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Richard Roundtree, star of the genre-defining blaxploitation series Shaft, has passed away at 81 years old, according to his agency. Per Deadline, Roundtree died Monday afternoon surrounded by family, after a brief bout with pancreatic cancer. A statement from his representatives reads: “Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” ....Snip..... At the...

Stewart, a fearless champion of racial integration in soul music, was described by the Stax Museum as ‘an architect of the Memphis Sound.’Jim Stewart, the co-founder of Stax Records, died yesterday (5) at the age of 92. His passing was confirmed by another storied member of the Stax family, hit songwriter David Porter. Stewart paved the way for, and presided over, the immense and worldwide popularity of Stax and its wealth of household soul names. His standing was reflected in his 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by representatives of two of the company’s most celebrated...

Ann Spurbeck was an "elegant grande dame" of the violin who played a record 52 years with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra while also playing on records by Elvis, Isaac Hayes and Al Green. For most of her life, she interpreted music by Bach, Beethoven and the other greats of European classical composition. But she also was a part of the vital new music being created in the town she called home. She performed on some of Elvis Presley's essential "comeback" recordings, after his 1968 television special, and she contributed expressive strings to Isaac Hayes' Oscar-winning "Theme from Shaft."

If you’ve ever heard anything on the Stax Records label, then you’ve probably heard Steve Cropper's masterful guitar playing. He might well have written and produced it too The guitarist with Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Stax Records’ house band, Steve Cropper backed scores of soul greats during the 60s as well as being a go-to producer. He’s also a songwriter whose compositions include classics such as Wilson Pickett’s In The Midnight Hour, Eddie Floyd’s Knock On Wood and Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay. He has also done studio work with John Lennon, Rod Stewart, Roy...

Yes, it has been done before (including in the last comparable year: 1994). Yes, it can be done this year (a GOP pick-up, of a U.S. House seat held by a scandal-plagued Chicago Democrat). With the official support of his campaign, we hosted a "moneybomb" this week, for the Rev. Isaac Hayes, the Republican nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, in IL's 2nd Congressional District. Jesse Jackson, Jr. is involved in scandal after scandal - and now has a 72% UNFAVORABLE RATING!! =====> Please check out our blog post... and CONTRIBUTE NOW to the campaign of the Rev. Isaac...

Local black conservative candidates challenge misguided July 14, 2010 By Fran Eaton This week at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's annual convention in Kansas City, attendees are expected to pass a resolution condemning alleged racism among national Tea Party supporters. The NAACP points as evidence to offensive rally posters, supposed shouted racial epithets, among other complaints of movement discrimination. Indeed, the Tea Party movement has voiced strong opposition to the biracial U.S. president's policies, but local black conservatives say their positions have nothing to do with race. They are upset about economic and social policies that...

I found a reply on my ChicagoNow blog, a site operated by the Chicago Tribune, that is so emblematic of the essential anti-Americanness of the left in our country that I thought I'd explore it in a full post instead of just replying to it on the original page on which it appeared. The comment was oozed out by some extremist named Tom Degan, a blogger whom I'd never heard of before. Apparently he has his own blog on the Google-owned Blogspot system. (No link love for Tommy, look for his blog yourself) He is himself utterly inconsequential, of course,...

Well, not that Isaac Hayes, who died last year. Rep. Jackson's Republican challenger could have some fun with campaign slogans invoking his more famous namesake. Tired of getting the Shaft from Washington? Vote for Isaac Hayes. Or: Isaac Hayes -- finally, a Chef who won't spoil the broth. And maybe even: Vote for hot buttered soul.

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are the latest names to pay their respect to late singer Isaac Hayes, after he sadly passed away earlier on in the week from a stroke. Hayes voiced the character of Chef in the popular cartoon for eight years (between 1998-2006), but quit the series when South Park mocked Scientology in an episode. Stone and Parker have put their differences aside and have now posted a picture of Chef on their official site, which reads "In Memoriam Isaac Hayes - 1942-2008."

Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.

Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Sunday. Relatives found Hayes, 65, unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. Paramedics attempted to revive him and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., the sheriff's department said.

<p>Issac Hays passed away this morning, comfirmed by Shelby County Sherrif's office. More later when article is posted.</p> <p>He had a stroke earlier this year, per news reports.</p>

Even though the outcry has been loud, Isaac Hayes will not be returning to "South Park." Hayes tells the New York Post's Billy Heller that there will be no reunion and no return to the character of Chef on the cult hit tv show. Hayes admits that even though the show spoofed Scientology in an episode, it's not the reason for his departure. No, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said he felt like he got the shaft. Hayes tells the Post that the big reason he left the show last year was, "They didn't pay...

One of the Emmy nominees for best animated program is the episode of "South Park" that's said to have angered Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes. The episode called "Trapped in the Closet" implies that Cruise is gay and makes fun of Scientology. Cruise's fellow Scientologist Isaac Hayes reportedly quit because he was upset with the episode. And when it came time to rerun it, Cruise allegedly called Comedy Central and demanded that it be pulled. It was, even though Cruise's people denied he asked for it.

One of the Emmy nominees for best animated program is the episode of "South Park" that’s said to have angered Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes...

South Park has exacted revenge on its former star Isaac Hayes by turning his character Chef into a paedophile and seemingly killing him off. The opening episode of the 10th series, screened in the US on Wednesday, appeared to be a satire on Scientology. Hayes, a Scientologist, quit the animated comedy after a different episode ridiculed the religion. In the new show, Chef is brainwashed by the "Super Adventure Club" -thought to be a veiled reference to Scientology. The other characters are angry at "that fruity little club for scrambling his brains".

Well, folks, it's finally here - the most eagerly awaited South Park episode in recent memory!He's Back!!! Chef Returns to South ParkThe launch of "South Park’s" 10th season is marked by the triumphant homecoming of school chef, Jerome McElroy. "The Return of Chef!," premieres tonight, Wednesday, March 22 at 10:00 p.m., on Comedy Central.The town is jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears. While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different. When Chef’s strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the...

NEW YORK (AP)-"South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker vowed vengeance last week in their running battle with Scientology-and Wednesday night's new-season premier appears to be the start.Issac Hayes may have left the animated satire in a huff over what he described as religious "intolerance and bigotry," but his Chef character, which he's voiced since 1997, isn't forgotten.The Comedy Central cartoon begins its 10th season with an episode titled "The Return of Chef!" The character's return follows by just a few days Hayes' statement that he was quitting because he could no longer accept the show's satirical blasts at...

I suppose if you want a champion of broadcasting decency, a soul star whose biggest hit invited listeners to suck on my chocolate, salty balls. (Put ’em in your mouth!) Put ’em in your mouth and suck ’em . . . wouldn’t automatically be your first choice. Isaac Hayes, the wonderfully gifted singer who sang the theme from Shaft, reached No1 with Chocolate Salty Balls in 1999. The song was one of a number that Hayes performed while playing the school Chef in the US cartoon series South Park. Among the other Chef tunes, the Christmas song stands out, with...

On Wednesday's ninth-season debut, Hayes' character, Chef, pops up in an episode which creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are devoting to his mysterious return to "South Park." They are expected to poke fun at his religion, Scientology. While details are scarce, Comedy Central officials say the duo are putting the finishing touches on the episode (Wednesday, 10 p.m.) -- which, like many others, is being written and animated in less than a week.