Michael Jackson truly was the King Of Pop and should be recognized as the most influential artist of our lifetime. The production team Cooking Soul has put together a fantastic mixtape in tribute to MJ.
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L’Oréal, the French cosmetics giant, whose advertising campaigns proclaim “because you’re worth it”, was found guilty of racial discrimination for considering black, Arab and Asian women unworthy of selling its shampoo.
France’s highest court was told that the group had sought an all-white team of sales staff to promote Fructis Style, a haircare product made by Garnier, L’Oréal’s beauty division.
The word went out that Garnier’s hostesses should be BBR — “bleu, blanc, rouge” — the colours of the French flag. The expression is widely recognised in the French recruitment world as a code for white French people born to white French parents, a court was told, in effect excluding the four million or so members of ethnic minorities in France.
La Cour de Cassation, the equivalent of the US Supreme Court, said that the policy was illegal under French employment law, upholding a ruling given by the Paris Appeal Court in 2007
That image already suffered a battering when L’Oréal executives were forced to deny claims that they had lightened the singer Beyoncé Knowles’s skin for a campaign last year. The ruling also hinted at widespread prejudice among French shoppers since L’Oréal believed that they were more likely to buy shampoo from white sales staff, the court was told.
The ruling will fuel anger among black and Arab French people, who complain that they face widespread discrimination when seeking employment.
The court ruled that Adecco, the temporary recruitment agency whose Districom division hired the hostesses, was also guilty of racial discrimination. The Paris Appeal Court had fined both L’Oréal and Adecco €30,000 (£25,500) and ordered them to pay a further €30,000 each in damages to SOS Racisme, the anti-racist campaign group, which brought the case. The court upheld the fines but told the appeal court judges to reconsider the damages.
L’Oréal expressed “disappointment” at the judgment, which ends three years of legal wrangling over the discrimination claims. Adecco declined to comment.
Samuel Thomas, the vice-chairman of SOS Racisme, described the ruling as a “very great victory”. He said: “Whatever the size of the company, none is able to escape prosecution.”
The court was told that a Districom executive had sent a fax to its headquarters in 2000 saying that Garnier’s hostesses should be aged 18 to 22, wear size 38 to 42 clothes (British sizes 8 to 12) and be “BBR”.
Prosecutors said that Garnier wanted to exclude members of the ethnic minorities on the ground that they would be less likely to sell its shampoo in French shops. The court was told that only 4.65 per cent of the hostesses hired for Garnier’s campaign were black, Asian or Arab.
Before the BBR fax went out, the agency had been offering a pool of candidates in which 38.7 per cent were from ethnic minorities, suggesting that they had been blocked during the final stages of recruitment.
Districom employees said that they were given oral instructions to favour white sales staff. But Thérèse Coulange, the deputy managing director of Districom, who sent the fax, said that she had merely wanted hostesses able to “express themselves correctly in French”. She said that the fax had been a personal initiative and not the implementation of company policy.
Laurent Dubois, Garnier’s former managing director, told a lower court that he had “never given the slightest order to discriminate against anyone” and described racial prejudice as “foreign to L’Oréal’s genes”.
Source: Times OnlineRead more…
We've learned law enforcement is looking for a doctor who lived at Michael Jackson's home -- and the doctor is nowhere to be found.
Law enforcement sources tell us a BMW belonging to the doctor was towed from Jackson's home last night.
Cops are looking to interview the doc.
A law enforcement source says the doctor gave Jackson an injection before he died.
Jackson reportedly may have OD'd on Demerol. As we first reported, family members were concerned that Jackson was taking too much morphine.
Source : TMZRead more…
One would think Perez Hilton would be on his best behavior. Earlier in the week, Perez completely disrespected the Gay community by calling Will.i.am a “faggot.”
Well, against all odds, Perez Hilton became a bigger douche this week. Immediately after reports surfaced that Michael Jackson had a heart attack, Perez basically called the entire event a sham. But don’t take my words for it, read what Perez wrote….
“We knew something like this would happen!!
Michael Jackson was taken by ambulance from his Holmby Hills home to a nearby Los Angeles hospital on Thursday afternoon!!
Supposedly, the singer went into cardiac arrest and the paramedics had to administer CPR!!!
His mother is even on the way to visit him!!!
We are dubious!!
Jacko pulled a similar stunt when he was getting ready for his big HBO special in ‘95 when he “collapsed” at rehearsal!
He was dragging his heels on that just like his upcoming 50 date London residency at the 02 Arena, of which he already postponed the first few dates!!!
Either he’s lying or making himself sick, but we’re curious to see if he’s able to go on!!!
Get your money back, ticket holders!!!!”
Source : Blog.InGameNowRead more…
It has not yet been confirmed but New Zealand Police are reporting that Jeff Goldblum has fallen to his death on the set of his new movie. Officials say the actor fell more than 60 feet to his death on the Kauri Cliffs while on-set.
The 57 year-old Goldblum starred in films such as The Fly and Jurassic Park. He is currently a cast member of the TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
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Former world heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield have shared their sentiments over a possible showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
"Well, until you beat the guy, Pacquiao's the best and that's the thing. Floyd hasn't done that yet," Holyfield told FightHype.com. "When Floyd left, he became the best because Floyd left, but now that Floyd is back, I guess they have to get it on to see who is the best."
Mayweather held the No.1 pound-for-pound ranking of Ring Magazine until he retired in 2007. The title now belongs to the Filipino boxing icon.
Holyfield thinks that fighting Pacquiao immediately after coming out of retirement is not a good move for Mayweather.
"I don't think that would have been smart. I don't think he needs to fight him immediately. That guy is good," Holyfield said of "Pacman."
"I think he'll give Floyd trouble. He's got fast hands too, he's left-handed and he's got a lot more speed than pretty much all the guys Floyd has fought," continued the four-time heavyweight champion.
Talks about a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight gained ground after Floyd Jr. came out of retirement last May.
Mayweather was supposed to have his comeback fight on July 18 against Juan Manuel Marquez but he sustained a rib injury during training. The fight has been postponed.
“Whether or not he believes that or if the fight will even happen, we will have to wait and see, but I would like to see it," Lewis, meanwhile, said of the Pacquiao-Mayweather match up.
“I think Floyd’s got the talent to beat Pacquiao,” said Lewis, who was recently inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Lewis, a three-time heavyweight champion, also has praises for Pacquiao for his accomplishments in boxing.
“He’s putting the Philippines on the map and showing the world that the Philippines is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to boxing,” he said. “I’m glad they don’t have any heavyweights.”
“He’s a hero in his country and he could quit fighting any time now and become President,” he added.
Lewis said the Filipino reminded him of himself in the way he prepares for each fight.
Lewis and Holyfield faced off twice in the ring. The first Lewis-Holyfield fight in March 13, 1999 ended in a draw. Eight months later, Lewis beat Holyfield by unanimous decision to retain his WBC heavyweight title and win the WBA, IBF and vacant IBO heavyweight belts.
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R. Kelly isn’t very good at staying out of trouble. The artist has been dragged into a massive investigation in South Africa after a woman, who is now accused of scamming more than 50 people, claimed to be collecting money for an R. Kelly tour that never existed. The woman says the R&B star was part of the plot, which he is now vehemently denying.
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Oprah Winfrey's private diaries are missing - and THE ENQUIRER has learned the most intimate secrets in them!
The talk-show queen has confided the shocking contents of her secret journals to close pals, including the admission that she and her best pal Gayle King are more than just friends who often share the same bed!
Oprah is terrified those disclosures could be "misinterpreted" if the diaries become public, sources say, and she's worried that longtime love Stedman Graham will leave if he discovers her true thoughts.
The powerful media mogul also says she's recently written in her diaries that her eating binges are getting worse, insiders say, and called her former protege Dr. Phil McGraw a snake who can't be trusted!
Oprah has been writing regular entries in her diaries since she worked at a Baltimore TV station with Gayle during the late 1970s, another insider divulged.
"Oprah is frantic to get these diaries back!" a close source told The ENQUIRER. "She's admitted she's written some things over the years that are very explosive!"
SOURCE : NATIONAL ENQIURERRead more…
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