Kanye's mother dies after surgery
Kanye West often spoke about his close relationship with his mother
The mother of rap star Kanye West has died at the age of 58 after cosmetic surgery developed complications.
Dr Donda West, who managed the star's businesses and educational foundation and was the subject of his song Hey Mama, died in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Her publicist Patricia Green said she passed away "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure", but gave no more details.
West's spokesman said the family "asks for privacy during this time of grief".
The 30-year-old often spoke publicly of his close relationship with his mother. She raised him alone after her husband left when West was three.
'Inspirational'
In Hey Mama, on West's 2005 album Late Registration, he sang: "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you. I appreciate what you allowed for me, I just want you to be proud of me."
In May, she published the book Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star, in which she paid homage to her famous son.
She was chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to improve literacy and stop people dropping out of school.
Ms Green said: "May Donda's work and deeds be an inspiration to each of us, may we start each day knowing that support of family and community are central to purpose."
Entertainment Business and Oscar Buzz Blog by Zennie62Media
Zennie62Media
How do you look in a search? Is your message getting out on the Internet?
Hire us! Visit: Zennie62Media
2022 Academy Women’s Luncheon in Los Angeles
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with CHANEL, hosted the 2022 Academy Women’s Luncheon in Los Angeles , bring...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifK6cMFRpYMDpciwwVo40IO5k5zbfjTZDnoG8Inl2Z-Q4lBMWQjGyAudI2eTnBsC7txuHRuvxOCRtk2fDesrQs1eKR_ClgnSuCeCSn7jcH3UwPMIbz3SKjdicASh18AI9jbIXz6j7ljgpv89vh4yOJbL3vzaXUzYSlsAI5EMbDrA9JXelVPVE/s320/221116B_036%281%29.jpg)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Heroes On Hulu - Watch The Entire Episode "Out Of Time" Here, Now Live!
Click on the arrow to watch the entire Heroes episode "Out of Time."
Hulu is NBC's new website system that allows one to see HD-quality online versions of shows from NBC, CBS, and other providers. I don't see it as a YouTube replacement for reasons I state over at Zennie's Zeitgeist, but it's a fun system, none the less.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Bionic Woman On Comcast On Demand - Saw It
I just saw Bionic Woman on Comcast OnDemand. Click on this -- Bionic Woman -- to read my review of the pilot episode.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
San Francisco Macy's Passport Video Features Bauer's Limosine
This is a video that promotes Macy's Passport -- the fashion show to end all shows -- at Fort Mason, September 19th, 2007. The short message contains images of the Lexus 400h Hybrid Car, the rage for those going green, and can be rented at the page for Macy's Passport
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Everyone Likes CNN's Paula Zahn - Even The Limo Drivers!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNT9VjO2SOQzD33q1eJcBr3uhkmh7yIh0TEz-HomZRE2G53M2e-QcrXEZc8vPG8tSKpMXc_lnkXF-vdXjhQHBlOAyuzU5F3QKRKoq9TmkesiaJwtgLb_JlukehXnkFfuIS4E3YRg/s400/paula-zahn-picture-1.jpg)
I'm still in New York City, having appeared on CNN's Roland Martin Debates to talk about the CNN / YouTube Debates program and its impact on society. But during this trip, what impressed me was the impact CNN's now departed Paula Zahn had on everyone around her.
People love her.
This was made clear to me by the limo driver who picked me up at JFK. He said "Paula, she was great. Most people (CNN anchors and contributors) just get in (the car) and don't say much. Paula, she asks you about your family, and how you're doing."
This view was echoed by yet another driver with the firm that holds the CNN livery account. And it speaks to the character of the person that will be replaced by Cambell Brown. She's a truly good person, and the best way to know that is when other people say so.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
"SF Limo Service Tour | Bauer's Limo Video" - Too Short's Song Is Key
If there's one rap song of the modern era that has an "old school" feel to it, it's Too Short's "Blow The Whistle." Released in 2006, this make-you-get-up-and-dance tune is popular at clubs around the World. But what's not known is that it makes a great back drop for a commericial video. Take this one I made to promote Bauer's Limousines:
Monday, July 02, 2007
William Shatner On Kirk's Death In Star Trek: Generations - Video
I just found a site called " Bring Back Kirk.com " which calls for Paramount to bring Star Trek's Captain Kirk back from the dead, where he was left after Star Trek: Generations. As part of this effort, they have this video where Shatner's talking about his objection to the plan to have Kirk killed. It's an insight into the kind of thinking that Shatner says Paramount had in making their decision.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Bonnie Piesse Is "Aunt Beru" From Star Wars Episode II and Episode III
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMoAMZLL3fevMwJ7qiqZUNxztx4cbeevLUOaXa73sh0ATQpLUea1QBMKN_3Fb7jWvesq7C_HbXOgg9aQXYICLd_UlLWLUhfMDoryX2P7tB9LCu6jUsoV4FBWH9RzIeFQH24XBlA/s400/c2piesse.jpg)
Actress Bonnie Piesse appeared at WonderCon in San Francisco and was kind enough to listen to my stupid question regarding her time playing "Aunt Beru" in Star Wars Episode II and Star Wars Episode III. In our conversation Bonnie explains that the baby she held was in fact not real, but was made to feel like a real baby.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5dIfaxz-vgRCYY88qWOwpOwimaBJ9AyqO4dxKQ1W3Qn6H7FX5P_kz2cR4RhUrT0IVzIHS3mk07vCRmcARTPn2EAsWko0dYv63rjvUoD1KO5YOEMxuu6ibyg2ffehSOXIfUMPZQ/s400/pcc_bonnie.jpg)
She also offered that George Lucas, who directed and produced the movies, was relaxed and easy to work with. Finally, Bonnie talks about her music and her album which is set to debut in late 2007.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Michael Buble - Why Are People Writing About Him?
I've got to admit, I've never heard of Michael Buble until now, and that's due to Technorati and the people blogging about him. But why are they blogging about him? Well, here's a video of him singing. If you want concert tickets, just click on the title of this post.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Don LaFontaine, John Leader, Al Chalk, Mark Elliot, and Nick Tate - Video
Wow. Check out this video featuring the greatest movie voices of the modern age of movies.
It features Don LaFontaine, John Leader, Al Chalk, Mark Elliot, and Nick Tate, all off to the Key Awards.
It features Don LaFontaine, John Leader, Al Chalk, Mark Elliot, and Nick Tate, all off to the Key Awards.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
"300" Movie Set To Make Over $60 Million - Largest March Opening
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIWAa_GTUL5NvLmgHxrZ8_FFE_LNeJOZaB2hBinir1dokZD2DTPaZPKRmsp_rPlT9pihNnXKvlmwdQ_QTRyT0OM3I8zc1LssoweMf3UsEpc4YLrB1zK6SiSLoGOZKvyxhKI3ZhA/s400/300m.jpg)
According to Nikki Finke , the CGI-based epic "300" is set to earn a record $60 million, the largest ever take for a movie opening in March. I can say that the movie is a hit with teenage boys, who flock to see this in large groups, as I observed at the Sony Metrion in San Francisco. Or rather, I heard some screeming "300 tickets!" as I got off the BART train.
I can't remember a movie that's really connected with this set since Spiderman. But this is more primal and that's due to the story and approach. It's a violent male-oriented movie, period.
Here's a video:
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Ellen DeGeneres Gives Martin Scorsese A Script At The Academy Awards
This is absolutely funny. I don't know if it was staged or spontaineous, but it made me laugh out loud.
Paris Hilton Smoking Crack? - ParisExposed Website Is Shut Down?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3tBV40lDpRl9o2hhaRUqF0xWophlkAiJ2p322PJiuIIFLSPyJS8N9LJ-OOljOK-P4NPXTfQZzSY2hdywReyvr05bfgvtTGWIorpq3NW3s-0a4c2AAYL86vMLmjAgxtD4YmzxGA/s400/-0-ParisExposed35.jpg)
I thought the ParisExposed website was shut down, but I find ParisExposed.tv, so I guess the party migrated, or something. As you may know, Paris Hilton's trying to get the website -- which has free videos of her doing "stuff" and picts of her smoking a crack pipe shown here -- shut down.
Scott Storch Calls Timbaland The N Word
What's interesting to me is that a White rapper is calling a Black performer the N-word in a music clip. Fascinating. Stupid, too. What's equally so is Paris Hilton using the word, as reported here. Here MediaTakeOut's view and explanation of all of this followed by the video itself and the song:
February 27, 2007. In today's hip hop, diss songs are commonplace. But even a hip hop diss song has boundaries that aren't supposed to be crossed. And MediaTakeOut.com has learned that hip hop producer Scott Storch may have just crossed that boundary.
Storch, who is Caucasian, has been publicly feuding with fellow producer Timbaland for months. And in a recent diss track, the Caucasian producer put all of his harsh feelings on wax.
In the new song, entitled Built Like Dat, Storch blasts Timbaland with some scathing lyrics. The Caucasian producer uses the track to make some explosive allegations against his rival. For example, Storch claims that Timbaland is on steroids, and implies that the hit producer is a homosexual. But that's not the controversial part of the song.
Near the end of the track, Storch uttered the verse, "Don't apologize [N Word], you can't even get your label to work right." And that verse, which was clearly aimed at Timbaland, is sending shockwaves throughout the hip hop community.
MediaTakeOut.com spoke with a prominent New York DJ who offered his take on the controversial track. The DJ, who asked to remain anonymous, told us the following, "I know Scott [Storch], and he always talks reckless like that ... I don't know if he's a racist or not. I do know that no matter how many beats you make, you don't have the right to call a Black man a [N Word]."
And there may be another reason to question Storch's use of the 'N word' against rival Timbaland. The Caucasian producer is very close friends with socialite Paris Hilton - who was caught on tape using the 'N Word' to refer to Black people.
MediaTakeOut.com has repeatedly tried to contact Timbaland for comment. So far, he hasn't responded to our requests.
We've included audio of the song below. Storch uses the 'N word' when there's :40 left:
February 27, 2007. In today's hip hop, diss songs are commonplace. But even a hip hop diss song has boundaries that aren't supposed to be crossed. And MediaTakeOut.com has learned that hip hop producer Scott Storch may have just crossed that boundary.
Storch, who is Caucasian, has been publicly feuding with fellow producer Timbaland for months. And in a recent diss track, the Caucasian producer put all of his harsh feelings on wax.
In the new song, entitled Built Like Dat, Storch blasts Timbaland with some scathing lyrics. The Caucasian producer uses the track to make some explosive allegations against his rival. For example, Storch claims that Timbaland is on steroids, and implies that the hit producer is a homosexual. But that's not the controversial part of the song.
Near the end of the track, Storch uttered the verse, "Don't apologize [N Word], you can't even get your label to work right." And that verse, which was clearly aimed at Timbaland, is sending shockwaves throughout the hip hop community.
MediaTakeOut.com spoke with a prominent New York DJ who offered his take on the controversial track. The DJ, who asked to remain anonymous, told us the following, "I know Scott [Storch], and he always talks reckless like that ... I don't know if he's a racist or not. I do know that no matter how many beats you make, you don't have the right to call a Black man a [N Word]."
And there may be another reason to question Storch's use of the 'N word' against rival Timbaland. The Caucasian producer is very close friends with socialite Paris Hilton - who was caught on tape using the 'N Word' to refer to Black people.
MediaTakeOut.com has repeatedly tried to contact Timbaland for comment. So far, he hasn't responded to our requests.
We've included audio of the song below. Storch uses the 'N word' when there's :40 left:
Ellen DeGeneres Show - Oscars - Behind The Scenes
This is a video of Ellen's presentation of her behind the scenes video at the Academy Awards.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Spiderman 3 - Toby McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Rami Talk About Spiderman 3
Spiderman 3's set for a May 4th release and already the buzz is starting to build for the movie. Of course, most of this buzz is being generated by Sony, the film's producers. Take this great video for example. It contains interviews with stars Toby McGuire, Kirsten Dunst, and director Sam Rami talking about the storyline of the film.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Sundance Film Festival - Video Blog From Susan On Pierre Huyghe
I've never heard of her or the film-maker she's vlogging about, but the video is quite interesting. Here's Susan:
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Jack Baeur Bites Artery Of Bad Guy And Donald Trump's Apprentice
I saw the first episode of "24" and while I was waiting for The Apprentice to come on. OK. I admit it. I'm an Apprentice junkie. But I've got some disagreement with the idea of having it in LA. It's nothing against LA. But it's just that The Apprentice is a show with a distinctively New York cut. It doesn't mix with LA. Thus, it comes at no surprise that "24's" Jack Bauer bit the artery out of the bad guy and The Apprentice with one chomp.
Wait? Biting? Yep. Biting.
It was a move distinctively Jack Baeur. Creative. Unexpected. Necessary. Efficient. Brutal. And it's acts like that which keep even Apprentice junkies like me looking at the show, when I'm suppose to turn the channel. It's hard to do.
But eventually I did and watched Trump's show with my Mom. It was the usual Apprentice formula. But this time, this brotha named Carey decided he was going to let his being Gay impact a business decision. This dude insisted on wearing a pair of tight pink shorts no normal man would be caught in. The idea was that clothing buyers were going to buy those shorts! No way. But Carey insisted on the design and on his wearing it on a fashion runway.
As you might have guessed, Carey got fired.
I don't know what happened to the end of the "24" two hour episode, but it was so good it made me think twice about what I did. But in the end I know why. I'm an Apprentice junkie, but if Baeur keeps up his run of unexpected bites, I could become a "24" junkiee, too.
Wait? Biting? Yep. Biting.
It was a move distinctively Jack Baeur. Creative. Unexpected. Necessary. Efficient. Brutal. And it's acts like that which keep even Apprentice junkies like me looking at the show, when I'm suppose to turn the channel. It's hard to do.
But eventually I did and watched Trump's show with my Mom. It was the usual Apprentice formula. But this time, this brotha named Carey decided he was going to let his being Gay impact a business decision. This dude insisted on wearing a pair of tight pink shorts no normal man would be caught in. The idea was that clothing buyers were going to buy those shorts! No way. But Carey insisted on the design and on his wearing it on a fashion runway.
As you might have guessed, Carey got fired.
I don't know what happened to the end of the "24" two hour episode, but it was so good it made me think twice about what I did. But in the end I know why. I'm an Apprentice junkie, but if Baeur keeps up his run of unexpected bites, I could become a "24" junkiee, too.
Eric Clapton's Layla - An Enduring Song - Video
This is perhaps one of the most popular songs in the history of modern music. Layla as performed by Eric Clapton has been in commercials, spoofed, and copied many times over.
According to Wikipedia, Layla...
is the title track on the Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, released in December 1970. It is considered one of rock music's definitive love songs,[2] featuring an unmistakable guitar figure, played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, as lead-in. Its famously contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Jim Gordon.
Inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison, "Layla" was unsuccessful on its initial release.[3] The song has since experienced great critical and popular acclaim. Two versions have achieved chart success, first in 1972 and again twenty years later.
Background
In 1966, George Harrison married Pattie Boyd, a model he met during the filming of A Hard Day's Night. During the late 1960s, Clapton and Harrison, as two of the top English guitarists of the day, became firm friends. Clapton contributed guitar work on Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on The Beatles' White Album, and Harrison played guitar pseudonymously on Cream's "Badge" from Goodbye. However, trouble was brewing for Clapton. His supergroups Cream and Blind Faith had broken apart, his growing drug use would lead to a life-threatening heroin addiction, and, when Boyd came to Clapton for aid during marital troubles, Clapton fell desperately in love with her.
The title, "Layla", was inspired by a love story, The Story of Layla / Layla and Majnun (ليلى ومجنون), by the Persian classical poet Nezami. When he wrote "Layla", Clapton had recently been given a copy of the story by a friend (reportedly Ian Dallas)[5] who was in the process of converting to Islam. Nezami's tale, about a moon-princess who was married off by her father to someone other than the man who was desperately in love with her, resulting in his madness (in Persian, Majnun, مجنون, means "madman"), struck a deep chord with Clapton.[4]
Boyd divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Clapton in 1979. Harrison was not bitter about the divorce and attended Clapton's wedding with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. During their marriage, Clapton wrote another love ballad for her, "Wonderful Tonight". Their marriage later developed difficulties over Clapton's alcoholism and his extramarital affair with Yvonne Khan Kelly, and in 1985 he left Boyd altogether for Italian model Lori del Santo, with whom he had a child. Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989 after several years of separation. Boyd currently lives with the property developer Rod Weston.
In an interview with Songfacts, Bobby Whitlock, who was a member of Derek and the Dominos and good friends with both Harrison and Clapton, explains the situation between Clapton and Pattie around the time he wrote Layla:
“ I was there when they were supposedly sneaking around. You don't sneak very well when you're a world figure. He was all hot on Pattie and I was dating her sister. They had this thing going on that supposedly was behind George's back. Well, George didn't really care. He said, 'You can have her.' That kind of defuses it when Eric says, 'I'm taking your wife' and he says, 'Take her.' They got married and evidently, she wasn't what he wanted after all. The hunt was better than the kill. That happens, but apparently Pattie is real happy now with some guy who's not a guitar player. Good for her and good for Eric for moving on with his life. George got on with his life, that's for sure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! On YouTube.com One of the highlights of the Michael Jackson Memori...
-
Yep. He was awarded this at the R&R 2006 News/Talk Industry Achievement Awards on March 4, in Washington D.C. Ya know, since I've go...
-
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! Not too long ago in Western culture it seemed we had this mostly unwritten rule that wh...