Oprah Gives a Fat Check to Atlanta Educator
On Christmas Eve, Ron Clark, the creative, inspiring educator, got a Federal Express package from the Queen of Talk TV, Oprah Winfrey. It was $365,000. Turns out that Winfrey had been monitoring the success of his South Atlanta school and thought that $1,000 a day for an entire year made sense as she was looking for the recipient of her most generous gift this year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Clark, who said his school needs $2.4 million to operate, says the extra money will enable him to provide 26 full scholarships for a year. Last month, his academy also got $300,000 from Tony Cann, vice chairman of Promethean Ltd, the leading manufacturer of collaborative classrooms systems.

Foxx’s ‘Intuition’ Pays Off
Jamie Foxx’s third album, Intuition, debuted at No. 3 on the Top 200 Albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The disc’s success goes in part to the offerings of such sidemen as T.I. (on “Just Like Me”) and Ne-Yo and Fabolous (on “She Got Her Own”). With a total of 265,196 units sold in the first week, Intuition also reached No. 2 on the R&B Albums chart. The video for “Just Like Me” was the Spotlight video on VHI, netting more than 100 spins a week on VH1 Soul.

Jamie Foxx says he’d like James Bond role. Having played one of the greatest musicians of contemporary times in the film Ray, Jamie Foxx says he wants to try portraying the greatest spy. The Oscar winner tells “Access Hollywood” that he’d love to be the first Black James Bond. “Of course! I’d put a little swing in it,” Foxx says. “A little hip-hop, you know. Maybe not drinking martinis, but drinking some Hennessey maybe. Bond would drink dark liquor.

Bob Johnson applies for new FCC license. The founder of Black Entertainment Television, who became a billionaire when he sold the network, wants to come back to television. Bob Johnson has applied for a Federal Communications Commission license to create an urban network, which a spokesperson says has no plan of competing with BET or TV One. The new network’s focus will be health, lifestyles and education, possibly including news programming. The FCC is expected determine whether to grant Johnson’s application by next year.

Prince misquoted about gay marriage, source says. A quote attributed to superstar Prince in the New Yorker magazine has reportedly left the singer furious. The article featuring the Jehovah’s Witness singer states: “When asked about his perspective on social issues – gay marriage, abortion – Prince tapped his Bible and said, ‘God came to Earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out.’” But a Prince camp insider reportedly disputes the article’s account, telling celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton that Prince only referenced the Bible’s principles of loving others. “We’re very angry he was misquoted,” the Prince rep is quoted as saying.

Duo earns award for public service announcement. Actor Jamie Foxx and actress Queen Latifah have won their first Emmy for an HIV awareness ad. The 2007 spot, which also featured NBA players Luke Walton, Lamar Odom and Richard Jefferson, was aired on BET and MTV as part of educational campaigns. The National Public Service Emmy Award is presented in special recognition of productions designed to heighten awareness in the community.

Jamie Foxx’s upcoming movie must wait until spring.

America’s troubled economy is influencing more than just the coming election – it’s impacting Hollywood. Fear of low cash flow among fans, and competition from other big releases, has led Paramount Pictures to push back Jamie Foxx’s new film from November to March. The move also pushes back any chance of Foxx earning a second Oscar. The new March 13 date for Foxx’s The Soloist will make it too late for his performance, if worthy, to qualify for Academy Award nominations in the 2008 roster.Don Cornelius accused of domestic violence. A man whose name has been synonymous with soul for over 30 years has been accused of domestic violence. Former “Soul Train” dance show host Don Cornelius was arrested this past weekend after cops were called to his California home. Cornelius, 72, is married, but his wife’s name was not released as the alleged victim. A report shows that the alleged victim was not hospitalized, and Cornelius is free after posting $50,000 bail. For decades, “Soul Train” was the most influential TV show in the Black music world.

Steve Harvey gets accidental air time. Sports fans watching TBS got an early trick, and fans of Steve Harvey got an unexpected treat this past weekend when the comedian’s syndicated show aired in the wrong time slot. A pivotal playoff baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays was kept from viewers throughout the first inning when the “Steve Harvey Show” aired instead. A TBS statement explains: “Two circuit breakers in our Atlanta transmission operations tripped, causing the master router and its backup – which are necessary to transmit any incoming feed outbound – to shut down.” And somebody probably understands what it means, too.