[Afrochic]

Patty Jackson The 411

Ashanti is going to play Dionne Warwick on an upcoming episode of the NBC Show, American Dreams. Ashanti is going to sing Walk On By. Also congrats go out to Ashanti, she is up for 5 American Music Awards. The American Music Awards air on Jan. 13th on 6 ABC. The Osborne Family is hosting.

Remember Singer Billy Ocean. Back in the 80’s he had the hits Suddenly and Carribean Queen. Well Billy just received his Honorary Doctorate of Music Degrees from the University of Westminster.

Whitney Houston, Bobby’s wife, sits down with Diane Sawyer to talk about the controversy surrounding her life. Does she do drugs? Does Bobby beat her? I had a chance to see a special preview and Whitney and Bobby looked a mess as they sang Lean On Me, the Bill Withers classic. In the scene, Whitney is banging on the piano and Bobby is singing loudly. Their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, sat there looking sad. How Diane kept a straight face is beyond me. The Whitney Houston Prime Time Live special airs December 4th her new CD ‘Just Whitney’ arrives in stores on Nov. 26th. Execs at Arista Records say Whitney Houston will be hitting the road to promote her new CD. She will be doing interviews and promotions. Now this should be funny because Whitney didn’t like to do interviews when things were going well, can you imagine how she will be when she has to answer questions about her weight, drug abuse and her wild husband Bobby Brown.

Singer Sarah Dash of Labelle Fame is not doing well. Two years ago, Sarah suffered an injury on a train and she can’t work. She is suing the train company, but now she faces eviction from her New York City Apartment. Sarah has lived there for 30 years and now she could be homeless. She went to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation for help but found no luck. Back in the 70’s, Sarah topped the charts with Nona Hendrix and Patti Labelle in the group Labelle.

When the first reports of the Merlin Santana case came out it said he was shot in a parked car now I’m hearing Merlin was shot as he left a woman’s house and she blew off a side of his face. The 15 year old girl is in juvenile custody and she faces a court date Dec. 10th. She also faces attempted murder charges because she also shot a guy who was with Merlin. Merlin was recently buried near his New York City home.

Actor Verne Troyer who is best known as Mini Me in The Austin Powers movies is in rehab. The 32 inch star almost died from alcohol poisoning. Apparently Troy went overboard with the strippers, porn stars and booze.

Mariah Carey’s new single, Thru The Rain, is not selling. Mariah who has sold 125 million records worldwide, is in a slump. Mariah hasn’t had a hit since 1999. Last year she suffered a breakdown after the release of Glitter. Are people tired of Mariah? Close friends think she should change her image because she’s boring and I hear she’s been trying to get Puff Daddy’s attention to help her revitalize her career. What is the world coming to when a real singer like Mariah is having a hard time selling records and a non singer like Jennifer Lopez is burning up the charts. Mariah’s new CD, Charmbracelet, comes out Dec. 3.

An arrest is expected soon in the shooting death of Rap Pioneer Jam Master Jay. According to the New York Post it was a drug deal gone sour that cost Jay his life. Sources say DNA could link a man named Curtis Scoon to the crime. Reportedly ten years ago Jay and Scoon participated in a drug deal that turned bad and it cost them over ten thousand dollars. Scoon had been pressuring Jay about the money over the past few months and sources believe he hired a hit man to kill Jay. At the time of his death, Jay was having a lot of financial problems. He owed the IRS over 500 thousand dollars in taxes.

Rapper Foxy Brown is pregnant.

Our condolences go out to Rapper/Actor LL Cool J. His Grandmother who raised him recently died from cancer.

Allen Iverson and his wife, Tawanna, recently opened up to talk about the criminal charges he was facing following an alleged domestic dispute between the couple. Allen and Tawanna sat down with noted sports journalists Stephen A. Smith from the Inquirer and John Smallwood from the Daily News. In the revealing interview, Allen talked about the media circus & the invasion of privacy. His fear of Philadelphia police and how he wishes the media would leave his family alone. Last summer’s media coverage of the Iverson arrest was horrible. This case was blown out of proportion and it was embarrassing to watch the media hound him and his family. Sources say Allen decided to talk to the media because Fox 29 is trying to put together an expose on Allen and his family to bring him more embarrassment and scrutiny. Why can’t they leave him alone and stop with the harassment. And let me tell you it’s not just the media there have been incidents where female fans have said embarrassing and mean things to Tawanna. She can no longer sit in the stands with the fans she must sit in the box to enjoy the games with her children.