News, News, News, News and MORE News - Page 11

NUPE4LIFE · #**151** 02-18-2007, 10:06 PM

When I saw that picture I thought of the movie "Angel Heart".

pinkies up · #**152** 02-18-2007, 11:09 PM

Man, you took me back!! Remember when that type of movie was too X-rated??

RedAngel · #**153** 02-18-2007, 11:22 PM

I've never seen such blue eyes on infant before. It's almost icy blue. He is certainly a cutey!

jitterbug13 · #**154** 02-21-2007, 06:33 PM

http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_ent...16154509990001

Still BLUTANG · #**155** 02-21-2007, 07:37 PM

this keeps getting sadder and sadder to me.

McMissile Culprit's Stay In Jail Extended
Mississippi Has Warrant For Cup-Throwing Woman

POSTED: 11:17 am EST February 18, 2007
UPDATED: 6:15 pm EST February 21, 2007

STAFFORD, Va. -- A woman set for release after her conviction for throwing a cup of ice into another car in Stafford County will have to stay in jail until an outstanding warrant in Mississippi is cleared, News4's Chris Gordon reported.

Authorities learned about the outstanding warrant on charges of writing bad checks on Wednesday after a judge told 25-year-old Jessica Hall of Jacksonville, N.C., that the two months she has been in jail is enough. The judge told her she would be on probation and not have to serve a recommended two-year sentence, said Gordon, who was in the courtroom.

ladeia · #**156** 02-24-2007, 09:07 PM

Updated:2007-02-24 16:52:01
Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Bias
By SAM DILLON
The New York Times
(Feb. 24) - When a psychology professor at DePauw University here surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of "daddy's little princesses" and another as "offbeat hippies." The sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as "socially awkward."

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta's national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men -- conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit.

"Virtually everyone who didn't fit a certain sorority member archetype was told to leave," said Kate Holloway, a senior who withdrew from the chapter during its reorganization.

"I sensed the disrespect with which this was to be carried out and got fed up," Ms. Holloway added. "I didn't have room in my life for these women to come in and tell my sisters of three years that they weren't needed."

Ms. Holloway is not the only angry one. The reorganization has left a messy aftermath of recrimination and tears on this rural campus of 2,400 students, 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

The mass eviction battered the self-esteem of many of the former sorority members, and some withdrew from classes in depression. There have been student protests, outraged letters from alumni and parents, and a faculty petition calling the sorority's action unethical.

DePauw's president, Robert G. Bottoms, issued a two-page letter of reprimand to the sorority. In an interview in his office, Dr. Bottoms said he had been stunned by the sorority's insensitivity.

"I had no hint they were going to disrupt the chapter with a membership reduction of this proportion in the middle of the year," he said. "It's been very upsetting."

The president of Delta Zeta, which has its headquarters in Oxford, Ohio, and its other national officers declined to be interviewed. Responding by e-mail to questions, Cynthia Winslow Menges, the executive director, said the sorority had not evicted the 23 women, even though the national officers sent those women form letters that said: "The membership review team has recommended you for alumna status. Chapter members receiving alumnae status should plan to relocate from the chapter house no later than Jan. 29, 2007."

Ms. Menges asserted that the women themselves had, in effect, made their own decisions to leave by demonstrating a lack of commitment to meet recruitment goals. The sorority paid each woman who left $300 to cover the difference between sorority and campus housing.

The sorority "is saddened that the isolated incident at DePauw has been mischaracterized," Ms. Menges wrote.

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This is not the first time that the DePauw chapter of Delta Zeta has stirred controversy. In 1982, it attracted national attention when a black student was not allowed to join, provoking accusations of racial discrimination.

Earlier this month, an Alabama lawyer and several other DePauw alumni who graduated in 1970 described in a letter to The DePauw, the student newspaper, how Delta Zeta's national leadership had tried unsuccessfully to block a young woman with a black father and a white mother from joining its DePauw chapter in 1967.

Despite those incidents, the chapter appears to have been home to a diverse community over the years, partly because it has attracted brainy women, including many science and math majors, as well as talented disabled women, without focusing as exclusively as some sororities on potential recruits' sex appeal, former sorority members said.

"I had a sister I could go to a bar with if I had boy problems," said Erin Swisshelm, a junior biochemistry major who withdrew from the sorority in October. "I had a sister I could talk about religion with. I had a sister I could be nerdy about science with. That's why I liked Delta Zeta, because I had all these amazing women around me."

But over the years DePauw students had attached a negative stereotype to the chapter, as evidenced by the survey that Pam Propsom, a psychology professor, conducts each year in her class.

That image had hurt recruitment, and the national officers had repeatedly warned the chapter that unless its membership increased, the chapter could close.

At the start of the fall term the national office was especially determined to raise recruitment because 2009 is the 100th anniversary of the DePauw chapter's founding. In September, Ms. Menges and Kathi Heatherly, a national vice president of the sorority, visited the chapter to announce a reorganization plan they said would include an interview with each woman about her commitment. The women were urged to look their best for the interviews.

The tone left four women so unsettled that they withdrew from the chapter almost immediately.

Robin Lamkin, a junior who is an editor at The DePauw and was one of the 23 women evicted from the house, said many of her sisters bought new outfits and modeled them for each other before the interviews. Many women declared their willingness to recruit diligently, Ms. Lamkin said.

More From the Times
U.S. in Talks With Britain on Installing Missile Defense SystemPanel Cites Voter Error, Not Software, in Loss of VotesA New Model for Schools in the Boston ArchdioceseThink Your Social Security Number Is Secure? Think AgainCo-Defendants of Padilla Are Seeking to Split CasesA few days after the interviews, national representatives took over the house to hold a recruiting event. They asked most members to stay upstairs in their rooms. To welcome freshmen downstairs, they assembled a meet-and-greet team that included several of the women eventually asked to stay in the sorority, along with some slender women invited from the sorority's chapter at Indiana University, Ms. Holloway said.

"They had these unassuming freshman girls downstairs with these plastic women from Indiana University, and 25 of my sisters hiding upstairs," she said. "It was so fake, so completely dehumanized. I said, 'This calls for a little joke.' "

Ms. Holloway put on a wig and some John Lennon rose-colored glasses, burst through the front door during the recruitment event, and skipped around singing "Ooooh! Delta Zeta!" and other chants.

The face of one of the national representatives, she recalled, "was like I'd run over her puppy with my car."

The national representatives announced their decisions in the form letters, delivered on Dec. 2, which said that Delta Zeta intended to increase membership to 95 by the 2009 anniversary, and that it would recruit using a "core group of women."

Elizabeth Haneline, a senior a computer science major who was among those evicted, returned to the house from campus that afternoon and found some women in tears. Even the chapter's very active president had been kicked out, Ms. Haneline said, while "other women who had done almost nothing for the chapter were asked to stay."

Ms. Swisshelm said she overheard one woman seek to reassure a friend: "I think you're plenty pretty, no matter what nationals say," the woman said.

Six of the 12 women who were asked to stay left the sorority, including Joanna Kieschnick, a sophomore majoring in English literature. "They said, 'You're not good enough' to so many people who have put their heart and soul into this chapter that I can't stay," she said.

Ms. Haneline, who found articles about Delta Zeta in the DePauw library about past episodes of discrimination, said, "The Greek system hasn't changed at all, but instead of racism, it's image now."

In the months since, Cynthia Babington, DePauw's dean of students, has fielded angry calls from parents, she said. Robert Hershberger, chairman of the modern languages department, circulated the faculty petition; 55 professors signed it.

"We were especially troubled that the women they expelled were less about image and more about academic achievement and social service," Dr. Hershberger said.

During rush activities this month, 11 first-year students accepted invitations to join Delta Zeta, but only three have since sought membership.

On Feb. 2, Rachel Pappas, a junior who is the chapter's former secretary, printed 200 posters calling on students to gather that afternoon at the student union. About 50 students showed up and heard Ms. Pappas say the sorority's national leaders had misrepresented the truth when they asserted they had evicted women for lack of commitment.

"The injustice of the lies," she said, "is contemptible."

Copyright © 2007 The New York Times Company

AKA2D '91 · #**157** 02-25-2007, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jitterbug13

http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_ent...16154509990001

Can't Say Names...

A certain veteran R&B crooner is bragging to friends about his recent hookup with a popular television star more than half his age. The aging soul singer had a short fling with the actress, but I'm told the sassy sitcom star dumped him for "being bitter, angry and stuck in the past."

Who is this?

Confucius · #**158** 02-25-2007, 02:35 PM

You Know Those Hollywood Types....Getting Married after Dating 3 WEEKS....

Nick Cannon’s (Victoria’s) Secret Wedding!

Thursday February 22, 2007

Usmagazine.com has learned exclusively that Nick Cannon, 26, married Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks, 24, in Las Vegas last weekend. Sources say the altar-rushers were staying at the Palms Casino Resort Hotel and enjoying NBA All-Star Weekend when they decided to wed on a whim after just three weeks of dating.

The couple began dating after meeting at Super Bowl weekend in Miami. Says the source, "The weird thing is when he and Kim [Kardashian] dated, he said he didn't believe in monogamy!" The singer and actor split from Kardashian in January.

Cannon and Ebanks are planning to hold a wedding reception party in L.A. this weekend, pals say.

When contacted by Usmagazine.com, Cannon's publicist, Tracy Nguyen, declined to comment.

http://usmagazine.com/nick_cannon

Confucius · #**159** 02-25-2007, 02:36 PM

Patty Jackson's 411 Celebrity Report for 02.19.07

www.wdasfm.com

Patty Jackson's 411 for the week of February 19th, 2007

Vivica A. Fox is coming to Philly! Fox will be in town filming the movie Cover. Cover will be directed by Bill Duke, and it will deal with the issue of down low men, straight men who have sex with other men. Mya and Loretta Devine co-star, and Patti LaBelle has been added to the cast as the head of the church choir. Actress/Singer Sheryl Lee Ralph is also rumored to be joining the cast. If you see Vivica, make her feel welcome in the city of brotherly love. In other Vivica news, what do you do when your best friend and your husband can’t get along? If you’re Star Jones Reynolds and your best friend is Vivica A. Fox, you side with your husband. Over the weekend, Vivica and Star’s husband, Al Reynolds, had an exchange of words. At one point things got so heated, Star grabbed her husband and left the party. Vivica tried to soothe things over and apologize, but Star wasn’t hearing it.

Hot Couples Alert:

Former NBA Star Rick Fox and Sex and the City Star Kristin Davis! Davis played “Charlotte” on the popular HBO series, and Fox used to be married to Vanessa Williams. Now speaking of Vanessa Williams, she’s going to be nude again. In 1984, Vanessa lost her crown as Miss America when nude photos of her performing sex acts on a woman were published in Penthouse magazine. Today, Williams is on a roll with her hit show Ugly Betty, and she will be posing nude in the May edition of Allure magazine. It’s their look better naked issue.

Chris Tucker and India Arie?! Tucker is currently working on the movie Rush Hour III, but he has been spending a lot of time with Arie. The two have been dating since late last year. Arie used to date Singer Musiq Soulchild, and Tucker used to be married. Maybe he still is.

One man who is married is Actor Boris Kodjoe, and over the weekend, he spent a lot of time with Gabrielle Union at the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in Las Vegas. Kodjoe is married to Actress Nicole Ari Parker. She was nowhere to be found. She recently gave birth to their second child. She must have been home with the babies because Boris and Gabrielle were all hugged up taking pictures everywhere. Now maybe they are just friends, but when you are married, this is not a good look. It’s about respect…..respect your wife!

Whitney and Ray J! Aaaaaauuuuuggghhh!! I’m sick of these two already. Forget the fact that she’s 17 years older than him. He is an opportunist. Next week, his sex tape with Kim Kardashian is coming out. Word has it he filmed and sold the tape for $1 million. Ray J proves he’s more than Brandy’s little brother. In one scene that was too hot for the video, he performed water sports on Kim, ala R Kelly. Against the advice of her drug counselors, Whitney spent the weekend in Las Vegas with Ray J. She appeared agitated and pushed him around all night. Whitney needs a man, not someone looking for publicity. As for hubby Bobby Brown, he was spotting making out with a mystery woman in California.

This Sunday will be one of the most diverse Oscar nights in history with Dreamgirls looking at more gold. Both Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for the roles that have been winning them awards all season. Dreamgirls leads the pack with a total of eight nominations, including Costume Designer Sharon Davis. Her work is great. Plus, Beyonce will be performing at the Oscars along with Dreamgirls Anoki Noni Rose and Jennifer Hudson. Forest Whitaker and Philly’s own Will Smith are both up for Best Actor, Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness and Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. Djimon Hounsou from Blood Diamond is up for Supporting Actor along with Eddie Murphy. The Academy Awards air this Sunday on ABC with Host Ellen DeGeneres.

Is Usher about to get married? Against his mother’s wishes, he is moving full speed ahead with his older woman. Tameka Foster is a divorced mother of three, and she used to be his stylist. Foster left her husband to be with Usher. Usher appears happy with Foster, and word has it he wants to marry her.

Eddie Murphy and Mel B! Murphy continues to claim her baby isn’t his. Mel B is six months pregnant, and she looks terrible. The baby and stress are taking a toll on her. Murphy wants a DNA test to determine if he is the daddy. Last year, Murphy was dating the former Spice Girl. When he found out she was pregnant, he dumped her. If Murphy is the daddy, Mel B won’t have to worry about looking bad because ol’ girl is going to get paid! Nicole Murphy, Eddie’s ex-wife, has weighed in on the situation. Nicole was married to Eddie for 13 years, and she gave him five children. Nicole says the Mel B situation is strange. But, if she is carrying Eddie’s baby, the kid will be beautiful. Nicole also gives big thumbs up to Eddie’s current girlfriend, Producer Tracey Edmonds. Nicole says they look good together.

Beyonce has made history as the first female singer to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition, but a lot of readers are not happy about it. Many subscribers want to cancel their subscriptions. They feel the magazine is not living up to its sports reputation by using a singer.

Jamie Foxx is being sued by a former stylist. The stylist claims she is being stiffed out of money for work she did on Jamie for the promo leg of Miami Vice and The BET Awards.

Get ready for the Milli Vanilli movie. In 1990, the German duo took the music world by storm with their smash Girl You Know It’s True. They went on to win a Grammy award for best new artist. Then the truth came out: Rob and Fabrice were fake. They couldn’t sing a lick. Studio singers did the singing on the Milli Vanilli songs. In 1998, Rob Pilates died of a drug overdose. Fabrice is still doing behind the scenes work in the music industry. A movie is being planned based on this real life music scandal.

Singer Jill Scott will be teaming up with Director Tyler Perry for his next two movies: Why Did I Get Married and Jazzman Blues. I had a chance to talk to Tyler Perry last week. He says starting next year he’ll be releasing two movies a year. He also said “Madea” will be back in a couple of years. Perry’s latest film, Daddy’s Little Girls, did not feature his popular “Madea” character, and the box office numbers fell short of expectations. Daddy’s Little Girls is an excellent movie with an all-star cast: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett, Jr., Tracee Ellis Ross and Tasha Smith. So far at press time, the movie has taken in close to $20 million at the box office. Perry’s last film with his “Madea” character, Madea’s Family Reunion, took in $30 million its first weekend.

American Idol Judge Paula Abdul is going on the offensive. She’s tired of people thinking she’s drunk or high while on the show. Abdul, 44, says she’s never been drunk nor does she take illegal drugs. At times, she is whacked out of her mind. Maybe it’s prescription drugs.

Diana Ross would like her daughter Tracee Ellis Ross to portray the Legendary Entertainer Lena Horne on the big screen. Ross is best known for her Oscar nominated performance as Billie Holiday, and she feels her daughter would be the perfect choice to play Lena Horne.

Tracy Morgan has pleaded guilty to a recent drunk driving charge. Morgan was arrested last year for driving under the influence. His license has been suspended for six months. He will also have to pay a $1,000 fine and enter an alcohol treatment program.

Queen Latifah will be producing a show for BET and VH1 called Wifey. The show will be about high powered women in the world of Hip Hop. Latifah’s HBO movie, Life Support, debuts on March 10th. Latifah is playing an HIV positive woman who dedicates her life to helping others. Jamie Foxx and Evan Ross co-star.

Toni Braxton has reached a settlement with her former manager, Barry Hankerson. Braxton will have to repay him $375 thousand to get out a recording contract with Hankerson’s label. Hankerson, who used to be married to Gladys Knight, says he is glad to be rid of Braxton. He claims her husband was always interfering with her business deals, and that’s why her last albums have been flops. Braxton is married to Kerri Lewis of Mint Condition. Over the weekend, Braxton performed at the NBA All-Star Game, and had a lot fans upset with her mumbling. It seems as though she no longer sings. She just mumbles when she performs.

Producer/Director Lee Daniels is hard at work with Singer Mariah Carey. They are currently filming the movie Tennessee. Carey will play a waitress.

Martin Lawrence is not making fans during the promo tour of his new movie Wild Hogs. Sources say his demands are outrageous, and he travels with a huge entourage. The other stars of the movie, John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy, just laugh in amusement at Lawrence’s star treatment. Wild Hogs opens in theatres on March 2nd.

The strain is beginning to show in the relationship between Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri. Ever since her album flopped, Janet has not been happy. Dupri is gearing up for his new job as the head of Island/Def Jam, but can he salvage his relationship with Janet? At a recent party, Janet appeared agitated and annoyed at a party hosted by Dupri.

Cancel that Michael Jackson order on American Idol. It appears the King of Pop will not be making a surprise appearance on the show, but producers are promising a major surprise this season.
It was rumored that Jackson would be given a special Idol week and a chance to mentor the Idol hopefuls.

Scratch out Fantasia coming to Broadway. Oprah Winfrey wanted Fantasia to join her Broadway musical, and give the show a much needed shot in the arm. But, Fantasia will not be joining the show. The show has seen a slump in ticket sales since Tony Winner La Chanze left the show. La Chanze played “Miss Celie.” La Chanze’s role will now go to her understudy Kenita Miller.

Jennifer Hudson has made history as the first African American singer to grace the cover of Vogue magazine. Last week, I listed other notable African American women, including Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Beverly Williams. Another famous model who graced the cover was Peggy Dilliard Toone. A special thanks to our readers for pointing that out.

When are black celebrities going to learn it’s not cool to support racist, over-hyped celebrities such as Paris Hilton? This no talent media queen is known for her use of the N-Word and the F-Word, but every week there is a different black celebrity hugging her up. Can they please stop giving this girl a free pass? She doesn’t like you!

Rocker Bono is getting honored at this year’s NAACP Image Awards. The front man for the Rock Band U2 will be receiving The Chairman’s Award for his humanitarian efforts involving AIDS in Africa. The awards show is set for Friday, March 2nd on Fox. Bill Cosby and CNN’s Soledad O’Brien are also being honored. Rapper/Actor LL Cool J will be hosting.

Upcoming Movies:

March 2nd- Wild Hogs- John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and Tim Allen.

March 16th- I Think I Love My Wife- Chris Rock, Gina Torres and Kerry Washington.

March 23rd - Pride – Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac.

April 6th- Are We Done Yet? Ice Cube and Nia Long.

WHAT’S THE UNDERGROUND BUZZ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Neo Soul Singer has a new album coming out this spring. He is currently on a promotional tour, and the reviews of his concert performance have been horrible. Fans say the Singer is a lazy performer whose career won’t last long if he keeps doing poor shows.

RedefinedDiva · #**160** 02-25-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Confucius

WHAT’S THE UNDERGROUND BUZZ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Neo Soul Singer has a new album coming out this spring. He is currently on a promotional tour, and the reviews of his concert performance have been horrible. Fans say the Singer is a lazy performer whose career won’t last long if he keeps doing poor shows.

Musiq Soulchild?

jitterbug13 · #**161** 02-25-2007, 07:21 PM

^^^^
I was thinking the same thing.

Nick Cannon getting married: Is it me, or she looks too pretty to be with him? They just seemed like a odd couple.

The DZ story: All I could think about in that story was the book Pledged.

Conskeeted7 · #**162** 02-26-2007, 12:46 AM

I can't wait to see "Why did I get married" on the big screen. I loved the play.

I'm surprised to hear that Musiq Soulchild is not doing good performances anymore. I've seen him about 3 or 4 times and he was great each time.

When is Mel B supposed to have this baby? Seems like she's been pregnant a while.