SANTA MONICA, CA-Xenon Pictures announces the home entertainment release of the Urban horror anthology SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR. The film, which features the legendary rapper as the “Crib Keeper”, presents three grisly morality tales that blend horror, anime, live action and a strong dose of gallows humor. The Xenon Pictures release, produced by Social Capital, BloodWorks, and Snoopadelic Films, which opened nationally in theaters in May, makes its long-awaited DVD launch on September 11th. SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR will be available nationwide in all major retail stores and on-line merchants for $26.98 (SRP). The DVD is rated R.

Inspired in part by the classic “Tales from the Crypt” comic book series, SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR takes the urban nightmare into the realm of the supernatural and the bizarre. Take, for example, the tagger who’s given the power of life and death by a shamanistic stranger, the son of a Texas oil millionaire who never fought in a war, steals from veterans, and doesn’t care if somebody has to get killed, or the rap star whose skeletons come out of the closet-literally. Hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg stars as Devin, a slain gangster forced to atone for his misdeeds by ushering his fellow sinners to their infernal “rewards”, accompanied by his posse of scantily-clad sucubi. Described by Variety as “gleefully disgusting”, this darkly comical gorefest boasts a stellar cast from the worlds of film and TV, hip-hop and pro sports, including Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, “Desperate Housewives”), Danny Trejo (The Devil’s Rejects), Lin Shaye (There’s Something About Mary), Anson Mount (In Her Shoes, City by the Sea), PlaymateÆ Brande Roderick, Daniella Alonso (The Hills Have Eyes 2), Pooch Hall (The Game), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Grindhouse), WWF superstar Diamond Dallas Page, Aries Spears (Mad TV) and NBA star Tayshaun Prince. Also featured are Billy Dee Williams, Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), rapper Method Man (The Wire), NBA star Lamar Odom and NFL stars Teyo Johnson, Justin Fargas and Glenn Cadrez.

In addition to its eye-catching foil-embossed packaging and 24-page booklet, the DVD is packed with great extras, such as the featurette Inside Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror, where members of the production team and cast discuss how the film came to be, what the characters are about and, even better, how they created some of the incredible makeup effects, including the notorious 40-ouncer-through-the-head”. Another feature, Bringin’ the Gore, gives a behind-the-scenes look at how many of the visual effects were created, while H.O.H.: The Anime shows the painstaking work that went into creating the film’s electrifying anime sequences. Also included are the Snoop Dogg video Welcome to the Hood, an interview with sexy actress Brande Roderick, footage of the film’s Los Angeles premiere, and much more!

Santa Monica, CA Aug 10, 2007 Award winning R&B star Keyshia Cole is kicking off her House Of Blues concert tour today, August 10th in Minneapolis, Minnesota as her latest hit “Let It Go” produced by Missy Elliott and featuring Missy and Lil’ Kim has vaulted into the top five on the Billboard and Radio & Records R&B/Hip-Hop charts. Keyshia will headline shows in twenty cities through September 9th where she ends the tour in Seattle, Washington. Kon Live/Geffen Records comrade and R&B vocalist Ray Lavender (Akon’s artist) and Capitol Records J. Holiday perform as her opening acts.

Keyshia will follow-up up her debut platinum-selling CD The Way It Is and four #1 singles: “Should Have Cheated,” “Love,” “Give It Up To Me,” with Sean Paul and “Last Night” with Diddy with her second album Just Like You on Geffen Records which is scheduled to be released on September 25th. Once again she’s collaborated with several A-list producers including Geffen Chairman Ron Fair, Rodney Jerkins, Baby Face, Scott Storch and Bryan Michael Cox. In addition to features by Missy Elliot and Lil Kim, Keyshia’s Oakland homeboy Too Short and R&B soul singer Anthony Hamilton grace the album as well.
The Benny Boom-directed video for the first single, “Let It Go,” featuring Missy and Lil’ Kim premiered one month ago and is in heavy rotation on BET, MTV and VH1 and is a dazzling combination of three dynamic and entertaining women in music today.

As Keyshia puts the finishing touches on her sophomore release, she’s also very busy working on season two of her BET reality show “The Way It Is 2” which she is executive producing with her manager Manny Halley. She will also make her movie debut in the upcoming MTV film “How She Moves” due to be released in January 2008.

The Oakland native established herself as a fan and critic favorite with one of the biggest hits of 2005, “I Should Have Cheated,” followed by one of the most played songs of 2006, “Love”- both from The Way It Is. She earned the Vibe Next Award and also received numerous nominations at the BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, American Music Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

Earlier this year “Love” was honored with a 2007 ASCAP Award for R&B/Hip-Hop Song. Keyshia is also up for a 2007 Teen Choice Award for her collaboration “Last Night” with Diddy.

KEYSHIA COLE TOUR DATES

Date City Venue Fri 08/10/07 Minneapolis, MN Trocadero Sat 08/11/07 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Eagles Club Sun 08/12/07 Chicago, IL House Of Blues Tue 08/14/07 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues Fri 08/17/07 Washington, DC Love Sat 08/18/07 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues Sun 08/19/07 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square Tue 08/21/07 Norfolk, VA The NorVa Fri 08/24/07 North Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues Sat 08/25/07 Atlanta, GA Center Stage Sun 08/26/07 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues Wed 08/29/07 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues Thu 08/30/07 Dallas, TX House Of Blues Sat 09/01/07 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues Sun 09/02/07 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues Mon 09/03/07 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues Wed 09/05/07 San Diego, CA 4th & B Concert Theater Thu 09/06/07 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues Fri 09/07/07 San Francisco, CA Mezzanine Sun 09/09/07 Seattle, WA The Showbox

Santa Monica, CA Aug 08, 2007 On his 7th album, Finding Forever, Grammy winning rap superstar Common hits the jackpot, scoring his first career #1 on the Billboard Album Chart.

The G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen Records album scanned 155,329 in its first week, 32,187 more than the next best selling title. Common’s previous best ranking on the chart was #2 for 2005’s BE. Like BE, Finding Forever has fellow Chicagoan Kanye West in the role as executive producer. Guest artists on the album include West, Lily Allen, will.i.am, D’Angelo, and Gang Starr’s DJ Premiere. Along with production by West; will.i.am and the late Detroit legend J. Dilla (So Far To Go) produce tracks.
What’s extraordinary about the best selling Finding Forever is that it was truly the people who made Common #1. With songs and an album that have received critical acclaim and consumer interest, Common’s music has not yet penetrated mainstream commercial radio. Those who bought the album bought it for the artist and his brand, not a particular song. Very few artists make the connection with the public as Common does. As his hometown paper Chicago Tribune wrote, “Common has become the rarest of pop success stories: a mainstream hip-hop artist who projects a mature, compassionate image and thrives on thoughtful, soul-fired albums designed for repeated listening rather than short-lived singles.”

Common is an anomaly, who thrives with the multi-impressions he gets outside the traditional hip hop avenues from his Gap television commercial a few months back to him being the face of Converse’s (Product) Red campaign to his album being carried at Starbucks as well as him playing and doing a very successful album signing at a Starbucks in Santa Monica, which according to the Fire Marshal drew over 1,500 people. On-line Common has been everywhere. Finding Forever and Common have been the main featured title at iTunes, and was featured with Verizon, to currently being Artist of the Month at Microsoft Windows Media, to performing for Live Sets on Yahoo! and AOL’s “Sixteen Bars” and the album previewed with MTV.com’s The Leak.

In the press, which has always been with Common from his 1992 debut Can I Borrow a Dollar? through 2000’s acclaimed Like Water for Chocolate and 2005’s multi-Grammy-nominated BE, Common is often cited as one of the best observers and masters of wordplay in rap history and critics believe that Finding Forever continues that legacy. In a stellar review XXL wrote: “Common makes timeless hip-hop seem easy.” Both People and USA Today bestowed their highest rankings on the album. Rolling Stone wrote, “his ear grabbing command stands up to almost any MC out there.” And for the first time in his career Common graces the cover of the Source in their August 2007 issue. In the last few months Billboard, Ebony, and Uptown magazine have put him on their cover.

On top of his music success Common has recently launched a burgeoning acting career with roles in Smokin’ Aces with Jeremy Piven as well as the soon-to-be released American Gangster with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington as well as filming both Wanted with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman and The Night Watchman with Keanu Reaves and Forest Whitaker.

TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 7, 2007- Following the success of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s (HSAN) first international “Get Your Money Right” Financial Empowerment Summit in Toronto last year, HSAN is back to help Canadian youth get their money right!

On August 18, actress Gabrielle Union, hip-hop stars Belly and Keisha Chante, R&B/pop star Letoya Luckett, hip-hop radio personality Monie Love and Gino Cozza, incoming President and Chief Executive Officer for Chrysler Financial Canada, will join Summit co-moderators HSAN President/CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis and hip-hop TV personality Free for the 2007 Toronto “Get Your Money Right” Summit. HSAN’s partner and title sponsor is Chrysler Financial.

The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment is a grassroots effort to help engage young people in discussions about the importance of personal finance. The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment’s “Get Your Money Right” International Tour, now in its third successful year, brings together the powerful combination of hip-hop stars and Chrysler Financial experts to speak to students and community members about the importance of financial literacy.

“Hip-hop is about acquiring power. It is about improvement of the quality of life in communities. Fundamental to all empowerment efforts is building a strong financial foundation,” emphasized Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. “The Toronto Hip-Hop Summit, once again, will display the best of hip-hop culture with the best of financial literacy expertise. Our theme is ‘Get Your Money Right,’ and across Canada and, in particular in Toronto, there are thousands of young adults whose hopes and aspirations will be lifted as a result of the Summit.”

The Summit will take place at the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, located at One Front Street East in Toronto, Ontario. Doors open at Noon and the program runs from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tickets for the Toronto Summit are free and available for download at www.hsan.org.

“There are three areas of community development that are significant with respect to the Hip-Hop Summit,” said Gino Cozza, President and CEO — Chrysler Financial Canada. “They are: empowering youth to strive for a better financial future, increasing the level of financial literacy among our community and bringing truth to the statement that small steps can lead to great accomplishments. This is why Chrysler Financial is proud to be the title sponsor of the Hip-Hop Summit in Toronto.”

The topics to be covered include the basics of banking, home ownership, repairing bad credit and understanding credit scores, entrepreneurship, vehicle financing and more. The 2007 “Get Your Money Right” tour will make four more stops including Greensboro, N.C., September 8; Washington, D.C., September 29; Miami, Fla., October 20; and Atlanta, Ga., November 3.

“The City of Toronto and thousands of Canadians welcomed the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network last year with open arms. It is only right for us to return this year to acknowledge Canadians for their continued commitment to hip-hop culture and the financial empowerment of all people,” declared Valeisha Butterfield, HSAN’s Executive Director. “HSAN will return with even more excitement, vigor and substance on August 18.”

The “Get Your Money Right” workbook, which will be given to all participants, is available in both English and Spanish and is downloadable on the www.hsan.org site.

The media partner for the Toronto Hip-Hop Summit is radio station The FLOW 93.5FM. Community partners include Tropicana Community Services, Urbanology Magazine, Laidlaw Foundation, Universal Urban and Credit Counselling Service of Toronto.

About Chrysler Financial Canada
Chrysler Financial offers a complete line of world-class automotive financial products and services for both retailers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles. In addition, Chrysler Financial offers vehicle wholesale and retail financing, capital loans, mortgages and lines of credit to all 450 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge retailers. As an industry leader in automotive financing, Chrysler Financial provides its customers with the most innovative and efficient methods of doing business. For more information on Chrysler Financial Canada visit www.chryslerfinancial.ca.

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.