411 for the week of February 9th, 2004
Janet and Jermaine stayed away. The 46th Annual Grammy Awards went on and Janet was not present. After the scandal of last week's "boobgate," Janet is laying low. She was supposed to participate in the Luther Vandross tribute, but with all the controversy surrounding her breast flashing, first she was invited, then uninvited, then invited again. Finally, she was told if she did attend she would have to apologize again on air. Janet stayed away and her boyfriend, producer Jermaine Dupri, was right by her side. In a show of support for his lady he resigned as President of the Atlanta Chapter of Naras. They help with the nominations and passing out of awards at the Grammy's. Janet's new song "Just A Little While" has been released to radio and her new album, Damita Jo, comes out on March 30th. Janet is also doing a movie for ABC, The Lena Horne Story, based on the legendary entertainer's life.
After two years the marriage is over between Natalie Cole and her husband Bishop Kenneth Duprie. Natalie who just turned 54 married the Nashville minister in an elaborate ceremony, but now the marriage is over and she is claiming irreconcilable differences. What happened? Natalie and Kenneth no longer speak and at a recent party for Oprah Winfrey the two had to be kept apart. They were sent the invitation before it was known they were no longer together and Kenneth decided to show up anyway.
Brandy's little brother Ray J is not joining the group B2K. The remaining members of the group Lil Fizz, J-Boog and Raz B say Ray J is like family to them, but he will not be joining the group. They must have realized he was too old for them.
Teena Marie's new album La Donna is coming out this spring. The long awaited album features Teena with Gerald Levert and Rick James. The first single is called "Still in Love."
Wanda Sykes is returning to television. Wanda's last show was cancelled on the Fox Network and now she's returning to television with a show on Comedy Central.
The Jackson Family has opened a new restaurant in West Hollywood. It's a soul food restaurant called Katherine's.
Star Jones from the ABC Show The View is learning how to strip. Star has been taking lessons with Puffy's mom Janice Combs learning how to pole dance and do the booty shake. ( Ok why?
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Faith Evans and her husband have entered drug rehab. A couple of weeks ago Faith and her husband, Todd, were arrested on drug possession charges after they were found with marijuana and cocaine. They are entering a 13-week program and once they finish the charges will be dropped.
ESPN has cancelled their football drama series Playmakers. The network caved in to pressure from the NFL, which didn't like how the show portrayed football players with stories about drug abuse and womanizing.
The NBA All-Star game is next weekend in Los Angeles. Outkast will be performing and Beyonce will be the halftime entertainment. Marvin Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, will be singing the national anthem. 20 years ago Marvin sang a version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at an NBA All-Star game. He did the song his way and it stands out as a classic. Nona's version will be performed in a similar fashion to the way Natalie Cole was with her late father Nat King Cole. Remember their version of 'Unforgettable', well Nona's voice will be blended with her dads and a digitally enhanced video will be shown along with it.
Boxing great Muhammad Ali has signed on as the new spokesperson for Adidas Sportswear. The campaign is called "Impossible is Nothing" and it will also feature Ali's daughter Laila.
The new issue of Jet Magazine will feature the cast of Soul Food. The new season of the Showtime series kicks off February 25th. This will be the final season of the show.