Fall 2K5 NEWS

[southernelle25]

I wonder if all this will play out in a sequel?

[ladylike]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
In one last gesture, McMillan sent Plummer's attorney an inscribed copy of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' with this parting shot: "You made me sick these last eight or nine months and I hope you rot in he&&.''

Don't hold back Terri. Let 'em know how you really feel.

[Tickled Pink 2]

Originally posted by southernelle25
I wonder if all this will play out in a sequel?

I think Taye Diggs would turn down the part in movie form.

You know what - Life imitates art though - remember in Waiting to Exhale - one of the ladies found out that her baby daddy was gay?

[jitterbug13]

LMAO at the "launch his new career as a hair stylist -- this after his dog-grooming business went sideways".

But for real, good for Terry and making sure that most of her money was protected in this.

And I remember when Barry Bonds and his Becky got a divorce. Talk about NASTY!!!!

ETA: I can see Angela reprising her role or getting Kimberly Elise to play Stella.

[Confucius]

Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier dies

October 15, 2005
ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died Saturday morning, possibly of cardiac arrest, the team said. He was 28.

Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said no other details immediately were available and did not say where Collier was when he died.

The 7-foot, 260-pound Collier, a five-year NBA player, spent his first three seasons with Houston before joining Atlanta in 2003. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in his career.

Collier played for Georgia Tech and was drafted by Milwaukee in the first round, with the 15th pick overall, in the 2000 NBA draft.


We are the same age. So young--->cardiac arrest..

[Eclipse]

Why is "How Stella Got her Groove Back" on right now? LOL

[lostnfound117]

Originally posted by Confucius
Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier dies

October 15, 2005
ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died Saturday morning, possibly of cardiac arrest, the team said. He was 28.

Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said no other details immediately were available and did not say where Collier was when he died.

The 7-foot, 260-pound Collier, a five-year NBA player, spent his first three seasons with Houston before joining Atlanta in 2003. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in his career.

Collier played for Georgia Tech and was drafted by Milwaukee in the first round, with the 15th pick overall, in the 2000 NBA draft.


We are the same age. So young--->cardiac arrest..

OMG....

[ladygreek]

Originally posted by Confucius
Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier dies

October 15, 2005
ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died Saturday morning, possibly of cardiac arrest, the team said. He was 28.

Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said no other details immediately were available and did not say where Collier was when he died.

The 7-foot, 260-pound Collier, a five-year NBA player, spent his first three seasons with Houston before joining Atlanta in 2003. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in his career.

Collier played for Georgia Tech and was drafted by Milwaukee in the first round, with the 15th pick overall, in the 2000 NBA draft.


We are the same age. So young--->cardiac arrest..

This is so sad.

Another article said he was at home and started having trouble beating, then turned blue. His wife gave him CPR and when the paramedics arrived he had a slight pulse, but he died on route to the hospital.

[lostnfound117]

Originally posted by ladygreek
This is so sad.

Another article said he was at home and started having trouble beating, then turned blue. His wife gave him CPR and when the paramedics arrived he had a slight pulse, but he died on route to the hospital.

What was that basketball player who died during a game's name? I was in the 5th grade I think, so this has to be around 1988. I thought it was Lyn Tobias or something like that, but I'm not sure.

[ladygreek]

Originally posted by lostnfound117
What was that basketball player who died during a game's name? I was in the 5th grade I think, so this has to be around 1988. I thought it was Lyn Tobias or something like that, but I'm not sure.

Yep, I believe so. Not sure if it was a game or a practice.

[TonyB06]

Originally posted by lostnfound117
What was that basketball player who died during a game's name? I was in the 5th grade I think, so this has to be around 1988. I thought it was Lyn Tobias or something like that, but I'm not sure.

You're thinking of Hank Gathers, who played for Loyola-Marymount, and collapsed during a game (and later died) in 1990.

Len Bias, from the Univ. of Maryland, died of a cocaine overdose, shortly after having been drafted by the Boston Celtics in June 1986.

[lostnfound117]

Originally posted by TonyB06
You're thinking of Hank Gathers, who played for Loyola-Marymount, and collapsed during a game (and later died) in 1990.

Len Bias, from the Univ. of Maryland, died of a cocaine overdose, shortly after having been drafted by the Boston Celtics in June 1986.

Thanks Tony...gosh, I was way off on the name wasn't I?

[Kimmie1913]

This article is found in the most recent issue of People Magazine....






What Foxy Brown remembers most about the morning of May23 is the eerie quiet. The night before, the rapper had fallen asleep with the television blaring, but when she got up, no sound seemed to be coming from it. "I pressed the volume to maybe 60. Nothing," says Brown. " I ran outside to my truck and honked the horn. Nothing. I ran back inside and dialed a number on the phone. Nothing. Then I started breaking down in tears and screaming and I couldn't even hear myself scream. That's when I knew there was a problem."

Three days later Brown was diagnosed with severe sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a little-understood condition that affects one in 10,000 people without warning, often the result of a viral infection. Most suffer loss in only one ear and, when treated early, the condition can be reversible. But Brown has lost her hearing in both ears and has, so far, not responded well to treatment. "Her case is severe," says Dr. Anil Lalwani, an otologist whom Brown has consulted. "In only 1 or 2 percent of the cases are both ears affected." For months Brown tried to hide the loss, hoping medication and surgery might restore it. Now, as she weighs further options, she is speaking out for the first time. "I have been deaf for four months," says Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand. She talked to People's Sharon Cotliar about her regret that she didn't act sooner when she felt her hearing "slipping away" and hopes that speaking out will help others.

There were signs for a few days before. My phone would be ringing and my Blackberry would be going off and people would be "Yo Foxy, your Blackberry." And I'd hear it. It would be a delayed relaction but I'd still hear it. One day I was in the studio, putting the finishing touches on my fourth album," Black Roses", and my friend (and Def Jam Records president) Jay-Z walked in to approve the mix. As soon as he heard it he was like,"Yo, what's that? Does this sound normal to you, Inga?" I was like "Of course it does. What do you mean?" Then he told me, "Baby Girl, we have a problem because this is ridiculously loud. I could never put this on the radio."

At first I just thought Jay was giving me a hard time. But the next day, he and I did an interview at a radio station. I remember conversing with the on-air personality. I was hearing her fine, but the minute I had to take callers, I couldn't hear them. I would say, "What are they saying?" It was embarassing, because the people in the studio were looking at me like, "What do you mean? Don't you hear them? This is crazy loud." I said, "No, turn them up." But they couldn't turn it up any higher.

The next day, I was at a photo shoot. I was hearing the music fine. I said to myself,"Yesterday I wasn't hearing the phone, but today I'm hearing the music, so maybe this hearing loss is from a flight."

My mom's sister passed away the morning after the shoot. I remember hearing my mom and aunts downstairs in the living roon crying hysterically. And I got on the phone to call a couple of people. But when we went to the funeral parlor, I had a problem hearing the funeral director explaining the arrangements.

All along I'm feeling my hearing go slowly, but I'm thinking, God would never do this. This can never happen to me. I'm perfectly healthy. I'm 26 years old. I'm young and people just don't go deaf overnight.

The morning of the funeral, I woke up and I couldn't hear anything. Not the TV, not my car horn, not the dial tone on the phone. Of course I still had to go to the funeral. I sat in the front row and I couldn't hear the choir. Jay-z was there and I said, "Jay, I think I'm deaf." He was like, "You can't be deaf." But I knew. I said, "Monday morning, we need to find a doctor."

The initial doctor I went to told me that if I attacked the problem when I first realized my hearing was going, I probably would have been able to heal it immediately, but because I waited for about a week and continued to work and work and put pressure on my ear, that's what really damaged it.

He put me on a steroid called Prednisone and an antiviral medicine. I went home with the false hope that taking this medication would work.

After two weeks on the drugs, none of my hearing came back. I thought, I'm not telling anybody this. I'm going to keep this a secret. I'm going to try to go on normally. I'm going to pretend I can hear.

So for a few weeks I was reading lips. I was pretending that I can hear but I'm speaking really loudly so that didn't earn me any cool points. People would see me in the street and say, "Foxy we love you," and I wouldn't hear them, and they would think I was being disrespectful.

One of my closest friends is Naomi Campbell. She kept calling me and saying "Call me," and instead I would e-mail her. Finally she was like, "Inga, what's wrong? Why don't you call me?" And I had to tell her I couldn't hear her over the phone. She freaked out. She said, "I'm coming to New York and we have to fix this." So she did some research and found me another specialist. I saw her June 8. The doctor told me I have severe damage to my ears and that I needed surgery right away. Her words to me were, "If you ever want to hear again, we need to do this surgery." I said, "on both ears?" She said yes.

Two days later I went to the hospital. The doctor wanted to go in and patch possible leaks in the inner ear that could have been the cause for the hearing loss. That was the last thing I had, that surgery. Before the surgery, my hearing was zero. After the surgery,it went up to 20 percent. So at first I was thinking,"Wow,maybe next week it will be 40 percent and after that it will be 60." But it didn't work like that. It remained a little over 20 percent, which really wasn't that much of a difference.

So now my issue was, "What do I tell the record company? What do I tell Jay? What do I tell my fans?" I gotta tell you, when you go through a crisis, you really see who is there for you. Without mentioning any names, a lot of people that I thought would be there through thick and thin have completely disappeared. Because I couldn't hear, I was no longer useful to them. I couldn't put a record out. So it was basically like, "Okay we will see you when you get better."

But that only made me stronger. I decided when they see me, I'm going to be the same Foxy, looking head to toe gorgeous. I'm going to try to be normal- even though every night I would cry myself to sleep. Every morning I would get up and try to look my best and try to feel my best.

I know God is working on me. I'mon a personal journey. I believe God wants to be the only voice I hear right now. Every day I pray for an answer. I don't want to come away from this not having learned God's lesson.

The doctor's aren't saying that it's definite that I won't hear again. This is another reason I am speaking out. I believe there is a doctor somewhere- it could be the outskirts of Wisconsin or Iowa- who could say, "I know exactly what this girl needs."

They say I may be able to hear with a (cochlear) implant. [An implant would give "much more auditory information," says Dr. Lalwani. "It would let her use a telephone, and it may be sufficient for her to get tonality back and be a musician."] I know it will be an uphill battle. For now I am taking a break. But I will definitely be back. I still write. I write the best music when I'm going through pain. Sometimes I think, "What if I don't get my hearing back?" But then a second later I think God loves me. He will make a way. I know I will be all right. I'm not Foxy Brown right now. I'm Inga Marchand. I'm just a girl that wants to get better.

[jitterbug13]

Naked Truth
By Jawn Murray, AOL Black Voices columnist

Kirk Franklin may be a minister of the gospel, but the happily married father of four recently overcame an addiction to pornography. Franklin is frank in his talk about his deliverance from pornography, an obsession he'd indulge in while he traveled city to city ministering the word of God and at home when his wife Tammy was asleep.

Though the Texas-bred entertainer hid the evidence of his pastime well, it was while lying in bed with his wife in a Los Angeles hotel room that he decided to come clean about his struggle. At that moment, Franklin knew he could conquer his demon.

"Because sexuality is so spiritual, you have to go back to that source to recognize that it's that connection to Christ that will give you victory over addictions. You learn what that is and when you're willing to go through the process of understanding that truth. Not necessarily the acrobats of religion, but just the simplicity of the truth of the gospel and your new identity in Christ. When you become born again and you're able to understand that and to apply that to practical living, then you are able and a candidate for victory," explained Franklin, in his gruff preacher-like voice.

Despite potential scrutiny from judgmental Christians about his taboo addiction, Franklin has opted to be outspoken about his issue regardless of pending backlash. "I guess it's just my makeup," he declared. "That's just something that I am. I'm just very vocal about stuff. My weaknesses are something that God just presses upon me to discuss, and I'm very comfortable talking about it."

Franklin said that his openness and desire to share are part of the reason he's joined the world of blogging. "It's another new and fresh way to really be connected. It will allow people who are blessed by your ministry to stay part of the process," he offered. Franklin's blog can be found at www.kirkfranklin.us.

Love Calls

Is Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes ready to turn in his player card? Apparently so! The rapping and singing producer told Complex magazine that he's gearing up to propose to his longtime girlfriend.

"It's close, man. It's really close. There's definitely a girl that I love. It's close man," he confessed about his mystery love interest.

Though hit singles, numerous awards and lucrative business ventures are all nice, Williams shared that the most important thing to him is his family. "My ultimate legacy is gonna be my family -- my mom, my dad, my girl ... and then she becomes my fiance, and then my wife, and then my kids," he revealed.

The Virginia Beach, Va.-bred musician admitted that his hectic lifestyle can complicate a relationship -- "It's tough, man. Doing what I do is not easy on a relationship, it's very hard on it," he added -- but the love of his life understands. "She hears my whispers. She knows my dreams. And she knows my heart," he closed.


Fresh Start

Former Miami radio personality Jill Tracey is a new house guest on NBC's "Starting Over." The daytime reality drama, created by producers of MTV's 'The Real World,' showcases women overcoming personal obstacles with the help of life coaches Iyanla Vanzant and Rhonda Britten and consulting psychologist Dr. Stan Katz.

Tracey's story details her longstanding issues with her mother, weight loss and the public end of her professional career -- a raging expletive-laced tantrum live on the air in Miami ended her radio career. "My story is scandalous, let me tell you, but it is truly helping me start my life over which is a blessing sent straight from the Lord," Tracey told me via e-mail.

Last year, Towanda Braxton appeared on "Starting Over" and recently told BV Buzz she learned the greatest lesson on the series: forgiveness. "I used to hold grudges, my God, for years and years," confessed Braxton. "I was pretty bad. I don't do that anymore, and I know that it's important to forgive people because life is short and you never know what tomorrow is going to bring."

During her 12-week stint on the show, Braxton revealed she was tired of living in Toni's shadow; bitter with sister Tamar for leaving The Braxtons trio and underhandedly securing a solo deal; and humiliated that her father cheated on her mother, causing his church to force him to step down from preaching.

Braxton said she was frustrated with some of the inaccuracies in her life story, that were a result of clever editing. "It kind of made it like I was at odds with everyone in my family and that's so not true," she explained.

With which family members did she actually have issues with? "As you saw on the television show, I never said anything bad about Toni, and I never said anything bad about my mother. The only problem that I wanted to air out was me not forgiving Tamar. I love Tamar, but I had never forgiven her," she clarified. She added that her emotions about her father, Reverend Michael Braxton, were dead-on however. "Everything about my father was just the absolute truth," she confirmed. "But the great thing about it was that my father didn't have an attitude about anything I said because he knew it was all the truth. Our relationship is so great now, and I talk to him quite a bit. I love my daddy."

When Braxton left the show, she was outraged with Vanzant. According to the singer, what wasn't shown on camera was that the life coach wrote a two and a half page letter in very Iyanla-speak addressed to Braxton's husband, Andre Carter. The letter complained about private conversations that Vanzant listened to Braxton having with her sister Tamar -- "Tamar would snap off about Iyanla like, "She needs to handle her own business. I know she has a lot of issues with her husband herself. She's trying to be Oprah [Winfrey]," shared Braxton. Vanzant also questioned whether the singer's marriage to Carter would last. "She wrote it to my husband, and it wasn't nice. " Braxton surmised.

Now, Braxton, who is eight months pregnant with her first child, said she's "applied the principals of the show" and has since forgiven Vanzant as well.

Can't Say Names

Sources say that a soon-to-be divorced Hollywood power player had already began romancing a stud music artist/producer turned Hollywood actor well before her divorce was announced. Said Tinseltown big wig had apparently been spotted out with her new beau several times in Hollywood and even vibed with her boyfriend during an intimate rendezvous to Mexico. No word on whether the couple will go public once the divorce is final.


Buzz worthy

"The View" host Star Jones will release her second book, "Shine: A Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love" (Collins, $24.95), on. Jan 6, 2006. The tome shares how Jones met and wed banker Al Reynolds. the couple will celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary on Sunday, Nov. 13. Jones's first book, "You Have to Stand for Something or You'll Fall for Anything" (Bantam, $22.95), was released on Sept. 1, 1998.


Gospel star Brent Jones will follow in the footsteps of legends such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and record a live album at the famed Capitol Records building in Hollywood, Calif. on Feb. 4, 2006. Presented by Neily Dickerson's ND Company, the session will be an exclusive invite-only recording at the 300-seat Capitol auditorium. Coko of SWV will be one of Jones" special guests for the recording -- she also sang the hit "Midnight" on Jones" critically acclaimed 2002 release "Beautiful." In addition to ten new songs including "Church Folks Don't Like Me," Jones shared that his group T.P. Mobb, backed by a 100-voice choir, will likely re-record hits including "Heaven In The Room," "Goodtime," and a remix of "Midnight" during the session. The former EMI Gospel artist was rumored to be signing with Gospo Centric Records (Dorinda Clark Cole, Kurt Carr), however Jones confessed that he's still a free agent and is meeting with numerous labels.

Music producer Rich Harrison told the Washington Post that despite creating hit records for artists like Beyonce ("Crazy In Love"), Amerie ("One Thing"), Jennifer Lopez ("Get Right")and Destiny's Child ("Soldier"), he's not aiming for stardom like producers-turned-record executives Jermaine Dupri and Sean "Diddy" Combs. "I enjoy a little mystique, man. It works for me. I just want to be the Howard Hughes of this [expletive]," he told the daily. Apparently part of Harrison's enigma is his age and, after much inveigling, he told reporter Chris Richards he is 29 years old. When Richards realized Harrison's confessed age conflicted with the age listed in a publicity blurb, 24, he researched voter records and learned that the hit-maker actually turned 32 on Oct. 10. I guess some things are just hard to keep quiet.

Weatherman Tony Perkins has officially announced that he's leaving "Good Morning America" to return to Washington, D.C.'s Fox affiliate, WTTG-TV. Perkins announced his departure from the ABC morning show in an e-mail to "GMA" staffers last week. "I worked for Channel 5 [WTTG] for over seven years before coming to "GMA," and the chance to once again be part of that family is too good to pass up," Perkins wrote. His last day at "GMA" is Dec. 2, and the weathercaster will begin at WTTG on Jan. 3.

Soul crooner Donell Jones is readying his return to the music scene after a three-year hiatus. The former LaFace recording artist will drop his new album, "Journey of a Gemini," the day after Christmas on Jive Records. The Chicago-bred father of four (daughters Keyana, Danielle, Tatiana and Shakia), who typically writes and produces his own music, will collaborate with The Underdogs (Ruben Studdard, Omarion), Tim and Bob (Bobby Valentino, Lionel Richie) and Sean Garrett (Destiny's Child, Ciara) on his upcoming release. "Working with a lot of different people opened me up and made me a better writer," said Jones.


BV Scene

Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland was partying with an entourage of five at Margaritaville in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Rowland impressed the locals with her adept execution of the latest reggae and dancehall moves ... Lovebirds Nelly and Ashanti shopping at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The two browsed the mall with bodyguards and hotel security in tow, spending big bucks in stores such as Dolce & Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo ... A t-shirt and jeans-sporting Aaron Neville, of the legendary Neville Brothers, in Franklin, Tenn., at the Cool Springs Walgreens check-out counter. He zipped away in a new silver metallic Corvette coupe, complete with a temporary tag ... The Fugees -- yep, all three: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel -- checking in to the Fontainebleau Resort on Collins Ave. in Miami Beach, Fla.

[AKA2D '91]

Can't say names: Babyface' soon to be ex-wife