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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 23 > Entry
‘Moses’ of soul gives China a lesson in funk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Augusta’s main man James Brown taught the city of Shanghai how to “Get Up Offa That Thing” Wednesday during a concert in the People’s Liberation Army acrobatics theater.
The 72-year-old Godfather of Soul made his mainland China debut, belting out his soul classics before a capacity crowd.
“We are going to funk you up before we finish,” Brown said three songs into his set, which he kicked off with “Make It Funky.”
Dressed in a cherry red satin suit, he shimmied, shook and leapt — although not quite as high as he once did.
Behind him, a nine-piece band, complete with gold epaulets on their suits, put on a virtuoso display of rhythm and horns. His quartet of backup singers, egged on the cheering, clapping crowd that filled the Yunfeng Theater in the heart of Shanghai’s once-thriving nightclub district.
Brown is little known in China, and Wednesday’s audience was overwhelmingly European, American and Japanese — evidence of Shanghai’s increasingly international, cosmopolitan complexion.
The singer has shown no signs of slowing down, with the Shanghai concert coming in the middle of an Asian tour that also included a swing through Australia.
In an interview with the Associated Press last year, Brown shrugged off talk of retirement and said his work is the root of much of today’s music.
“Retire for what? What would I do? I made my name as a person that is helping. I’m like Moses in the music business,” he said.
A surprise win for teachers
The 10 finalists in the 2006 Michaels Family Awards for Excellence in Education competition sat nervously on the stage of the Atlanta Speech School Tuesday night waiting for Ed Michaels to announce the five winners, each of whom would receive $2,000 for themselves and $2,000 for their school. The 10 were teachers and principals in the Atlanta Public Schools who had proven success in raising student achievement and had innovative classroom strategies.
With Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, City Council President Lisa Borders and APS Superintendent Beverly Hall on hand, a teary-eyed Michaels described how difficult it was to select five winners out of such an outstanding field. “So all 10 are going to win,” he announced, to the stunned delight of the finalists and the audience.
The finalists had to submit an educational project that they would underwrite with their winnings. Teacher Kathy Edwards of F.L. Stanton Elementary School, for example, will create mini science labs. Principal Cynthia May of West Manor Elementary will use her money to pay for after-school tutorials for third and fifth graders at risk for retention. East Lake Elementary second graders will study and design zoos and then spend a night at Zoo Atlanta, courtesy of their teacher Julie Rogers-Martin. The other winners were principals Betsy Bockman of Inman Middle School, Cynthia Kuhlman of Centennial Place Elementary and Eunice Robinson of Jones Elementary School, and teachers Stephanie Blake of Hill Elementary, Beth Crenshaw of Peyton Forest Elementary, Jacqueline Giles of Carver School of Entrepreneurship and Mariel Lawrence of Benteen Elementary.
Celeb sex tape update
Good news, retinas! Hick hop artist Kid Rock has won an initial victory in his attempt to stop a California company from releasing an explicit sex video featuring the rap-rocker, former Creed singer Scott Stapp and four women.
U.S. District Court Judge John Feikens signed a temporary order that stops David Joseph and his World Wide Red Light District company from posting a preview clip of the video on its Web sites.
On Tuesday, Kid Rock’s lawyers sued Red Light (which made headlines in 2004 by distributing the Paris Hilton sex video), accusing the firm of violating Kid Rock’s trademark and privacy rights. The lawsuit seeks a permanent court order halting sale or distribution of the video.
In what we can only assume is a stab at asserting Mr. Rock’s masculinity, his lawyer William Horton tells the Detroit Free Press: “We don’t deny the authenticity of the tape. But they’re using this without his permission to drive the sales of their other products.”
“Even rock stars are entitled to privacy,” says co-counsel Michael Novak.
The order remains in effect until a court hearing Friday.
Red Light lawyer Ray Tamaddon said he couldn’t comment on the lawsuit because he hadn’t seen it. But he said the company is confident that it is within its legal rights.
“These are public figures, and the standards are different,” he said.
In an affidavit filed with the lawsuit, Kid Rock said the video was shot in 1999 near Miami. At the time, Stapp was the lead singer of Creed, a band that, ironically, was heavily steeped in Christian imagery at the time of the shoot.
Joseph has said previously that he got the tape from a third party. It involved women from a strip club and was taken in a motor home, he said.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor-director Peter Fonda is 66. Musician Johnny Winter is 62. Actress Patricia Richardson is 55. Actress Kristin Davis (“Sex and the City”) is 41. Bassist Jeff Beres of Sister Hazel is 35. Actress Dakota Fanning (“The Cat in the Hat,” “I Am Sam”) is 12.
Contributing: Maureen Downey and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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