The Scoopy Doop

( Reported by Black Talent News) Our Stories Films, the film studio owned by BET founder and Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert L. Johnson and run by Tracey Edmonds, has entered into a multi-year marketing partnership with Cricket Communications to leverage each brand’s core target audience of urban consumers. Our Stories Films develops and produces comedies for African-American and urban audiences. The studio's first release -- "Who's Your Caddy?" -- debuted in theaters July 27. Cricket Communications is a unit of the San Diego-based Leap Wireless International Inc. “Our partnership with Cricket will enable OSF to promote new movie releases to millions of moviegoers through their cell phones,” said Johnson, Chairman and CEO of The RLJ Companies, the parent company of OSF. “As wireless devices continue to become the information and entertainment source of choice for many people, we are excited to create a footprint for OSF with Cricket.”

The multi-layered partnership will include the integration of Cricket wireless products into OSF films and events, along with exclusive promotions designed for Cricket customers. Cricket will leverage its growing national retail network to execute in-store OSF promotions. The Cricket and OSF partnership will kick off with the release of the next OSF film which is scheduled for 2008.

“Movies are an important part of the lifestyle of our Cricket customers and our partnership with OSF will allow Cricket to deliver exclusive Hollywood insider access to our customers,” said Doug Hutcheson, CEO and President of Leap Wireless International, Inc. “From exclusive film content to Hollywood premieres, the OSF and Cricket alliance will deliver a unique experience to our customers.”

In addition to the Cricket partnership OSF announced a major marketing alliance with The Ford Motor Company in July. Both partnerships were negotiated by Maven Strategies, the marketing agency of record for The RLJ Companies.

( Reported by WDTN) United Way's Volunteer Connection is pleased to name Serena Dudley as "Community Volunteer of the Month" for December. A volunteer since February, Serena provides haircuts and styles to adult women served by YWCA Dayton.

With more than 21 years of experience, Serena is employed as a hair stylist by Style Council. She began providing cuts and styles to women served by the YWCA after she was referred to the organization by one of her customers. She provides all of her own supplies during her volunteer time. Five to eight women receive her services free of charge each month. She enjoys writing poetry in her free time and has completed an online writing program through Long Ridge Writers Group.

Serena's own mother was a survivor of domestic abuse who received services at the YWCA. "Volunteering my time makes me take the focus off of myself and my problems," says Serena. "This has helped me through my own healing process. The women here are the real heroes. Anything you do in life is all in vain unless you help someone," she says.

"Serena listens carefully to each person, giving each woman her attention and respect. In addition to providing women with hair styles, she also helps to raise their self-esteem," says Marty O'Dell, director of volunteer services. "She is a very special lady who willingly shares her gifts on her own day off from work."

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(Reported by What About Our Daughters) DETROIT -- A 7-year-old-girl is being hailed as an "angel from heaven" and a hero for jumping in front of an enraged gunman, who pumped six bullets into the child as she used her body as a shield to save her mother's life.

Alexis Goggins, a first-grader at Campbell Elementary School, is in stable condition at Children's Hospital in Detroit recovering from gunshot wounds to the eye, left temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm.

Little Alexis was shot by her mother's boyfriend, Calvin Tillie, 29, a four-time convicted felon.

On Saturday, Alexis' mother called a family friend, Aisha Ford to come pick them up from Parker's home because Parker had no heat.

Ford said she drove her burgundy 1998 Ford Expedition to Parker's home on Dwyer. She said as Parker and Alexis walked up to her vehicle she saw a man on the porch, who she assumed was a furnace repairman. She said Alexis, who walks with a limp, slipped momentarily on the icy sidewalk and as she helped the girl up, she saw the man and recognized him as Tillie. He was holding a gun. Tillie ordered them into the vehicle, cursed at the women and angrily told Ford to drive him to Six Mile Road, she said. SOURCE

Aisha Ford wisely concluded that if she made it to Six Mile Road, the four-time convicted felon would kill them all so she said she needed gas and they preceeded to a gas station. Ford managed to call 911 while she was walking into the station, but this is DETROIT!

"The first operator clicked off and I dialed again and told that operator a guy with a gun was holding me hostage with a mother and baby and threatening to kill us. I told her the name of the gas station and then she said they didn't have a unit to send." (WTH?!?!?!?!?) SOURCE

Still waiting for Detroit's finest to show up managed to convince the boy genius ( the four-time convicted felon) that she needed even more gas. When she went back into the station, the stations attendant notices she was crying and he called 911 AGAIN when she told him what was happening. That is when they heard shots coming from the car.

The mother pleaded with the gunman, but he shot her in the head and the arm.

Before Tillie could fire again, Alexis jumped over the seat between her mother and the gunman and begged him not to shoot her mother. SOURCE

Then the four time convicted felon "without hesitation" pumped six shots into little Alexis.

After all the carnage, Detroit's finest managed to get there, surround the car. Oh did we mention that a police car was on the street nearby and they came only five minutes after the station attendant's call. I guess the call from a Black woman in Detroit does not merit attention.

Alexis is now in the hospital covered in bandages. She is in special eduation and has a weak left eye as a result of a stroke she suffered as an infant. Doctors had predicted that she would grow up to have difficulty with basic tasks such as writing, but Alexis was now able to write her own name.

The nut-job boyfriend is in jail facing kidnapping, assault with intent to kill, child abuse, felony firearm and habitual criminal charges.

She faces surgery to her eye. All indications are that Alexis will lose the eye.

Checks should be made out to the Alexis Goggins Hero Fund and sent to Campbell Elementary School in care of the Alexis Goggins Hero Fund, 2301 E Alexandrine St, Detroit, 48207. For information, call (313) 494-2052.