Open Casting call for new Tupac movie

An online casting call for the lead role in the recently revived biopic Tupac is underway.

The application process, set to run until April 30, asks individuals who think they embody Shakur’s spirit to submit a five-minute video in which they perform a provided courtroom monologue and their favorite 2Pac song.

“We’re looking for someone with the right mix of raw charm and charisma for the role,” producer David Robinson said in a statement. “At this point, we’re more concerned about finding someone with the ability to give their entire heart into the performance than just looks and personality.”

Tupac, directed by Antoine Fuqua, recently rebounded from a two-year setback in development caused by a series of legal battles. The film will follow Shakur’s controversial career from his rise as a rap artist and actor to his highly publicized 1996 murder. Shooting is slated to begin this summer.

Click here for more information: I Am Tupac

Nicki Minaj’s Branding Power Decoded

By BlackEnterprise.com

Most may view Nicki Minaj as just another rapper/singer/performer; but the multi-faceted entertainer is much more than that, she’s a bankable brand that’s only just begun to blossom. In a few short years, Nicki has influenced trends through her music and unmistakable fashion sense, and her involvement in cosmetics, television, hair and even the floral industry (Nicki has exclusive pink collection bouquets available on flowers.com for Valentine’s Day) has helped spike sales and visibility for a number of ancillary brands. Whether her detractors like it or not, Ms. Minaj is a one-woman marketing guru. BlackEnterprise.com takes a look at some of the brands the young starlet has—directly or indirectly—helped bolster by association.

KELIS - Sums It All Up for Us, SO JUST SCREAM

Been running in place for such a long time
Stuck in a race in the wrong line
When it all came down on me.
And I haven’t had faith for such a long time
Am I outta place or out of my mind
Should it all fall down on me

Its not enough to live, so just dream
Its not enough to sing, so just scream

You’ll never know
If you don’t let it out
You've had enough
They’ll call your bluff
You cant back down lost in a crowd
You’ve won the right to scream and shout
They'll talk about you lost your cool
There is no point who makes the rules
So lets get to it
Now you’ll prove it
Break out

Scream and shout

Sound the alarm
Raise your arms
Your on your own
Your not alone
Big city got you on the ground
Afraid to fight don’t make a sound
So lets get to it
Now you’ll prove it
Push back

Scream and shout

Been running in place for such a long time
Stuck in a race in the wrong line
When it all came down on me.
And I haven’t had faith for such a long time
Am I outta place or out of my mind
Should it all fall down on me

Its not enough to live, so just dream
Its not enough to sing, so just scream

Magic set to help Vibe Mag get its groove back

By KEITH J. KELLY

NY Post

Vibe Ventures hopes that the magic is back now that it has a new ownership team led by basketball legend Magic Johnson and supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle -- who are pumping an estimated $12 million into the ailing company in exchange for a majority stake.

The current owner, InterMedia Partners, a private-equity firm headed by Leo Hindery that took over in a foreclosure sale in late 2009, is going to stay involved. "We feel we can take it to a whole other level," Johnson told The Post.

The former Los Angles Lakers star, who will serve as chairman of Vibe Ventures, was pegged by Forbes in 2009 as one of the five wealthiest African-Americans in the US, with an estimated worth of $500 million.

In addition to the flagship Vibe magazine, Vibe Ventures includes Uptown magazine and related digital ventures and the rights to 1,100 episodes of dance show "Soul Train."

"We plan to find a way to build the 'Soul Train' brand and get it back on the air," said Johnson, who also promised to promote everything from music awards and live performances to business seminars and overseas licensing.

Johnson said the Yucaipa/Johnson Fund, formed from Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. and Magic Johnson Enterprises, has about $550 million available for future deals in all fields. He said he is on the prowl for more acquisitions in the urban entertainment and media arena.

"When advertisers and marketers want to get that urban eyeball, we want to be the company that they come to," said Johnson.

Vibe once jockeyed with The Source for a lead role covering hip-hop culture, but The Source was rocked by financial turmoil and forced to sell to new owners. With yesterday's deal, Vibe will get its fourth owner in its 18 years of publishing. The Wicks Group, which purchased the magazine for $35 million in 2005 from Miller Publishing, defaulted on its loan from Capital Source Bank in 2009 and forced a temporary shutdown.

Hindery's InterMedia Group took over and revived the magazine later that year. It plans to publish six issues of Vibe and six issues of Uptown this year. Robert Miller, part of the original Vibe launch team and a past owner, is involved as chairman of the Vibe and Uptown Magazine Group.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/magic_set_to_help_vibe_mag_get_its_wzaIY4V9wl9nyD9biJzTyK#ixzz1DZD6xpe1

Kool Moe Dee Assumes New Role as Digital Content Guru

Kool Moe Dee, he of "Wild Wild West" fame, has now taken on a new persona: Dr. Media, a character that's part of this sometimes painful to watch group therapy session with characters playing Publishing, Hollywood and Network Television. The three are all freaking out about sustaining relevancy in the digital space, but somehow discussing Ashton Kutcher and getting a verse from the doc himself seems to put them all at ease. Or at least that's we gather since we couldn't help but fast-forward a few times.

This effort is brought to you by SoHo agency Barker/DZP it appears and is for NYU Stern's weeklong "Digital Transformation of the Entertainment and Media Industries" seminar. We think Kool Moe Dee would be better served just reviving his feud with LL Cool J at this point.