News You Can Use...For the Summer 06!

[jitterbug13]

NEW YORK (June 26) - As a white-tuxed Jay-Z stood on stage at Radio City Music Hall, celebrating the 10th anniversary of his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" and planning a world tour, it seemed as if a wide chasm separated the hungry rapper who made that dazzling debut and the mogul on the mic.

The Jay-Z of ten years ago was virtually unknown - the hottest Brooklyn rapper back then was The Notorious B.I.G. , and Jay-Z wasn't even signed to a major label when his first record came out.

Now, Jay-Z - also known as Shawn Carter, the president of Def Jam Records - is one of the most successful, respected figures in rap history.

But lest anyone think the rap icon is getting comfortable as a nostalgia act, Jay-Z quickly corrected them on stage Sunday night. Launching into a blistering, mostly unprintable freestyle, he affirmed that even semi-retired, Jay-Z is still the most captivating figure in rap today.

"I am the nicest!" Jay-Z declared, as the sold-out crowd inside the legendary venue stood on their feet, demanding more.

Fans will soon get it. In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday between rehearsals for Sunday night's commemorative show, Jay-Z announced that he would be going on tour this fall in a jaunt around the globe - Seoul, Beirut, Dubai, Johannesburg and Sydney, to name a few stops.

"There's a lot of places I haven't been," explained Jay-Z. "They've heard my music but they've never really seen me perform live. ... This really makes me wanna go out and perform. I'm looking forward to going overseas."

While fans stateside won't likely see another Jay-Z performance for a while, they may get a chance to her some new music in the future. Though Jay-Z vowed 2003's "The Black Album" would be his goodbye to the recorded rap game, his recent concert appearances (he staged a major show last year and has made cameos with performers like The Roots ) and his guest appearances on tracks like girlfriend Beyonce 's new song have industry insiders rumbling that a new Hova album may be on the horizon.

Jay-Z won't rule out cutting short his so-called "retirement."

"I go back and forth with it" he told AP. "I believe the industry as a whole needs certain events to happen to sustain it and keep it alive. You need (Dr.) Dre albums, you need Eminem albums you need 50 (Cent) albums, you need big artists, you need major events that happen. ... So when I look at it in those terms, I believe that an album is needed."

But he added that he viewed his role as president of Def Jam as equally important - not only to help change the system, but to give rappers something more to aspire to after their hits wane: "You have a three-year run and then no one ever hears about you. ... But now there's something attainable."

Not that Jay-Z ever needed to worry about falling into the "Where Are They Now" category. As his concert proved, Jay-Z has become not only one of hip-hop's, but pop music's evergreen performers, still managing to look and sound fresh ten years down the road.

And few rappers would be able to pull off rhyming about hustling crack on the corners of Brooklyn while standing behind a full orchestra, a band and DJ while dressed in cocktail party attire. But somehow, Jay-Z pulled it off.

Longtime sidekick Memphis Bleek was on hand for "Coming of Age," while Foxy Brown sashayed on stage for the song that made her a star, "Ain't No ..." The two biggest cameos featured on "Reasonable Doubt" back then weren't around for the anniversary party: a video montage of the slain Notorious B.I.G played on the video screen as Jay-Z rapped both his and Biggie's versus on "Brooklyn's Finest." And while Mary J. Blige provided the hook on "Can't Knock The Hustle" back then, her gritty performance was replaced Sunday night by the honey vocals of his boo, Beyonce.

But while "Reasonable Doubt" may be one of Jay-Z's greatest albums - he called it not only his favorite but "my baby" - it wasn't his most commercially successful. So as an added bonus and perhaps to placate the fans who arrived late on the Jay-Z Express, he returned after a brief intermission to run through some of his more famous hits -"Big Pimpin," "What More Can I Say," "Give It To Me" - at times teasing the crowd with a snippet of a hit, as if he had so many there was barely time to perform them all.

But he also threw in some obscure, gritty Hova songs, if only to prove that the essence of the grimy Brooklyn hustler still remains.

"I never lost sense of who I was - not for a day, not before I had a record deal, and certainly not after," he told AP. "I believe that's why I'm sitting right here with you today - it didn't change it one bit."

[jitterbug13]

Jay Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Radio City Music Hall Concert

Jay Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ concert at Radio City Music Hall Sunday Night was an unforgettable 10-year anniversary tribute to the artist’s debut album. The Rockefeller Records’ CEO made his grand entrance on stage, and kicked off the ‘Reasonable Doubt’ concert in a 1996 Lexus, then stepped out on stage in a crisp white suit to perform his 10-year-old album, back-to-front.

Guest performers included many of the original artists who appeared on ‘Reasonable Doubt’ 10 years ago – Sauce Money, Memphis Bleek, Foxy Brown – and a special appearance by Beyoncé singing Mary J. Blige’s vocals in ‘Can’t Knock the Hustle’ -- turned the venue upside down. Jay Z and ?uestlove, music director for the performance, made sure that fans got more than they bargained for.

[jitterbug13]

THIS. DON'T. SOUND. RIGHT. AT. ALL.

The Game has formally announced his engagement to Valeisha Butterfield, daughter of U.S. Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC.). Valeisha Butterfield admitted in a recent interview that the engagement came as a shock, stating that the two never dated, instead they went from “being friends to being engaged.”

This good news comes after ‘Waist Deep,’ the new feature film starring The Game, received mediocre reviews. Valeisha Butterfield appeared in ‘Remember the Titans’ as a cheerleader and also as a college student in ‘Road Trip.’ The couple recently had an extravagant dinner party formally announcing their engagement, with guests from Lil Jon to Hillary Duff. And though Congressman Butterfield gave The Game the “third degree,” the couple plans to wed in March 2007.

[Gina1201]

Originally Posted by jitterbug13

THIS. DON'T. SOUND. RIGHT. AT. ALL.

The Game has formally announced his engagement to Valeisha Butterfield, daughter of U.S. Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC.). Valeisha Butterfield admitted in a recent interview that the engagement came as a shock, stating that the two never dated, instead they went from “being friends to being engaged.”

It's true. They both did an interview with Jamie Foster-Brown for Sister 2 Sister magazine.

[jitterbug13]

Originally Posted by Gina1201

It's true. They both did an interview with Jamie Foster-Brown for Sister 2 Sister magazine.

It's not that it's true...I just wouldn't imagine The Game with a politican's daughter.

My friend sent me a text saying Star announced she is leaving....anyone got any info???

[divainred]

Star just announced on The View today that she is leaving the show - here is the article by the AP

Star Jones Reynolds leaving 'The View' By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
30 minutes ago



Don't expect any smackdown between Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones Reynolds on "The View." Reynolds said Tuesday she was leaving the show.

She told People magazine, "I feel like I was fired."

Rumors that she was leaving have intensified since the April announcement that Rosie O'Donnell would be replacing Meredith Vieira on "The View" in the fall.

O'Donnell had made several caustic remarks about Reynolds, saying that it was dishonest for her to talk about losing more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise without talking about gastric bypass surgery.

Reynolds, one of the original cast members of Barbara Walters' daily chatfest, made the announcement after the first commercial break of "The View" on Tuesday, saying the show had decided to move in a new direction.

"I'm not sure what the future holds," she said. "But I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

Her announcement came on the same day that Lloyd Grove's gossip column in the New York Daily News headlined: "Star gazing may end soon for `View'-ers," and repeated one of O'Donnell's quotes about Reynolds.

Walters, after beckoning the studio audience to give Reynolds a standing ovation, indicated the timing was a surprise. She expressed her "sadness that it has turned out this way."

"I can't imagine how `The View' would have succeeded without you," she said.

Comic Joy Behar looked like she was shocked.

"Who am I going to fight with?" Behar said.

Reynolds replied: "Something tells me you will have somebody to fight with."

[FeeFee]

Originally Posted by MsSweetness

My friend sent me a text saying Star announced she is leaving....anyone got any info???

Seems like it's true.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060627/...RrBHNlYwM3NjI-

NEW YORK - Don't expect any smackdown between Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones Reynolds on "The View." Reynolds said Tuesday she was leaving the show. She told People magazine, "I feel like I was fired."

Rumors that she was leaving have intensified since the April announcement that Rosie O'Donnell would be replacing Meredith Vieira on "The View" in the fall.

[jitterbug13]

It was a party with a purpose thrown by Boost Mobile RockCorps in Atlanta June 16. Boost Mobile RockCorps is an organization that encourages youth volunteerism and young people to make positive changes in their communities. The reward for the community initiatives are free tickets to Boost Mobile RockCorps's all-star concert.

Renaissance man Nick Cannon hosted this year's events. "I only give and do things that I truly really feel are close to my heart. Not just things that I feel are the right move. I've always been an advocate for the youth and youth empowerment, so for Boost Mobile to jump in and be like we're going to give this free concert and give all of this dough into giving back into the community for kids who give back to the community is amazing," Cannon told us backstage.

Cannon, who also appears in Boost Mobile's BoostCall Tones advertising campaign, said he hopes his involvement will encourage other young people to get active in their community. "I always say that it's not about being a role model, it's about being a real model," he added.

Keyshia Cole said she would have volunteered for Boost Mobile RockCorps if she hadn't hit the big time. "I would have done the community service for the tickets when I was a young because I couldn't afford to buy concert tickets," she explained.

One of the community activities was a volunteer project at Atlanta New Century School on the Morris Brown College campus. Yours truly participated in cutting weeds and tree limbs on the school's soccer field along with 'TV One Access' host Jamal Munnerlyn. We were so out of our element that event coordinator Sheila Eldridge, of Miles Ahead Entertainment, joked about us doing the male answer to 'The Simple Life.'

Afeni Shakur loves the message that Boost Mobile RockCorps sends to young people. "The work Boost Mobile RockCorps has done is a replica of what my son Tupac was about. He was all about giving back to the community," she said.

The concert was held at The Fox Theatre and featured performances by Young Jeezy, Lil' Jon, Outkast's Big Boi featuring Sleepy Brown, Bubba Sparxxx and Janelle Monae, Keyshia Cole, Lil' Wayne, The Game, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Young Dro and a surprise appearance by Jermaine Dupri. Hanging out backstage were original Destiny's Child member LaTavia Roberson, actor Jason Weaver ('ATL'), SWV member LeLee and director Chris Robinson ('ATL').

To learn more about Boost Mobile RockCorps and to find out how to get involved in your community, visit www.boostmobilerockcorps.org.

Living Single

Actor Wesley Jonathan ('Roll Bounce') said the rumor that he's engaged to actress Jennifer Freeman ('My Wife and Kids') is untrue. "I don't even know where that started," the actor told BV Buzz. "It's crazy how these things start. We're not even dating."

Jonathan said he began getting calls and text messages either congratulating him or questioning the surprise announcement once it began circulating online. "I called Jennifer, and she was shocked like I was. We had to laugh about it," he added.

The actor, who has three films on the horizon-'Crossover,' 'Cuttin' Da Mustard' and 'The Beautiful Ordinary'-is happily single for now. As far as Freeman is concerned, BV Buzz happens to know that she's been seeing a certain southern-based entertainer, who we're certain can't be too happy about the reports.

Buzzworthy

'America's Next Top Model' cycle five finalist Nik Pace, 21, is dating Memphis Grizzlies forward Lawrence Roberts, 23. I spotted the pair dining with four other guys at The Cafe‚ restaurant inside the Westin Hotel in downtown Atlanta recently. After the group paid the bill, Pace, in cream tights, a black tank top, cream New York Yankees baseball cap and reading glasses, hugged Roberts from behind as the two left the restaurant and headed for the elevators. The couple has apparently been dating for nearly four months.

Harlem-bred rapper Loon is readying the follow-up to his self-titled Bad Boy Entertainment debut and shared some choice words about his former label head, Sean "Diddy" Combs, in an interview streaming on his MySpace page. "I like running my mouth, I didn't get a chance to talk much, you know, when I was f-king with Puff. That ni**a like a life-sized f-king parrot. Everything you say he want to repeat and s-t. 'What Loon is trying to say...' N-a, I said what the f-k I was trying to say! N-as understood me when I said it the first time," he ranted. His forthcoming CD, appropriately titled 'No Friends,' also takes aim at his former running buddy, rapper-turned preacher-turned rapper again Mase (a.k.a. Pastor Mason Betha). Loon's sophomore CD will bow Aug. 29 on his own label, Boss Up Entertainment, in conjunction with X- Ray Records. You're nothing but a Mase wannabe anyway!

With the film adaptation of 'Dreamgirls' being one of the most anticipated movies of the year, it's a given that the internet is abuzz with rumors about it. The last cyber report has R&B diva Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role of Effie White in the Broadway production of 'Dreamgirls,' playing the new Effie's (Jennifer Hudson of 'American Idol') mom in the film. The report went on to claim that Effie is killed in the film version of 'Dreamgirls' and that Holliday looks over her daughter's body and belts out the tune, 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,' instead of Hudson singing it. I'm happy to report that story is definitely false. Under the condition of anonymity, someone associated with the film put it bluntly: "Hell naw! That's not true! That's ridiculous!" 'Dreamgirls,' which also stars Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, Eddie Murphy and Keith Robinson, hits theaters Christmas Day.

Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas has inked a deal to record a solo album with singer Akon's Konvict Records. This will be Thomas's first solo endeavor outside of her pop group TLC. Also on the Konvict roster is "I'm In Love With A Stripper" singer T-Pain. In other TLC news, I'm told Chilli and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins have a talk show in the works. The duo have apparently struck a deal with a major network to shoot a talk show pilot and may be introduced to the daytime television audience through a show that's already on the air. I really don't know about this...

Gospel singer Kierra "Kiki" Sheard landed at No. 5 on Japan's International Album Sales Chart with her new sophomore release, 'This Is Me.' The anticipated follow-up to her debut, 'I Owe You,' hits stores in the U.S. this week. Sheard has become a superstar in Japan despite not having visited the country. Her remix album 'Just Until...' was certified gold in Japan and the track "Let Go" went to No. 1 on the Japanese radio charts. In addition to the standard album, Sheard will also release a special edition version of 'This Is Me' in the U.S. that will include five additional bonus cuts and a live version of the title track.

Speaking of Sheard, her mom, gospel great Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters, was celebrated in Washington, D.C. recently by a production company called The Assiduous Group. The concert, held at the Warner Theater, was called 'An Evening With Karen Clark Sheard' and featured two of gospel's most prolific vocalists, Kim Burrell and Sheard's cousin J. Moss, who also presented his new group 21:03. Both artists sang Sheard songs in addition to their own material. Sheard herself closed out the show.

Can't Say Names...

Yes, that was a certain flashy, arrogant, allegedly former homophobic rapper who apparently mistook a Hollywood filmmaker who approached him on Los Angeles's gay-friendly Santa Monica Blvd. for a "gay fan." A source said that the rapper-producer sped off in a black Range Rover with a New Jersey license plate-likely a rental-when said filmmaker attempted to hand him his business card. "He hauled ass outta' there like a bat outta' hell," said our tipster. I think this is Ye...


BV Scene

Actress Jasmine Guy and daughter Imani having lunch with poet Pearl Cleage at Paschal's restaurant in Atlanta. Cleage authored the poem "We Speak Your Name" that was read during Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball weekend. Former Xscape singer Kandi Burruss lunched with a male companion in the very next booth... It was almost a complete Destiny's Child reunion during Atlanta-based radio station Hot-107.9's Birthday Bash concert recently. While rapper Young Jeezy performed "Go Crazy" onstage with Island Def Jam president Jay-Z, Destiny's Child members Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland looked on from one side of the stage, while original D.C. member LeToya Luckett watched in the shadows from the other side of the stage at the Philips Arena... Media darling Gail Mitchell, the senior editor of R&B/Hip-Hop at Billboard magazine, was saluted at a special tribute at The Friars of Beverly Hills last week. The shindig was hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Bruce Walker and featured musical performances by Eric Benet and Desiree Coleman Jackson... Nate Berkus of the 'Oprah' show going into the ABC Carpet and Home on 19th Street in New York City.

[Gina1201]

I am seriously hating on the fact that I could not attend that concert. I saw pics on mtv.com. I knew the tour was coming. He talks about it in his HP commercial. BTW, I LOVE that commercial!! Maybe he will come to the Cuse as part of his world tour.