Archive for » February, 2010 «
Shani Davis Wins Second Straight Gold. Shani Davis made history Wednesday night by winning his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in 1,000-meter speedskating, beating South Korea’s Mo Tae-bum with a time of 1 minute, 8.94 seconds. Four years ago at Turin, he became the first African-American athlete to win an individual gold at the Olympics. This time, he enters the record books as the first male skater, period, to win the 1,000 meters at back to back Winter Games. “When you’re a world champion or an Olympic champion, you get this little thing on your back called a target,” said Davis. “To go out there and win the 1,000 meters twice is truly amazing.”
Duke Lacrosse Accuser Arrested on Multiple Charges. The woman who accused four Duke lacrosse players of raping her at a party has been arrested after she assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him. According to WRAL-TV, 33-year-old Crystal Gale Mangum was charged with attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer. [Watch WRAL's report below.]
Police in Durham, NC received an emergency call shortly after 11:30 p.m. late Wednesday about a domestic dispute from a house in Lincoln St. Authorities said they believed the call came from one of the three children inside the house. When officers arrived, they found Mangum and her boyfriend, Milton Walker, 33, fighting. According to police documents, Mangum scratched, punched and threw objects at Walker and told him, “I’m going to stab you.” She then went into a bathroom and set his clothes on fire in the bathtub, prompting police to call the fire department. Milton was not charged in the incident, police said. The three children inside the house, aged 3, 9 and 10, were not injured. Police charged Mangum with identity theft because she gave them a fake name, “Marella Mangum,” and age, authorities said. She also resisted the officers who responded to the scene, according to police documents. Mangum was being held in the Durham County Jail on no bond and was scheduled to appear in court later today. She was ordered to have no contact with Walker. Mangum, the author of the memoir “Last Dance for Grace,” was a student at North Carolina Central University in 2006 and also worked as an exotic dancer when she performed at the now infamous Duke lacrosse party. She claimed that three white members of the team trapped her inside a bathroom and raped and sexually assaulted her. David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were indicted on rape and other charges on the basis of her allegations but eventually exonerated after North Carolina’s attorney general dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence.
Usher has fired his mother….. again! The long awaited album, Raymond vs. Raymond, has been delayed because the record company wants Usher to have a manager. This is the second time that Usher has fired his mother. The first time Usher fired his mom as his manager, it was when he was married to his first wife Tameka. Usher’s mom, Johnetta Patton, didn’t like Tameka, and it caused a major rift in his relationship with his mom. Johnetta sees his new love, Record Exec Grace Miguel, as a threat once again. She felt Miguel had too much say in the recording of his latest CD. So far, three singles have been released off the project to a lukewarm response. The relationship with Usher and his mom is very strange because she doesn’t like any woman in his life, but, every time Usher breaks away from his mom, his career suffers.
Is there a Dancing With The Stars sports star curse. Over the past weekend, two former NFLers landed in hot water. Former Dallas Cowboy star Michael Irvin was fired from his job at ESPN as a sports analyst over a rape charge. The woman claims the rape occurred in 2007. Irvin says the charge is false, and he is currently countersuing the woman for $100 million. Irvin was a standout last year on Dancing With The Stars. Warren Sapp was arrested last weekend for choking a woman in his hotel room. Sapp was a fan favorite on Dancing With The Stars, and he has lost his job as a NFL analyst. Sapp says he wanted the woman out of his hotel room because he was expecting company. The woman claims she had been dating Sapp for the past two years. Reps for Sapp say that he is very sorry about the events of this past weekend.
If you’ve seen Love Actually (2003), then you have a decent idea of what director Garry Marshall was aiming for with Valentine’s Day, a shameless rip-off with none of the charm of the delightful romantic comedy it so desperately seeks to emulate. The original, set in London during the Christmas season, engagingly explored an array of both lighthearted and sobering relationship issues through the prism of 10 couples in conflict. The essence of Love Actually’s appeal lay in the deceptive fashion in which its endearing characters were introduced, developed and serendipitously intertwined en route to a satisfying payoff. By contrast, this relatively-dreadful endeavor fails miserably in its attempt to generate the same sort of magic. The movie unfolds in Los Angeles over the course of one incredibly-eventful Valentine’s Day where we find emotional depth replaced by increasingly-infuriating superficiality. Instead of sophisticated, insightful badinage we hear crude, locker room banter. And instead of intriguing tales leading to realistic revelations we’re insulted with implausible and shocking, rabbit-out-of-the-hat developments. A brief intro to a few of the plot’s primary threads ought to be enough to give you a sense of the scale of the disaster. Receptionist Liz (Anne Hathaway) is having a hard time hiding the fact that she’s moonlighting as a phone sex operator from her new beau, Jason (Topher Grace), the mail room clerk. Not to worry, he’s so dumb he thinks Valentine’s Day falls on Thursday every year. I did not make that up. Their bi-polar boss, high-powered sports agent Paula (Queen Latifah), even has Liz’s back in a pinch. For this sassy sister is a sexual animal who refers to herself as a “true African Queen,” which means she is more than willing to cover by talking dirty with Liz’s callers in a pinch. One of Paula’s clients is 35 year-old Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a fading pro football star who is celebrated as the gay Jackie Robinson for finally coming out of the closet at the twilight of his career. What? I know, that also makes no sense. Meanwhile, grade-schooler Edison (Bryce Robinson) is busy buying flowers for a cute East Indian classmate (Megan Suri) he has a crush on. Their cross-cultural puppy love is lifted right out of Love Actually where a similar scenario had a white drummer secretly pining away for the African-American lead singer in the school band. Too bad, this version fails to generate any chemistry or vulnerability. The same can be said of the additional twists embroiling Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher, George Lopez, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift in other liaisons. Furthermore, every attempt at humor falls flat, whether it be a Jewish mother warning a couple of nuns she asked to hold her baby that “You should know we’re Jewish,” or Jamie Foxx explaining “I am the chocolate” as an excuse for not having Valentine’s Day gift. I don’t know what Bob Dylan was referring to when he sang “You just kinda wasted my precious time,” but that accurately sums up my feelings exiting the theater after this two-hour test of patience.
Fantasia Cancels ‘Color Purple’ Weekend Performances. Star is suffering from inflamed vocal chords; expects to resume Tuesday. Uh oh. In an announcement that’s sure to get some of her haters saying “here we go again,” Fantasia has announced that due to a medical condition she has to cancel her performances in this weekend’s Los Angeles run of “The Color Purple.” Fantasia received a lot of flack from critics and the public when she missed shows a couple of years ago when she also starred in the show on Broadway and on the road. In a recent interview with EUR, the singer explained that she missed those shows for medical reasons as well, but back then her management didn’t bother to explain to the media and the public what the circumstances were. (Ironically that medical problem was also her vocal chords.) It appears that she and her camp are not going to make that same mistake again.
Here’s the official statement: The Color Purple regrets to announce that Fantasia will miss the remainder of this weekend’s performances of The Color Purple at the Pantages Theatre. Fantasia did not perform in the Friday evening show due an inflammation of her vocal cords, and this morning, her doctor advised that for the fastest and most complete recovery she must sit out the remainder of the weekend. She is scheduled to resume her usual performance week starting Tuesday, February 16th at 8:00 PM. Performances of The Color Purple will continue through the weekend as scheduled with an understudy in the role of ‘Celie’. Ticketholders wishing to exchange tickets for another performance must visit the box office or point of sale:
Ticketmaster: 1-800-653-8000
Season Tickets: 1-866-755-2929
Group Sales: 1-866-755-3075
THE COLOR PURPLE continues through Sunday, February 28 at The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets for THE COLOR PURPLE are available for purchase online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by phone at 1-800-982-ARTS (2787). Tickets may also be purchased in person at The Pantages Box Office (opens daily at 10am) and all Ticketmaster ticket outlets. Meanwhile Fantasia is getting rave reviews for her portrayal of Celie in the production. Here’s what the LA Times reviewer Darryl H. Miller wrote: “Performer and character disappear into each other, emerging as something achingly real yet bigger, more wondrous than life. Her rise through the third season of ‘Idol’ might have signaled that she is a singer of rare talent, but it is as Celie, a woman slowly awakening to her inner magnificence, that she explodes like a supernova. This is not to say that Fantasia, who is widely known by just her first name, makes a showy star turn. Quite the opposite: She extends her gift humbly, like an offering placed lovingly into the devotional basket at a Sunday service.”
As if the East Coast didn’t have enough to contend with in the wake of “snowpocalypse” 2010, now here comes the mumps. All of this mump business started with just one little boy coming from Britain back to New York for camp for orthodox Jewish boys. CNN reported that so far there is more than 1500 cases reported just in the New York, New Jersey. It’s believed that the religious beliefs of the Jewish people kept the children from being immunized, so they are more susceptible than those who have had their measles/mump/rubella shot. The outbreak is running rampid in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey, but it will probably be contained. The Mumps most noticeable and/or standard symptom is the swollen glands, but according to the Mayo Clinic “half of patients” never exhibit any symptoms.
I watched the video, and was not impressed. Considering 25 years ago that one was absoutely amazing,
and perfect in every sense of the mind and cause. I did not enjoy the rapping, even though it was
done in a nice way, and not all up in your face as usual. (not a rapping fan OK) Just as I thought it
couldn’t get worse, Wyclef starts this awful scream not once but twice or was it three times, I went
OMG! Is he serious, I mean Quincy and what’s his name, sorry that is how long my attention span was
watching this. I know it is for a good cause and bless all the entertainers that participated in this.
Some times in life things are better left alone, and never to return to again. We Are The World-25
“NOT”, enuff said.
Valentine Day Music –
1. Stronger With Each Tear – Mary J. Blige
2. Soldier Of Love – Sade
3. Unexpected – Angie Stone
4. Love – Boyz II Men
5. The Sound – Mary Mary
6. Turn Me Loose – Ledisi
7. WOW Gospel 2010 – Various Artist
8. I Am Sasha Fierce – Beyonce’
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Movies –
1. I Can Do Bad All By Myself – Tyler Perry
2. The Princess and The Frog – Disney’s first African American Princess
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In Concert –
AL GREEN – “Lay It Down”
featuring, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Dap Kings Horns, Anthony Hamilton, John Legend,
and Ahmir Thompson
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I hope your Valentine’s Day is everything you hope for and more!
Credit Cards Are Changing Their Terms to Charge More. Have you seen less and less solicitations for new credit cards in your mail? The credit card companies have been really acting up in this economy. They see no one as an asset these days. According to Yahoo! Finance, it doesn’t matter if you have stellar credit or not, you could still be facing a $100 annual fee after the new terms set in February 22. In the report, they give five smart moves to make before the terms change on your cards. One thing they advise is that those of you who have the great FICO score, hold off on getting any new credit cards because the new cards are protected from a hike in interest rates for the first year. The other thing that parents should be aware of is that after the doom date if your child is not 21 or older, they may come a knocking on your door for a cosigner. Encourage them to go ahead and get it now while they don’t need you. Then there’s the gem, make sure you are charging [as if someone had to advise you to do that]. Actually, using the charge card bi-monthly and paying the bill off by the end of the month so they aren’t able to charge