Since nothing can stop him, Ed Lover is back with the latest episode of his landmark web series C’Mon Son. In the latest episode, Episode 15, Ed wastes no time going in on the BET Awards where he ribs on Diddy’s smoke-filled performance with Dirty Money, heckles celebrity fashion choices and chuckles at Chris Brown’s now infamous tear-filled Michael Jackson tribute. Not missing a beat when it comes to celebrity shame, Lover also takes a little time to throw a few barbs at Lady Gaga’s latest booze-fueled hi-jinks, and Nicki Minaj’s obsessive wardrobe changes. Not even royalty is safe. Did you catch Prince Henry falling off his royal horse and onto his royal… ? Well Ed did, and the laughter only begins there. Ed Lover is no stranger to tickling hip-hop’s funny bone, and the hundreds of thousands of views on his popular web series indicate he still has the knack for making us laugh.
The Background:

Ed Lover is a multi-faceted talent who has been a steadfast presence in hip-hop culture for the past twenty years. He began his career as a rapper with the group No Face, before going on to co-host Yo! MTV Raps with cohort Doctor Dre. Ed Lover and Doctor Dre teamed up again to star in the hip-hop whodunit Who’s The Man? and later went on to host the highly rated Morning Show With Ed, Lisa and Dre on Hot 97. Currently being heard as on-air personality at New York’s Power 105.1FM, Ed Lover has also recently made appearances on television shows on VH1 in addition to his popular ‘C’mon Son’ web series.

San Diego, CA- If Amiri Starr has his way, he’ll realize his dream of starring as the late, legendary rap artist Tupac Shakur on the big screen in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming cinematic version of his life.

Shakur’s upcoming biopic was last reported to begin shooting in September, and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “Tears of the Sun,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” ). In a recent interview, Fuqua stated he is looking to find a new face to fill the role. “I want to discover someone new. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world,” stated Fuqua.

Amiri Starr wants to take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunity, and has launched a grassroots, online campaign to attract Fuqua’s attention. In a riveting and realistic YouTube video performance, posted on his Facebook page, he passionately portrays the famous rap star.

After reading the announcement that Fuqua was looking for unknown actors to portray Tupac, Starr immediately set about to create a stunning portrayal of Shakur in a self-made audition video, posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhCT3oa2tYQ . In the reel, he demonstrates an astoundingly accurate depiction of the late rap legend who was tragically killed in September 1996.

Determined to be discovered, Starr created his audition tape in two nights, under extreme circumstances. In an effort to study Tupac thoroughly, he watched every second of video footage that he could locate on Tupac, and reread Vibe interviews conducted with the icon. He then recreated scenarios filming with a sole flip camera and a tripod. Both of his reenacted interviews took place in 1996 just before Tupac was killed. Starr worked to capture how it would feel to be shot, go to jail for a crime that you didn’t commit, and to be betrayed by the very people who you’d lived your life advocating for. He essentially transitioned into Tupac.

Filmed in an empty parking lot at 1:00 am, Starr rapped over Tupac’s songs, and recorded the music on his IPhone. He amazingly also filmed everything without wearing his contact lens, hoping to better resemble Tupac, even though his vision is -10.50 without them! Without any assistance, the aspiring young actor also took care of his seven month old son off camera while producing the video.

A talented writer, poet, actor, comedian and stay at home father by day, the San Diego based thespian threw himself headlong into his audition video, adapting many of the rapper’s physical trademarks, from his bald head, bodily mannerisms, and his mix of New York and Southern California accents.

Although he has read about other people vying to play the Hip Hop artist, Starr believes he has what it takes to fully capture Tupac’s genuine essence. “In contrast to the others that I’ve seen who want the role, I feel like I take this more serious than merely memorizing some lines, throwing on a bandanna, screaming “west side” and thinking that I’ve got him nailed. I’ve done the character study even after the audition tape, and I’ve really sought to discover the inner workings and mysteries of the man,” reveals Starr.

As a dedicated Tupac disciple, Starr has listened to over four hundred Tupac songs and read various books about his life, including Afeni Shakur’s (Tupac’s mother) biography. He has also studied the people, places and things that influenced Tupac the most.

Stating Tupac’s influence on his life, Starr confessed, “Pac kept me alive! There was a time growing up when I didn’t care if something happened to me, when I didn’t want to be here due to various circumstances. Then, I’d turn on “Lord Knows” or “Hold Ya Head,” and it kept me strong. Tupac’s music kept me from taking a gun and blowing my brains out at 16.”

Acting since a young child in local plays across the nation, and performing stand-up since college, the ambitious entertainer and writer has written two feature length films, two plays and three short films.

Hoping to make his debut on the big screen, Starr looks forward to auditioning for the role and to meeting Antoine Fuqua in person. “I would truly be humbled and honored to portray the biggest, most polarizing African-American revolutionary of the past century. ”

To find out more information, or to contact Starr directly, visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cast-Amiri-Starr-as-Tupac-Shakur-in-the-new-Biopic/129760240387257?v=photos#!/pages/Cast-Amiri-Starr-as-Tupac-Shakur-in-the-new-Biopic/129760240387257?v=wall and view his audition tape at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhCT3oa2tYQ .

Vallejo, CA -Music industry veteran and popular music personality Jay King was stunned last month to discover his younger brother, Michael Todd White, age 46, had been killed on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 by the Vallejo Police Department. The outspoken artist, who is best known for founding the Grammy awarding winning group, Club Nouveau, has been on a mission ever since to bring attention to the issue of widespread police brutality in this country and particularly in his hometown of Vallejo, CA. King fielded calls recently from listeners on his online radio show “The Way I See It” on BlogTalkRadio.com to draw attention to the matter. The show is archived at archived at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jay-king .

It has been reported that White had been involved in a minor dispute with a neighbor. After a brief altercation, he retreated back to his home where he resided with his girlfriend. The Vallejo Police Department (VDP) responded to a call about the incident, with a full force of six police cruisers, followed by an additional six or more cruisers plus a motorcycle law enforcement personnel. After entering the home and trapping White in the small bathroom of his trailer home, the VPD took the hinges off of his bathroom door and arrested him without incident. A Code 4 call went out to dispatch alerting that the situation was under control.

However after removing all residents from the home and handcuffing White, a disturbance took place and White was tasered several times. A Code 3 call then went out to dispatch to send an ambulance. As King reveals, this is unusual since a Code 3 is often called when someone is injured or if the officer involved is alerting the dispatch personnel that they’re about to taser a suspect. The call to dispatch never occurred while arresting White leading many to believe White was tasered while handcuffed.

White was removed from the residence lifeless, dropped on a cement slab and then put on a gurney. Although reports have White expiring at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, it is widely believed that his body was taken to Kaiser so a doctor could pronounce him dead on arrival and his body could be taken to the city morgue.

Jay King Mourns the Death of his Brother

Michael White’s family is calling for an investigation because the officers involved have not been put on administrative leave and continue to work. “We are not going to rest until the Vallejo Police Department and City Hall embark on a full scale investigation regarding the murder of my brother,” announced Jay King. “We expect the police to do as the shield says on their cars ‘Serve & Protect.’ Too often the police look more like a gangster outfit that we should all be afraid,of,” adds King. “We have to speak up as a community and change the way the police patrol our neighborhoods. My brother has had a checkered past but that doesn’t give anyone the right to murder him. The police department in Vallejo has a long history of using tasers along with unnecessary force.”
King and his family are considering pressing murder charges against the officers that tasered Michael Todd White, while allegedly handcuffed and helpless.

Follow this story and listen to Jay King on BlogTalkRadio every Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. PST on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jay-King.

Famed singer, producer and talent scout Harvey Fuqua died yesterday at a Detroit hospital from a heart problem. Fuqua’s career started in 1951 when he formed the doo-wop group The Crazy Sounds with his fellow Louisville, Kentucky natives Bobby Lester, Alexander Graves and Prentiss Barnes. Under the tutelage of disc jockey Alan Freed they were renamed the Moonglows and their first releases came out on Freed’s Chamapagne label in 1953. By 1954 the group was signed to Chess records and had a number one hit with “Sincerely” and a series of other charting songs including “We Go Together,” “See Saw,” “When I’m With You,” “Please Send Me Someone To Love” and “Ten Commandments Of Love.”

In 1957 Fuqua replaced the original members with The Marquees lineup from Washington D.C. that included a young Marvin Gaye. Fuqua also recorded the popular duets “If I Can’t Have You” and “Spoonful” with onetime girlfriend Etta James while he was on the label but in 1958 he left Chess and the group behind to go to Detroit. He took Gaye with to Detroit and ended up working with Anna Gordy, Lamont Dozier, Johnny Bristol and Billy Davis. He married Gwen Gordy and introduced Gaye to Berry Gordy. His record labels Tri-Phi and Harvey were started in 1961 and he signed The Spinners, Junior Walker and Shorty Long. Berry Gordy was impressed with Fuqua’s talent and drive soon offering him the job as head of the Artist Development department at Motown. Fuqua is credited with bringing The Spinners, Johnny Bristol and Tammi Terrell to the label who’s duets with Marvin Gaye he suggested and co-produced. When 1971 came Fuqua left Motown and got a production deal with RCA Records. The New Birth who became popular with their cover of Bobby Womack’s “I Can Understand It” and “K-Jee” which would be famously covered for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack were signed to Fuqua’s talent agency and RCA. Later in the ’70’s he became a talent scout for Fantasy Records and discovered disco soul queen Sylvester. Fuqua co-produced all of Sylvester’s albums while he was signed to Fantasy including his trademark single “You Make Me Feel (Might Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat.)” In 1982 he would reunite with Marvin Gaye to produce his comeback album Midnight Love that contained the big hit “Sexual Healing.” Gaye referred to Fuqua as his “surrogate father” and told writer David Ritz that he saved his life. The Moonglows were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Fuqua is the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the pioneering vocal group The Ink Spots and he is the uncle of Antoine Fuqua, the director of Training Day that earned Denzel Washington his second Academy Award.