Tay Zonday

J.A.M. Awards

Run-DMC turntablist Jam Master Jay will be in the hearts and minds of rappers Snoop Dogg, Raekwon and Jim Jones, who comprise a star-studded line up of performers for this year's J.A.M Awards concert.



The event, which will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 29) at the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios in New York City, will honor Jam Master Jay, who was killed in his recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002.

In addition to Snoop Dogg, Jones and Raekwon, the concert will feature performances from Marley Marl, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Dead Prez, Papoose, Q-Tip, Everlast featuring DJ Muggs, DMC, Kid Capri, Mister Sinister, EPMD, Lord Finesse, Bumpy Knuckles, DJ Kay Slay and DMC, who will perform some of Run-DMC's classic hits.



J.A.M. award winners will also be announced at the event, which will highlight the most positive aspects of rap music.



Among the nominees are Chuck D., Dr. Cornell West and Will Smith (Justice Award); Spike Lee, Robert L. Johnson and Lee Quinones (Arts Award) and Nelly, Wyclef Jean and Kanye West (Music Award).



Proceeds from the event will benefit the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music, an organization created in honor of Jam Master Jay, by his wife Terri Corley-Mizell, DMC and close friends to support music and arts education in rural and urban schools.



Among those expected to attend the award ceremony and concert is the family of Jam Master Jay, NYC graffiti legend and Lordz of Brooklyn front-man Kaves and Foundation board members Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Erik Blamoville, Rob Principe, Constance Schwartz, Cathy Symeonidis, Ivan Taback and others.



Tickets for the J.A.M. Awards and concert are currently available at Ticketmaster outlets.

http://allhiphop.com/blogs/news/archive/2007/11/28/18940475.aspx

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

Redskins, Hurricanes mourn Sean Taylor

As friends and admirers placed flowers and stuffed animals outside the home of former University of Miami standout Sean Taylor, police searched the premises Tuesday for clues they hope will lead to his killer.

Taylor, a safety in his fourth season with the Washington Redskins, was pronounced dead early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He had been shot in the thigh before dawn Monday when an armed intruder attacked him in his bedroom.

Taylor, 24, underwent seven hours of surgery Monday to repair a severed femoral artery, but he never regained consciousness.

Taylor's was the latest violent death in the UM football community. A year ago, defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death in Kendall in an unsolved case.

"This just tears me apart," said Don Soldinger, a former assistant coach at UM who spent time with Taylor in February during the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

"Sean was a solid cat, and I haven't been the same since I heard about it. It's a sad thing, man. I just hope they find out what happened."

Miami-Dade police were trying to determine that Tuesday, removing a computer and other items from the home Taylor shared with his girlfriend, 24-year-old Jackie Garcia, and 18-month-old daughter, Jackie.

Garcia is the niece of actor Andy Garcia, according to CNN.com.

Jackie Garcia, a former UM soccer player who met Taylor on campus, was in the bedroom when he was shot but wasn't able to describe the assailant, police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said.

Police also were seeking a connection to a break-in at the home last week. A burglar stole nothing but left a knife on a bed.

The house is in Palmetto Bay, in south Miami-Dade. Taylor was there recovering from a knee injury.

Pedro Taylor, Sean Taylor's father and the police chief in Florida City, 17 miles south of the crime scene, drove away from the house Tuesday afternoon, giving a thumbs-up sign to a throng of reporters.

He did not stop to answer questions but released a statement and said funeral arrangements would be announced soon.

"It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon," the statement said. "Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him. I can only hope and pray that Sean's life was not in vain, that it might touch others in a special way."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will honor Taylor's memory at all games played this weekend.

His life as a professional athlete included several controversies. He was fined by the NFL for infractions including spitting in an opponent's face. He also had a long legal battle stemming from an incident near his home in which he was accused of brandishing a gun during a dispute over an all-terrain vehicle. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and received probation.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who flew to Miami on Monday with running back Clinton Portis - another former UM star - and other team members, called Taylor's death "the worst imaginable tragedy."

Hopes for Taylor's recovery had been raised Monday night by news that he was alert enough to squeeze the hand of a doctor.

"Things turned for the worse," family friend Donald Walker told The Washington Post. "(There) seemed like a lot of hope after he responded to the doctor's command. But he lost a lot of blood."

A Redskins source told the newspaper that Taylor's heart stopped twice during surgery.

Taylor was shot in the thigh, an especially dangerous wound because the femoral artery is one of the body's biggest blood vessels.

An injury of that type "essentially means you can lose all the blood in your whole body within five minutes," Dr. Mary Pat McKay, director of George Washington University's Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told The Associated Press.

Taylor had an outstanding career at UM, where he played from 2001 through 2003. He was named the Big East defensive player of the year his last season, tying a Hurricanes record with 10 interceptions. The Redskins selected him with the fifth overall choice in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Known as a bit of a loner, Taylor seldom agreed to interviews at the university and didn't seem comfortable when he granted reporters access. Even his teammates and coaches thought Taylor to be somewhat distant, but they had no problems with his disposition on the field.

"I think Sean was a little bit misunderstood from the standpoint that he was a very quiet and shy kid," former 'Canes coach Larry Coker said. "He was perceived by some as having an attitude, but he really didn't. Like many young people, he had his growing pains."

Soldinger, the former UM assistant, said he first became acquainted with Taylor, who was born in Miami, when he began participating in the university's summer camps as a boy.

"He was only 6 or 7 years old, but you could see that ability even when he was a little kid," Soldinger said.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2007/11/28/m1a_Taylor_1128.html

Hopefully She Can Get Herself 2gether..

Amy Winehouse has canceled all concerts and public appearances for the rest of the year on doctor's orders. "The rigors involved in touring and the intense emotional strain that Amy has been under in recent weeks have taken their toll," said Winehouse representative Tracey Miller in a statement Tuesday.

"In the interests of her health and well-being, Amy has been ordered to take complete rest and deal with her health issues."

The decision by the 24-year-old retro soul singer comes "on the instruction of her doctor," the statement said. Her family asked the media to "respect Amy's privacy at this time."

Winehouse's 25-year-old husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was ordered held in custody in London earlier this month on charges stemming from a case in which he is accused of assaulting a barman in June.

"I can't give it my all onstage without my Blake," Winehouse said in a statement provided by Miller. "I'm so sorry but I don't want to do the shows halfheartedly; I love singing. My husband is everything to me and without him, it's just not the same."

She had been scheduled to perform in Britain and Ireland.

Refunds will be given at outlets where the tickets were purchased. There are "no plans at the moment" to reschedule the dates, Miller said.

Winehouse became a critics' darling with her second album, "Back to Black." But she has made headlines in recent months with her sub-par performances, health fears and reports of alleged drug use. In August, she spent time in rehab and canceled a series of dates in Britain, the United States and Canada.

http://www.amywinehouse.co.uk/

Not Again!!!

Dennis Rodman Sued Again in Las Vegas:

A former beverage manager at the Hard Rock Hotel has sued Dennis Rodman, claiming the ex-NBA star assaulted her last year by rubbing against her body and slapping her on the buttocks.

In her federal lawsuit filed last week, Sara Robinson also accuses her former employer of retaliating against her after she complained about Rodman's behavior.

Rodman spokeswoman Shannon Barr declined to comment, and Hard Rock spokeswoman Dorian Cantrell did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press on Saturday.

In her complaint, Robinson said she was working in the resort's Cuba Libre bar in March 2006 when Rodman, a hotel guest, began "making a scene" by trying to climb atop the bar after failing to gain her full attention.

"As Robinson stepped around the bar, Rodman grabbed her, pulled her towards him and rubbed his body against hers," the lawsuit alleges. "Robinson tried to get free from Rodman's grasp at which time he assaulted her by reaching down and slapping her open-handed on the bottom."

The complaint, which seeks unspecified damages, claims that Robinson was fired after she filled out a voluntary statement detailing Rodman's actions in a subsequent incident at the same bar the next month in which he is also accused of causing a scene.

The document accuses Rodman of assault and battery, and the Hard Rock Hotel of negligence by failing to protect her from Rodman's "harassing conduct," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Rodman, 46, is no stranger to lawsuits in Las Vegas. In 2001, a state jury awarded former Mirage craps dealer James Brasich $80,000 in a case against Rodman.

Brasich said Rodman humiliated him by rubbing dice on his head, chest, stomach and genitals during an October 1997 craps game. Rodman appealed the verdict, and both sides later reached a confidential settlement.

PFunk Classic!

Be Sure U Check This Cat Out...

Mike Phillips is a talented saxophonist who is currently playing on Prince's current tours and is featured on the Unwrapped jazz series.

Mount Vernon, NY, native Mike Phillips became interested in music at a young age, moving through several different instruments before settling on the saxophone. By the age of 16, he had decided to play professionally. He made an impromptu New York debut at Wilson's nightclub in New York in 1993, and that led to a series of session and sideman jobs in jazz, R&B, and even rap. Eventually, he attracted the attention of Hidden Beach Recordings, which signed him and put him on the road in the summer of 2001 opening for Jill Scott. Phillips' debut album, You Have Reached Mike Phillips, was released by Hidden Beach in May 2002.