W om en \
I IIS K )R Y
M a r c h 19. 2 0 0 8
P a g e B3
Dear Deanna:
Hollywood Casts Notorious B.LG.
I'm in college and me and my
peers have the same issues. W e're
short on money, have to do odd
jobs to buy gas and we pool our
money to buy food. Things are
working out w ith the exception of
one friend that isn't pulling her
load. She rides in the car with us
and eats the food but we noticed
that she isn't contributing to the
fund. We all have seen her with
new clothes and manicures. How
do we tell her that she needs to
pay her money or she's out of the
group ? --Carla; Pensacola, Fla.
Brooklyn-based
rapper will play
late rap icon
The production held an open
casting call last fall in the hope of
finding the next Notorious B.I.G.,
whose real name was Christopher
Wallace, the generously built East
Coast rapper who was killed in an
Biggie is coming to the big
unsolved Los Angeles drive-by in
screen. Fox Searchlight has hired
Jamal Woolard, a Brooklyn-based 1997.
The idea, executives said, was
rapper, to play late rap icon Biggie
that as with casting for sports mov­
Smalls, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G.,
ies like "Miracle," the production
in its upcoming biopic "Notorious."
would be better served with a non­
Derek Luke, Angela Bassett and
actor whocan rap and imitate Biggie
Anthony Mackie also have been
than with a pro actor who might
cast in the movie, the art-house
need to be taught how to rap.
studio said. Directed by George
Woolard, who also is known as
Tillman Jr. ("Soul Food"), it goes
Gravy,
is not a total unknown. He
into production this month and is
has released a number of albums,
set for release in January.
though he's perhaps best known
Luke ("Catch a Fire") will play
for being shot before a radio ap­
B iggie record p ro d u cer Sean
"Diddy" Combs, who off-screen is pearance outside the New York hip-
hop station Hot 97 two years ago,
an executive producer on the film.
after which he proceeded with the
Mackie ("Brother to Brother") will
interview and became apart of hip-
play rival rapperTupac Shakur, while
hop
lore.
Bassett ("Akeelah and the Bee")
Like Biggie, Woolard was adrug
will play Biggie's mother Voletta
dealer before he became a rapper.
Wallace.
Dear Carla:
Rap singer Notorious B.I.G. is shown on stage at the 1996 Soul
Train Music Awards in Los Angeles.
He had released a number of al­
bums on indie labels in the 1990s
before being signed by W arner
Bros.
Voletta Wallace cited "Jamal's
charming personality, warm spirit.
wonderful sense of humor and beau­
tiful smile” as reasons for the cast­
ing. "He is a talented and charis­
matic actor, and I am excited that he
will bring Christopher's character
to life," she said.
Combs Denies Any Link in Shakur Shooting
Report called
baseless, untrue
(A P) — Sean "D iddy" Com bs
has denied a report by the Los
Angeles Tim es that his associ­
ates were responsible for the 1994
robbery and shooting of Tupac
Shakur at a New York recording
studio, and that he knew about
the attack in advance.
“The story is a lie,” the hip-
hop mogul said in a statem ent
M onday. “It is beyond ridicu­
lous and com pletely false. N ei­
ther (the late rapper N otorious
B.I.G.) nor I had any know ledge
of any attack before, during or
after it h ap p en ed .... I am shocked
that the Los Angeles Times would
be so irresponsible as to publish
such a baseless and com pletely
untrue story.”
The 1994 shooting triggered
the celebrated feud between East
and W est Coast rappers that led
toth ek illin g so f Shakur and B.I.G.
The Times said its story was
based on FBI records, interviews
with people at the scene of the
1994 shooting, and statem ents to
the FBI by an informant. None o f
the sources were named. The
story said that Combs — who
was overseeing B .I.G .'s white-
hot career at the time — and oth­
ers lured Shakur to the studio
because of his disrespect toward
them.
The story said that talent m an­
ager Jam es Rosernond and pro­
m oter Jam es Sabalino arranged
the assault. They and Com bs
declined to be interview ed for the
story, which appeared on the Los
Angeles Tim es W eb site but not
in its paper publication.
Ask O
Rosernond called the story a not even been questioned by law
"libelous piece o f garbage.”
enforcem ent with regard to the
“ In the past 14 years, I have assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone
brought up on charges." he said
in a statem ent. “Chuck Philips,
the w riter ... has reached a new
low by em ploying fourth-hand
inform ation from desperate ja il­
house inform ants along with an­
cient FBI reports to create this
fabrication. I simply ask for all rap
fans and fans of Tupac to analyze
this fiction for what it is.”
The story, w ritten by Chuck
Philips, was the first investiga­
tive report published as a Web
exclusive, said M eredith Artley,
editorofL A T im es.com .
“This piece was perfect for the
Web," Artley said. "The Web au­
dience skews younger. We had all
these great multimedia elements,
and we said we really don’t need to
wait to fit this in the paper."
Sean Combs
You guys are on the right track as
you've realized early on that there a valuable lesson and if they'll do
is strength in numbers. You need this in your face, you didn't need
to carefully document all the them anyway.
agreed upon activity within the
group and demonstrate her lack Dear Deanna!
of participation. Have a face-to- I'm a newlywed and now I realize
face discussion once you've veri­ that I don’t want to be married. I
fied a few things and can deter­ dated my boyfriend for 6 months
mine if her shortcomings are legit and things were great. Now that we
or bogus. If she's been getting live together, I see things I don’t
over, then your friend is a free­ like, he’s not nice anymore and I
loader and let her know that she feel stressed out. I wish things could
needs to pay her way or get out of be the same as when we were dat­
ing. Our intimacy is suffering and I
the group.
don't know what to do. How can I
Dear Deanna:
figure out what has happened and
I broke up with my boyfriend over why this new marriage is so bad? -
something silly and now I regret -Married But Miserable; Memphis,
my actions. I thought he was
Tenn.
cheating on me with nty best friend
but they were actually buying me Dear Miserable:
a gift. I said some horrible things The marriage is fine other than the
to both of them and they're not fact you got caught up after a short
speaking to me. I want to get back time and married someone you
with him but I think he is looking didn’t know well enough. The
at my friend because she seems drama, stress and responsibility
more mature than me. What should begin the day after the wedding.
I do if they start dating? I know it's You now have to look at the good,
my fault but it's going to tear me the bills and the ugly which comes
apart. -M ade a Mistake; Atlanta with the territory. Have a talk with
your husband and share your fears
Dear Mistake:
and feelings. As a couple he's there
You obviously have trust issues to help sort through things and get
if you can't feel secure with your better adjusted to this new mar­
mate or your friends. Your foolish riage.
tongue has caused you to lose
your relationship and your friend. Ask Deanna is written by Deanna
The only thing you can do is M. Write Ask Deanna! Email;
apologize to both parties and ask askdeanna I @yahoo.com or 264
yo u r b o y frie n d for an o th er S. LaCienega Bled. Suite 1283
chance. If he says no and goes Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Website;
with your buddy, then you learned H int', askdeanna. i om
MMNMHNHMMMNMI
Loan officer
Motivational coach
Counselor
Colleague
Neighbor
Friend
Phyliss G aines is all of these and m o re. Phyliss has been a loan o ffic er fo r PDC for
eig h t years but is relo cating across the county. W h ile at PDC, she took 1,0 05 app licatio ns
for various hom e program s, helped 36 first-tim e buyers purchase a hom e of th e ir own;
o rig inated 282 hom e rep a ir loans, 55 sewer connection loans and 101 grants to m ake
homes safe from the dangers of lead. W e ’ve lost count of the firs t-tim e hom e buyer
classes and fix -it fairs she has held.
Best wishes Phyliss, and thank you for
proving that one person can make a
positive difference. We will miss you.
I’DC celebrates Women's History Month.
h n i Uins. oi 1‘orilunth hilurt
PDC
PORTLAND D t V H O P M f N T C O M M IS S IO N
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www.pdc.us