“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Boyz N the Hood” make cut.

The Los Angeles Times top-10 list of movies that best reflect L.A. city life and culture is filled with Black star power. Among the contributions are: Jackie Brown, starring Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson; Boyz N the Hood, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube; Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy; and Collateral, starring Jamie Foxx. The movies included were all released within the past 25 years and feature the L.A. landscape as a “main character” in the script.

“Lakeview Terrace” minimizes its Madea factor

Apparently, Hollywood can only accommodate one crazy Black woman character at a time. Samuel L. Jackson’s new film Lakeview Terrace, co-starring Ray’s Kerry Washington, cut a scene in which Washington appears to “lose it” on camera. Washington, who plays the wife in a couple terrorized by their neighbor, pretends to seduce the next-door character, Jackson, but then pulls a knife on him. “It got removed,” she says. “The producers felt like, at that point in the film, my character was the only sane one and they needed her to stay sane in the mix. She was losing it.” Madea would surely be disappointed with the decision.

Runner is first Kenyan to win Olympics event. An African distance runner has made history for both his nation and the world. Samuel Wanjiru set an Olympics marathon record Sunday with a time of two hours, six minutes and 32 seconds. He also won the first gold medal of any Kenyan to compete in the Games. “In Kenya, we have many medals, but I’m glad I have this one,” says Wanjiru, 21. Kenyans have won silver medals in the men’s marathon twice, most recently in 2000.

NFL’s Osi Umenyiora to undergo surgery. A New York Giants defensive end won’t play in an NFL game before 2009 after injuring his left knee this past weekend. Osi Umenyiora was hurt in the second quarter of a pre-season game against the Jets. An MRI found a tear in Umenyiora’s lateral meniscus. The two-time Pro Bowler will undergo surgery tomorrow. “It was obviously the news that I did not want to hear,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin says. “But after listening to the explanation and (the doctor’s) thoughts on it, I am convinced that this is the right procedure and the right way to go.” Umenyiora’s loss, involving a four-month recovery, is compounded by the recent retirement of star defender Michael Strahan.