PIWPAchives

08/04/07 - Welcome to Park it with Princess. Park your buns and lets get it Poppin'. Let me start by asking, has anyone seen Supermodel Tyson Beckford lately? He looks mighty delicious all tatted-up. Ladies check out his pic on TMZ.com. Thanks for the eye candy TMZ. I would also like to thank Tyson's parents, grandparents, great-grand parents...oh heck, let me just thank all the Bedford's for providing us with such beauty....yummy.

Now I heard that Eddie Murphy is playing the deadbeat dad by not paying Scary Spice child support, so she's taking it to court. Now ladies we all know at least one deadbeat, but Eddie??? Please say it aint so. On a real note I always thought Eddie was off his rocker every since he got caught with that Transsexual. Good luck to his fiancé Tracey Edmonds...I'm sorry but I'm not marrying a deadbeat who likes Transsexual's, but to each his own.

For those ladies who have a crush on Usher, there may still be a chance for you. Usher's wedding to Tameka Foster has been called off. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I hope they work it out. Yeah that's right I said it. I'm one of the few who refuse to hate on this relationship. Usher has found a woman who makes him happy. It's hard to find true love out here and sometimes we cannot help who we love. If God wants this union who are we to judge? Good for him for finding an older woman who makes him happy, men have been dating & marrying younger women for years.

Speaking of older men with younger women. My homeboy has finally gotten a trial date. Who you may ask? Well none other than the wonderfully talented R. Kelly. R's trial will begin Sept. 17th, he's charged with several counts of child pornography. Ok folks, yes I saw the tape and all I have to say is no comment. Sorry, but I'm a bit biased being from the Chi and all...oh hell...I'm a lot biased. Let's just see how it goes.

McDonald's....who's loving it? I just cannot believe McDonald's dropped Twista after he was confirmed for it's nationwide concert series. That's like giving a homeless man a Big Mac and taking it back. You just don't do that. Now, I love Mickey D's as much as the next person, but that's was wrong. McDonald's is not feeling Twista's lyrics, but they respect free speech? Come on now....yes Twista's lyrics are rough, but he's rough and he did promise to clean it up for the kids. So, what's the problem?

08/06/07 - Let me first start by giving some bad news to the haters. Usher & Tameka Foster are rumored to have been married in Atlanta on Friday in his lawyer's office. To answer the ultimate question, yes it is said that Usher's mom was there. Sorry ladies, Usher is no longer an eligible bachelor and the wedding drama is done. Good luck to the happy couple!!

I heard that my boy Kanye West will no longer use the word bling cause it's now considered "white people" slang. Now some "white people", of course did not like that statement. Now let's go back to why we the people came up with slang in the first place. Our slang (I say our slang because different races use slang for different reasons) was first originated many, many moons ago so that we could keep "white people" from understanding what we were saying. It was our code and it kept them in the dark until they were able to figure it out and then we moved on to other slang words. So I agree with Kanye, it's our slang and it loses it's value when "white people" use it and especially when they use it and it doesn't make since. In the words of the Tom Joyner morning show....damnnnn white people.

Keepin it in the Chi for a minute. The girl that prosecutors said is in the alleged R. Kelly video, says it's not her. The now 23 year old woman is set to testify in the upcoming trial, but like R. says it's not him, she says it's not her in the video. So how will her testimony help the prosecutors? I'm guessing it won't. Like I said before....I saw the video and again...no comment.

Who's ready for this? VH1 is bringing back the Flavor of Love show. Now I must say I love drama and the Flav show has plenty. What I don't like is seeing Flav make out with chicks, that part of the show I could do without.....yuck!! Will I watch it? Yeah, just so that I can keep you all posted on the drama as it unfolds. Ok, I'm busted I'm not doing it for you totally, but mostly.

Finally, a reality show I can get down with. Centered around the life of none other than my favorite designer. Baby Phat mogul Kimora Lee Simmons has a show called Kimora Life in the Fab Lane. It's mostly what I expected. I like the way Kimora and her staff were like family. They were able to be hard on one another to get the job done and at the end of the day still love each other as if nothing happened, no hard feelings when you're trying to accomplish the same goal, work is work. I really liked the way she brought in a stress reliever for her staff. Good job!!

Ok, here I go...what I didn't like. I didn't like the fact that she had her daughters, who I believe are 7 and 9 in a meeting with her. That was totally uncalled for, I heard of starting them in the business while they're young, but the younger one was pissing me off. She was in the meeting just yapping away offering her opinion, while Kimora was telling her to be quite mommy's in a meeting. Oh, h to the n people (hell to the no), what she should have told her was bleep, bleep, bleep. Ok, in Kimora's defense she was in a meeting with Mattel about the Barbie Doll she has coming out, but dang just teach the child to speak when spoken to while in a meeting with adults, then it's all good. Like I said I like Kimora, and now totally respect her as a business woman, but if you're gonna have the kiddies in a meeting, please make sure you're able to control them.

O.J. Simpson has been ordered by a judge to give the family of Ron Goldman any money he makes from an "All-Pro Football 2K8" game. The game uses O.J.'s image. Apparently O.J. cannot make any money because he stills owes the Goldman's $38 million in a wrongful death suit. Ok, here I go...O.J. apparently likes white women, cause if he had a sista like me on his team it would go down like this....I would tell O.J. look dude, give me the rights to your image and any books you want to write and therefore any monies from those ventures would be in my name and untouchable by the lawsuit. Now I know the fellas are like hell to the no, but come on now I'll kick some change your way. I wouldn't do you dirty. Would I?

Speaking of kicking some change your way. Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband Ojani Noa has been ordered to pay J Lo $545,000 for a book that reveals some juicy details about their marriage. Now, the book will not be published since Noa is not allowed to profit from Lopez's personal life, but he still has to pay her. People talk to me. What kind of justice is that? You mean just because I wanted to write a book about you I have to pay you? It's said he was to talk about how she cheated more than once while they were married. I guess that's why her now hubby Marc Anthony is deemed to be so possessive. No way he's letting that big ol' booty out of his sight.

Keepin it in the fam., Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony will be touring together in the fall. This will be J Lo's 1st..that's right people, 1st live concert road trip. So, for all those folks who don't think that J Lo can sing, here's your opportunity to see her sing live without the studio, musical cover-up. Unless she pulls a Milli Vanilli, then we'll never know. Although I'm not a fan of Marc Anthony's, I must admit I like Jennifer's music, so I'll keep you posted on how well she does on her 1st tour.

08/10/07 - Songbird Tamia and basketball star Grant Hill were blessed with their second baby girl yesterday. Tamia who has the same doctor as I do is reportedly doing well. Yeah I had to throw that in there, yes we have the same OBGYN and no, I'm not reveling the name of the Doc., so don't ask. Grant Hill as everyone knows has signed with the Phoenix Suns, so the happy family will be departing Orlando soon. Hell, he didn't do much here anyway. Hill played only a third of the games and still collected $93 million for a seven-year contract. While the Suns, being what seems to be a bit smarter than the Magic, are only giving Grant $1.8 million for the first year. I mean, sometimes it's better to test the goods out before you buy.

Staying in Orlando, Florida for a minute Baby Phat mogul Kimora Lee Simmons and model/actor Djimon Hounsou (Amistad/Blood Diamond) were seen all up close and personal with Shamu at Sea World. Kimora went from old, fat and not so cute, to younger, sexier and oh so fine. I don't know the "real" reason Kimora ever married Russell Simmons, but I'm almost sure it wasn't for love. I guess it doesn't matter now; I gotta respect the game and the player. You Go Girl!!!

Moving on up to our neighbors in Alpharetta, Georgia, a very famous ex-couple was seen cracking it up at Joe's Crab Shack, no pun intended. Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were out for Whitney's birthday yesterday, she was celebrating #44. As destructive as this marriage was, I must say I do believe this union was joined in love and turned into crazy, stupid and you gotta be a damn fool. I pray that Whitney finds the Lord and puts an end to her destructive ways. Ladies, if your man is doing you harm and is no good, always remember you can do bad by yourself. Give him the two peace fingers and be out!!

Traveling west to L.A., Kobe Bryant was seen taking his wife Vanessa out in a very clean, very nice, white Bentley. Apparently there were rumors posted on the internet that the Bryant's were headed for a breakup. To squash those rumors Kobe took wifey out in style. All I want to know.....was it his idea or her idea? We all know who's idea it was to buy that big a$@ rock that was on her finger when Kobe got caught cheating. Could Vanessa be posting these rumors herself just to get attention from hubby? I know the fellas are going to be mad at me, but I say whatever works. It's hard trying to keep a celebrity husband at home. Sometimes you have to sneak and use tricks to get what you want. I mean he's not the most faithful person. Fellas always remember "Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned". If you cheat and your woman stays with you, expect retribution.

08/13/07 - What's up my black people? I say my black people because soon it will be time for us to pick a side. Do you know who you're voting for in the next Presidential election? Oprah Winfrey as we all know is backing fellow Chi-Towner Barack Obama, as am I. What I have recently found out is Magic Johnson will be backing Hillary Clinton. Along with Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy. Now answer me this...why the brothers always have to go after the white girl? Yeah, I had to go there. It's not like she's the better candidate, so what's the deal? I mean Hillary is cool and all, but is she really the right person for us? Yes, we all know that Bill Clinton was the man and he claimed to have gotten most of his advice from Hillary, but can we really trust the word of a lying adulterer?

Barack Obama is for the people. He has already helped single mothers get ahead in life, among other important issues that affect us. This is what I want my readers to do. Get up and read up on Obama before you count him out and remember this, no one will look out for us better than someone like us, who's also a Democrat, it's a win-win situation. Democrat or Republican, these white folks do not care about us. No one said it better than Spike Lee....WAKE UP!!!

Speaking of waking-up. What the heck is Rush Hour writer Jeff Nathanson thinking? He's directing a movie based on the life of Milli Vanilli and get this people....he called them. Yeah that's right, I said it, he sought them out. Come on now...Rush Hour is doing pretty good in the box office, so what's his deal? Is he smoking something or looking for a guaranteed flop?
I'm saying, I just don't think people are going to go see this movie. I'm stilled pissed they faked it and I was totally unaware. Who's in-charge of refunds? I don't have the album anymore and I still want my money back. Also, are they playing themselves? Who wants to be the stars in the Milli Vanilli movie? If that's not a crash and burn for your career, then I don't
know what is.

Let's stay with crashy (my new word) careers for a minute. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is making a promise I hope he keeps. 50 said he will not make any more solo albums if Kanye West outsells him on their combined release date of Sept. 11th. Now thanks to 50 "I talk too damn much and think I'm da baddest" Cent, Kanye's album may not be released on Sept. 11th. According to MediaTakeOut.com sources, West's release date has been moved. To what, I'm not sure, but I'll keep you posted. I was sooo looking forward to Curtis getting his butt kicked and I was definitely looking forward to no more albums from the wanna be 2Pac. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to hope there is no truth to these rumors and the Sept. 11th release date for Graduation is still on. Keep your fingers crossed people or better yet, just don't go get 50's album. That'll teach him a lesson I'm sure he'll never forget. Punk!!

Talking about jobs, my ex-favorite talk show host, Ricki Lake will come out of wherever she's been hiding to star in a Lifetime movie. The movie is about a woman on the dating scene after surviving breast cancer. Also starring in the movie is Holly Robinson-Peete. Now, I don't know if Lifetime is hanging out in the has-been section of Hollywood, but it'll be nice to see these ladies on the screen again. Since you all know I love drama. I miss all the drama that use to surround the Ricki Lake show. My now favorite talk show host Maury Povich won't put the hometown on the screen, but Ricki had no shame in letting us know where the crazed-losers on her show reside. Come on now...isn't the question always.......where the heck did they find these people??

08/15/07 - Ok Peeps, I'm just going to talk about 2 stories that are somewhat connected. I'm tired of the misunderstandings and I'm tired of us being attacked by non-blacks and ourselves.

Rutger's women's basketball team member Kia Vaughn is suing Don Imus and CBS. Kia is claiming Imus sexist and racist comments damaged her reputation. In the lawsuit Kia states she has been humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked. Well, I say it's about time someone is taking a stand other than the people the comments did not directly affect. I hope the whole team wakes-up and sues them. I believe they are being teased and harassed from those comments. Some people are cruel and would like nothing more than to make fun of them based on what Imus said.

They're not celebrities with the ability to hide behind bodyguards or in their L.A. mansion. They're regular ladies with feelings. Free speech is one thing, defamation of character is another. Celebrities sue the media all the time when something is written out of character that causes them emotional harm. So why not the Rutger's team?

On another note, David Banner is attacking Rev. Al Sharpton. David is straight pissed that the civil rights leader wants to ban the purchase of rap until it's cleaned-up. Meaning, stop using the n, b and h word. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you're living under a rock, so too bad.

Banner said in an interview with sohh.com "the next time you see Al Sharpton, tell him I said f**k him and he can suck my d**k." He continues talking about how he hates Al Sharpton and why with all the killings of kids in the country, all the Rev., has to talk about is rap lyrics. Banner's calling for all the rappers to come together. He goes on further calling the Rev. a permed-out pimp and states that when Sharpton and Jesse Jackson march they charge a fee to do the rallies with them. "They're more worried about their investors, than our kids. Tell him David Banner said it."

There is a response from Al Sharpton's camp and you can go to EURweb.com to read it. It's not worth me writing about, basically they didn't take Banner seriously. I do. I agree with David Banner. We can all stop using those words tomorrow and the killings will continue. Most rappers express themselves the best way they know how. How can we condemn them for what they've been through?

I was raised in the projects in Chicago. I know a n, b, h, a crack head, a weed head and then some. I feel like this, rappers are talking about their experiences in general with those types of people. They're not talking directly to me, cause they don't know me. So, therefore I am not offended. What does offend me? All the beatings, rapes and murders of our people. This is what I want our leaders to focus on, and not how these rappers are expressing themselves. Words do not kill people, people kill people.

The difference between rappers and Don Imus ~ Imus directly attacked those ladies, he went after them personally and unprofessionally. I didn't really care about the nappy part, I mean with our texture it happens, but he doesn't know those ladies to call them the h-word. He went too far.

Rappers are talking in general, they're not calling me, my friends or family names, they're talking about their experiences with someone else and they rarely use real names unless it's a battle going on. If you feel the rappers are talking about you and they're wrong in their assessment of your character, then you have the right to have them re-tract their statement or sue them. As you can see no one sued Superhead. Sorry, but I had to go there.

08/16/07 - Nick Cannon's long engagement to Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks still has no date. It seems Nick is a little backwards when it comes to these sort of things. He feels he should have a long engagement to see if this is what he really wants. Come on now...shouldn't he have done what most men do? Date you for 5 - 10 years and then propose. Oops, did I say that? But for real, you can't go around proposing all willy nilly and then decide later to call it off cause now you've decided this is not what you wanted. Fellas, please get to know a chick before you propose. Then again, I know some chicks that can hide their true colors until the wedding. So, better yet, I guess you guys do got it right. Wait the 10 years.

Speaking of waiting, Foxy Brown is out on bail waiting for her court date next month. Foxy just cannot stay out of trouble. Miss Brown is now charged with bytch slapping her neighbor with a Blackberry. Did she get this from that Sprint commercial. Come on now, you know the one when they act out how the phone can be used as an anti theft device and the one guys tries to take the other guy's phone so he throws the phone at him and hits him in the head. Anyway, if you haven't seen it, it's very funny. I'm sure it's not funny to Foxy's neighbor who now has some loosened teeth, a swollen eye and lip. I don't know what's wrong with Foxy. I think she needs a serious beat-down so she can stop attacking folks. She had a sad career and now it look like she's having an even sadder life.

Talking about sad careers. Could Kelly Rowland's career be in trouble? I mean her album went what, copper? Now it's rumored that she will go back into the studio so she can re-release her album "Ms. Kelly". I don't know if it'll be better the second time around. Shoot I don't even know how it is the first time around. Ok folks, I'm going to find someone who has the album and listen to it. Yeah, I know I should go get it, but forget that I work too hard for my money to waste it. Better yet, if you have the album, hit me up and let me know what you think about it at the email address below.

Let's talk about a career that's on the right track. Next month Senator Barack Obama will be on the cover of GQ magazine. There hasn't been a politician on the cover of GQ in 15 years. You Go Boy!!!

Another brother doing the damn thing is Indianapolis Colts coach, Tony Dungy. It seems President Bush will appoint Dungy to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. This is a two-year appointment that Dungy is well qualified to hold. His community work includes the Basket of Hope, this benefits Riley Hospital for children; a faith-based program called All-Pro Dad; Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls Club. Of course with all this they still had to run an extensive background check. Don't worry the brother passed. Shouts out to all the brothers who are out there taking care of business.

08/17/07 - Shouts out to the haters out there, we all have someone hating on us and that can only keep us going and saying, "haters look at me now"!! There seems to be a hater in Oprah's employment. The assistant to Oprah's co-executive producer apparently has been racking in the over-time. Page Six reports, in the past four months Carla Bird has filed for 800 hours of OT, totaling about $65,000. Now someone has snitched on Carla cause they're mad they can't do it. I mean, let somebody get theirs, why people have to rat other people out? Bird's boss is signing off on the OT, so she must be doing something. Work or otherwise, who are we to judge? I say I gotta get mine, you gotta get yours. Stop worrying about what other people are doing and do you.

Speaking of haters. Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick friends have straight turned on him. Ok, let me tell y'all what's up. Vick along with his three friends/co-defendants are being charged with making dogs fight. At first everyone was like not guilty, nah I didn't do it, we gotta stick together. Now it's like, Vick did it and yeah I'm guilty, but I can give you Vick if you cut me some slack. What the bleep!! Everyone that says they're your friends are not. If I got to tell one more person that, I'm going to scream!!!! Choose your friends wisely people, especially if you're a celebrity. If Vick doesn't plea bargain, then his trial date will start Nov. 26th. He faces up to 5 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. People do not let these losers out here bring you down. Of course I guess you shouldn't make dogs fight either, but that's not the issue. Even if I'm wrong my friends better not rat me out. Ride or Die!!!

Keeping it in the sports section. Florida A&M basketball coach Mike Gillespie was fired earlier this week. The school thought it was fit to let him go since he is being charged with misdemeanor stalking of a former girlfriend. Basically, Gillespie was cheating on his wife for more than two years and when the girlfriend said enough, he wasn't trying to hear that. He really wanted his cake and then some. Now Gillespie has no wife, no job and possibly no home. It's not worth it fellas. If you're going to cheat just leave the wife so she can move on. I mean, I would hate to see one of you on an episode of Snapped. If you don't know the show it's on Oxygen and it's about women who have killed their husbands. They Snapped.

Talk about snapping. Mos Def was out in Hollywood on Wednesday when a photographer took some pics of him. Seems normal enough, right? Nah, Mos Def does not like people taking pics of him without his consent. He did try to explain it was disrespectful to shove a camera in his face and just start taking pictures. The photographer was not trying to hear that, so Mos and his crew tried to take the man's camera and delete the pics themselves. Brooklyn was definitely in the house. Although they had no success in deleting the pics, it's nice to know where Mos Def stands on getting his picture taking. If you're going to take a pic of him, just make sure it's from far away, cause getting too close could be detrimental to your camera.

A rapper who doesn't seem to mind taking pictures is Snoop Dogg. You can take a pic of Snopp as he goes to the bank and cash his check for $1.8 million. The Dogg has sold his home in Claremont, California and his neighbors couldn't be happier. Apparently there were a lot of noise complaints, lots of cars and people loitering. Well, Duh. Did we expect anything less? I would have loved to live next to Snopp and sneak in on his parties. What's wrong with these people? Some folks just don't know how to have a good time.

08/20/07 - Dr. Dre is suing Death Row records over the rights to the album Chronic. It seems that Death Row is bankrupt and trying to sell off copyright to the album. Basically, Dre gave up the rights in '96, on the condition he receives royalties. Dr. Dre claims that no royalties have been paid and now he wants his copyright back. I say, a deals a deal. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain, then I have the right to revoke mine.  Man, I remember Chronic, my favorite song was Nuthin' but a "G" thang baby...whew those were the days. Ridin' down 79th up to Stoney Island with my girls, chillin, hollering at the fellas. Yeah, good times...good times. Keep fighting Dre.

Speaking of the Chronic, How High's star Method Man will speak to students about the dangers of marijuana. Yep, that's right, Method Man will visit 15 high schools in New York as part of a plea deal from a drug bust. Now, although I agree with authorities to use a rapper as a spokesperson against drug use, I do not know how believable Method Man will be. I mean, will the students really believe Meth's there because he truly believes what he's saying? Nah, I just don't think Method Man would do this if he was not forced to do so. Well, let's just hope he learns something from this experience and can really get through to the kids. Just Say No!!

Someone who looks like she's learned nothing from her experience is Brandy. There are still no charges against Brandy, regarding the car accident she caused that killed one woman, Awatef Aboudihaj. The widower is totally upset that Brandy's out partying like a rock star, while he's grieving. I mean I understand life goes on but dang girl, you just "accidentally" killed someone. After something like this you have to lay low. Brandy is facing four civil lawsuits, from the widower, two kids from Aboudihaj's previous marriage, Aboudihaj's parents and the man who was in the car with Adoudihaj when she was killed. OK, here I go....is there a cousin or neighbor that also wants to sue? This is ridiculous. I do believe in a persons' right to sue, and I believe that they all have a case, but the parents. Since the deceased has a husband and children speaking on her behalf, then the parents, although I sympathize with them, do not have any rights. Thankfully the judge was smart enough to combine all the suits together, so it'll be easier to sort through this mess. People, please pay attention on the road and drive safe!

In happier news, LL Cool J stars in a new TV series "The Man" and it may get picked up on CBS. LL will be an undercover police office in Los Angeles, who takes care of an orphan boy. Now, it's always a pleasure to see Ladies Love Cool James on the screen. But, do we really need another cop show? I'm really tired of all the CSI's and Law & Order's out there. These networks really need to step it up and go outside of the box. The only Prime Time Black shows are on the CW, and that's only four shows on Monday night. BET is doing the damn thing, but I think we need to boycott these other networks. Maybe I'll get it poppin'. Who's with me?

08/21/07 - Well people, left with no other option, Michael Vick has chosen to plead guilty. Vick will attend a sentencing hearing on Aug. 27th on federal dog fighting conspiracy charges. He faces 1 to 1 1/2 years in prison. Now that's not the bad part, the worse part is he may loose his career. I'm not going to repeat myself on the choose your friends wisely issue. Go to my archives dated Aug. 17th to see how I really feel about this subject.
Speaking of feelings, rapper/actress Eve said she's not feeling the gay vibe people are getting from her, but if she was gay she would be all up on Angelina Jolie and Dita Von Teese. What the bleep? First let me begin by saying who the heck is Dita Von Teese? Ok, peeps, I did my research and found out that Dita is an American burlesque artist, model & actress. She started out as a stripper at 19. I saw the pics of her and have not seen her in any movies I watched. Getting back to the issue at hand, why would a straight person say, if she was gay, she would get with a female? I mean just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. There's something suspicious about that statement and the fact her two crushes are white girls and freaks. First the brothers loose some sisters to white men, now the brothers may be loosing black girls to white girls. First a sista couldn't catch a break trying to find a good black man, now with all the diversity going on, there may be hope for us yet. For those secure in their man and womanhood, check out the entire article in the next issue of HX (homo xtra) magazine.
One person we don't have to worry about being gay is Kanye West. Kanye spoke with a British publication NME and stated he's not gay. Just because Kanye spoke out against hip-hop homophobia, people think he's gay. Kanye admits he's a bit homophobic and no he didn't name a guy he would get with if he was gay. Again, you just don't do that if your straight. I got a great gaydar and I don't get the gay vibe from Kanye. I do get a suspicious vibe from Steadman, Oprah's man, but that's neither here nor there.
Keepin' it movin', there are rumors circulating that Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri are married. Now the sista is known for keeping a marriage secret, so we may never know the truth. I feel if you're truly in love, then you should confess that love on the highest mountain. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being married, God wants it that way. Being a celeb you're going to have peeps all up in your business anyway and this couple is a wonderful match, so no one can have anything bad to say about the union. I say, I hope it's true and I wish them the best!
08/22/07 - Let me first begin by apologizing about not getting the column posted yesterday. Brighthouse Network internet connecting was down and therefore I was unable to do my work. You can view yesterday's column in the archives. I want a credit Brighthouse!!
After 11 years there will be a DVD attempting to document the events leading up to the murder of 2Pac. "Tupac: Assassination" will be in stores October 23rd. This is something to watch people. I hear there will be interviews with Pac's bodyguards who were never questioned by the police. How could this have happened? Not enough powerful people cared enough to make the police do their job. Just another gangster rapper dead, so who cares. I loved Tupac's energy and style, and I really miss him entertaining us. I know he still has cds coming out every other year, but it's not the same. I'll be the first to say I can't wait to see this video. If you would like to purchase the DVD in advance you may visit www.Tupacassassination.com. Let's see if we can get some answers people.
Speaking of videos, a judge has ruled that the R Kelly sex tape will be able to be viewed by the media and the public. Ok, I gotta give it up to the prosecutors who urged the judge to reverse his ruling because it will re-victimize the girl. Now, Judge Vincent Gaughan said since the girl they believe is in the video says it's not her, then the tape can be shown. Come on now...the problem I have with this judge is he's being an idiot. He's mad that they have no star witness to bring a brother down, so he's allowing the tape when he knows it's wrong. It's like this, if it's not her in the tape, then it is someone else. So, someone else who obviously wishes to remain anonymous will be victimized. At this point, the tape only needs to be seen by the judge and jurors, no one else. This judge really has it in for Kelly, so the brother better watch out.
Talking about watching out. British Vogue better watch-out. Supermodel bad-girl Naomi Campbell is upset that there are not enough black models on the cover of the popular magazine. Naomi says she will not stop modeling until black models receive equal prominence and recognition. Ok, here I go. I totally understand the plight of a black woman, being one and all, but is Naomi really doing this for black models or herself? I mean, she is 37 years old and that's like great-grandma years in modeling. Sorry Naomi, but I really hope you're doing this for the girls and not trying to save your sinking career. I hope I don't get beat-up for this.
Maybe Naomi Campbell can get Kanye West to help with her fight. Kanye was in London performing yesterday and he dedicated his song "Big Brother" to Jay-Z. Basically, Kanye feels, it's because of Jay-Z that he's able to be the entertainer he is today. Kanye also tells NME, that his biggest competition is Justin Timberlake, not 50 Cent. Kanye feels that Justin gets respect from black and white radio audiences. Kanye wants to connect to the people without talking about drugs and guns. I agree, I totally feel his music and can relate, especially when he says in one of his songs, "my niggas ani't my boys they my family dog and you can still love your man and be manly dog." Beside, who will believe a brother in a pink polo has a gun. Kanye's words, not mine.

08/23/07 - TMZ reports Jerome Almon, the CEO of MurderCorp Records has filed a lawsuit against Canada. Almon claims Canada has launched an attack on U.S. black rappers. In the lawsuit Canadian officials are being charged with blaming rappers for increased gang and gun violence in Toronto and Vancover. Jerome states that black rappers are being held at the border. The deposition will be held in a Michigan Federal Court. Now peeps I guess you're wondering how is this man going to plead his case. Well, Mr. Almon has subpoenaed Oprah, Spike Lee, Jay-Z, P Diddy and other black celebs. Also listed on the subpoena, Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart, Mick Jagger, Heidi Fleiss and other white celebs.  The white celebrities are on the list so Almon can show some of them have a worse record than some of the rappers and still Canada treat the white celebs with respect. I say you go boy, do what you gotta do. Black men sometimes you have to demand respect and if it means taking on an entire country, so be it.

Maybe Almon should subpoena Beyonce. She's was in Toronto performing when a little too much air from a fan on stage blew her blouse up exposing her twins. Ok, so maybe Beyonce wouldn't make a good witness for this case. Anyway, you can't say Miss B is not a pro, just like when she fell on stage in Orlando, she kept it movin'. I tell you nothing is going to stop this girl from doing her thing. Sorry fellas, her publicist says she had on a flesh tone bra, but check-out the video on youtube, and see for yourself.

Something I don't want the fellas to do is hit a woman. Televangelist, Rev. Juanita Bynum is the alleged victim of domestic abuse. Rev. Bynum known for her fierce & outspoken sermons about empowering women, should have learned self-defense. Bynum went to meet her hubby Bishop Thomas Weeks at a hotel near the Hartsfield-Jackson airport to see if they could work out their differences. Well, I guess we know the answer to that. Reverend Bynum alleges her beat-down consisted of being chocked, pushed down, kicked and stomped. Lucky for her a bellman saw the attack happening and stopped the Bishop. Or, was it God that intervened? Either way, she's recovering in an undisclosed location and the police are looking for Bishop Weeks. It may take weeks for them to find him, no pun intended.

Another knock-out, drag-out, beat down may occur between ex-New York Giant Tiki Barber and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Eli's upset that Tiki said his leadership was comical at times. Now, why he had to go there? What's done is done, there's no need to bash anyone. Well, Manning says that Barber was a distraction last season with his early retirement announcement and criticism of their coach Tom Coughlin. I hope they don't continue to go back and forth on who's to blame for their losses. Who cares? The Chicago Bears are going to win this time anyway. GO BEARS!!!!!!

08/24/07 - Rapper Saigon from my favorite HBO show Entourage was arrested for having an illegal knife in his car. Cops say they pulled him over for a traffic violation, but noticed the gravity knife in the vehicle. A gravity knife has a button you push to make the blade pop-out. Saigon bonded-out and will be back in court on Dec. 5th. Here I go...what the heck was this guy thinking? Do he think he's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? Nah, let me stop fronting, I would love to have one of those knives, that's hot! It's some crazy dudes out here and that would definitely be a deterrent from a mugging, rape or murder. Somebody holler at me and let me know how I can get one of those knives.

I know Vivica Fox wish she had received a gravity knife for her birthday this past Tuesday. Vivica started her B-Day bash dining, at a restaurant in New York. Then she was to be on her way to a club called Sol. Well, apparently the Rolls Royce Phantom that was to transport her to the club was a no-show. No worries, she was able to bum a ride from Star Jones. Once at the club, who does she see but no other than the uninvited Remy Ma. Vivica did not want Remy at her party due to Remy's pending attempted murder case. Remy tried to get in anyway, but was turned away. Is the B-Day drama done? Nope, it continues the next day, when Vivica went to cash the check she received for appearing at the club and the check bounced. Celebrity stylist Messiah McNair who booked Vivica admitted to giving her the bounced check and promised to replace the loot. I'm like, ok, it happens, no real harm done. That should have been it, but McNair got mad the story got out, so he started ratting Vivica out, flapping his gums about how he poured red wine in a red bull can for her. We all know Vivica has been ordered not to consume any alcohol pending her March arraignment.  So, why he had to go there? That was totally uncalled for, I hope he knows he can get in trouble also, since he knew about the judge's order and still snuck Miss Fox some wine. Basically people, do not talk bad about people if you're also up to no good. If someone does you wrong, and you're not on the up and up, keep it out of the media, cause a person will take you down with them.

I'm sure Vivica's party was all that, but I would have rather been at Madison Square Garden for Screamfest '07. Normally, those types of concerts are too loud and crazy for me, but if I had known Kanye West and 50 Cent were going to make a surprise visit, I would have been there. I missed all the action. I heard both performances rocked. While Kanye was rocking the crowd to his song can't tell me nothing, 50 Cent was running around the stage giving dap to T.I. and Jay-Z.  50 Cent was able to perform without incident from Kanye, so why he had to be all up in Kanye's performance? Nothing went down, but that couldn't have been me. Kanye did the right thing by ignoring 50, he was of course, the bigger man and will be an even bigger man when his album outsells 50 Cent's album.

While 50 Cent was acting a fool on stage, singer Deneice Williams was falling off stage. Williams most famous for her songs Silly of Me and Let's Hear it for the Boys, fell off stage at a concert in L.A. While opening-up with God is Truly Amazing she mistakenly stepped-off the stage, fell six feet and landed on concrete. Deneice says she was trying to get closer to the people and she couldn't see because it was too dark. I say if you can't see where you're going, then why continue to go further. It seems Williams passed-out for about a minute, before she was brought back on stage and tried to perform while sitting in a chair. She was eventually whisked away by paramedics, so she could not finish her performance. Deneice Williams has been seen by three doctors and stated she will be suing for medical expenses. After that fall, she is lucky her injuries are not life threatening. God Truly is Amazing.
08/27/07 - I don't know what's up with these black men and dogs. With Mike Vick due in court today pleading guilty on dog cruelty charges, I now have news of Earl Simmons aka DMX. Apparently authorities have removed 12 pit bulls from DMX's Phoenix home, who were in distress. They have found three canine corpses buried and one seemed to be burned, a large number of weapons, some drug paraphernalia and a lot of cars that don't match with the license plates. What the bleep? DMX's lawyer claims DMX has not been to that home in several months and left a caretaker to care for the property. I really hope DMX is not a part of mistreating these animals. Enough is enough people. Animal cruelty is not only morally wrong it is illegal. I hope those responsible get what they deserve. I say lets put those responsible for making these animals fight in a ring with another person and when they lose, burn em' or drown em' like they did these animals. An eye for an eye, right? I wish a nigga would do wrong to my kitty Peachy, it would definitely be on.  Stop making these dogs fight!! Listen people, if the law doesn't get you, God definitely will. On another note. Where the heck did all those cars come from? Stolen no doubt, so I'll keep you posted.

Speaking of cars, John Singleton's was involved in a fatal accident. A 57 year old woman suddenly stepped in front of his car. She was not in the crosswalk. The police determined Singleton was not speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Now, when I lived in California for 2 years, I was told by some residents to watch the road for pedestrians. Since there are so many homeless people there, they tend to run out in front of your car, so they can get money from you and your insurance company. Well it almost happened to me about a few months later. A man jumped out of no where in front of my car. Praise God for my quick thinking and the early morning hours, I was able to swerve and miss the fool. When I finally came to a stop, the man was no where to be found. I'm not saying this is what happened to Singleton, but you never know.  Cali drivers watch-out, you never know when someone is going to run out in front of your car and claim you're the guilty party just to get paid.

Talk about guilty. I have an update on the Junita Bynum beat-down. Bynum's husband Bishop Thomas Weeks III has turned himself in to authorities. Weeks is out on $40,000 bond and made no statement. What is he going to say....this woman power crap was getting on my nerves, so I tried to beat it out of her? Nah, I don't think that's a good idea, so he better keep his mouth shut, while some sheisty lawyer tries to get him off. The couple was married in a lavish televised wedding in 2002. Bynum sported a 7.76 carat diamond ring. Now, I'm all for the nice rock, but all that wedding hoopla I can do without. Elope people, I think those marriages last longer.

Someone who will not be reconciling their differences is Fugees former members Pras and Lauryn Hill. Pras says that Lauryn is their biggest obstacle and you'll have a better chance of getting Bin Laden and Bush together. Well, damn, he is really pissed at her. I heard Wyclef is also upset with her.  It's sad because I was so looking forward to the reunion. I had the pleasure of going to Lauryn's concert and it was not what I expected. She did a couple of her old songs and then she went on to something totally different. Lauryn started talking during her performance and totally stopped singing. She was talking about God and her spiritual journey, which is fine, but the audience got a little perturbed, since they were in the House of Blues to eat, drink and listen to some good music. Lauryn did not care, and she told the crowd that too, in a not so Christian way. It was really something to witness, I hope I never have that pleasure again.

08/28/07 - Producers Young Noble and Omar "Ice Man" Sharif of Hollyhood Filmz, are set to produce Dear Mama:The Life Story of Afeni Shakur. The biography will cover her childhood days, explore her role as a leader in the Black Panther Party, her time in jail while she was pregnant with Tupac and her drug addition. The movie will also cover her life during Tupac's murder. If there was ever a true-life story I wanted to watch, this is it. This Strong Black Woman has been through a lot and has over come it all. Ms. Shakur is someone to admire.  I urge you all to watch her story as it unfolds and learn from her failures and triumphs. Dang, I wish I could have been a member of the Black Panthers.

Someone who obviously was not raised by a strong black woman is Polow Da Don or should I say Polow Da Dumb. Da Dumb has been nicknamed king of the white girls cause he says there was a stage in his life that he went crazy dating white girls. He claims "black women question their men and are not able to submit and white women respect and serve their man." What the bleep?!! He also feels white people are geniuses and black people are idiots cause "N****s livin’ at home when they’re 30. Our parents did not live with their parents when they were 30. That s**t is unheard of. Now you got 25 year-olds still at home, suckin’ on they momma’s titty. That’s why we got a bunch of b**** a** n****s who have no self-respect." His words, not mine. He also goes on to talk about how he's just the bearer of bad news and he's not the problem we're the problem as a whole. I say it again, what the BLEEP???!!! I'm sure you're asking who is this idiot? Well, he's none other than a producer from Atlanta who made such beats as, Fergie's 'London Bridge', Kelly Rowland's 'Like This' and Rich Boy's 'Throw Some D's.' Ok, here I go...first of all he should not have generalized us as a whole, that's the biggest problem I have with those black men who claim black women are not good enough, or submissive enough to date, so they date white chicks. He doesn't want to be questioned by a black woman, then what the heck is he doing that he doesn't want someone questioning him. Black men are just as inquisitive as black women, they want to know where you been and who is that calling you. Just like I know some strong black women, I know some strong white women. Only a weak man goes after a weak woman, whether she's black, white or brown. Also, what upsets me is that, he claims he's not the problem. If Da Dumb thinks this way, then there is a problem. We are all responsible for ourselves and each other. If you see a brother trying to make it but needs some help, and you have the means to help him, then you should. Not every black man that lives at home is a bum, some need just one foot in the door to be successful. These days it really is all about who you know.  If you wish, you can read Da Dumb's entire story at allhiphop.com.

A black man Da Dumb can learn from is Russell Simmons. No longer CEO of Phat Farm, Russell will launch Argyle Culture, a new men's wear collection. Argyle Culture will honor the class, structure and respect achieved by Urban graduates who have arrived in the world. Argyle Culture will focus on the success of men over 25 who have reached their dreams. Simmons understands there are men who would like to look fashionable and still look urban. Basically if you're over 25 your cloths should fit. No saggy, too baggy pants and no t-shirts 3 sizes too big. Thank you Russell for making our men look hip, while preserving style.

Another black man Da Dumb can learn from is Kanye West. AP reports, Kanye just filmed a public service announcement for an advocacy group, that pushes for education to be a top priority for the next President. Kanye was requested by Bill and Melinda Gates, who fund Strong American Schools and the Eli and Edyth Broad Foundation. They all seek to encourage presidential candidates to keep education at the forefront of their agendas.  Although Kanye makes it known that he has no interest in politics, he does believe in our children getting a good education. I say hats off to all those involved.

Last, but not least, another brother Da Dumb can learn from is Mos Def. Mos Def was involved in a benefit concert in New York hosted by Black August. Black August promotes awareness about people they believe have been wrongly convicted.  The group is organized by The Malcome X Grassroots Movement. Well, well, well...now this is something I can get down with, I knew Mos Def and I had the same concerns. I've got to find out how to become a member. Ooops, my bad, this is not about me, this is about teaching Da Dumb that there are black men out there who are successful and that they care about others.

To all the men, Black, White, Latin or whatever you may be, one-time for doing the damn thing and giving back to the community. To all my Strong Women, keep doing you. You can be strong and still take care of home, do not lose who you are just to please a man weaker than you.
08/29/07 - Foxy Brown is in prison at Rikers Island for parole violation. You see, she violated her parole when she gave her neighbor a Blackberry beatdown. And then she was arrested the next day for allegedly giving a police officer false name during a traffic stop. Now, I can understand why she gave the false name, since she was driving with a suspended license and registration. That's not the end of Miss Brown, now she wants to be released from jail because she's suffering. I know all the folks locked-up would be released if that was a reason. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all the men and women in jail suffering? She should have just did what Paris Hilton did, flirt with the guard, so she can get sent home. But, Foxy doesn't have as much money as Paris and she's not white, so oh well Foxy, you do the crime and you're black, you'll definitely do the time.

JAM books will release Phyllis Hyman's biography next month. Hyman was an 80's favorite with songs like Old Friend and You Know How to Love Me. The book, Strength of a Woman: The Phyllis Hyman story, will cover the events that lead up to her suicide in '95. It will also cover how she lost the role of Shug Avery in the Color Purple when she was the first choice and the effect her relationship with Clive Davis had on her career. JAM books was founded by author Jason A. Michael so that he could release this book, since no other publisher would release it for him. They wouldn't release the book because they felt no one remembers Phyllis Hyman. Don't that just beat all. Come on now....who of age doesn't remember Hyman? What about all these biographies about people out here that we've never heard of? That's messed-up, but I'm glad Jason A. Michael had the means to start his own company to achieve his goal. Hats off to Mr. Michael.

There are rumors that Oprah Winfrey asked a bride to move her bridal party out of a hotel near her home. Apparently Oprah's guests need somewhere to stay during the Barack Obama fundraiser. Not that Oprah doesn't have the room, but she's not letting anyone inside her $64 million estate. No camera's are allowed and guests must park 8 miles away and be shuttled in to her property. I'm not mad at Oprah, we all know how crazy Paparazzi are, so she's not taking any chances. And I wouldn't want all those people in my house either, celebrities or not, it'll be hard to control where they go and what they're doing. Although I did hear security will be tight, sometimes it's not enough.

Allen Iverson's stepfather is indicted on federal drug charges. Michael Andre Freeman is charged with possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. Oh, wow. I know how much Iverson loves his stepfather. He thinks of him as his mentor and is given credit for making Iverson the player he is today. I know this must be a serious blow to Iverson, but I'm sure he'll stand by his step dad and give him the support he needs.

08/30/07 - El DeBarge is in a L.A. jail when an arrest for domestic violence revealed several outstanding warrants. The District Attorney rejected the domestic violence charge, but DeBarge has warrants for vandalism, drugs and driving with a suspended license. With these charges no bail is allowed, so he must wait until a hearing is scheduled. DeBarge is separated from his wife Monica, so it's not clear who the allege victim is at this time. I remember how fine El DeBarge use to be and I thought he was the sweetest thing. I guess that's what happens when you're on the outside looking in. DeBarge now 46 years old, is way too old to be involved in this kind of mess. I guess with a career that has sunk to the bottom of the deepest ocean, he's bound to end up depressed and in trouble. Take my advice people, when your career as an artist has ended, then you need to get another career. It's not the end of the world and if you managed your money right, you should already have a business or two on the side. If you spent all your money on hoochies, drugs and alcohol, then I suggest you use your talents to become a music teacher or voice coach or whatever interest you. If you're black and you allegedly commit a crime, watch out, the law is not on our side.

Talk about a has-been artist. Bobby Brown has filed papers in court, alleging ex-wifey Whitney Houston is prohibiting him from seeing their daughter Bobbi Kristina. Bobby states "Whitney has sole custody and is attempting to eliminate me."  He claims he lived out of his car, when he paid $10K for Whitney and Bobbi Kristina to live in a nice hotel while Whitney was in rehab. Ok, even if Bobby B. can't see this daughter, doesn't he have 10 others he could visit? So, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but the brother does have some active sperm, that led to a bunch of kids. I hope his child support was paid up before he went and spent all that loot on a hotel. I can understand Whitney not wanting Bobby around their daughter, considering his destructive ways. But, if he's really trying to get it together and become a better role model for his daughter, then she should give him supervised visitation, until he can prove himself.  The judge decided Whitney was the less destructive of the two, so Bobby will need to prove he can be a great father.
A woman claims she was trampled during a Lil Wayne concert at Morgan State University, after the artist tossed money into the crowd. Tyrique Layne is suing Lil Wayne for $1 million, claiming she suffers from headaches, memory loss, fatigue and neck & back pain. Now get this, the police were going to charge Lil Wayne for causing chaos, but Morgan State decided to ban him from performing on campus forever. I don't know why people insist on running you over to get the couple dollars being thrown out. Those that do it, look like a damn fool. I mean, how broke are you that you need to knock someone down for $1, $5 or $10 dollars? Also, to the artist out there, stop doing that crap, it's dangerous. If you want to give money away, I know some homeless shelters and children that can use that money. If I get trampled because of someone's negligence, I would sue too. You go girl!!!

Someone who would never do such a thing as throw money into the crowd is the very talented Ne-Yo. Ne-Yo was all set to get Britney Spears's comeback album up and poppin', until Britney went on a head-shaving, rehab adventure. With about 8 songs ready to go, there's only one problem, no artist. Ne-Yo got tired of trying to contact Britney's people, so he took his tracks to Pussycat Doll's lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. Nicole liked two of the tracks and immediately gave Ne-Yo the money to secure them for her upcoming album; Her Name is Nicole. Now get this, suddenly Britney's people are calling Ne-Yo back and want those tracks, along with others. Ne-Yo's response "Y'all didn't cut me no check." One of my favorite expressions "you snooze, you lose, that's Chicago rules." That's what Britney's people did, they slept on an opportunity and it passed them up. I like Ne-Yo's go get it attitude. He knows he's talented and if one door closes another one opens, so don't be afraid to knock people. If you wait for people to come to you, you'll end up with cobwebs. Get you Hustle and Flow on.......gotta love a hustler.

08/31/07 - Bow Wow wants to do an adult album. In an interview with MTV news, Bow Wow talks about how he wants to get away from the teen type music. I can understand that, I mean the boy or should I say man, is 20 years old. Bow Wow says "All my career, I felt like a dog on a leash that was trying to run free but could never be myself. Now he let that go. I respect him for doing that. It was a big decision, it was probably hard for him to do it, but it had to be done."  He's talking about Jermaine Dupree. It seems that Bow Wow and Jermaine have creative differences, so Jermaine will not be apart of this project. Bow Wow has been with Jermaine since he was 9 years old, so I know it's hard for Jermaine to let go, but you have to let your protégé grow-up and find his or her own way. If they fail, then they still have you to come to and look for guidance. If they succeed, then they can attribute that success to you. Either way, it's a win win situation. We can't keep the little ones, little for long.

The role of Biggie Smalls in his true-life story will not be played by my choice, Gorilla Black. Sean Kingston, famous for his single "Beautiful Girls", has audition and landed the role. I don't think Gorilla Black auditioned, because no way he would not get the part. He's perfect. I have not heard Kingston rap, so I don't know if he could pull it off, so I'll just have to hope the director George Tillman knows what he is doing. Although, Kingston does look like a young Biggie, so we're halfway there. I wonder if they're going to make him a fake wandering eye and then put dark sunglasses over it, like no one knows it's there. Things that make you go....hummm.

The substance seized from DMX's Arizona home last week is not drugs, but they're still trying to figure out what type of substance it is. It could be a type of sand rock, I mean they are in the desert. DMX is still not off the hook, because the police did remove a usable size of marijuana.  At least the 12 dogs removed from the property last week do not seem to have been used for fighting. So, if DMX can just prove he's been out of town for the past months and it's his caretaker's drugs and guns, then he's in the clear. Although DMX's neighbors told the police he has been home for the past 3 weeks. Talk about ratting a brother out. He probably has white neighbors who thinks all brothers look alike. If I was him, I would grab a brother that looks like me and send him over to the crib to walk around, so he can confuse the neighbors. All you have to do is create reasonable doubt and you're in the clear.

Students at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa in Canada, booked NAS to perform at the Rock the Vote concert. The concert scheduled for Oct. 1st will need to find another venue, because officials for the Congress Centre has banned NAS from performing. The vice president of food and beverage, Peter Seguin said the venue has a policy that bans hip hop acts. I can believe that, because if you go back to my archives, you'll see that MurderCorp's CEO is suing Canada for launching an attack on U.S. black rappers. So, I guess it is a problem over there to perform or even get in the country if you're a rapper. I don't know if we can get another country to change it's mind, if our own country doesn't care about us as a people and our artistic vision, why would another one?

SEPTEMBER 2007

09/04/07 - If you're invited to attend P Diddy's all white party in East Hampton, you better have on white.  When Diddy says white, he means white. Not off-white, beige, cream or dingy, Diddy wants pure white. Most color coordinated parties you can get away with wearing another color, but not this one. New York Post's Page Six reports, those without pure white were turned away. Billy Joel's wife had on cream and decided to just go home rather than change. Come on now, why she had to spoil his fun, just cause she couldn't follow directions. Another gent, removed his cream colored pants at the door, when offered pure white pants by Diddy. See, that's what I'm talking about. Who wants to miss out on this party, when you can be in the presence of Lil Kim, Mariah Carey, Russell Simmons, Busta Rhymes and Donna Karan to name a few.

Talk about white. There is a boycott against VH1 because of it's negative portrayal of black women through it's reality programming. You know the shows, well, the only black reality shows they have, "Flavor of Love", "I Love New York" and "Flavor of Love: Charm School". Now the boycott jumped off because an employee of VH1 leaked info about a production meeting in reference to a new show "Interracial Love". This show would be about professional black women who look for love outside their race. The female employee wrote a letter to Black Press Radio and ratted out the white folks, she claims the exec said: “It is our thoughts that the viewers are more interested in seeing black people in a ghetto role. This show will not sell.” Black Press Radio followed up on the story and reported on an Aug. 14 statement sent to Black Press Magazine by Maura Wozniak, the Senior Publicist for VH1 Communications. In the statement, Wozniak confirms that “Interracial Love” was rejected after it was determined it just wasn't a good fit for the network. Well damn...I'm all for Power to the People, but do I really have to stop watching "Flavor of Love"? The white girls on the show are worst than the black ones. Now how am I going to get my drama fix? Damn white people...why couldn't you all just keep your mouths shut?! For more on this boycott visit www.blackpressradio.com. I'm so freakin' pissed!!!

Do we really care that Usher and Tameka Foster got married again? The happy couple were reportedly re-married at a 16th-century-style French chateau resort on 3,500 hilly acres outside Atlanta. They wanted a dream wedding and now they've had it.   My friend's mom was at the same resort and saw Usher and Tameka, but was too scared of Usher's bodyguards to take any pics or say hello. I guess we can just wait for the birth of their child and go from there.

Did anyone know that Denzel Washington's son was in the NFL? J.D. Washington was cut from the St. Louis Rams this past weekend. The Rams allocated him to the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa this spring. He gained just three yards on his five preseason carries this year. Basically, he sucks big time and probably got the position because of his dad's status. In happier Washington news, Denzel's new film "American Gangster" will open November 2nd.

Speaking of films, Spike Lee will be the head judge in charge for Babelgum's film festival. Babelgum is an internet company that streams videos online for free. Films will be accepted beginning Sept. 15th and can be uploaded onto www.babelgum.com. Read the rules people, because offensive material will not be accepted. Spike Lee told reporters "I was from the prehistoric age. If you have a film and you're talented and someone is not seeing it, it's your fault". I say Amen to that!!! Get your hustle on people, you have no one to blame for your failures but yourself. Stop waiting for opportunities to come to you. You've got to get up, get out and get something!

09/05/07 - Miami's center Shaquille O'Neal has filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie. The couple has been married for five years and have four children together. You will never believe why Shaq wants a divorce. Well, in the prenup they're suppose to disclose all assets. Shaq claims Shaunie is not doing that and that she has secret investments. Basically she's hiding money. Now, Shaq makes $20 million a year, so please tell me why he's tripping. Maybe she thought she told him and forgot. Ok, let me stop, I can't even write that without laughing. This chick knew exactly what she was doing. She was stacking paper on the side just incase. You know ladies, just incase that negro wants to trip, you have your paper on the side where you'll able to kick him to the curb and not have to worry about a thing. Shaunie does have four kids by him, so she will be set with child support, but that money's for the kiddies....right? I do wish chicks would stop going to get their hair done with the child support check, while their kid look a hot mess.   Sorry, but I had to throw that in there.

In happier news, TMZ.com reports that Halle Berry is three months pregnant. Now this is one hot mama, who's child would not look a hot mess, especially if her baby's daddy is current boy-toy model Gabriel Aubrey. Halle now 41 years young deserves this babe, I heard she wanted one so bad that she was thinking of going to a sperm bank. Could her baby's daddy be anonymous or is it her current beau's? Only Maury Povich could get the truth. Good Luck Halle!

God Bless the nine NBA players that are on their way to South Africa.  The players are going to South Africa on behalf of Basketball Without Borders, a charity that help build and dedicate new homes and healthcare for the nation's poor. Hats off to Mutombo & Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs, Emeka Okafor & Primoz Brezec of the Charlotte Bobcats. Pat Garrity of the Magic, Kevin Martin of the Kings, Malik Rose of the Knicks, Sean Marks of the Suns and Josh Childress of the Hawks. It's always good to give back. God says pay your tithes and offer what you can and he will take care of you. Can I get an Amen?!!

While Mariah was partying it up at Diddy's white party, her ex-manager Jerry Blair was hiring a lawyer. The New York Daily News is reporting Mariah owes Jerry money on services rendered as president of MonarC Entertainment. A source is telling the paper that Jerry helped Mariah reach the top and when she hit rock bottom, he was the only person there for her. Apparently, Mariah doesn't want anyone around her who saw her when she was at her lowest. I'm not surprised, because that happens a lot. Let me set the scene. A person is all down and out, broke and don't know where their next meal is coming from. You step in to help a sista or brother out, remain by their side and as soon as they're back on their feet....adios. They just up and bounce on you and you're sitting around looking like boo boo the fool, wondering where you went wrong. I say this to my giving brothers and sisters, don't stop being nice and helping a person out, just because of one or two ungrateful idiots. Keep doing you and you will reap the rewards. I hope Mariah 'do the right thing'.

Surprise, surprise, surprise. R Kelly's trial has been delayed due to the prosecutor giving birth. We all knew she was pregnant and due to deliver this month, but folks are still upset that R has not been brought down yet. I'll still keep you posted, when and if it finally begins.

09/06/07 - One of my favorite comedians, Eddie Griffith was out of control at an event hosted by Black Enterprise. Apparently the audience which included Al Sharpton did not like Eddie's repeated use of the N-word. So, Earl Graves, the founder of Black Enterprise had Eddie's mic cut off. Graves then went on stage to tell the crowd "we will not allow our culture to go backwards” and that statement received a standing ovation from the audience. Graves did say he will pay Eddie his loot, but they will not allow him to finish. I heard that Eddie being Eddie walked on stage smoking a cigarette and yelled "F*** y'all" and then walked back off. I can't even get my thoughts straight, cause I'm laughing so hard. Man, I wish I could have been there. I saw Eddie perform and I myself loved it, I just wish I could have been at this event. That boy is a fool!

Maybe Eddie should have asked to join the Comedy Festival in Las Vegas this November. Among the headliners are Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes. They also hope to book Katt Williams. Basically, know your audience people. I don't know why Eddie thought he could get away with that around all those uppity black folks. Now Vegas will have a crowd that lets you be you.

"Stomp The Yard" and "Roll Bounce's" Meagan Good has finally landed a roll outside the typical "black" movie. Meagan will be in a Mike Myers film. Yes people, the movie "The Love Guru" will also star Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake. Funny man Mike Meyers, will star as an American raised in an Indian ashram who returns to the States to break into the self-help business. I like Meyers and now I like him even more for giving Meagan a roll in his movie. She's a good actress and I'm sure she'll do fine. She'll definitely do better than Beyonce did in "Gold Member". Whew what a travesty, but Beyonce did look hot, so hey, if you can't act on screen at least look good on it.

Kim Porter breaks her silence on the break-up from P Diddy. Kim's full interview can be read in Essence on Sept 12th. To give you a heads-up she talking about how Diddy's not ready for marriage and if he asked her today she would say no, because when she gets married she wants to stay married. Well, that's not going to happen with him. She also talks about the 'real' reason she left. Are you ready for this? Can I get a drum roll, please? Diddy has another baby in Atlanta. Ummm...hello...is anyone there? I really want to just shake some since into this chick. He's not using condoms with her, and she knows he cheats, so why would he use condoms with other women. Nasty...nasty....nasty. I'm going to use this time to bring you a public service announcement "RAP IT UP"!!!!

My true readers and real friends may remember me reporting on J.D. Washington, Denzel Washington's son being cut from the St. Louis Rams. Well, they've allowed him back on the practice squad. The practice squad doesn't get a chance to play, but they are allowed to participate in the practices and attend the meetings. Those on the practice squad earn about a couple thousand per week. Ok, hold up....what the bleep? You mean you can get paid a couple grand a week for doing nothing? Fellas, why are you all sitting around making chump change, when you can be on someone's field playing around for money? I must say this every other column, but it never gets old. Get your hustle on. Of course having a dad like Denzel helps, because this dude sucks. Ladies, he is fine, but he sucks as a football player.
09/07/07 - More Diddy drama. The Daily news is putting the word on the street, that P Diddy gave his other baby mama, one million dollars in 'don't you say a damn word' money. It seems that, the nasty boy got the Atlanta chick pregnant, at the same time Kim Porter was pregnant with their twins. You can read yesterday's column in the archives on my true feelings about this situation. Just nasty!

Like he doesn't have enough problems, YouTube has a video of P Diddy in a club in Ibiza, allegedly buying drugs. it looks like he's doing something fishy, but you really can't tell. Hey, maybe he can use that as an excuse for his current lapse in judgment regarding safe sex. Come on man, get it together!

Do we really care what Superhoe, oops, I mean Superhead thinks of Shaq's divorce?  I wrote yesterday that Shaq is divorcing his wife due to her hiding money. Well, Superhead, Karrine Steffans says Shaq was very generous. She told the New York Daily News "On the first date he gave me $10,000 and over four months more than $40,000, as far as I can remember." If he's that generous, then why is he tripping? I don't know, but what I do know is, I should have stopped when Shaq tried to grab me in the club years ago. But, doing sexual things for money has never been my thing, I guess I did the right thing. Damn my morals.

Jamie Foxx will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's about time, since he did win an Academy Award for his performance as Ray Charles. Jamie is a real cool dude, although somewhat freaky, but what man's not. I remember this interview he did and he was talking about being at the Playboy mansion. If this dude didn't grin from ear to ear the whole time, I mean it was like watching a kid in a candy store. Well, I guess that's what it's like to be in the Playboy mansion, a kid in a candy store. Now, where's the Playgirl mansion? I mean I couldn't go because of my morals, but what about the freaky deprived chicks out here? Girls just want to have fun, somebody hook my sister's up.

The Game is facing charges he allegedly made criminal threats, possessed a firearm in a school zone and exhibited a firearm on the grounds of a facility for minors. Apparently, Game was playing basketball at a South Los Angeles school, when people started fighting. Game allegedly (don't you just love that word) hit someone on the other team, then went and got his gun from his SUV and told the guy he was going to shoot him.  He didn't shoot anyone, so at least it's not attempted murder or worse murder that he faces. Ok, here I go...a fight's, a fight. If you're getting beat-up, that is no reason to go get a gun. What happened to all the head-up fights from back in the day? Why does everyone have to pull a gun out? You should only shoot someone if they are also armed or you feel your life is in danger. But, if you guys are the same size and no weapons or other people are involved then you shouldn't be pulling out a gun. Only a punk a** negro would do that. Man Up!!!

It's on and poppin' this Tuesday. Not only will you be able to purchase Kanye West and 50 Cent's new albums, you'll also be able to see them live on BET's 106 & Park. The showdown is on and has been on for awhile now. It's like this, these dudes have different styles, therefore they have different fans. I'm a West fan, not because I'm from the Chi., but because of his style and his words. Basically, Kanye makes sense to me. He's not always talking about money, cars and women. 50 Cent needs to dig deeper to get me to buy his cd. 50's music is the same old songs, over and over again. He runs NY and he wants to sex all up on some chick. I heard from a 50 Cent fan that he listened to both albums and Kanye's is the best, but he's still thinks 50 will win. I say let the best man win, which is obviously Kanye. Go cop that "Graduation" on Tuesday, you won't be disappointed.

09/10/07 - I don't really like watching the MTV awards, but I did yesterday only because I thought Brittney Spears would do her thang. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I could've hooked her hair weave up waaay better than that. Brittney couldn't dance in her hooker heels and she was dressed horribly. Come on now...even 50 Cent looked disgusted watching her. Enough, someone please give this lost soul a clue. Also, fellas I'm not hating, but Beyonce needs to cover-up. She's too beautiful to be dressing like that. Breast halfway out her dress, Stop That Foolishness!! Not enough black folks won for me, so unless they open with Whitney Houston, Janet or Michael Jackson, I will not be watching next year. Kanye West threw a fit he didn't win an award, which I totally didn't understand either. Besides, I hear MTV's ratings are low, so I must not be the only one that's not impressed.

Speaking of the half-dressed Beyonce, in an interview with Latina.com, B says she wish she was Latina. Some people are never happy. Now here you have a perfectly beautiful black woman and she wants to be Latina. Beyonce says "I'm just jealous that I wasn't born Latina. I wish I had been because the culture is so beautiful. I'm very grateful Latinos are embracing me." Now, I don't know if she said that because it was Latina.com or if she's really serious. Well, I guess I should be happy that she doesn't want to be white. But, dang, we embrace her and have a beautiful culture too. So, what's the problem, B?

First El DeBarge goes to the slammer (read my archives 8/30), now his brother Chico DeBarge is locked-up. The cops caught Chico switching seats with a female passenger while driving in L.A. When they pulled him over and searched the car, they found illegal drugs and cash. Chico is being held on $30,000 bail. DeBarge was one of my favorite groups. "Love Me in a Special Way" was my favorite single. I can't believe they crashed and burned this hard. Where are the rest of the DeBarge clan?  Randy, James & Bunny.  Although, El and Chico DeBarge may be wrong, family should stick together. Maybe all these drug problems they're having is a cry for help, so someone should answer.

Crazy Ike Turner has finally met his match and wants the relationship on screen. Ike wants a reality show about his psycho relationship with ex-wifey, back-up singer Audrey Madison. He has claimed before that Audrey tried to poison him with prescription pills by giving him an overdose. The couple is back together and trying to make a quick buck off their drama. According to WENN, friends insist the couple will be together forever, because Audrey is the only woman who is "wilder than he is."    A source says "He's been used to marrying groupies he could control." I'm not surprised with that statement. I mean, most women beaters can't beat-up on a strong woman, so they go for the weaker ones. Plus, they almost always can't beat-up on a man. Do I want to see crazy Ike on TV? Yeah, I think I'll watch at least one episode, just to see what this dude is up to. We all know, I love me some drama.

Former Miss USA, model/actress Kenya Moore is releasing a new book this November. The book "Game, Get Some: What Women Really Want" will make a great stocking stuffer ladies. Kenya is helping men understand us and will help them by giving advice on how to deal with us. This is not just from Kenya's point of view, she also interviewed other women and did online polls. So, men should get a well rounded view of women. "What can't they learn?" she said of men "For instance, how to approach us. No, we don't like 'Ay bay-bay.' Different techniques in the book [include] how to approach us, how to communicate with us, and even how to break-up with us properly. So many men don't know how to break up with us and that's why they get a woman slashing their tires or busting their windows." Amen!!! Fellas, put your pride on hold and read this book. You'll be surprised at what you can learn about us. We're a complex species and we're not easy to read, but I bet this book is. Enjoy!!

09/11/07 - What did I tell you folks about throwing money out into the crowd? Well, read my archives dated 8/30 and you'll find out. Someone who obviously did not read the article is 50 Cent's front man. While 50 was performing in Las Vegas his front man threw out money. The money hungry crowd went wild and almost collapsed the stage. 50 Cent tried to tell the crowd to back off, but no one was listening, so he ran for his life, off the stage to safety. Thank God no one was hurt. People listen, those few dollars that are getting thrown out is not worth your life. Also, have some dang class, looking like fools, chasing a couple bucks. I hope 50's front man has learned his lesson. Shoot, he may be out of a job. Well, he wouldn't be in this situation, if he had read my column.

Giant Magazine has interviewed the wonderfully talented Chris Brown. On the cover of the magazine this September, Chris talks about his abusive stepfather, how he had the hots for Ciara and about his idol Michael Jackson. When he talks about his stepdad he states, "(I told my mother) 'I just want you to know that I love you, but I'm gonna take a baseball bat one day while you are at work, and I'm gonna kill him.' He used to hit my mom...He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself. I remember one night he made her nose bleed. I was crying and thinking, 'I'm just gonna go crazy on him one day...' I hate him to this day." I wonder where this person is now. I can't call him a man, cause no real man would do that to a child. Thank God Chris has survived and is on top to boot. He truly is blessed. Let this be a lesson to the kiddies, you can overcome anything and be as successful as the next man or woman.   Don't let nothing or no one stop you from achieving your dreams.

Michael Jackson's mother and brothers are tired of all the negative publicity. They're really pissed at People Magazine for reporting on a drug intervention for MJ. They said it's not true and they want the rumors to stop. The claim People's source is just a money hungry liar. The Jackson family is tired of all the false rumors and false accusations. I hear you. I mean poor Michael can't catch a break. If he had only stayed black, maybe things would have been different. Who knows, but what I do know is, I still like Michael as a performer and I do believe he is a sweet man. That's all I'm going to say....for now.

You know I could not end without talking about the Kanye West and 50 Cent showdown happening today. It's on and poppin', get your dollars ready to buy Kanye's cd. Well, that's if you want to hear Great music. If you want to hear the same ol' crap over and over again, then get 50's album. I couldn't have said it better than the Suntimes, Pop Music Critic, Jim DeRogaris. See below:

The violence and sexism were already pathetic on "The Massacre," but hard as it may be to believe, 50 Cent stoops even lower here while cynically bragging about his own greed and nihilism (and giving shout-outs to mentors Dr. Dre, Eminem and label chief Jimmy Iovine) in "Straight to the Bank": "When I made 50 mil, Em got paid/When I made 60 mil, Dre got paid/When I made 80 mil, Jimmy got paid/I ain't even gotta rap now life is made ... I'm laughin' straight to the bank with this/Ha, ha-ha-ha-ha- ha/Ha, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Unlike West, 50 Cent isn't laughing with the fans who listen to his records -- he's laughing at them. But regardless of which album wins the race to the top of the pops, the biggest joke here is on anyone deaf or deluded enough to think that the future of hip-hop is in the crass, corrupt and hate-filled direction championed by Fiddy rather than the boundlessly creative and deeply rewarding path being forged by West. Ha-ha, indeed.

Thanks Jim, that was perfect!

09/12/07 - Ok, who copped that "Graduation" yesterday? Well, I did and it is off da chain!! Kanye is doing it and doing it and doing it well. Anyone that hops in my cruiser, be prepared to be entertained. Kanye's cd is in the player, ready to get it poppin'. I loved him on BET's 106 & Park yesterday. Of course, I recorded his performance and interview. All I can say to those that missed it, ask BET to run it again, it's worth it. I can't hate, 50 Cent did good also, but Kanye was better, especially when Jay-Z came out on Kanye's song "Big Brother", that was totally unexpected and the crowd went wild. It really trips me out that people can say Kanye has the better album, but 50 Cent will sell more records. Are we really that shallow? Good music should win, not the sexiest person or the person with the most money, but the person with the most talent. "Graduation" in stores now. I got mine from Target for $9.98. Kanye also said the album cover is a collectors item and will be worth money in the years to come. So, protect that album cover folks, you never know.

I am not surprised that Trick Daddy Dollar got thrown out of a strip club in Broward County. The police says he was using profanity and threatening the club staff. He was released after posting bond on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence. Now, I say, I'm not surprised because, my friend had the pleasure of being Trick Daddy's server at a restaurant. My friend said Trick Daddy was next to a Caucasian family of four, two adults and two kids. Now Trick being Trick, was using the most foul language. When asked to stop using those words, he then proceeded to get belligerent and said he's not doing bleep. I was told the poor family looked to terrified to move, so they sat there not enjoying their meal. Why no one had him removed is still a mystery to me. But, hey "Trick Loves the Kids", right? Not!!

There's a campaign called "Enough is Enough" and the members want to stop the entertainment industry from negatively portraying black men and women. Their first protest will be in front of BET's Chairman & CEO, Debra L. Lee's D.C. home. Ok, how in the heck did these people get her address? I totally understand where they're coming from, but don't we all make our own decisions. Well, the organizer, Rev. Delman L. Coates, Ph.D., tells EURweb, "The movement recognizes the power of media and entertainment corporations to shape American attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and even policies by and about people of color," said Coates. "Music companies do not equitably apply standards of obscenity for music that is offensive to blacks as for other groups." I'm sorry, but I feel it takes an ignorant person to believe everything they see on TV. I know a lot of different people of all races and we are all separate in our own right.  So, stop lumping us together in the same category. Educate yourselves, go out and meet different people of different races and find out what that person is really about. Make your own decisions, do not let the media think for you, open your minds and think for yourself.

The jury is being selected for Isiah Thomas, the New York Knicks head coach and general manager. He's being sued for sexual harassment. Isiah is being sued by Anucha Browne-Sanders, a former Knicks executive. Anucha 44 years old, claims Isiah called her a b**ch, asked her to go for a sexual encounter and told her he loved her. The New York Daily News reports, at a practice in October 2005, Anucha claims Thomas said it was "distracting to work with someone so attractive." In his deposition, Thomas denied any fireworks. "I'm not attracted to her, no, " he said. Ok, if anyone has not seen a photo of Anucha Browne-Sanders, go to google.com images. I'm not saying unattractive people cannot be sexually harassed, but come on now. Of all the women Isiah could have, he chose this one? Again, I don't know if it's true or not, but I really hope this woman is not lying, just to get paid. This man's reputation is on the line. The trial is expected to last 3 weeks, so I'll keep you posted.

09/13/07 - Kanye West is winning the battle against 50 Cent. Neilson SoundScan is reporting on opening sales day, Kanye has sold 437,000, while 50 Cent has sold only 310,000. I'm holding 50 to his promise of not recording anymore albums if he loses. I'm claiming it, Kanye will win the battle of the hip-hop artists. I cannot express enough, how this album is true hip-hop, like from back in the day, before it got too violent and too explicit. I got my "Graduation", do you have yours?

Speaking of too explicit, the New York Post is reporting, MTV will not air P Diddy's Unforgivable commercial, because it's too sexual. Apparently, P Diddy is getting too familiar with Jessica Gomez. He hikes up her skirt and places his hands underneath. There is also a scene where a woman holds Gomez's breast and pulls down her underwear. MTV asked Diddy to clean it up and he refused. Come on now, this cannot be the only way to sell cologne. I wish Diddy would just think outside the box. I'm sure he has a creative team, so use them. But, if this is what they came up with, then back to the drawing board people. You can have a sexy ad, without being x-rated. I agree with MTV, this is too much and too many kiddies watch that network. Hat's off to MTV for taking a stand on something.

Talking about Diddy, brings me to Diddy's other baby mama Sarah Chapman. The Atlanta woman, is the mother of Diddy's one-year old daughter. Sarah told Sandra Rose that she and Kim Porter met Diddy at the same time, and that Kim knew that Sarah was pregnant before getting knocked up by Diddy with the twins. While Sarah and Diddy are not together, they remain friends. "We've always been friends. I've known him a long time - 13 years exactly. It's never been a situation where I'm trying to step on top of Kim or I'm trying to be in her position." Look, no one should be surprised at this statement. Of course Kim knew about Sarah, she chose to ignore it.  I'm sure that Sarah knew Diddy was sleeping with Kim unprotected, so I can't imagine why she would still spread her legs and have unprotected sex with this man. Ladies, please have some morals and a higher value on your life. Make these men step-up and marry you. Do not sell yourself short. There are men out there willing to make you his wife, but you have to play the part of the wife and not the whore.

Remy Ma is out of control. She had her goons jump a potential witness to her July 14th shooting of a friend, according to TMZ.com. She allegedly had her peeps beat him up so bad, they fractured his face. In addition to the multiple assault and weapons charges she's already facing for the July 14 incident, Manhattan DA spokesman Edison Alban tells TMZ that Ma is now facing charges of gang assault, tampering with a witness, intimidating a victim and third-degree assault. She was released on $250,000 bail, had to hand over her passport, and will be back in court September 20 to review her bail privileges. Say it ain't so Remy. Personally, I like Remy's rap style. I'm a bit disappointed at her, I thought she was a little bit smarter than this. I mean, all this over $2,000. It's just not worth it. Talk about someone who needs Jesus, this girl really needs to find her way. Let's pray for her.

Hats off to Beyonce and Kelly, along with Beyonce's parents and other sponsors, they will open the "Knowles-Rowland Temenos Place Apartments". This will be a supportive housing facility for at-risk adults in Houston, TX. The housing facility will provide living accommodations for women and men who are taking significant steps in improving their lives, after the traumatic effects of personal and natural disasters. So, if you're in the Houston area and in need of assistance, here you go. People, do not go over there if you're not serious about getting your life together. There will only be 43-single units, so only serious people need to inquire. Construction will begin soon, so I suggest you go to Beyonce's or Kelly's website and figure out how you can apply. Good Luck!

09/14/07 - Prince has launched an all out war against YouTube, EBay and The Pirate Bay. Prince wants to stop these companies from making money off his work. Basically, if he's not getting paid, then no one is getting paid. Prince has hired Web Sheriff, a company in Britain, that police the web for pirated content. He has filed suit in the U.S. and the U.K., to protect the copyrights of his work. Well, I guess it is wrong to use an artist's work, without their consent, but dang...it's just for fun. I mean, if these sites have to start paying for the use of these videos and songs, then we're going to have to pay to use them. Which sucks. I have no idea where I stand on this.

Ok peeps, Gerard Rechnitzer is the guy suing P Diddy for an alleged Diddy smack down. E! Online reports, Gerard's legal team wants to match Diddy's rings to the shape and sizes of his injuries. Gerard claims this smack down allegedly happened because, Diddy was trying to holla at his girl. Gerard also claims he was just standing there when Diddy looked at him "in a threatening and ominous manner" and yelled, "What the f*** you looking at, dude?" followed by, "I'll smack flames out your ass!" No freakin' way, please say it ain't so Diddy. Flames?? I don't know if I believe this guy, this sounds a little too unreal for me.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted.

I'm particular when it comes to the type of rap music I listen to, so I'm proud to announce Ja Rule's new album, "The Mirror" is due Nov. 13th. Ja will be featured in the new issue of Complex magazine. Here are some of the topics he discussed in the interview:

ON CONGRESS:
Ja: Yeah, they got my man [Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group] Doug Morris under fire and s***, they got him going down to go speak to Congress about hip-hop lyrics, are you f****** serious? There's a f****** black kid right now about to get 25 years for having a fight with some white kids over hanging the nooses over the white tree, lets get to that. Let's get into s*** like that, because that's what's tearing up America, not me calling a woman a b**** or a hoe on my rap songs.

ON BEEF WITH 50 CENT:
Ja: Well that's because he screamed my name and I went to see him. That's the difference people don't understand. Everyone talks about the beef I had with 50; he has beef with all types of rappers, but I'm the only rapper who went and handled my business and went and hollered at him man to man... And the moment I heard he had a record about me, I knew where he resided, I knew where he hung out, I went and seen and him. "Homie, you have a problem with me? What's happening? You ain't got to rhyme about it, I'm right here in front of your face." So that's how our situation took place, and I handled my business with 50 and 50 knows that. That's why I'm such a threat to him, that's why he doesn't like me so much.

ON BEEF WITH DMX
Ja: I've seen Jay's reaction when Pac started to s*** on him! I've seen how he was getting backlash! And then Pac died and he didn't even get a chance to respond. He just had to take that on the chin. I was there when Lil Cease brought B.I.G the f****** "Hit 'Em Up" joint. I seen B.I.G's reaction, when he first heard the record. When B.I.G first heard that from Pac, B.I.G's reaction was like "Why is homie doing this? 'Cause he don't mean that, this dude was my man." See, they were friends. That's kind of how I feel when I hear X talking s***. I'm like "X, dawg, you don't mean that, ni**a, c'mon X." But we always give X a pass and excuse X for his wild and crazy tirades, because we know X has a drug problem and we appease X. We treat X like a child at times.

That's what's up. In my opinion, 50 Cent copied Ja's style, you know, having the hot, fresh hooks in the songs. Something 50 dogged Ja Rule about and then he stole it from Ja. Yeah, I said it. And don't even get me started on the unstable DMX.

Self proclaimed King of the South, T.I. is nominated for 9 BET Hip-Hop Awards. T.I. has the most nominations, with Lil' Wayne following close behind with 7. My main man Kanye has 6, Common has 5, Jay-Z has 4 and Ludacris and 50 Cent both have 3.  Chi-Town will definitely be in da house. The show is in Hot Lanta (Atlanta for those squares) and will air Oct. 17th.  I can't wait to see it. Not only is the show hosted by, the very funny Katt Williams. Some of the performers scheduled to perform are, Nelly, Lil' Wayne, Kanye and Common. Do not miss this event folks!!
09/17/07 - 50 Cent says it's still to early to tell who will win. I'm not one for counting my chickens before they hatch, but come on now, no way 50 is going to beat my main man, Kanye West. 50's crying like a baby, claiming BET's 106 and Park didn't give him as much TV time as Kanye. He also complains that he was blind sided by Jay-Z. 50 says, "If I knew I could've brought a special guest, I would've brought Eminem ... but that [show] is not what I needed." No one should have to tell him how to promote his album on TV. He's just mad he didn't think of it himself. 50 also states, "As far as the VMAs were concerned, Kanye received the upper hand. I ain't going to front," he continues. "He had four looks -- his song "Stronger," his new record "Good Life," he had a performance with Soulja Boy, "Crank Dat," and then he came out with me. So I feel like Def Jam is doing a better job of promoting the CD than Interscope. Interscope is just relying on my base and the actual music. I was on the VMAs for one minute and 20 seconds. I should've just stayed home." I know some sore losers, but this is too much, come on 50....man-up.

The Chicago Yachting Association is requesting that Clear Channel officials book more family friendly acts. It seems that Snoop Dogg and Wu-Tang performed at the Northerly Island Charter One Pavilion and the boaters were none to happy about the lyrics. While, Wu-Tang's performance contained profanity, Snoop's contained profanity and he encouraged fans to "kill the police." What cop pissed Snoop off? Now don't get it twisted, the yacht members are not asking the rappers to clean up their act, they're asking them not to perform at the pavilion. "They have the right to say it, but they should go somewhere children don't have to hear it,' said 61-year-old association member Frank Gagliano, who represented over 5,000 yacht members. It's all about the kids and I agree. I'm going to go out on a limb and say, I don't think the rappers know that there are children in the area that can hear them. Heck, I didn't even know children were living on those boats with their families. I think Clear Channel will have to find another venue, where there are no children present, or have the acts perform the "radio" version on their songs. I don't know how much better that would be, but it sure will be better than the unedited version.

O.J. Simpson is being held without bail in a Las Vegas jail for armed robbery and theft of sports memorabilia. Apparently, a sports memorabilia collector stole some items from O.J. and O.J. went to get it back, old school gangsta style. Now listen to this, the collector, Alfred Beardsley is the one who called the police after he was "robbed". Beardsley now claims he's on O.J.'s side and wants this all to just go away. TMZ.com has a recording of the robbery and you can tell Beardsley is the real thief and not O.J. Sad enough to say, but totally believable, O.J. didn't call the cops, because he feels they have been against him since the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. We all know, how the cops and other nationalities think that "O.J. did it."   You know what fellas just leave those white girls along, I've yet to see a brother not get burned one way or another from dealing with white chicks.

Talking about leaving a white chick along. I'm guessing that's what NY Giants defensive end Michael Strahan was thinking, when he was ordered to pay his ex-wife Jean Strahan $15.3 million plus $18k a month in child support for their twin daughters. This past Friday items from their home were auctioned off and the profits must be split. The divorce was a messy one, Michael filed for divorce and called Jean everything from a thief, to a liar, to a gold digger. Now, I'm not saying she's a gold digger, but she ain't messing with no broke niggas.

A brother who loves him some sistas, is Eddie Murphy. He's 3 for 3 right now. Well, his third and latest black beauty, Tracey Edmonds is in Sister to Sister magazine this October giving us the 411 on how she met Eddie and the day she became engaged.  She says the actor popped the question in July while they were watching TV. He walked over to her casually, and then surprised her by getting down on bended knee, she recalled.  When she asked him what he was doing, he replied, "I'm about to ask you to marry me," before he presented her with a canary yellow square diamond, surrounded by two white diamonds in a platinum setting. Man oh man, simple proposal, followed by a not so simple ring. Gotta love it.  I wonder where's the rock from her marriage to Babyface. I'm sure that was some serious bling too. Congrats to the happy couple.
09/18/07 - Ok Peeps, who remembers me writing about P Diddy's Unforgivable commercial banned by MTV (archives 9/13)? Well, it seems the mogul thinks the executives are wrong, so he uploaded the ad on YouTube to prove them wrong. I saw the ad and in my opinion it's soft porn with the cloths on. I have no idea what the ad has to do with selling woman's cologne. Watching the commercial does not make me want to go out and get Unforgivable. He needs to change the commercial, not because it's too sexy, but because it's stupid.

Have a lot of money and don't know what to do with it? Well, you could have purchased the apology notes scribbled by Michael Vick for $10,200. The notepad was left behind by Vick after his speech following his guilty plea to an illegal dogfighting charge. Basically, the notes were reminders: “apologize for what I’ve done,” “tell young kids that I acted immature,” “we all make mistakes” and “dogs have suffered.” That was worth $10k?   TMZ.com reports, the notepad was won by Carol Liefer in an auction. Leifer is a comedian and actress, who apparently has money to waste.

Someone else who has money to waste is Marc Ecko. In another auction, Ecko paid $752,467 for the 756th home run ball hit by Barry Bonds. "I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it," Ecko wrote on the Web site www.vote756.com, "The idea that some of the best athletes in the country are forced to decide between being competitive and staying natural is troubling." On the Web site, voters can choose one of three fates for the ball: send it to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, stamp an asterisk on it referencing Bonds’ allegations of steroid use, or remove it from Planet Earth entirely inside of the next space shuttle to launch. What the bleep?! You mean you're going to send $752,467 into space? Come on dude, say it ain't so. Well, to all the homeless men, women and children out there, this is where your potential food and shelter is going. What a waste.

Jada Pinkett Smith will write and direct a movie "The Human Contract." FilmJerk.com reports, the movie will be produced by hubby Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. See this is what I'm talking about, keep the business in the family. I love powerhouse couples and aspire to be one, some day. I'm glad Jada is back working and excelling. We all need someone to get us back in the door and what person is better than your soul mate. Take care of home people, if you have the means to open the door for a family member, then do it. Hat's off to the Smith family.

Another soon to be powerhouse couple is Kanye West and long-time girlfriend/fiancé Alexis Phifer. Kanye supports Alexis's clothing line Ghita. Ghita just debut at New York Fashion Week and Kanye being as busy as he is, promoting his new album, still was front and center at the show. I'm listening to Ye give an interview on my favorite radio station right now, power92chicago, and he's says when he gets married he wants it to be forever and he wants to raise kids together with his wife. Although he's very busy, he says Alexis and him are together all the time. I love it, I just love it. I'm sure he gave her the money to begin her clothing line and that's what I'm talking about, you're on, so wifey should be on. Ye's mom loves Alexis, so that's a blessing. I'm really excited she's black, but in the Chi, we represent like that!!!

Go back a minute with me folks. Remember when Vanessa Williams lost her Miss America Crown in 1984, when nude photos of her were leaked? Well, now "High School Musical's" star Vanessa Hudgens has nude photos of her circulating. Williams, 44, told People magazine, "you know, welcome to the lesson of hard knocks. She got her first big one right now." Hudgens is a Disney star who's followers are teens and under. I know this because my daughter loves "High School Musical." Now, Disney is supporting the actress, but I don't think I can. What type of message is this to the little ones? I have yet to hear a public service announcement about girls keeping their cloths on. Hudgens as a role model has apologized to her fans, but dang, is that enough? The girl is only 19 years old, so she should not be posing for her boyfriend in the buff. Morals, people....we gotta teach our daughters about morals. I would like to know who leaked the photos. Some say her boyfriend and co-star Zac Efrons, some say she did while trying to send them to another guy. All I know is, she needs Jesus.

09/19/07 - It's almost official folks. Kanye has more than 800,000 units sold, while 50 Cent has about 600,000. Cry baby 50 told UK music magazine that his dramatic loss is due to some shady math at Kanye's label.    "He's never had a fraction of the sales 50 Cent has," Fitty told the magazine. "They could have only one scan and have it count four times. West's entire career hasn't sold half what I sold on my first album." What the bleep??!! Come on now, he acts like Kanye is a scrub. Fitty music is the same ol stuff, over and over and over and over...see how tired you are of seeing me write the word over. Well, that's how tired I am of listening to Fitty's music. Kanye gets better and better, he evolved, while 50 Cent keeps talking about money, cars and women. Read the archives people, 50 didn't dig deeper, now he's crying to anyone who'll listen. Excuses are like what?? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

My ex-main man for the Chicago Bears, bad-boy Tank Johnson has signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Tank is on a eight-game suspension for violating probation on a gun charge, so he will not be paid until he completes his suspension. The Bears play Dallas this Sunday, but unfortunately Tank will not playing, or is that fortunate for us? I don't know, but I'm sure going to miss rooting for Tank. For those that don't know the Bears are 1-1, losing to San Diego, but winning against Kansas City this past Sunday. That was a good game. There was a Bears hater in da house trying to tell me to "be quite" but Homie don't play that! GO BEARS!!!!

Byron Leftwich was cut from the Jacksonville Jaguars a week before the season started. Now, because of Michael Vick's suspension, Byron Leftwich has been blessed. Leftwich has signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He is also a potential contender for the starting quarterback, against the current quarterback Joey Harrington. "First of all, I'm a football player and the last couple of weeks have been tough on me," said Leftwich, "I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help our team." Good for him. Although, having him won't help the Falcons against the Bears. The Falcons have already lost their first two games this season, losing to Minnesota and ironically Jacksonville.

Isiah Thomas, New York Knicks coach, believes there is a difference between a white man calling a woman the b-word and a black man calling a woman the b-word. In his deposition for sexual harassment charges (archives 9/12) Isiah states he's not bothered when a black man calls a black female the b-word, but "A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive," Isiah said. "That would have violated my code of conduct. Maybe I shouldn't go there. ... A white male calling a black female, that is wrong with me. I'm not taking that. I'm not accepting that. ... That's a problem for me." Ok, at first I was like, I don't think Isiah did it, but I wasn't there, so I really don't know. These comments are tough for me to swallow. Does he not have any daughters or sisters? What about a mother, grandmother or aunts? I don't know how he can let anyone, black or white disrespect black women, when they don't deserve it. Lord help him.

I think I'm feeling sporty today. Which is why you've read mostly sports news, but those that know me, know I couldn't start a column without talking about Kanye West and 50 Cent. It's almost time for the official numbers to come out, so I gotta keep my readers posted.

09/20/07 - First things first. I hope everyone has on their black clothes today, in support of the 'Jena 6.' I am dressed in black from head to toe. I wasn't able to make it to Jena, Louisiana today, but my prayers are with them, the supporters and the entire town. This is history in the making people. God Bless!!!

Well my peeps, it's official, Kanye West has sold 957,000 copies, while 50 Cent has sold a measly 691,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.  Kanye did not just beat Fitty, he whipped his butt. This was supposed to be a two-part celebration, but Fitty is now reneging on retiring. I guess he counted his chickens before they hatched, or should I say he counted his albums, before they sold. Congrats Ye!!!

Nielsen is also reporting, Fox's new drama "K-Ville" was watched by 9 million viewers on Monday night. The show stars Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as police detectives in post-Katrina New Orleans. I watched the show and loved it. Do I love it enough to miss "Heroes" next week at 9:00 pm? H to the N (hell to the no). I will be recording "K-Ville" next week. Sorry Anthony, but I am already addicted to my "Heroes."

Comedian, Tracy Morgan had been ordered to wear his alcohol monitoring anklet for 80 more days. The "30 Rock" star violated an order, by drinking while on probation. Tracy was charged with DUI in December and has worn the bracelet since May 25th. He'll go to jail for 30-days if he violates again. I guess he just couldn't say no. People, if you're going to drink, get a designated driver. If you can't get a driver take a cab. I know Tracy had some money for a taxi, so there's no excuse. How many more public service announcements do we need? Do Not Drink & Drive!!!! You're going to hurt someone, cause we all know, the drunk drive rarely gets injured. Somebody hit me up and let me know why that always happen.

I wanna know who's In Touch magazine's source. In Touch is reporting that J-Lo is about twelve weeks pregnant and they are not retracting their story. They're standing firm in their belief, that the singer/actress is due in the spring. Is the source J-Lo's doctor? I don't know, but the source claiming she used in vitro fertilization and may be pregnant with twins. Hubby Marc Anthony is denying the rumor. Anthony's publicist told the New York Daily News "Everyone calls about this every month with the hopes that they'll hit the mark, but no. No." I hope it is true, I remember J-Lo saying how she wants children. So, God Bless them and their seed or seeds.

Ok folks, why people want to promote their "blackness" only when it can benefit them? I'm talking about Wesley Snipes, who says he would never date a black women. When a person says that, to me it's like you're disowning your race, man or woman. Wesley's charged with tax evasion and eight counts of cheating the IRS out of $12 million. He faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. The trial will begin Oct. 22nd in Ocala, Florida. Wesley claims he's being targeted because he's black. I bet he wished he had a sister on his team now. That lil Asian chick doesn't know how to hold it down. Beside, if he had a black woman, she would've made sure the taxes were paid. Black folks do not mess with the IRS. Good luck Snipes.

What I tell you folks about Isiah Thomas yesterday? I'm not telling you again, read the archives from yesterday. The Black Coalition is condemning him and his words. "Isiah Thomas owes black women a public apology,” writes the coalition, led by Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope. “That type of statement and mindset that Thomas has is ridiculous and should be condemned. There is no distinction in disrespecting black women. It’s not acceptable for anyone to use vulgar and disparaging remarks when addressing black women." See, y'all think I'm crazy, I know what I'm talking about. Read the archives people.

09/21/07 - Sometimes it gets on my nerves when people claim they're going to retire and then don't. One fella I don't mind coming back again and again is Jay-Z. When Jay-Z said he was retiring in 2003, some were skeptical. Then when we released his first solo album, Kingdom Come, three years later, we were like yeah. Now, we can rejoice again, cause Jay is about to release another album this November. The album "American Gangster" will be released Nov. 6th and is inspired by the movie "American Gangster."   The movie, starring Denzel Washington, will open Nov. 6th. Jay-Z tells the New York Times, “American Gangster” album “brings the audience into a world rich in familial relationships, hustling and the lasting effects of drugs on a community. Through its musical tone, the album complements the story as told in the major motion picture release.” Sounds like another great one.

A New York taxi drive said The Game told him he was a police officer and it was ok to run red lights. So, 13 blocks later they were pulled over. The Game said when the cab driver asked him who were the cops following them, The Game replied the hip-hop cops, that's when the cab driver decided to run the lights on his own. In court recently the Associated Press is reporting, the judge gave The Game a conditional discharge. So, if The Game is not arrested within six months, the charge will be dismissed and the case file sealed. "I've never seen a cop with writing all over his face," said The Game, who had rejected offers of a plea deal that would have kept him out of jail in exchange for a guilty plea. He has always maintained his innocence. Ok, folks, have you seen The Game, no way that idiot driver thought he was a cop. There may have been a misunderstanding about the hip-hop cops part, but I don't see why that was a reason to run red lights.

Poor Keith Murray, the rapper was robbed in South Africa and is offering a reward for the return of the items.  Pretoria News, a South African newspaper reports, two armed men entered the recording studio about 10 p.m. and held up Murray and several other people. The robbers got away with four laptops, cell phones and cash. Murray says he was robbed of "the last 12 years of his work," saved on one of the laptops that was stolen. Lance Stehr, the CEO of the local record label, Ghetto Ruff, told the newspaper "When the guys left they even had the cheek to shout 'Hey Fassie boy, continue making hits'." Now you know when you go to these other countries, everyone knows where you're at and what you've got. The robbery had to be a set-up, but Murray still should have had some armed guards traveling with him. You can't go to these third world countries without protection, especially if you're carrying such valuable items. If you're broke you can walk around solo, unless you're a woman of course. But, if you're carrying 12 years of your work on a laptop, then you need to provide ample protection. Although, besides his hit "The Most Beautiful Thing In This World," I can't imagine what other songs he had on file.

Diddy has finally decided to edit his commercial for his woman's fragrance "Unforgivable," read archives 9/13 & 9/18. MTV has won this battle and the ad began airing on Tuesday. Diddy wants to challenge his ex-Boo, Jennifer Lopez to a "smell-off" because he thinks he's better at judging how a woman should smell. "I am going to challenge my female counterparts, from J.Lo, Mariah (Carey), Sarah Jessica Parker to Gwen Stefani that my fragrance is better than theirs,” he said. "I am a man, and I know how a woman should smell." Ok, in Diddy's defense, we are always asking a man, how does this smell, or do you like this? Plus, women we can say yeah this smells nice, but we can't say, oh yeah that really makes me hot for you, which is what we want our man to say when he smells us. I'm going have to agree with Diddy, that a man is a better judge at a woman's fragrance, but that goes the other way too. A woman is a better judge at how a man should smell.  Ladies, you know how it is when a man walks past and he has on a nice fragrance, boy oh boy do we get all hot and bothered.

If you're in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept. 29th, then you're very lucky. There will be a Jena 6 Empowerment Concert. The concert will feature Twista, Bobby Brown, Jagged Edge, Tank, Nick Cannon, Sean P, Baby Boy, DTP's Small World and Hurricane Chris. "What's happening to the Jena 6 is not an isolated incident -- it could happen to any of us," Baby Boy tells the Hollywood Reporter. "We are asking men of all persuasions to stand on the front line with our young people and send a message demanding accountability of law enforcement officials and the judicial system." Not only will you be able to hear good music, but you get to see Bobby Brown perform for a good cause. Hats off to the performers.
09/24/07 - Stop the Foolishness!!! Facing the most critical start of his career, Rex Grossman failed miserably, and the ''Griese!'' chants at Soldier Field on Sunday night could be heard from miles around. Grossman gift-wrapped a 28-yard touchdown return for cornerback Anthony Henry in the fourth quarter that sealed the Cowboys' 34-10 victory and finished 15-for-32 for 195 yards with no scores and three interceptions. His passer rating was a miniscule 27.5. ''I'm going about my business and not worrying about things I don't control,'' Grossman said when asked if he thinks he'll be benched.   If he is not benched we're going to have some serious problems. In Chicago today, it's get RID of Rex day. I want to win, so let's bring Brian Griese in to clean up Rex's mess.
Give the Glory to God!! Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett continues to shock doctors with his steady improvement following a life-threatening spinal cord injury. Everett suffered the injury while making a tackle in the Bills' season opener against Denver on Sept. 9. Doctors initially feared Everett would never walk again after he arrived at Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital paralyzed from the neck down. But, he began moving his arms and legs a few days later, leading doctors to significantly upgrade their prognosis. They're now confident the player could be walking within weeks. Only God can provide such miracles, so this is a true testament of his power. Get your life right with God and you can be healed too!!! Can I get an Amen?!

The season premier of SNL (Saturday Night Live) will be hosted by LeBron James, with Kanye West as the musical guest. This Saturday, Sept. 29th, the comedy show will enter it's 33rd season. I wonder if they're going to do a sketch about Kanye's blow up at the MTV awards. That would be too funny, especially since he'll be on hand to offer some input on his outburst. Hats off to SNL for getting some black folks for it's opener. They may be trying to gain us as an audience, so we'll see how they do this Saturday on NBC.

I reported before on DMX's dog and potential problems (archives 8/27 & 8/31).  Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County is reporting serious wounds on two of the dead dogs found at DMX's property. One of the dogs had bite wounds and another suffered trauma to its abdomen, but exact causes of death have yet to be determined.  A third dog carcass had been burned so badly an exam was inconclusive, reports the Associated Press.  The sheriff initially said a half-pound of suspected narcotics was found, but tests showed the substance was not illegal drugs.  No charges had been filed against the 36-year-old rapper or anyone else, but Arpaio said that may change.  "Someone's going to have to pay for this," the sheriff told AP. "We have 12 dogs who were abused and three dogs buried in the yard — someone's going to have to pay."  "How do you attribute activities to a person who has not been there, when they have knowledge that other persons have been," DMX's lawyer Murray Richman said. "Is it because of the celebrity nature?" I agree, someone's out to get the X.

Speaking of dogs, Snoop Dogg is just that, a Dog. He was in court this past Thursday, pleading guilty to a felony weapons possession charge when according to TMZ.com, he put the moves on one of their producers. Well, he actually put the moves on her, through his bodyguard. Anyway, the married man's bodyguard is on video asking the Asian lady for her number, because Snoop wants it. She acts like she's shy to give the number, but of course being a woman and a reporter, she couldn't pass up the chance for another story. When her boss asked her how many times he called, she states three or four times. I want to know if she answered and what they talked about. Now I have to throw Snoop's words in his face, listen to this.  "I cheated on her. That's the worst thing you could possibly do, lose somebody's trust who really loves you," Snoop told Rolling Stone Magazine in a 2005 interview. "I was trying to get a divorce, but I went back home and I fell back in love with my wife and kids. A lot of times you get cloudy. This music industry is a mother, man, and it'll take your vision and blur it. But God is good, so I understand that I need my wife and my kids in my life so I threw the papers away. I don't want to get a divorce. So if you hear about a divorce, it'll be my wife divorcing me; it won't be me divorcing ... I made a mistake, so I'm trying to get back right," he later told MTV's Sway Calloway. What happened to this guy? Someone please hit me up and enlighten me on why men cheat, although they know it's wrong.

09/25/07 - James Brown, may he RIP, takes papa was a rolling stone to another level. He has children popping up all over the place.  Some of them are just out for the money, but some of them have valid claims. One in particular is LaRhonda Petitt. The Associated Press is reporting that LaRhonda is pursuing monies from a portion of his estate, after a DNA test proved she's Brown's legitimate daughter. "I've been walking around looking like this man for 45 years," said LaRhonda Petitt, a retired flight attendant and school teacher. "I'm not talking no negative talk, I'm talking about what's right." LaRhonda wants money from the estate and get this, back child support. She wants at least 18 years worth of child support and you know what, I agree. We all know, the child is supposed to live as the parents live. So, if you have a rich daddy, you should be rich. We don't know how this lady and her mother struggled, while James Brown was sowing his seed around the world. Good Luck LaRhonda!

Can we say ouch?  Dennis Rodman is being accused of hitting a woman's butt so hard, he left a "major mark." According to TMZ.com, he was at a Tavern in Dana Point when the alleged attack happened to the female bar hop.  Jim Amormino, a spokesperson for the O.C. Sheriff, told TMZ: "Officers did respond to an incident involving a man and a woman. A police report was taken, and is currently with the sex crime unit of the Sheriff's department." Rodman's rep Darren Prince stated “That is just another woman trying to extort money out of Dennis, and I am sure the situation will work itself out in Dennis' favor." Now, I wanna know, was the drink that dang good or was her booty so fat, he just couldn't resist. Oops, I mean allegedly.  I know someone's going to try and match the mark on her bottom to Rodman's hand. How embarrassing.

Two of my favorite actors, will play two former backup singers from a legendary soul group who reluctantly agree to a reunion tour in the upcoming film, “Soul Men." Come on now, who can play being soul men, better than Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. That's right people, I feel a box office hit coming. Both actors have vowed to do their own dancing and singing for the film, and producers David Friendly and Steven Greener are in negotiations to use the Stax Records catalog. I can't believe it, not only will we see their superb acting skills, we get to hear them sing as a bonus. Well, I hope it's a bonus, considering I can't recall hearing either of them sing before. The movie will begin filming after the actors complete their current projects. Stay parked for more info.

Miami Heat's guard Dwyane Wade has signed on as the national spokesperson for Rescuing Recess. Wade is teaming up with Cartoon Network for "National Recess Week."   Wade will lead fellow NBA players, legends and WNBA stars in making public school appearances during the school year as volunteer recess monitors. He will also appear in a national on-air spot to promote Rescuing Recess, the award-winning campaign created by Cartoon Network to champion the benefits and importance of daily recess in schools. Apparently, recess is declining in schools that primarily educate children from minority and low income families. Ok, here I go...recess is declining in these areas, not because the teachers do not care about the physical fitness of the children, but if you go outside in some of these neighborhoods, you'll probably end up shot, stabbed or raped. The devil is loose and it's time we recognize that. For those that haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I suggest you get your life in order. We cannot protect our children without God at the head of our life.  The world has gotten worse and I fear for the children's safety. It's a shame to say, but it's true. While I commend Wade for his effort, his first step should be to clean up the playgrounds and schools of riff raff, before we send our children out to the wolves.

09/26/07 - To all my black brothers out there, if you don't follow the law, they will try to punish you, over and over again. Especially if you're rich. Just when we thought that Michael Vick was done with the dog fighting charges against him in federal court.   The prosecutor in Surry County, Virginia is looking to charge him with the same crime.  "We are disappointed that these charges were filed in Surry County, since it is the same conduct covered by the federal indictment for which Mr. Vick has already accepted full responsibility and pleaded guilty to in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia," his lead attorney, Billy Martin, said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. Vick's lawyers said they will "aggressively" work to make sure "that he is not held accountable for the same conduct twice."  Somebody has it out for Vick, cause this is ridiculous.  Vick will be sentenced on Dec. 10th, so I'm figuring if he doesn't get enough time in federal prison, then the VA prosecutors want a chance to lock him up. We all know Michael Vick was wrong, but isn't this a case of double jeopardy? Stop the Foolishness!!

If you have about $1.2 million dollars, then you could have an arena named after your business. Well, that's what Rocawear, IZOD and Southpole will be paying, depending on who wins the bid for New Jersey's Meadowlands arena, now held by Continental Airlines. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority overseas the bid and they are expecting a decision on, or sometime before Oct. 4th. Continental paid $600,000 a year to have the arena named after them. Maybe I don't get how this advertising thing works, but I really want to know how much more money these businesses are making from advertising at these arenas. I hope the money they do make covers the cost of advertising. May the best clothing line win.

Yesterday, rappers, lawmakers and music industry executives were in Washington for a congressional hearing on the negative effects of hip hop. No one could agree on who was to blame for the negative content, but they all agreed on opposing government censorship. "If by some stroke of the pen hip-hop was silenced, the issues would still be present in our communities," said David Banner "Drugs, violence and the criminal element were around long before hip-hop existed." My point exactly (archives 8/15). "We have a responsibility to speak authentically to our viewers," said Philippe Dauman, president & CEO of Viacom Inc., which owns such cable networks as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET.  He said his company takes an active role in editing obscenities out of music videos and excising gang symbols or portrayals of violence, but "we also believe that it is not our role to censor the creative expression of artists."  Meanwhile, record execs defended the parental guidance labels and edited versions they said keep the more controversial material away from children and stressed that uniform standards or censorship won't work.  Again, I agree, while I feel rappers have the right to express themselves without being censored, I also agree that the material is not for children. As parents, it is our responsibility to censor our children lives, so they're aware it's not all about sex, drugs and violence. Alfred Liggins III, chief executive officer of Radio One, Inc., one of the largest media companies that primarily serves African-Americans, said the company reviews the contents of songs before broadcasting them and takes care to comply with Federal Communications Commission guidelines. But "Radio One is also not in charge of creating content, or in the business of censorship or determining what is in good or bad taste."

We all know a person that gets on your nerves and although it's wrong, you just want to smack some sense into them. That person for me right now is Russell Simmons.  We all heard Russell talk about the n-word and how rappers shouldn't be saying it. I mean he was just on Oprah, pleading his case. Then he goes and ask permission to use it at a function honoring Project Red co-founder Bobby . The hip hop mogul asked if it would be okay to use his usual term of endearment in reference to the Kennedy cousin, "my ni**a," reports the New York Post.  When told no, Simmons said, "You're right. There are too many white people in this room." What the bleep?! You know what, forget that idiot. More importantly, Project Red generates funds for the fight against AIDS in Africa.  It has raised $45 million to fight the disease in Africa.

We had a very important Bible study yesterday. I learned that people are more concerned with fighting AIDS away from home, so that they can either avoid the issue or they simply don't care.  My church, The Hope Church of Orlando, felt it's time for the church folks to become aware of what's going on in our community and help with educating all blacks on this epidemic that is our NUMBER ONE KILLER!!!!

When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have:

More illness. Even though blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS.

Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS.

More deaths. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.

About half (49%) of the people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were black (according to information from 33 states). Children are included in these data.

The reality is similar for children: HIV/AIDS affects black children the most. 104 (63%) of the 166 children under the age of 13 diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 33 states were black.

Blacks account for about half of all people living with HIV/AIDS within each sex category. According to information from 33 states:

among men, 41% of men living with HIV/AIDS were black

among women, 64% of women living with HIV/AIDS were black

There are more woman than men, because men tend to sleep with more than one woman at a time. I know some women that have gotten the virus from their husbands. There is also the fact that 40% of men in prison get HIV/AIDS in prison by having sex with other men. Then they leave prison and have unprotected sex with a woman. The woman probably feels he's been locked-up so I'm safe. And don't even get me started on the down low brothers. We'll never be safe from our NUMBER ONE KILLER if we do not practice abstinence or safer sex, because there is no safe sex. If your spouse cheated on you, GET TESTED!!! Even it was just once. Also, get tested twice, once when it happened and again 3 months later, cause it takes about 3 months for the antibodies to be detected.

Blacks are also getting the virus from sharing drug needles. I'm guessing that if a person is so drugged-up they're using a dirty needle, then they're probably not reading my column. They've already sold their computer. On a serious note, be careful out there my black people. I learned so much yesterday, that I can't even write it all down here. Everything that looks good, is not good for you. Get tested and get yourselves educated on the virus and until then, a very wise person told me to treat everyone as if they've got AIDS. Amen!!

09/27/07 - I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!! The Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has been benched. As all of the Bears fans called for Grossman to be benched (archives 9/24), Griese chants could be heard for miles round. Well fans, the Bears head coach, Lovie Smith has finally listened. Brian Griese will make his first NFL start in nearly two years Sunday in Detroit. We'll really need the offense to step up it's game. With five defensive starters out on the injured list and three of the offensive starters out, coach Lovie doesn't know who he'll play against the Lions. All I can say is, let's keep hope alive and cross our fingers, toes, legs, arms and oh, eyes too, you may miss some of the game, but you never know what'll help. Go Bears!!!

According to People magazine, Usher announced that wifey Tameka is carrying a bouncing baby boy.  "I just want my son to fully be coherent and to be healthy, first and foremost," he told People during an event at Cipriani in Manhattan. "I've found that it is a step-by-step process. You can wish for a million and one things. But I hope that my son has the same energy I had as a child."  In my experience, you can almost count on your child being like you. "Hopefully, he won't be as bad as me," Usher added. "I hope that he's just a healthy son." Amen!!  Some people don't realize, that while they're wishing they could have a boy or girl, the most important thing is that the baby is healthy. Who cares what the sex is? God Bless this couple and their unborn son.

I'm sure my number one fan will be excited about this; next month in Japan, a feature film version of the animated series "Afro Samurai," will have it's world premier. Starring none other than, Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the hero. The cast also includes Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu, while the soundtrack is composed by hip-hop artist RZA.  Based on a comic by Takashi Okazaki, the cartoon combines samurai and hip-hop culture in a story of the title character's quest to avenge his dead father. The film will get its theatrical premiere in Cinema Rise, a major arthouse in the Tokyo entertainment hub of Shibuya, then roll out nationwide. Enjoy.

Just when you thought you heard it all in "Confessions of a Video Vixen," Superhead has another tell-all book out, "The Vixen Diaries." That's right people, Karrine 'Superhead' Steffans, has slept with even more rappers and athletes. I really hope she's repented all those sins. The Daily News has some excerpts from the new book:

• Jamie Foxx told her, "Damn, you're pretty!" when they met. "When Jamie Foxx offers to massage your body at four in the morning, after a bottle of Champagne and two shots of Patron, it's hard to say no," she writes. However, Jamie soon figured out she was "that Karrine." Foxx ran in the other direction, leaving the author "depressed. Jamie had no idea that he made me cry all the way home and in the days that followed."

• Comic Bill Maher delivered her greatest heartache. "In January of 2006, Bill and I split. Three days later, I suffered an emotional breakdown and was sent to the hospital for psychiatric observation. I cut my wrists and started drinking myself into an emotional tailspin. At the end of the night, the love of my life was gone and so was my son, Naiim," taken away by Child Services.

According to the Daily News, Karrine eventually got her son back. And not only does she remain friends with Maher, she dedicates the book to him as well. This chick has no standards, well I guess she has one, you have to be rich. Now get this, Superhead was on Detroit's WJLB radio yesterday and the interview got off da hook!! I urge you all to cut and paste this link to your browser http://fm98wjlb.com/pages/MorningShow.html. This is where you can hear the drama and believe me it's worth it.

09/28/07 - Vivica A. Fox's lawyers entered a not guilty plea for drunk driving charges on her behalf. The 43 year-old actress has two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence. When Vivica was pulled over by LAPD, the police claimed she failed a series of sobriety tests, and then began to antagonize the arresting officers. "Fox began to walk away, yelling at my partner, `Brother, help a sister, are you going to let this racist white cop do this ... well, are you?'" the report stated. She continued to speak in a "condescending manner" as she was placed in the patrol car, the report said. I can't believe she was all up in LAPD's face like that, doesn't she watch the news? I'm just glad she didn't get one of those classic LAPD beat-downs. Later, Vivica told reporters, "I won't ever make that mistake again, trust me, I'm going to hire a driver next time." Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like an admission to me, so why is she pleading not guilty?

Tyler Perry doesn't know what to do, to get rid of a pain in the butt. I'm old school Chicago, so I could give him a few pointers, but I'm also a Christian and it wouldn't be very Christian like. Perry's pain comes in the form of a former segregationist, Moreton Rolleston Jr. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rolleston use to own the land in Atlanta, where Perry is building his new home. Rolleston purchased the property more than 40 years ago, but managed to loose ownership through the years, so it was purchased by Perry in 2005. Since Perry purchased the land, Rolleston keeps filing lawsuits in efforts to regain the Buckhead property. Despite a series of rulings that have seen him jailed, fined and threatened with disbarment, the paper reports. Earlier this month, Rolleston showed up at the property with police cars in tow seeking to kick out Perry's construction crews, contending he still is the rightful owner.  "At this point," Perry told the newspaper, "I just don't know what to do to get rid of this guy." To give you some background on this guy.  Rolleston was the owner of the Heart of Atlanta hotel, which opened in 1956 as one of the top places to stay between New York and Miami, but only if you were Caucasian. He refused to accommodate black patrons, and even attempted to apply his segregationist ways to the Atlanta school system. The hotel is now the Downtown Hilton in Atlanta. In my opinion, Rolleston is a racist who doesn't want a n**ga owning his old land. Sorry, white boy, black folks are moving in.

Speaking of racist, Bill O'Reilly comes to my mind.  You all should know by now, the statements Bill O'Reilly made, regarding a black-owned restaurant in Harlem. He dined at the restaurant with Al Sharpton. Well, O'Reilly basically said he couldn't believe the restaurant was just like visiting another restaurant in New York. Media Matters for America criticized O'Reilly's comments as "ignorant" and exposed them on the internet.  O' Reilly is claiming the organization "cherry-picked" his remarks to make him look bad. Well, let me cherry-pick one, listen to one of the comments O'Reilly made, "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M.F.-er, I want more iced tea." What the bleep?! O'Reilly says that his grandmother and many other white Americans, were afraid of blacks because they didn't know any and were swayed by violent images of blacks depicted in the media. There is no way in Haiti, you're going to tell me as a news host for Fox, he doesn't know any black people working there.  Why hasn't this man made any black friends and brought them home to meet his family? I've been to my Caucasian friends homes that I work with and likewise. This is not the first time and it definitely won't be the last time Bill O'Reilly makes ignorant comments. Karl Frisch, spokesman for Media Matters says "We didn't call him a racist, we said his comments were ignorant and racially charged, and we stand by that." Well, I Park it with Princess stand by my words too. Bill O'Reilly is a racist!!!!

Who saw the Tavis Smiley Presidential Forum on PBS?  The forum was held at historically black Morgan State University. All republicans were accounted for...well, except the major front runners. Those not in attendance, were former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain, Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Fred Thompson.  Most blacks feel Republicans don't care about us anyway, me included. So, what do these republicans do to prove us right? Snub us.  Like my Bishop says, you'll find time for what's important to you.  We have all rushed out the house at one time or another, to get to work, a party or to visit a friend. So, why couldn't these guys show up, to such an important event? Only they can honestly answer that question, but I don't know any honest politicians, so only God knows. You can read the transcript or watch the video on pbs.org/tavissmiley. Let me tell you something, the scariest republican to me is a black republican.  He now comes in the form of Former Ambassador Alan Keys. That man is a danger to us. I always said, just because a person's skin is black doesn't mean their black. And Alan Keyes falls into that category. I would vote for a white republican, before I voted for a black one. But, that's only if their are no democrats running, which will never happen, so I'm safe from fulfilling that nightmare. No matter who you vote for, let your voice be heard. Get Out and Vote People!! Do we really want another Bush/Republican in office?
OCTOBER 2007

10/19/07 - Hey My Peeps… I’m Back!!! I’ve been a bit busy, sorry, here goes.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Urban Film Showcase at Club Whispers in Orlando, Florida. The showcase began with a couple documentaries; there were some videos thrown in, it then jumped-off with some short films (3-7 minutes long) and ended with the movie premier “The Drop Off” starring Hot-V.

The first documentary “The Lead by Example Project” had a strong beginning. The songs were hot and the message was hot. This group of folks reminded me of Public Enemy and I loves me some P.E. Hit up my myspace page, Chi-Town Princess, they’re featured with their “Fight The Power” video. You can also tell by the flow of the lyrics, fast and smooth, that Chicago was definitely in the house. Although I was feeling the first 8 minutes of the documentary, by 4:36 pm, I was like enough already. It seems Rezult; co-star in “The Drop Off” also thought it ran a bit long. It would be better to watch this documentary at home.

The crowd thought the start of the second documentary was funny, “Crackhead Confessions.” Shot in downtown Orlando, it shows several men who admit to being on crack, as they talk about their life before the drug consumed them. One man was from New Jersey and claims to have had it all, until he lost everything to crack, including his family. Another was a Vietnam Vet, who says “Bush don’t give a f**k about us.” Well duh, how many times has Princess said that? There was also a Jones High School grad who had a scholarship in ’86, but was convicted of second-degree murder, so he spent 5 years in prison, then became addicted to crack. I liked this film it was very educational and shot as a true documentary in the hood. All crackheads have a story. Just remember boys and girls, in the famous words of Whitney Houston, “crack is whack.”

These are the music videos that stood out to me:

“Can I Get this dance” was a nice & smooth, R&B song. It was a wonderful mellow change from the drama of the afternoon. Shot out to the ladies in the video, there are no small actors, only small roles.

King Gator’s “2 Fitted Caps” beat was not bad, and the words were fun, except for that one verse “one for the hoes.” I didn’t get that. Overall I’m sure it would be a hit on the streets. I just wished they would have thought outside the box. The typical dancing chicks, by the brothers, by the cars was too unimaginative for me. Come on now, stop that foolishness.

“Motherless Child” by Vic or Vick, put me in the mind of Tupac’s “Brenda Got a Baby.” Needless to say I loved it. The track is off da chain and the lyrics are inspirational. You see a young man talking to his sister as you see life passing you by. Ladies there is an oh so fine baby daddy in the video. I’m going to honk the horn twice for this video and the actors and actresses.

I know some folks don’t like to read too long, so this is Part 1 of 3. Part 2 of my review will be posted on Sunday and Part 3 "The Drop Off" will be posted on Tuesday. Since Part 3 is the main event, it will remain posted for the week. I want to give the slow pokes a chance to read the column.

10/23/07 - This is Part 2 of 3 of my review from the Urban Film Showcase, held at Club Whispers in Orlando, Florida. If you missed Part 1 look up.

Now I want to talk about the short films that were supposed to be 3-7 minutes long. Let me begin by saying, some folks took short too literal.

The first film “Remorse” was so short, I blinked and missed it. I’m not playing my peeps. When asked by one of the people involved in the film, what I thought about it, for those that know me, know I had to keep it real. So, I told him I blinked and missed it. I had to ask him how long was the film, and he responded, “2 ½ seconds.” Come on now, how am I supposed to derive an opinion off something so short, when at some point I have to blink. He then asked if I would go to a particular website and view it again. Umm that would be a no. Sorry dude, you had your chance and lost it. Since I’m nice I’ll keep him anonymous.

Someone I will not keep anonymous is Miguel Ramos. His short film “The Body Farm” had great potential. I love scary movies. The beginning was spooky and the sound effects were on point. What was not on point was that raggedy DVD Miguel copied the movie on. That thing kept getting stuck when the film was getting good. When the techs tried to play the DVD the third time around, I was all excited. I thought for sure the third time would be the charm. Nope… didn’t happen. Miguel requested we all go to his myspace page to view the rest of the film. I’m pissed, so I’m not doing it, but because I loved the suspense of the film, I’m sending you. Look up Miguel Ramos on myspace and someone let me know how it ended. Who knows he could have intentionally jacked-up his DVD to get more hits on his page and movie. If that is the case, then touché Miguel touché.

The other films were okay. There was a film “Happy Day” that was pretty funny and “Man in a Box” was cool. Both films were directed by a man name Shawn or Sean; I didn’t get a last name and I'll have to keep it a secret as to why.

Be on the look-out for these films on the Big Screen. I heard “Remorse” may be in production soon. Hey, with more footage who knows what can happen. Do you think they’ll let me come to the movie review? Hahaha… kidding.

Stay parked for more on the Urban Film Showcase.