The Daily Buzz Sept 7

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Michael Clarke Duncan & Omarosa Were Secretly Planning A Wedding 

On Monday, we learned the sad news that 54-year-old actor Michael Clarke Duncan had died in his Los Angeles hospital. As most of you know, Michael had been in the hospital since July 13, when he went into full cardiac arrest? and remained hospitalized until his death. It’s also been confirmed that Michael and his fiance Omarosa (Manigualt) were secretly engaged and planning a wedding. TMZ reports that the couple had decided to keep their engaged private, only sharing the news with close friends and family, and were even planning a wedding for January 2013. Tuesday afternoon, Omarosa released a statement on twitter:

Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Chad Johnson: Evelyn is STILL MY WIFE with the tattoos to PROVE IT!

Chad Johnson is not ready to give up on his marriage to Basketball Wives Evelyn Lozada, even thought he headbutted her in an argument over his cheating a mere 41 days after their wedding and tattooed Eve's face on his leg and insisted to his Twitter followers that she is still his wife...

Boy stop and GIVE IT UP!

Beyonce spent her Birthday on The Mediterranean with her Hubby and Blue Ivy

She might be one of the most famous women in the world, but when it came to deciding how to celebrate her 31st birthday, Beyoncé opted to keep things low-key.

Instead of throwing a star-studded party, attended by all her famous friends, Beyoncé decided to spend the special day with her gorgeous one-year-old daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z as the family enjoyed a Mediterranean cruise.

Jay-Z, 42, appeared to have gone all out to make his wife's birthday as special as possible, decorating their boat with balloons and streamers in celebration.

She and Jay-Z were seen enjoying an evening drink on the deck of the boat, with the pair looking as in love as ever as they made the most of each others' company.

Earlier in the day, Beyoncé displayed her maternal side as she fed baby Blue her breakfast, with the little girl planted firmly on her mother's lap for the mealtime.

Blue looked adorable in a patterned blue and white dress as she spent time with her famous parents, while Jay-Z opted for the casual look in a pair of beige patterned shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

On Tuesday, Beyoncé was bombarded with message from her famous friends wishing her happy birthday.

Gwyneth Paltrow lead the way with a handwritten note, writing: 'For dear sweet BB on the occasion of her 31st birthday...

'We love you so very much. Love Gwyneth, Chris, Apple, Moses.'

Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, wrote: 'God blessed me with one of the greatest gifts in my life on Sept. 4, 1981. Happy birthday.'

Her younger sister, Solange, also paid tribute, writing: 'There is no-one like you in the world, of all of your mind blowing achievements that one that first comes to mind is your kindness.

'Your sense of selflessness, consideration of other people’s well being and your beautiful generosity are all things that make me so proud be your sister and your friend.'

And Beyoncé's former Destiny's Child bandmate, Michelle Williams, also sent well wishes, writing: 'Happy birthday to youuu!! I love you so very much. I am so thankful you're in my life.'

One of the most tender messages in the card was from Gloria Carter, mother of her husband, Jay-Z.

She wrote: 'B, You came into my life a sweet Southern girl. (LOL) You've blossomed into an amazing woman. I admire how you remain grounded and humble, and you haven't let success change the person that you are. Mama Carter.'

Alicia Keys Launches Reebok Shoe Collection

Alicia Keys is the latest artist to join the Reebok brand with her own line of sneakers.  Alicia & Reebok will release a few pairs of sneakers at the retail price of $80 and are now on sale at Finish Line stores and online. Of course her hubby Swizz Beatz helped with the deal. As creative director of Reebok Classics. 

 

Will you be purchasing, let us know?

Emily B Left Love & Hip Hop Because She Was Tired Of Talking About Fabolous?

After the last season of VH1′s “Love & Hip Hop” (New York) ended, we learned that two cast members had decided to exit stage left. Break-out star Chrissy Lampkin, the girlfriend of Jim Jones, along with Emily B (the girlfriend of rapper Fabolous), had decided that they would no longer return to Mona Scott-Young’s executive produced show. Shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that Chrissy and Jimmy had landed their own spin-off ‘Chrissy and Mr. Jones’. After peeping the teaser, we learned that Chrissy’s friend and former cast-mate, Emily B, would be joining her for a few appearances on the spin-off. And while we know that Chrissy left LHHNY because of her conflict with Mona, viewers and fans weren’t too sure why Emily had decided to leave. But thanks to twitter, we know why. She directly explained why she decided to appear on Chrissy’s show and why she left LHHNY, writing:

People keep asking why I’m on that show… Umm cuz that’s my friend. My role on the show is strictly about our friendship not FAB!! Don’t nobody wanna do another season of me talking about Fab.. As much as I love him that story line is tired. Sorry lol *yawns*

Do you think Emily B’s to Chrissy’s show is a good look for her? And will viewers grow bored w/out her struggling relationship issues with Fab? Better yet, can LHHNY survive without Chrissy and Emily B?

R.Kelly Announces Fall ‘Single Ladies Tour’

R&B king R.Kelly has announced that he will be going back out tour with this his fall ‘Single Ladies Tour‘.

Check out the 24 city tour kick off list below:

Oct. 13 – Columbia, SC- Township Auditorium

Oct. 14 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall

Oct. 18 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater

Oct. 21 – Miami, FL – JL Knight Center

Oct. 23 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre

Oct. 25 – Chicago, IL – Arie Crown Theatre

Oct. 31 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre

Nov. 2 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theater – LA Live

Nov. 7 – Houston, TX – Jones Hall

Nov. 8 – Grand Prairie, TX – Verizon Theatre

Nov. 10 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Theater

Nov. 11 – Cincinnati, OH – P&G Theatre: The Aranoff

Nov. 14 – Louisville, KY – Palace Theater

Nov. 15 – St Louis, MO – Fox Theatre

Nov. 17 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theater

Nov. 18 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theater

Nov. 21 – New York, NY – The Theater at Madison Square Garden

Nov. 24 – Washington, DC – Constitution Hall

Nov. 27 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Theater

Nov. 29 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theater

Nov. 30 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theater

Dec. 2 – Columbus, OH – Veteran’s Memorial

Dec. 6 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre

Dec. 7 – Merrillville, IN – Star Plaza

New Couple Alert:Jennifer Williams & Terrell Owens?

Well Looky looky.  Former "Basketball Wives" star Jennifer Williams was spotted lunching and shopping....with ex-NFLer Terrell Owens.  It's not totally clear if this was a date of some sort...as Jen had another friend along with her as well...but T.O. surely seemed to shy away from the cameras as soon as they spotted him.

In a flirty blue and white lace summer dress and sandals, Jennifer Williams hit the streets of L.A. today for a post-meeting lunch and some shopping.  And it looks like she had a new friend along for the afternoon too--Terrell Owens.  

He was spotted leaving a store with Jenn, but as the cameras started to follow, you can see T.O. carefully distancing himself. 

Jen tweeted last night saying she would definitely be having a "good dream about a certain someone."  And she said:

My meeting went great.. Got a mani/pedi, shopping and now lunch with a friend... :)

Hmmm.  I’m keeping our eye on these two...

Memphitz Files Multi Million Dollar Lawsuit Against Mona Scott-Young & VH1

The season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta is officially over, but apparently the drama continues. Memphitz (real name Mickey Wright, the husband of Toya Wright) is filing a lawsuit agains Mona Scott Young’s company Monami Entertainment and VH1′s parent company Viacom.

What are Memphitz’s claims? Compliments of Memphitz’s publicist, he’s suing for defamation of character (on the show, Kim Michelle Pate/K.Michelle speaks about being physically abused by Memphitz, although I’m unsure if she said his ‘name’ on the show). According to the lawsuit, he is asking $1 per viewer, per episode that his character has been defamed (one can assume almost the entire 12-episode season), averaging three to four million viewers. Do.The.Math. According to Attorney Conti J. Moore, Esq., whose practice is based in Orlando, Florida,

“Ms. Pate has taken full advantage of society’s tendency to accept claims of domestic violence as always being true, even in the absence of proof.  The only abuse that actually occurred is the malicious and calculated pattern of vicious lies Ms. Pate has assailed for the purpose of fabricating a compelling story line in an attempt to ruin my client’s name.”

In the released statement, Memphitz says:

 “My family and I have suffered tremendously while VH1, Monami Entertainment, and the other companies provided a worldwide platform for K. Michelle to repeatedly assassinate my character. The filing of this suit is to compensate for the irreparable damage that has been done to my reputation and to deter these companies from doing such future harm to others.”

Wright maintains that the suit is not about revenge but is instead about defending himself and his professional reputation from the malicious false and misleading statements made about him on the popular VH-1 reality show. Meanwhile, no official responds from K.Michelle or Mona Scott-Young’s camp has been released. What do you think of Memphitz’s suit–fair or uncalled for? And do you think that his case has a chance in court?

Is Lenny Kravitz Coming Between Nick and Mariah?

Insiders say Nick Cannon is seething with jealousy over his wife Mariah Carey's close friendship with rocker Lenny Kravitz...

"Mariah and Lenny have been friends since they were young," said a source. "They had a crush on one another and all their friends knew it." 

Nick blew up when Mariah, 43, posted a picture of herself with the "American Woman" singer on her Twitter page on Aug. 20 with a message urging "Idol" brass to hire him, said the source. 

Mariah told Nick to relax because Lenny probably wouldn't even consider doing the show," said the source. But Nick told her,"That's not the point!" I know how you feel about him!" 

Mariah assured Nick that she and Lenny are just good friends, but Nick's not so sure."

Nate Dogg’s Family Still Fighting Over Estate 

It looks like the battle over Nate Dogg’s estate is still raging. The late rapper, born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, didn’t have a will when he died last year, leaving his wife Latoya Calvin in charge of his assets. But, according to TMZ.com, Nate’s children didn’t like that decision. They also aren’t too happy with Calvin’s latest attempt to make Nate’s mother, Ruth Holmes, a co-administrator of the estate. Nate’s daughter, Auncrane Hale, says Holmes is only involved for the money, adding that she isn’t concerned about the interests of any of the rapper’s children. Hale says Calvin didn’t even show up to Nate’s funeral, and Holmes was, quote, “never a grandmother.” She claims that if the two women get control of the estate, they won’t give anything to Hale or her brothers and sisters.

See Snooki’s New Pride & JOY Her son Lorenzo

She may be well known for her love of partying but all that is going to change now that Jersey Shore star Snooki is a mother to baby Lorenzo. 

The proud 24-year-old shows off her eight-day-old baby on the cover of this week's People magazine where she admits that motherhood has already made her a different person. 

'When I got pregnant, everything changed,' says Snooki, real name Nicole Polizzi. 'The partying is long gone. I'm a new person.'

Snooki looks fit to burst with happiness on the cover of the magazine, sporting a pink dress with a red flower in her long dark hair. 

And in a nod to her adoptive Italian-American  parents and the Jersey Shore guidos and guidettes, little Lorenzo is sporting cute booties with the Italian flag on the under-soles. 

The pint-sized reality star seems overwhelmed with love for her new arrival.

'It's a different kind of love that I never felt before,' says Snooki, who is currently filming the second season of her MTV spin-off Snooki & JWOWW.

The star went through 24 hours of labour before she and fiancé Jionni LaValle welcomed little Lorenzo Dominic on August 26. 

'We were going back and forth, and I just happened to think of Lorenzo,'  says 25-year-old Jionni, revealing that he was inspired by a child he knew from his hometown. 'She loved it.'

And the couple chose Lorenzo's middle name in tribute to one of Snooki's late uncles. 'I did it for my dad,' she says. 

Snooki, who will also appear in the final season of Jersey Shore which airs in the U.S, on October 4, is currently enjoying spending time with her family and 'adorable son.'

And the star has wasted no time in taking to her Twitter page to talk about the joys of motherhood. 

'Lorenzo is even cuter today,' she wrote in one post, while in another, she tweeted: 'I love nursing my little man!' 

The star has also posted some pictures of her post-baby figure, posting one photograph of her sporting her trademark animal print with the caption: 'Slowly getting my swag back.'

And she's ensured she is returning to her trademark Snooki fashion, tweeting: 'I even fit in my heels again - woohoo!' in another post, showing a picture of her feet. 

Tom Cruise calls Vanity Fare’s wife audition story “lies,” Paul Haggis confirms it’s true

Tom Cruise is still cruising for da ladies, and here’s another rather hilarious photo of Tom posing next to a lovely young girl on the Croatian Island of Hvar like he’s been doing for days in an effort to convince the world that he is still hip, young, and funky. Oh and suck it, Katie. Or something like that. At this point, Cruise has departed from the island (how sad), but while he was there, he stayed on this superyacht, Lady S, which was undoubtedly crawling with Scientologists hoping to interview these ladies and see what they really think of Tom Cruise. Just like the whole mess that went down (and was confirmed by Vanity Fair for its October issue) before Katie Holmes was recruited as his third wife. Nice little boat, right?

Naturally, Tom is said to be very angry over this Vanity Fair story, which detailed the horrific experience of Nazanin Boniad, who functioned as The Chosen One for a few months before Tom realized he wanted a famous wife. That was the official excuse given to Nazanin anyway, but her story was that she accidentally offended a mumbling David Miscavage in front of Tom, who then stopped talking to her even though they were living under the same roof. After Nazanin was given the boot, she made the mistake of confiding in a fellow Scientologist, who reported her (because that’s what they do), and Naz spent the next few years atoning for her “crimes” by doing hard labor and undergoing endless auditing sessions. Well, Tom is angry that this story leaked, and his rep has issued a statement: “Lies in a different font are still lies – designed to sell magazines.” 

So Tom’s denying the entire notion of a wife audition process, which is no surprise. Tom Cruise doesn’t need an arranged marriage! He’s a ladies man, don’t you know? Whatever. It’s already been confirmed that Tom has a longtime policy of willingly accepting CO$ slave labor services, so it’s no stretch to believe that he’d accept a slave wife from the CO$ as well.

Now here’s a followup to the Vanity Fair story, and it comes from director Paul Haggis, who became the most high profile person to leave the CO$ a few years ago (and he wrote a delightfully scathing letter that focused upon the cult’s public opposition to Prop 8). Haggis not only knew Nazanin for a number of years through Scientology but they’ve worked together too. Most recently, Nazanin had a small role in 2010′s The Next Three Days — which Haggis wrote, produced, and directed — and I imagine they’ve bonded quite heavily over leaving the CO$ as well. In an email to Showbiz411, Haggis confirms Naz’s story and says, “I’m appalled that any church would treat its parishioners this way.” He also has a lot more to say too, of course:

“I’ve known Nazanin for about three years. I met her through a mutual friend when I was doing my own personal research into the allegations against Scientology, before I wrote my letter of resignation. Naz was embarrassed by her unwitting involvement in this incident and never wanted it to come out, so I kept silent. However I was deeply disturbed by how the highest ranking members of a church could so easily justify using one of their members; how they so callously punished her and then so effectively silenced her when it was done. It wasn’t just the threats; they actually made her feel ashamed, when all she had been was human and trusting.

After I wrote my resignation letter, a dozen or more “friends”and officials of the church repeatedly descended on me to demand that I destroy the letter and resign quietly. I told them that wasn’t an option for me. I also told them that I had more sources of information about the troubling nature of the organization then I was at liberty to divulge. This was one.

I’ve met quite a number of people who have been treated shamefully but are afraid to speak out. This story will draw attention because of our fascination with celebrity. Most of the others are just ordinary people whose stories, if told, would not appear in a magazine. They live in fear of retribution, legal, financial or personal, even some famous ones. They fear an incredibly wealthy organization that boasts that it seeks truth, empowers people, brings families together, encourages independent thought and free speech, and champions human rights. I would like to say that I don’t know how its members, many of them good and intelligent people, can remain so purposely blind when they are faced with evidence like this every day, but then I am no one to talk. I was happily blind for many years, so I know the shame that Naz feels.

In Naz’s case, she has no right to feel ashamed. She is not only a terrific actress at the beginning of a very promising career, she is a dedicated human rights activist and a truly lovely and caring person. The last thing she wanted or needed is this kind of publicity, but here it is, and I am sure she will deal with it with the same grace and dignity she exudes in her daily life. I’m appalled that any church would treat its parishioners this way, but Naz has never cast herself as a victim. She is strong and resilient and I am very proud to call her a friend.”

[From Showbiz411]

Haggis also added that Nazanin resigned from the CO$ as of a few years ago in large part because she tried to “handle this injustice internally, to no avail.” Of course the cult did nothing to help her. In their eyes, she was the one who did wrong for severely displeasing their golden Gollum goose. 

By the way, we’ve known for several years that Tom lets the CO$ do all of his dirty work (literally, even the people who clean his toilets are Scientologists), but he can’t even manage to break up with a girlfriend on his own? Like, he has to have his “church” dump her. What a petulant little monster boy. I bet this is pretty much what happened to Penelope Cruz after she and Tom “dated” for two years (immediately after he and Nicole Kidman split). You know there’s got to be one hell of a story there, but Penny won’t be talking. Like Naz, Penelope undoubtedly was required to sign confidentiality agreements. The difference though, is this Penelope’s now an Oscar winner and fully entrenched in the Hollywood machine — unlike Naz, who probably figured she had nothing to lose by sharing her story with Vanity Fair. Also, Penelope may have dabbled in the CO$ while she was dating Tom (in fact, they went as a couple in 2003 to lobby Vice President Chief of Staff Scooter Libby for the cult), but she was never a hardcore member. Once Cruise was done with Cruz, she was done with the CO$, whereas Naz was a longtime member who now wants to see the cult’s undoing. Good for her. And she really dodged a bullet by not marrying Tom.

Ne-Yo Covers UPSCALE Magazine, Talks Not Being Thirsty For Fame

Ne-Yo is on the cover of the September/October 2012 issue of Upscale Magazine.  And he's not holding back on the not-so-quiet bitterness he previously had in the industry.  Check out the singer, actor and top-notch songwriter's cover and quotables inside...

"Lazy Love" singer Ne-Yo is out promoting his fifth studio album R.E.D. (dropping on Halloween).  And even though he's starred in four films, written countless record-breaking songs for the game's top artists, and stayed out of trouble (for the most part) while doing so, he doesn't feel like he's gotten the recognition he deserves.  But he says he will never go to extremes for attention.

So in the new issue of UPSCALE, the father of two reveals his frustrations with the industry, asks when did scandal become more important than music quality, and plenty of other questionable things about the industry.

On fame:

"I've never been the "hey everybody, look at me!" dude and I'm not gonna start...If my music doesn’t do it for you, if it doesn’t get your attention, there’s 100 dudes out there that will do anything and everything so that you’ll look at them. I’m not that dude.”

On the state of the industry:

"When did it become not about the music and about how quick you could take your shirt off or how many times you’ve been arrested in a year, or who you f-ckin? When did that become more important than the quality of the music?”

Reaction to the gay rumors: 

"That sh-t ate me alive...[I was] like where did that come from? Who are these people that have gone to such heights to try to make people believe this? They went all out with that story.”

On love: 

"Your body deteriorates. So why would you base your love on something that deteriorates? Your soul is eternal, that never dies; so once you’ve connected with somebody at the soul, the hell with what your body is doing, that’s not what love is about.”

On being a dad: 

"People talk about how hard being a dad is, and ‘aw, your life ain’t yours any more’...My response to that is, why is that such a bad thing? When did it become a bad thing to live for something, to give purpose to your life? If nothing else, becoming a parent gives you a purpose. That’s a beautiful damn thing.”

On getting recognition: 

"I’ve been in the game eight years now, I’d say the first five or six years I spent quietly very bitter...I’m looking at cats that I feel— and no disrespect— but that I’m doing better than or at least as well as, and they are getting more recognition.”

The quotes may come off a bit cold to some, but we 100% see exactly where he's coming from.  Dude makes a whole lot of sense.

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES

‘A Woman’s Roar’

I am woman hear me Roark? That doesn’t make any sense. Of course your butt eating those stars like a black hole doesn’t make much sense either but it’s happening anyway, right?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!

EFREM

The Daily Roundup for May 7

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Avengers' Smashes Records!!!

It's been clear for a while that The Avengers would be a box office success, though few people could have foreseen this opening. The superhero team-up got off to an unprecedented $200.3 million start this weekend, which obliterates the previous all-time weekend record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 last Summer ($169.2 million). 

While it fell short of setting a new opening day record (that still belongs to Potter), The Avengers was responsible for new high marks in most other major categories. It was the fastest movie ever to reach $100 million, $150 million, and $200 million, and it set new records for Saturday ($69.7 million) and Sunday ($50.1 million) grosses. It also had the highest per-theater average ever for a nationwide release with $46,057. 
Through its first three days, The Avengers has already grossed more than Thor ($181 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($176.6 million) and The Incredible Hulk ($134.8 million). It's still behind Iron Man and Iron Man 2 ($318.4 million and $312.4 million, respectively), though it should pass those movies next weekend.

The incredible opening weekend gross for The Avengers is mostly the result of a lengthy, extremely effective marketing effort which began all the way back in 2008 when Nick Fury made his first appearance after the credits in the original Iron Man. By the time Thor and Captain America opened last year, it became clear that these movies existed in equal parts to make money and to serve as advertisements for The Avengers. 
Still, there was the problem of reaching people who hadn't turned out for Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. That was solved by Disney's massive campaign that made the movie seem accessible even for people who have never picked up a comic book in their life. The marketing conveyed that there was a major threat, and the only way to combat it was by bringing together the world's greatest superheroes. The "head count" ad was a centerpiece of this campaign: it introduced each of the Avengers with a quip from the most-popular Avenger, Tony Stark/Iron Man, and provided a few brief glimpses of the character in action. By the end of that commercial, even the most oblivious viewers probably had a good sense for who everyone was. 
The movie went on to receive strong reviews (94 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), which made anticipation reach even higher levels. It also helped that April's releases were anemic, so The Avengers was able to play on more screens than it would have if another major movie was in the market (like when Thor had to face Fast Five last year). 

The big question now is how high The Avengers can go—it will obviously hit $400 million, and with exceptional word-of-mouth (rare "A+" CinemaScore) the movie could even be in line for a $500 million total.

Usher Releases “Looking 4 Myself” Cover Art & Tracklisting

R&B singer Usher reveals the track list and artwork for his new album ‘Looking 4 Myself’ which drops June 12th.
Looking 4 Myself Tracklisting
1. “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop”
2. “Scream”
3. “Climax”
4. “I Care for U”
5. “Show Me”
6. “Lemme See” feat. Rick Ross
7. “Twisted” feat. Pharrell
8. “Dive”
9. “What Happened to U”
10. “Looking 4 Myself” feat. Luke Steele
11. “Numb”
12. “Lessons for the Lover”
13. “Sins of My Father”
14. “Euphoria”
Deluxe Edition
15. “I.F.U.”
16. “Say the Words”
17. “2nd Round”
18. “Hot Thing”
Are you excited???

HEATHER HEADLEY PROMOTES ‘THE BODYGUARD’ MUSICAL

Tony and Grammy-award winning singer/actress Heather Headley and British actor Lloyd Owen attend a photocall to promote the new musical The Bodyguard at The Savoy Hotel in London, England.

Opening in London’s West End in November and based on the 1992 film of the same name starring the late Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, The Bodyguard features a host of Whitney Houston’s greatest hits, including “How Will I Know”, “Saving All My Love for You” and more. Check out video footage from rehearsals below.

WOW….Good for you Heather!

As if this GOOD NEWS?; BASKETBALL WIVES MOVIE GETS A GREEN LIGHT

Shaunie O’Neal, ever the business woman, is looking to further expand the Basketball Wives brand with a movie about the life of an NBA wife. Fox Searchlight has acquired an “untitled pitch” from Shaunie and producer Tracey Edmonds. Elizabeth Hunter (Jumping The Broom) will pen the script, with Shaunie and Tracey Edmonds producing the film. Drawing loosely from the lives of Shaunie and some of her friends, the Searchlight project centers around a young woman who follows her boyfriend to Miami after he gets drafted into the NBA. Thrust into the world of professional sports, she meets the other players’ wives and learns from their trials and tribulations.

“The beauty of a feature film is that we’ll have the ability to dig much deeper into the stories and characters that come from this very colorful world and create a very juicy, action-packed narrative,” Tracey Edmonds said.

Glendon Palmer and Phil Robinson will exec produce the film.

First Look: Nicki Minaj Lives in the ‘Moment’ in Pepsi Commercial

Nicki Minaj gets it poppin’ for Pepsi in her brand new commercial for the soft drink maker. In the first official image from the campaign, the platinum Barbie holds a can of Pepsi while posing as a space cadet.

The commercial entitled “Now in the Moment” features a newly remixed version of Minaj’s hit single “Moment 4 Life” and will debut Monday, May 7 as part of Pepsi’s “Live for Now” global campaign. She filmed the spot in Argentina earlier this year.

From the Foolywang Files: Liberace's Former Lover Claims Relationship with Michael Jackson

Liberace's former live in lover Scott Thorson claims he had a passionate affair with Michael Jackson.
Scott Thorson, Liberace's former live-in boyfriend, shared private details of his five-year romance with the flamboyant entertainer.
Today, Thorson drops a bombshell regarding Michael Jackson, claiming he and the King of Pop shared an intimate, sexual relationship in the eighties.

"Michael and I had a relationship that... would cross the boundaries," Thorson reveals in an exclusive sit down with ET's Christina McLarty. 

"That's about all I'm comfortable saying… We were both young."
While he concedes that not many will believe that he and Michael were lovers, he says that the two became unlikely friends while he was dating Liberace. After a period of friendship, their relationship blossomed into more.
Thorson details his tumultuous relationship with the King of Pop and more in Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, a book he wrote in 1998 which is currently being adapted for the big screen featuring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas. He is presently penning a follow-up.

From a DUMB BROAD Just for you: President Barack Obama's EX-Girlfriends DISH On Loving A Young Obama

In the latest issue of VANITY FAIR, the magazine runs an excerpt from the book Barack Obama: The Story, by David Maraniss, to be published this month by Simon & Schuster.

What's interesting about this book is that it tracks down ex-girlfriends of the president and has them speak openly about their relationship. REALLY? 

I’m sure Michelle Obama won’t be too pleased to hear that her husband’s former girlfriend has just popped on the radar. Do we really need to have this “extra stuff” befuddle the issues?

Two such ladies were Alex McNear and Genevieve Cook who dated President Obama in the early 80s while he was still a student at Columbia. In their pieces, they reveal him to be smart and WISE beyond his years, but also a workaholic with possible emotional issues. If anything, these recounts make the President appear even more personable and relatable.

Though President Obama has spoken in the past about his own emotional issues and often working too hard and not spending enough time with First Lady Michelle or the kids, through Alex and Genevieve's stories you get a glimpse at where some of these issue began. First Lady Michelle has spoken about this too as something they went through several years ago and have worked through. 

Read the excepts here:

Girlfriend #1 - Alex McNear
....The loneliness of Obama’s New York existence emerged in his letters to Alex McNear, a young woman from Occidental who had enchanted Obama when she was co-editing the literary magazine Feast, and with whom he reconnected when she spent the summer of 1982 in New York. Alex had always been fond of Barry, as she called him, and “thought he was interesting in a very particular way. He really worked his way through an idea or question, turned it over, looked at it from all sides, and then he came to a precise and elegant conclusion.” When Alex came to New York, she gave Obama a  call. They met at an Italian restaurant on Lexington Avenue, and, as she remembered the night, “we sat and talked and ate and drank wine. Or at least I drank wine. I think he drank something stronger. It was one of those dark, old Italian restaurants that don’t exist in New York anymore. It was the kind of place where they leave you alone. I remember thinking how happy I felt just talking to him, that I could talk to him for hours. We walked slowly back to my apartment, on 90th, and said good-bye. After that we started spending much more time together.”

....The long-distance relationship with Alex McNear after that summer—they would drift apart as time wore on—was conducted mostly through a series of passionate letters sent between his apartment (he was then living at 339 East 94th, in Manhattan) and hers, at 2210 Ridgeview Avenue, in Eagle Rock, California. By her account, the passion was as much about ideas and words as about their romance—what she later called “that dance of closeness through language.” Alex was interested in postmodern literary criticism, and her arguments brimmed with the deconstructionist ideas of Jacques Derrida, the French philosopher. In one letter she told Obama that she was writing a paper in her modern-poetry class at Occidental about T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” His reply wove its way through literature, politics, and personal philosophy..

Girlfriend #2 - Genevieve Cook
The party in the sixth-floor apartment was well under way when Genevieve arrived: lights dim, Ella Fitzgerald playing on the stereo, chattering people, arty types, recent college grads, some in the publishing world, none of whom she knew except the host. She went into the kitchen, to the right of the front entrance corridor, looking for a glass,  then decided it would be less fussy to drink straight from the bottle. That was her style. She fancied smoking non-filter Camels and Lucky Strikes. She liked drinking Baileys and Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth. Standing in the kitchen was a guy named Barack, wearing blue jeans, T-shirt, dark leather jacket. They spoke briefly, then moved on. Hours later, after midnight, she was about to leave when Barack Obama approached and asked her to wait. They plopped down on an orange beanbag chair at the end of the hall, and this time the conversation clicked.

He noticed her accent. Australian, she said. He knew many Aussies, friends of his mother’s, because he had lived in Indonesia when he was a boy. So had she, before her parents divorced, and again briefly in high school. As it turned out, their stays in Jakarta had overlapped for a few years, starting in 1967. They talked nonstop, moving from one subject to another, sharing an intense and immediate affinity, enthralled by the randomness of their meeting and how much they had in common. They had lived many places but never felt at home.

At night’s end, as Genevieve recalled that first encounter when I spoke with her decades later, they exchanged phone numbers on scraps of paper. “I’m pretty sure we had dinner maybe the Wednesday after. I think maybe he cooked me dinner. Then we went and talked in his bedroom. And then I spent the night. It all felt very inevitable.”

Her diary entries about him:

Sunday, January 22, 1984
What a startling person Barack is—so strange to voice intimations of my own perceptions—have them heard, responded to so on the sleeve. A sadness, in a way, that we are both so questioning that original bliss is dissipated—but feels really good not to be faltering behind some façade—to not feel that doubt must be silenced and transmuted into distance.

Thursday, January 26
How is he so old already, at the age of 22? I have to recognize (despite play of wry and mocking smile on lips) that I find his thereness very threatening…. Distance, distance, distance, and wariness.

Sunday, February 19
Despite Barack’s having talked of drawing a circle around the tender in him—protecting the ability to feel innocence and springborn—I think he also fights against showing it to others, to me. I really like him more and more—he may worry about posturing and void inside but he is a brimming and integrated character.

Today, for the first time, Barack sat on the edge of the bed—dressed—blue jeans and luscious ladies on his chest [a comfy T-shirt depicting buxom women], the end of the front section of the Sunday Times in his hand, looking out the window, and the quality of light reflected from his eyes, windows of the soul, heart, and mind, was so clear, so unmasked, his eyes narrower than he usually holds them looking out the window, usually too aware of me.

Saturday, February 25
The sexual warmth is definitely there—but the rest of it has sharp edges and I’m finding it all unsettling and finding myself wanting to withdraw from it all. I have to admit that I am feeling anger at him for some reason, multi-stranded reasons. His warmth can be deceptive. Tho he speaks sweet words and can be open and trusting, there is also that coolness—and I begin to have an inkling of some things about him that could get to me.

Genevieve was out of her mother’s Upper East Side apartment by then. Earlier that spring she had moved and was sharing the top floor of a brownstone at 640 Second Street in Park Slope. The routine with Barack was now back and forth, mostly his place, sometimes hers. When she told him that she loved him, his response was not “I love you, too” but “thank you”—as though he appreciated that someone loved him. The relationship still existed in its own little private world. They spent time cooking. Barack loved to make a ginger beef dish that he had picked up from his friend Sohale Siddiqi. He was also big on tuna-fish sandwiches made the way his grandfather had taught him, with finely chopped dill pickles. For a present, Genevieve bought him an early edition of The Joy of Cooking. They read books together and talked about what they had read. For a time they concentrated on black literature, the writers Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Toni Cade Bambara, and Ntozake Shange.

Early in Barack’s relationship with Genevieve, he had told her about “his adolescent image of the perfect ideal woman” and how he had searched for her “at the expense of hooking up with available girls.” Who was this ideal woman? Genevieve conjured her in her mind, and it was someone other than herself. She wrote, “I can’t help thinking that what he would really want, be powerfully drawn to, was a woman, very strong, very upright, a fighter, a laugher, well-*experienced—a black woman I keep seeing her as.”

Thursday, May 23, 1985
Barack leaving my life—at least as far as being lovers goes. In the same way that the relationship was founded on calculated boundaries and carefully, rationally considered developments, it seems to be ending along coolly considered lines. I read back over the past year in my journals, and see and feel several themes in it all … how from the beginning what I have been most concerned with has been my sense of Barack’s withholding the kind of emotional involvement I was seeking. I guess I hoped time would change things and he’d let go and “fall in love” with me. Now, at this point, I’m left wondering if Barack’s reserve, etc. is not just the time in his life, but, after all, emotional scarring that will make it difficult for him to get involved even after he’s sorted his life through with age and experience.
Hard to say, as obviously I was not the person that brought infatuation. (That lithe, bubbly, strong black lady is waiting somewhere!)

Partying with the president in the 80s? Who gives a DAMN!!!!! As for me TEAM OBAMA 2012!

Whitney’s Body Covered In Concrete To Stop Grave-robbers From Taking $750,000 Diamonds

Whitney Houston’s family plans to encase her body in concrete to stop people stealing the 750,000 worth of jewelry she is buried with. At the moment the legendary singer’s grave is under 24-hour guard at Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey but it is thought her mother Cissy can’t afford to keep up the security. Sources reports Whitney was buried with a diamond brooch and earrings next to the body of her father John Russell Houston Jr. – who died in 2003 – in February.
A close family source is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper as saying: ‘Cissy can’t afford to keep paying guards forever. A concrete encasement is the only answer.’

A burial expert at Hollywood Forever, which houses the remains of a number of celebrities, believes encasing Whitney in concrete is a ‘sensible move’.

They said: ‘It makes robbery virtually impossible. It would take a long time to get through, even with a pneumatic drill.’ Cissy Houston, 78, has also announced she wants to set the record straight about her daughter – who was found dead in a bath tub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in February aged 48 – and she has vowed to write a book publishing both the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ times in the ‘I Will Always Love You’ hitmaker’s life.

She is quoted by the New York Times as saying: ‘I want to stop the lies, It’s going to be the bad. It’s going to be the good.’
Cissy has met a number of New York publishers about the tome, and she could reach a seven-figure deal depending on what she reveals about Whitney’s drug issues and previous marriage to Bobby Brown.

It’s Splitsville For Lady Gaga & Her Boyfriend Taylor Kinney

It looks like Lady Gaga has had another “bad romance.”
According to US Magazine, the 26-year-old pop star, who recently kicked off a 110-city world tour, has broken up with her boyfriend, actor Taylor Kinney of The Vampire Diaries.

The tabloid cites Lady Gaga’s crazy busy schedule as the reason behind the breakup: “She will be touring nonstop until next year and has found she can’t have relationship at the same time,” said a source to the mag. ”There’s just no room for anything else. Her work is all-consuming.”

However, the “insider,” who sounds like he/she works for Team Gaga, managed to get a few jabs in about Taylor, which makes us think that the couple, who only dated for 10 months, won’t be reuniting anytime soon:
“Taylor was all about himself, a typical actor, and didn’t completely get Gaga,” said a “pal” of the singer’s. “She loved that she got this guy who everyone thought was hot! But it was never going to last.”
Poor Gaga. It seems she won’t be having those beautiful babies after all. Related: Lady Gaga Wants To Have “Beautiful Babes” With Taylor Kinney By Next Year

McDonald’s To Open Its Largest Restaurant For The 2012 Summer Olympic Games In London

McDonald’s will soon be open its largest franchise in the world, a two-story cathedral-like restaurant that seats 1,500 customers, for the 2012 Olympic Summer games at London’s Olympic Park. McDonald’s, a top-level sponsor of the Summer Olympics, will be the only restaurateur allowed to sell brand-name food at the games. It will also operate a separate McDonald’s within the athletes’ village and three others at the Olympic Park. Alongside McDonald’s, Coca-Cola has the exclusive right to sell non-alcoholic drinks at Olympic venues. Heineken has been named the games’ official beer.

However, some are not thrilled — a British doctors’ group says its sending the wrong  message in a country with ballooning obesity. “It’s very sad that an event that celebrates the very best of athletic achievements should be sponsored by companies contributing to the obesity problem and unhealthy habits,” said Terence Stephenson, a spokesman for the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges.

The group is calling upon the British government to restrict advertising by McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Heineken during the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games will be held in London from July 27th to August 12th.

Melanie Fiona Sheds Light On Exploitation In The Music  Industry

During a recent interview with ‘RagoLdn‘, Grammy winning songstress Melanie Fiona opened up like never before- speaking candidly on some of the industry’s ‘rug swept’ issues.
Check out her interesting take on sexuality and exploitation below…

Video: 

When quizzed on the pressures of being sexy, she confessed:

All the time. There’s pressure all the time. Every female artist has that pressure. It’s if you allow yourself to succumb that pressure, so I see it as a challenge not to succumb to that pressure. So it’s more of a challenge to base my success on the quality of music and not the quality of my…assets.

Then, on the exploitation of artists by the industry:
If you work with people that treat you like a product, you will be exploited like a product.

If you work with people who treat you like a person, as someone who has a living heart, with emotions and family and requires the natural things everybody needs in life- then you have people working in your best interests, and I’m fortunate enough to have that.

What are your thoughts on exploitation in the industry?

Christina Milian Covers DENIM Magazine

Check out singer/actress Christina Milian who’s the Denim Magazine’s new cover girl. Look for the new issue which will be out next week in which she opens up about juggling her career & motherhood, he relationship now with The Dream, Dating & more.

Here’s highlights from her cover interview:

DENIM: How are you balancing the many faucets of your career and being a mommy?
CM: #TeamNoSleep – that’s what I live by! I have a nanny and family to help and I try to bring Violet everywhere I can.

DENIM: What’s a day in the life of Christina Milian?
CM: Wake up, bathe and feed Violet, answer emails and business questions with my Mother. Then I work out, head to meetings, and later have a glass of wine with my girlfriends. After that, I head home and continue business and mommy-hood until the day ends. Maybe even go to the studio- late.

DENIM: Post divorce, how is your relationship with The Dream?
CM: He and I are cool now. We have a good rapport with each other and are focused on Violet living a happy life.

DENIM: Spin the threads. Are you currently dating? Are you looking to re-marry someday?
CM: Not into dating. I don’t want to waste time on someone else to break my heart, take up my time or even deal with another character. I’m happy being a mom and staying focused. NO DRAMA!

DENIM: If you decided to start dating, what characteristics in a man do you find attractive?
CM: Humble, funny, focused and can communicate well. He’s got to be interesting!

DENIM: Congratulations on your new role for the 2nd season of The Voice! What exactly is that role and do you have any expectations? What can we [viewers] expect?
CM: I’m the host of all their web connects- from Facebook to Twitter to my own personal “Voice” blog.

Rosario Dawson Buys a New Pair of Boobs

Looks like Rosario Dawson upgraded her rack.
There was something different about 32-year-old Rosario Dawson at the 98th Annual White House Correspondents Association dinner this weekend, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Mostly because putting a finger on it would have violated the restraining order and ergo the terms of my probation, and God knows I can’t afford another strike. It’s not like I live in Los Angeles or have the last name “Lohan.”
Radar Online’s plastic surgeon-on-tap Dr. Anthony Youn says: “Comicon hottie Rosario Dawson appears to have grown super heroine-sized breasts. Her chest size looks like it’s gone from a B to a D, likely from a set of large breast implants…. if her surgery was recent, it’s possible her breasts will settle down a bit.” 

Any doctor who prefaces his professional medical opinion with the words “Comicon hottie” deserves to be taken out back and flogged with his own medical degree.
I just assume it’s printed on bamboo and held together with clay and twine and other equally valuable third-world-island commodities gathered near his alma mater.

Details About Keyshia Cole's "Family First" BET Series

R&B singer Keyshia Cole and her family are headed back to BET this fall for a six part series called "Family First."
We've seen cameras following Keyshia around for a long time this go around, and unlike the first series, we will get to see a new side of Keyshia.

Now, she's a wife to NBA baller Daniel Gibson, and a mother to their son DJ. And while she's still working on getting out her music, we should get appearances from other family members, like momma Frankie! Don't we all need a little Frankie in our lives?
We also will finally see footage from that dream Hawaiian wedding. of Keyshia & Boobie's.
"Family First" is executive produced by James DuBose of DuBose Entertainment, Michele Barnwell, Keyshia Cole and Daniel Gibson.

Will you be watching?

J.R Martinez welcomes daughter Belle after girlfriend gives birth

Former Dancing With The Stars champion J.R Martinez and his girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones have welcomed a baby daughter into the world.
Diana gave birth to Lauryn Anabelle Martinez in Los Angeles.
The delighted couple have already nicknamed their bundle of joy Belle, who weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz and is 21 inches long.
Martinez, 28, who won the last season of ABC show DWTS told People.com: 'She has a couple of cute little freckles on her cheeks, a full head of hair and the cutest little lips.
'It’s just amazing to see her, finally. She’s beautiful.'

The couple first met on the set of the hit soap All My Children in 2008, in which Martinez starred as a U.S Army soldier and Gonzalez-Jones worked as an assistant to the show's producer.

'We found out just last week it's a girl and we are over the moon,' he told the American publication at the time.
'Diana has a little baby bump now and it's the cutest thing ever. With the holidays coming up, this is the biggest and best gift we could get.'
His life changed in 2003, when as a United States Army infantryman deployed in Iraq, the truck he was driving hit a land mine and the subsequent explosion resulted in burns over 40 percent of his body.

Omarion Inks Deal With Maybach Music

Rick Ross held a press conference in New York City to announce a few new business ventures. Omarion’s first single under the MMG imprint is allegedly titled “Let Me Smell It” and will feature O’s new boss, Rick Ross. 

The “Ice Box” star is apparently prepping an EP which will be released later on this year.

Jennifer Lopez Covers Glamour UK June 2012

She's wrapping up another season of "American Idol", just announceed a tour with Enrique Iglesias and is readying for the May 18th release of her new movie, but Jennifer Lopez somehow managed to find time to partake in a cover girl gig for the June 2012 issue of Glamour UK.

Decked out in an Enza Coasta vest teamed with a Salvatore Ferragamo bandeau top and a Chris Benz skirt, the 42-year-old superstar worked it for the Matthias Vriens-McGrath shot spread while opening up about topics including cosmetic surgery, raising twins and relationships.

Highlights from Miss Lopez's interview are as follows. For more, be sure to pay a visit to Glamour UK!

On raising twins Max and Emme:
"It takes a village - you do really learn what that means when you have kids. It's a juggling act, just like any single mom. They just started sachool, three days a week. I have to travel without them here and there, so it's really important they're surrounded by family when I'm not there. They come first, though. I like to wake up with them. I like to put them to bed. That's how we do it so they feel loved, happy and what they are - the most important thing in my life."

On starting a relationship:
"You've got to be OK on your own before you can be OK with somebody else."

On the importance of keeping new relationships out of the spotlight:
It matters. Especially at the beginning of a relationship. To give something a chance, to really get to know somebody, you want to do it out of the public eye. The media, they wantto rush everything. Give their seedy opinions without knowing all the facts."

On cosmetic surgery:
I'd like to think I'll age gracefully, but then I think, 'Well, what if I do want a little bit of something?'

Tiger Woods Sparks Feeding Frenzy

A gaggle of girls tried their best to get to Tiger Woods' pool side cabana at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas.

Tiger Woods is back on the prowl in Vegas. The fallen golf great was surveying bikini-clad girls at the Liquid Pool at Aria Resort and Casino on Saturday. Woods made a low-key entrance through the back door and relaxed in a cabana with a few male friends and “good-looking girls,” said witnesses. Soon a group of women began fighting to get his attention. One source said, “There was a frenzy . . . many girls were trying to get up to his cabana, but were unsuccessful.” Woods, coming off his worst performance ever at the Masters, “seemed to be more interested in the people he was with.”

DO GOODERS: The Frank Ski Kid’s Foundation Local Legends Luncheon Honors Keri Hilson and Carolyn M. Young 

Twice a year the Frank Skis Kid’s Foundation honor outstanding female high school seniors in the Atlanta area who have made significant contributions to their community, nation and beyond. Each of the deserving recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship for college at an event called the Local Legends Luncheon. Not only are these young women given the funds for college but they also get the once in a lifetime opportunity to dine and talk with notable local “Legends”.

This year’s honorable Legends were Mrs. Carolyn Young; who was honored for her tireless efforts in educating the youth and her philanthropist endeavors with husband, Ambassador Andrew Young, and award winning songstress, Ms. Keri Hilson.

Hosted by Mrs. Tanya Ski, the 2012 Local Legends Luncheon was held at Frank Ski’s Restaurant and Lounge,

Lunch was prepared by Flemings of Dunwoody; supporters of the Local Legend Luncheon since it’s inception. It was an inspiring afternoon to hear testimonies & stories from Mrs. Tanya Ski, Mrs. Carolyn Young and Ms. Keri Hilson, who all believe it is their responsibility to give back to their communities & especially young women.

We commend the Frank Ski Kids Foundation for continuing to expose children to their future!

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘What’s Under There?’

I like to call these “under undies” but what I’d really like to call these is extinct, that way I’ll never have to see them again.

ENJOY THE WEEK AHEAD ALL!

EFREM

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