lune II. 2003
(Ebe JJortlauò (Dbserue
Page B3
Focus
Fans Push Oprah to Pursue Politics
Joe Morton, left, as
Walter Diggles, Jon
Voight as Sheriff Billy
Rowles, Kate Trotter as
Jamie Rowles and Louis
Gossett Jr. as R.C. Horn
appear in a scene from
Showtime's “Jasper,
Texas." The film
premieres Sunday at 8
p.m., to commemorate
the fifth anniversary o f
the murder o f James
Byrd, Jr., who was
chained to the back o f a
pickup truck and
dragged to his death.
(AP Photo)
Film Examines Dragging Death
Oprah Winfrey speaks to a sold-out crowd o f2.600 at the Washington State Convention Center in
Seattle, Saturday. May 31, as part o f her four-city “Live Your Best Life Tour" seminar. (AP Photo)
Talk show host
has other ideas
Oprah for president?
A fan was handing out orange
bumper stickers promoting the idea,
but don’t hold your breath.
The idea doesn 't interest Oprah
Winffey - top daytime TV talk-show
host, magazine publisher, movie
star, honored literacy booster and
all-round mover and shaker.
“People say, ‘Never say never,’"
Winfrey said with a broad smile, her
big heart-shaped diamond earrings
sparkling. But when it comes to
politics, "I can say, never.”
W infrey was in Seattle last Sat­
urday for the second stop in her
“ Live Your Best Life Tour” spon­
sored by O, The Oprah Magazine.
The four-city tour features a two-
hour presentation by W infrey, of­
fering insights and anecdotes from
herown life, followed by three hours
o f more personal contact.
Tickets were S185 - the pricetag
also covers lunch and a gift bag -
and there were reports o f four-fig­
ure re-sales on e-Bay.
O f the 2,700 ticketholders, al­
most all were women.
"W e want to learn how to live
our best life,” said Teresa Gove, a
38-year-old insurance claims repre­
sentative who flew up from Califor­
nia for the event.
"W e love Oprah," said Dianne
Enkerud, 60, a medical transcrip-
tionist from Tumwater. "She has a
real gift. She knows how to moti­
vate people - women in particular."
H y d ro lo g y e n g in e e r D oug
Beyerlein, 52, o f Mill Creek is hop­
ing to see that gift expanded - per­
haps into the national political
arena. He came up with the bumper
stickers, which he and his wife,
Joan, handed out to all and sundry.
"I just don’t like what our cur­
rent administration is doing, both
d o m estically and o v e rs e a s,”
Beyerlein said. "I feel we need to
change our priorities."
He said he has confidence in
W infrey’s motivation and values,
as articulated on her show and in
her magazine.
“ I don’t care what party she
runs fo r.... I’d be happy to vote for
her regardless," Beyerlein said.
And if she’s not interested in run­
ning, he hopes that the very idea
"will get people talking, bring up
issues that need to be discussed.”
Winfrey shakes her head. She
w ouldn’t discuss the current ad­
ministration - "I d o n ’t talk poli­
tics” - and has no interest in be­
coming a candidate.
Her next goal, she says, is to
become an am bassador for the
w orld’s children, especially or­
phans.
Movie looks to
find the story
behind the
gruesome events
(A P) — A legion o f Black Pan­
thers has come to march. An army
o f Klansmen is on its way. And
8,000 townspeople are struggling
to squelch the racial furor that di­
vides them as three w hite men head
to trial for the violent killing o f a
black man.
This was the scene in the sum ­
mer o f 1998 in Jasper, Texas. It’s
also the powder-keg moment re­
enacted in the Showtimedocudrama
“Jasper, Texas," about a com m u­
nity rocked and rent by tragedy yet
showing amazing grace.
The film premieres at 8 p.m. Sun­
day, a day after the fifth anniver­
sary ofthe m urderof James Byrd Jr.,
who was chained to the back o f a
pickup truck and dragged to his
death.
“The challenge was to find the
story, because real events don't
necessarily represent the human
story," says writer and executive
producer Jonathan Estrin. "What they battle their personal demons
I’m after is the emotional truth."
and outside agitators while attempt­
After several years o f research ing to maintain control o f theircom-
and interviews with Jasper resi­ munity.
dents, Estrin uses the Byrd murder
“Jasper is A m erica... it’s really
- including a subtle recreation o f no different than many other parts
the dragging and archival footage o f America," says Estrin. “If this
Jasper is America ...it s really no
different than many other parts o f America.
- Jonathan Estrin, writer and executive producerfor Jasper, Texas,’ a
Showtime film that examines the 1998 dragging death of African
X l
AmericanJamesByrd.Jr.
o f an outraged nation - as the back­ had happened in Los Angeles or
drop for this portrait o f a town di­ New York there probably would
vided.
have been riots orci vil unrest. What
The story centers on Sheri ff B illy surprised me, in many w ays, is that
Rowles (Jon Voight) and R.C. Hom these people cam e up against ex­
(Louis Gossett Jr.), Jasper's newly traordinary circumstances and sim­
appointed and first black mayor, as ply tried to do the right thing.”
if even bright things get you down.
M H M M
Lawyer Argues Ross’s Breath Tests Illegal
(AP) — DianaRoss’
limitinArizonaisO.08
attorney in a drunken
percent.
dm ingcuscis.iA nig.i
to
out
breath test results and
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W HW
singer
made Io Arizona police
Stephen I ’.mi B .in i.iiU
h. is tile d ,i m o iio n ,ti
guingthat polieecon
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night
dueteda
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"raises
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has pleaded innocent
to the charge.
—
DianaRoss
P olicesaidshehadablood-alco-
hoi level o f 0.20 percent. The legal
search and sejzure ••
A fte r ghe w as
given a breath test, arrested and
informed o f her rights, officers told
Ross that more breath tests were
needed.
Barnard said there was an ele­
ment o f coercion because Ross was
given the choice o f taking more
tests and being allowed to go home
or being taken to a hospital, a police
station or to jail, where she would
be subject to the tests after police
received a warrant.
Prosecutors said the argument
is misplaced. Linder Arizona law,
anyone arrested for drunken driv­
ing automatical ly consents to blood
alcohol content testing.
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Aretha Arson Probe May Get State Help
Queen of Soul lost
her $1.6 million
mansion to fire
to produce a consen­
case until the state
sus on what, if any,
review.
charges could be is­
Franklin, dubbed
sued, prosecutors said.
the Queen o f Soul,
Prosecutors said "le­
lost her S I .6 million
gal and factual com ­
Bloomfield Township
(A P) — Authorities investigat­ plexities" in the ease
mansion in the Oct. 25
ing an Oct. 25 arson that destroyed prompted them to re­
blaze, w hich authori­
A retha Franklin’s Illinois mansion quest an independent
ties ruled as arson.
plan to ask the state A ttorney review and analysis by
Franklin was sub­
G eneral’s office for help.
Attorney General Mike Aretha Franklin
poenaed and met with
A meeting o f police and fire offi­ C ox’soffice.
investigators in Feb­
cials and the O akland C ounty
County officials said they would ruary. The 6 1-year-old singer was
Prosecutor'sO ffice last week failed offer no additional comment on the out ofthe state at the time o f the fire.
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Tony Rock to Host Oxygen Channel Game Show
Tony Rock, second from left on
the bottom, is seen with other
cast members o f the new UPN
sitcom, “All o f Us," which
premiers this fall. The younger
brother o f comedian Chris Rock
says there is some sibling
rivalry but he s staying busy -
and successful - as the host o f
an Oxygen network game show
that premiers June 16.
(AP) — Tony Rock may be an
easy name to say and remember, but
the com edian's manager still sug­
gested he change it professionally.
T h at's because he thought it
would be easier for the comic to
establish him self without dealing
with the pressure o f being Chris
R ock's younger brother. Rock dis­
missed the talk.
“ I was always called littleChris’
growing up," said the 33-year-old
Rock, who hosts a new game show ,
“Can You Tell," premiering June 16
on the Oxygen network.
The family connection "is a
double-ed g ed sw o rd ,” he said
Tuesday. But Rock is keeping busy;
aside from the Oxygen show, h e's
in the cast o fth e new UPN sitcom,
"All o f Us," beginning this fall
He says there’s some sibling ri­
valry. When Chris, 37, showed upto
try out new material at a comedy club
where Tony was working recently,
Tony followed him onstage with all
h is best jokes - and got bigger laughs.
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