BERLIN – Esther Bejarano says music helped keep her alive as a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and in the years that followed.
Now, 65 years after the liberation of the Nazi death camp, the 85-year-old has teamed up with the hip-hop band Microphone Mafia to spread her anti-racism message to German youth.
"It's a clash of everything: age, culture, style," Bejarano, a petite lady with an amiable chuckle, told The Associated Press ahead of Auschwitz Liberation Day on Wednesday. "But we all love music and share a common goal: we're fighting against racism and discrimination."
In Shalom, the first track of the CD Bejarano and the Microphone Mafia released last year titled Per La Vita, the bands sing about longing for world peace.
"My head is bowed, too many tears held back," the song goes. "Worried I look around and see what happens, I'm not their leitmotif, which is the base of their lives: Violence, hatred and death, because too many people remained silent."
The daughter of a Jewish cantor from Saarbruecken in western Germany, Bejarano grew up in a musical home studying piano until the Nazis came to power and tore her family apart. Bejarano was deported to Auschwitz, where she became a member of the girls' orchestra, playing the accordion every time trains full of Jews from across Europe arrived at the death camp.
"We played with tears in our eyes," Bejarano remembered. "The new arrivals came in waving and applauding us, but we knew they would be taken directly to the gas chambers."
Bejarano survived, but her parents and sister Ruth were killed by the Nazis.
For the past 20 years Bejarano has played music mostly from the past — Yiddish melodies, tunes from the ghetto and Jewish resistance songs — with her children Edna and Yoram in a Hamburg-based band called Coincidence.
About two years ago, Kutlu Yurtseven, a Turkish immigrant rapper from the Cologne-based Microphone Mafia, got in touch with the band to see if they'd team up with them.
"Our band wanted to do something against the growing racism and anti-Semitism in Germany," Yurtseven, 36, said in a phone interview Tuesday.
"Yoram told me that first of all he had to ask his mother Esther what she thought about a crossover project with a bunch of young rappers."
Esther Bejarano, it turned out, thought hip-hop music "was really a bit too loud," but also said she saw it as a good way to reach out to Germany's youth.
"We want to keep the memories of the Holocaust alive, but at the same time look into the future and encourage young people to take a stand against new Nazis," said Bejarano. "I know what racism can lead to and the members of Microphone Mafia are immigrants and have experienced their share of discrimination as well."
Yurtseven, a Muslim, also sees a message of religious harmony.
"All religions ask to love and respect others and that's what we do as well," Yurtseven said.
The crossover of modern hip-hop and traditional Jewish folklore turned out to be quite a hit. The rappers have mixed Jewish songs with stomping hip-hop beats and also created new lyrics for some of the songs that are more accessible for a younger audience.
Last summer, the two bands released Per La Vita and a documentary about the band that was initially scheduled for the Auschwitz liberation anniversary is now supposed to be ready later this year to be shown at high schools across Germany.
The CD was released on a small, independent label and it was not clear how many copies were sold.
Currently, the troupe is touring through Germany. Their audiences range from teenage immigrants at metropolitan youth centers to a more established, older crowd that usually favors Bejarano's classic approach to music.
"They all love it," said Bejarano. "Even some of the older guests sometimes climb on the chairs and dance."
Bejarano said it can be exhausting at her age to perform on stage with a bunch of youngsters but that she has found ways to adjust the shows to her needs.
"I've educated the boys," Bejarano said with her trademark chuckle. "We've lowered the volume and I told them to stop jumping around on stage all the time."
For Yurtseven and his fellow band members, the fact that they are performing with an Auschwitz survivor has been a unique experience as well.
"I once asked Esther how she can still make music after Auschwitz," he remembered. "And she said that if they had also taken away the music from her, she would have died."
Yahoo
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NEWPORT BEACH -- A 79 year old international jewelry thief, whose story is the subject of an upcoming movie starring Halle Berry, is under arrest in Orange County.
Doris Payne was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of grand theft after security guards at Saks Fifth Avenue in South Coast Plaza say she stole a Burberry trench coat worth $1,300, according to Costa Mesa Police Lt. Mark Manley.
Payne is being held without bail on a parole violation.
Payne's life as an international jewel thief is the subject of an upcoming movie, "Who Is Doris Payne," starring Halle Berry.
In 1999, she was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison after stealing a 5-carat diamond ring from a Neiman Marcus in Denver.
Interviewed by reporters in 2005, Payne said she had no idea how many jewels she had stolen but that her career as a thief had spanned the globe from New York and Las Vegas to London, Paris, Monte Carlo and Tokyo.
Detectives said she would use distraction techniques to confuse jewelry store clerks. She would engage the clerk in an interesting story, or ask to see other rings and confuse them, and easily slip away with the jewels. Eventually, Payne was caught as technology and security systems improved.
Denver police detective Gail Riddell described Payne in 2005 as a female Cary Grant, "smooth and confident."
"She is very good at what she does," said Riddell. "She has the style."
She was sentenced to two to five years for pawning a stolen Palo Alto ring in Las Vegas, as well as stealing a ring in Nevada.
In the spring of 2008, Payne completed her prison sentence in Colorado and returned to California, where she was released on parole until her arrest.
KTLA
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Talk show hosts may have more influence than they realize. According to ABC News, Nancy Grace of HLN (formerly CNN Headline News) interviewed 21 year-old Florida mother Melinda Duckett back in 2006, after Melinda’s 2 year-old son Trenton had disappeared. Nancy grilled the woman, accusing her of hiding something. Tragically, Melinda shot and killed herself the day the taped interview was scheduled to air.
Melinda’s family is suing Nancy for wrongful death, claiming that she inflicted emotional distress on the woman. Nancy doesn’t want cameras present at the deposition on Thursday, or the prohibition of the release of the video if it is indeed taped. Her attorneys say it’s necessary to protect Nancy from embarrassment.
Earlier this month, CNN and Nancy fought back against the Ducketts, asking a judge to force the mental health facility Lifestream Behavioral Center to turn over records from when Melinda stayed there.
What do you think? Is this whole lawsuit bogus, or could Nancy really be to blame? Should hosts be more sensitive to their guests, especially when those guests are in fragile emotional states? And should cameras be allowed into the court, or should Nancy be granted some privacy?
What makes this story even more sad is that Melinda’s son Trenton has never been found. He would be four years old.
Source: Twirlit
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Audio After The JumpDon't Sleep: Necessary NotablesHeadliner: Bun BCo-Starring: The hot hip-hop blogs
Songs We Can't Stop Playing: "Big Di-- Chaney," "2 Dope Boyz Freestyle" and "I Am"
Essential Info: Freeze, somebody bring him back the title please. Usually in this section, we shout out a particular mixtape. But as the great Bun B will tell you himself, there's a mixtape worth of new material from the Underground King floating around the Net, and he hasn't stopped rapping long enough to collect them all and put them out as one compilation.Read more…
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THIS MIXTAPE FOR FREE!TRACK LIST:1-Katharsis Intro2-Feels Good To Be A G (Prod. by Phonix)3-Late Nite Ridin' (Prod. by J Wells)4-Save me (Prod. by Phonix)5-West Up feat. Game (Prod. by Rocko)6-Dryd Up (Prod. by Prince & Purps)7-Notorious feat. Bianca Diane (Prod. by Nyce)8-Real Recognize Real feat. Big Fase 100 & Phenom (Prod. by Track Team)9-That's Fresh (Prod. by Prince & Purps)10-L.A. Is My Lady feat. Ras Kass (Prod. by Veterano)11-California feat. Freddy Kaine (Prod. by Track Team)12-Cold World (Prod. by DJ Khalil)13-Ras Kass Interlude14-Monsta feat. Bamboo (Prod. by Track Team)15-You Can Fly (Prod. by Track Team)16-Get It Wet (Prod. by Phonix)17-Pardon My French feat. Ras Kass (Prod. by Alpha)18-Money Hungry (Prod. by Chuck Heat)19-Krazy (September 7th RMX) feat. Hux Fam (Prod. By Timbaland)20-Say Somethin' (September 7th RMX) feat. Hux Fam (Prod. By Timbaland)21-Black Roses (Prod. by Black Key)22-Jones'n feat. Jay McCrary (Prod. by Prince & Purps)23-I'm Tha King (Prod. by Phonix)24-Katharsis Outro--SEPTEMBER 7TH - CALI UNTOUCHABLESwww.twitter.com/september7thwww.myspace.com/untouchable7thwww.youtube.com/7thworldorderwww.caliuntouchables.comwww.prayforhideo.comTO DISTRIBUTE YOUR MIXTAPE THROUGH THE COAST 2 COAST NETWORK, VISIT WWW.COAST2COASTPROMO.COM
Clifford Joseph Harris, better known as the rapper T.I., is being sued for copyright infringement by Nathan Filby, known as rapper Motoe Blizzid.
Filby- who is being represented by One LLP, an entertainment and intellectual property litigation firm known for handling high-profile copyright infringement suits- is taking issue with the rapper’s 2006 Grammy-award winning song What You Know. Filby says the song uses substantial portions of his 2004 track entitled Reverence.
Filby has performed with Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, and Ludacris among others and says he distributed Reverence to industry insiders including an agent at Relentless Management who works with T.I.
He says the musical evidence is irrefutable from their “same rate of harmonic range” to their “virtually identical core harmonic progression of descending 4ths” and “nearly identical instrumental melodic lines in terms of pitch, shape, and rhythm.” Filby even added illustrations in the court documents showing the two songs’ similar melodic similarities.
Filby is requesting a jury tail and seeks any damages and disgorgement of all profits derived from the song. T.I. Is currently at a halfway house in Atlanta from a federal weapons charge.
Source: RadarOnline
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Video After The JumpThe inmates at Cebu Provincial Detention (CPDRC) in the Philippines sure do spend a lot of time dancing. This time they are back with a routine from Michael Jackson's 'This Is It'
Choreographed by Michael's long time dance instructor Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid. I wonder if they extra commissary for doing this?
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Video After The JumpDiddy claims to have invented the remix, but his son proved adept at putting his own twist on things over the weekend at M2 Ultra Lounge in New York, where he celebrated his sweet 16.
On Saturday, Justin Combs held court at a themed party titled "I Am Prince," a nod to his father's "I Am King" fragrance campaign.
Read more…
Video After The JumpThe official video for Styles P and DJ Green Lantern "Send A Kite" featuring Dwayne CollinsProduced By: DJ Green Lantern
Video Directed By: ARMEN
DJ Green Lantern and D-Block Veteran Styles-P Urge MC's And Producers To Step Their Bar Code Game Up With The Release Of Their Collaborative effort "The Green Ghost Project"
The album features production by Scram Jones, the Alchemist, Buckwild, Statik Selektah, Dame Grease, Vinny Idol and Poobs
'The Green Ghost Project' Is Available February 2nd
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Atlanta MC Ludacris is about to drop his highly anticipated new cd 'Battle Of The Sexes'
The disc will have features from male artists Plies, Ne-Yo and Flo Rida. So to even out the playing field XXL is reporting the album will also showcase the talents of red hot Young Money female MC Nicki Minaj, as well as Eve, Lil Kim and Trina.
The Disturbing Tha Peace General recently released a new mixtape 'Conjure: A Hustler's Spirit' to get the masses warmed up for his 1st album since 2008's 'Theater Of The Mind'
With the lead single "How Low" steadily climbing the charts, word is the next one will be the Pharrell Williams produced track "Banger"
'Battle of the Sexes' is scheduled to drop March 16.
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Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey and Jon Bon Jovi have joined the list of stars pitching in on "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell's charity single for Haiti relief. According to England's The Sun, the singers will appear on the cover of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts," which will also feature famous Brits Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis and Rod Stewart.
"It's amazing these great singers are clearing their schedules to make this happen," Cowell told the paper, which is helping to organize the single. "I just found out Mariah has changed her schedule to be able to do this too."
Carey's and Cyrus' participation in the single could not be confirmed at press time, but an Island Def Jam rep did verify the news of Bon Jovi's appearance.
"It says such a lot that everyone is working so hard to help Haiti," Cowell told the Sun. "This is something that really matters to us all, and I'm so grateful for the support we are getting."
An unidentified source close to Cowell told the paper that Carey was very eager to pitch in on the all-star project. "Mariah was brilliant, she wanted to help in any way she could," the source said. "Her name gives the single another great boost."
The recording of the song kicked off in London over the weekend with "X Factor" judge Cheryl Cole and British act JLS, whose Oritse Williams lost relatives in the 7.0 earthquake that has so far claimed the lives of at least 150,000. Also expected to record their bits soon are Take That, Michael Bublé, Westlife, Alexandra Burke, James Morrison, Mika and James Blunt. All proceeds will be split between the Sun's Helping Haiti fund and the official Disasters Emergency Committee appeal. It has not yet been announced when the single will be released.
Friday night's all-star "Hope for Haiti Now" event has set a record for funds raised by public giving by a telethon with $58 million and counting. The iTunes album of the music from the show has already hit #1, notching the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history.
MTV
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The People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) are fed up with Kanye West.
The Chicago rapper and his girlfriend Amber Rose showed up at the Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall 2010 fashion show in Paris, France rocking fur coats which really got the folks over at PETA upset.
So much so they issued a statement on their website. Read it in full below.
'Kanye West and Amber Rose Paint The Town Blood Red'
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings
. . .
We'll buy a lot of clothes but we don't really need 'em
Things we buy to cover up what's inside
—Kanye West, "All Falls Down"West apparently lives by his lyrics. The ethical dropout—who horrified voters in PETA's Worst-Dressed Celebrity competition last year—and his sleazy sidekick, Amber Rose, were snapped by paparazzi strutting around Paris in "the ugliest things," indeed. Both were wearing head-to-toe fur, and Amber refused to remove her full-length lynx coat during a show at Paris Men's Fashion Week.
As PETA V.P. Dan Mathews so eloquently put it, "Kanye can't help making himself look like an idiot, whether at an award's show or a fashion show. He and his girlfriend look like pathetic creatures from a shabby roadside zoo."
Whoa.. talk about shots fired! I somehow doubt Yeezy will care what PETA has to say. Expect this war of words to continue for quite a while.
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MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- A 16-year-old has set out to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.
Abby Sunderland of Thousand Oaks sailed into the sunny Pacific Ocean on Saturday after being delayed a few days by a series of violent storms in California.
Her boat-builder father, Laurence, along with other family members and friends cheered at the Del Rey Yacht Club as they watched the 40-foot craft called Wild Eyes depart.
She plans to be at sea for five or six months. She will be alone but able to communicate via satellite telephone and a blog (at abbysunderland.com).
The current record holder is 17-year-old Mike Perham of Britain, who took the mark last year from Abby's then-17-year-old brother Zac.
Source: ESPN
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The city of New Orleans is celebrating their Saints going to the Super Bowl for the first time in their 43-year history.Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal in overtime lifted the Saints to a 31-28 victory over Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship.
The Saints will face the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl Feb. 7 in Miami.
The Colts are in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. The Colts rode three Peyton Manning touchdown passes to rally from an 11-point deficit and beat the upset-minded New York Jets 30-17 in the AFC title game.
Indianapolis is an early favorite in the game, according to oddsmakers.
Source: BayNews9
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A 3D video segment from Michael Jackson's aborted O2 residency will air at this year's Grammy awards, as part of a celebration to the singer. Jackson's own rendition of Earth Song will be broadcast alongside tributes by Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson and Usher.
"To try and imitate him, to try and represent him, it just didn't feel to me like it was something we should do," explained Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich. "You just don't ever necessarily want to see anybody but Michael doing [songs like] Beat It or Billie Jean. This felt to us like it was really a way of representing him. It's like a tip of the hat."
Earth Song originally appeared on Jackson's 1995 album HIStory. It is an orchestral ballad, bombastic and eco-friendly, and Jackson planned to make it a highlight of his London residency. "The song was so important to him," Ehrlich said. Jackson shot a new, 3D music video to accompany the song, but didn't get the chance to screen it before an audience. Although an excerpt of the footage appears in the posthumous Jackson documentary, This Is It, the Grammy broadcast on 31 January will mark the video's full debut.
Jackson himself does not appear in the clip. "[The video] starts out with some beautiful images of the world and our environment, and Michael's child-like love for animals, birds and dolphins," Ehrlich said. "It introduces a little girl, a beautiful little girl who at one point in the film basically goes to sleep, and when she wakes up – she's in a forest and it's very pastoral – and when she wakes up, all of a sudden it's all changed and it's bad. The environment is being affected and trees are being cut down."
To fully appreciate the Earth Song footage, viewers will have to wear 3D glasses. These will be distributed to the Staples Center's audience and through Target shops in the US.
Before the star's death in June, Ehrlich said Jackson promised to perform at this year's Grammy gala. This wasn't the first time the King of Pop had made such vows. "[I have] some annual calls," Ehrlich told the LA Times. "There would be a Michael call, there would be a Prince call, sometimes there would be meetings." In 2008, CBS went so far as to air commercials advertising Jackson's appearance at the awards show. "We had put together what I thought was a pretty exciting mash-up of his hits," Ehrlich recalled. "We had a meeting with him, he listened to it, and he did one of those, 'Boy this is really terrific'. [But] he ultimately chose not to do it." Asked why, Ehrlich replied: "Michael was complex."
Guardian UK
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New Dirty Presents: Bedo Turkoglu - Awake of Da Sleepin Giant - Hosted By DJ Drama
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THIS MIXTAPE FOR FREETRACK LIST:1.TURKOGLU SPEAKS (INTRO)2.LIFE OF A REAL NIGGA (**HOT**)3.WORKIN4.CHOPPA feat. Danga Montana5.SUPA-STAR feat. J-Terra (RADIO SINGLE)6.CHASIN DOLLAZ feat. Terrance Nobles & Drop ($~STRIP-CLUB BANGER~$)7.DREAM GIRL8.COMEBACK9.WHO'S DIS GIRL feat. Soundman10.~SO WAVY~ (STREET SINGLE) FIRE!!! PRODUCED BY: AYO11.SQUARE ONE12.I'M SO NASTY feat. Rude-Boi13.GUCCI DIS GUCCI DAT, LOUIE DIS LOUIE DAT (CLUB BANGER) PRODUCED BY: PHIL4REAL14.GX1015.FAST LANE16.I (LOVE MONEY)17.SLICE OF DA CAKE feat. Honey18.WE DUN MADE IT feat J-City PROUCED BY GRAMMYTO DISTRIBUTE YOUR MIXTAPE THROUGH THE COAST 2 COAST NETWORK VISIT WWW.COAST2COASTPROMO.COM
We see London, we see France, where is Venus' underpants?
That's likely what crowds at the Australian Open have been asking themselves since tennis legend Venus Williams took to the court and appeared to flash her backside last week.
However, the 29-year-old star was quick to put any rumors to rest via Twitter.
"I am wearing undershorts the same color as my skin, so it gives the slits in my dress the full effect!" she wrote on Thursday.
For the last few days during the tournament, Venus has donned a bright green one-piece, with undergarmets that match her dark skin. This sparked debate online that she had elected to battle her opponents commando style.
"Please put on some decent panties. I do not watch tennis to see your exposed buttocks!" wrote one fan on her website, venuswilliams.com.
Reaction to the ensemble has been mixed, based on the posts.
"I just love her dress it has flare and it has imagination," wrote "margaret joyce." However, "Susan A. Yeck" had a different reaction.
"Your choice of outfit at a Grand slam tournament (or any tournament) was disgusting," she posted. "People really do not want to see your body parts exposed."
Although the mixed response may have come from the illusion she was naked, photos (like the one above) clearly show she was thoroughly covered. Venus indicated via Twitter that she was pleased with her choice to wear the outfit.
"My dress for the Austrailian Open has been one of my best designs ever! Its all about the slits and V-Neck," she wrote.
Whatever she may wear, the famous sibling has been burying her opponents at the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific. She defeated Casey Dellacqua on Saturday in the second set.
Venus will play along side her sister on Sunday against Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.
Source: NY Daily News
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Miami rapper Trina aka The Baddest B*tch is showing she has a really huge heart underneath the tough rapper exterior.
According to a report by AllHipHop she is looking to help the situation in Haiti in a very generous way by adopting a child from the earthquake ravaged country.
Trina told AllHipHop:
"I would like to contribute on a higher level for more personal reasons in addition to being ready to raise/nurture a child; by being involved on a day to day bases,”
According to the report, Trina has been considering adopting a child from Haiti for some time.
“The tragic and untimely list of events that have happened in Haiti even before the recent ‘Earthquake’ have made me realized how blessed I am as a individual and I want to share that with a child that is a victim in this disturbing time,
I am in the financial position to adopt; therefore I am taking it into deep consideration at this time"
Trina deserves the utmost respect for doing this. We all know the sacrifices it will take to raise a child. For an entertainer who's career is still very active to do it shows great character.
In recent years, entertainers like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Madonna have adopted children from foreign countries.
This is the first I have heard of a rapper doing the same.
Look for Trina's new album 'Amazin' to drop later this year.
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