ANTI-VIOLENCE GROUP
MARSHALLS ITS FORCES

The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) has launched an e-mail campaign urging people to send messages to CBS and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) demanding to have controversial rapper Eminem yanked from the lineup of performers at the upcoming Grammy Awards. The domestic-violence group hopes to counter what it characterizes as hateful messages within Eminem's lyrics by bombarding the network and NARAS via their websites (www.cbs.com, www.grammy.com/webmaster).

Eminem's album, "The Marshal Mathers LP," which features tracks on the themes of spousal abuse, murder, rape and violence against women and gay people, is up for Album Of The Year, among three other Grammy nominations. And if it's nominated, it has to be good, right? The FVPF doesn't think so.

"Eminem has the right to use any lyrics he chooses," FVPF Executive Director Esta Soler said today, "but he should not be honored for sending messages about brutal domestic violence." Soler and the FVPF are also asking e-mailers to urge CBS to run public service announcements on the issue during the program as well as having a presenter address the tragedies of domestic violence from the stage.

Meanwhile, NARAS has just come up with a move that may well mitigate the controversy. See Rumor Mill for details.