and some sexuality) has wonderful heart and spectacular performances. It wanders a bit but ultimately is well worth spending time with. It manages to find guarded hope amidst the daily tragedies. Companion viewing: City of God, Pixote, City of Men (Brazilian TV series now on DVD)    ]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/12152/City-of-Men?sc=1#socialMark Anthony Gilbert3/6/2008 10:30:18 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/12046/ProElite8217s-Pact-With-CBS-Sends-Kimbo-To-Primetime MANNYFRESH Kimbo Slice, a.k.a. Kevin Ferguson, hit the mixed martial arts scene last November when he destroyed Bo Cantrell. It took Slice 19 seconds to score his first pro victory and elevate himself from Internet pit fighter to professional athlete. Now it appears he has elevated the entire sport into the mainstream.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/12046/ProElite8217s-Pact-With-CBS-Sends-Kimbo-To-Primetime?sc=1#socialMANNYFRESH2/28/2008 2:36:18 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/11937/VIDEO-Will-Smith-On-The-Tavis-Smiley-Show SaraJo I watch this video at least once a week. Big Will drops soooo much knowledge. Dude is a true hustler. You can tell from listening to how passionately he speaks. Will has the “do it or die trying” mentality, which I am also a strong believer in. It’s a great interview and provides excellent motivation.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/11937/VIDEO-Will-Smith-On-The-Tavis-Smiley-Show?sc=1#socialSaraJo2/28/2008 9:34:07 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/10923/Bodog-Fight-Mixed-Martial-Arts izZY151 Bodog Fight is a mixed martial arts tournament airing on the Ion TV and through Bodog TV. Watch or download MMA videos and complete episodes online.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/10923/Bodog-Fight-Mixed-Martial-Arts?sc=1#socializZY1512/21/2008 5:52:21 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/10779/Bay-Bizness-Blog-Archive-The-Groupie-A-short-story-by-Lovelle BAYBIZNESSDOTCOM This site gives the latests news, music, and events form the hip hop scene in the Tampa Bay area]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/10779/Bay-Bizness-Blog-Archive-The-Groupie-A-short-story-by-Lovelle?sc=1#socialBAYBIZNESSDOTCOM2/21/2008 1:32:52 AMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/10436/New-XXL-EditorInChief-Appointed-From-Within Kapital One Datwon Thomas has been named the new editor-in-chief of XXL magazine, a post recently vacated by Elliott "YN" Wilson.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/10436/New-XXL-EditorInChief-Appointed-From-Within?sc=1#socialKapital One2/21/2008 6:03:08 PMhttp://globalgrind.com/content/10287/BrownonBlack-Crime-in-LA kwame06 There's something that has failed to enter the filibustering of the presidential debates, and all that "we want change" dialog over the last year.]]>http://globalgrind.com/content/10287/BrownonBlack-Crime-in-LA?sc=1#socialkwame062/19/2008 12:51:23 PM