Celebrity News

[exquizit]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4


Michael Ealy, my HUSBAND, is coming back.

Ummmm haven't we had this discussion several times before?
He can only be yo babyfavah. He's MY hubby!!!

[RedefinedDiva]

Originally posted by Bamboozled
Um, does anyone know what his brother does? A pro skater? What kind? Or is "skater" some new lingo that I'm not privy to?

I think that he means skateboards. You know, I think they are into that "skater" scene. Doesn't he look it with those tight skateboarder tees that he wears all the time?

[CountryGurl]

The Smith's Come to Television
By Kristin Vaughan, BET.com Staff Writer

Updated on May 15, 2003 -- Megatalented couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith will produce a new sitcom called, "All of Us," that will appear in UPN's new fall television lineup, UPN announced Thursday.

An excited Pinkett Smith spilled the beans a little early when she appeared as a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" on Tuesday (May 13). She told the late night talk show host that she had just received a call that delivered the good news that a new television show based on her and megastar husband, Will Smith's, family life "just got picked up."

"All of Us," which the Smith's will produce together, is a blended family comedy that is based on the life of the hot celebrity couple.

"The show is about a wife and man and new wife trying to get along" for the sake and love of a little boy, Pinkett Smith told Letterman on Tuesday. Smith and his first wife, Sheree Zampino, had a son, Trey, before they divorced in 1995 and he remarried Pinkett Smith in 1997.

Pinkett Smith said that television is in need of more shows that deal with families that have been through divorce and blended families formed after remarriage. "Sheree and I have done such a good job of trying to overcome differences like two grown women."

"Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce and we don't have enough" shows that deal with it, Pinkett Smith said.

"All of Us" will be part of a new Tuesday night comedy lineup on UPN.

[AKA2D '91]

Entertainment - AP Music

Singer Barry White in 'Great Spirits'
Sat May 17, 9:06 PM ET


LOS ANGELES - Singer Barry White (news) is "in great spirits" as he recovers from a stroke that affected his speech and the right side of his body, his daughter said Friday.


AP Photo



White, 58, suffered the stroke while waiting for a kidney transplant needed because of complications from years of chronic high blood pressure.


Shaherah White said her father must be stabilized before he can undergo a transplant operation.


"My dad had surgery May 1 to place a catheter in his arm," she said. "He had a stroke ... that affected his speech and the right side of his body, but he is in great spirits."


The deep-voiced White was hospitalized in August 1999 for a blood pressure problem that forced him to cancel several performances. He was undergoing dialysis treatment to stabilize his condition.


"He's had a minor setback, but have no fear, he'll be fine," Shaherah White said. "He will definitely be performing again."


She spoke at a news conference on plans to rename South Park Recreation Center after her father, who grew up in that section of Los Angeles.


White, whose popularity reached a peak in the 1970s, won two Grammys (news - web sites) in 2000 for best male and traditional R&B vocal performance for the song "Staying Power."

[Peaches-n-Cream]

First Luther had a stroke and now Barry. How sad!

[RedefinedDiva]

Barry actually had his stroke first. This was reported in the last Celebrity Dish thread. He is still waiting on a kidney transplant.

[Steeltrap]

From the Sacramento Bee. They have a big interest in Ms. Tyra.
A model life? It's not all that
By J. Freedom du Lac -- Bee Pop Culture Writer

Tyra Banks is among America's top models -- and a trailblazing one, at that.

The towering 5-foot-11 beauty who used to say she wanted to be "the black Cindy Crawford" realized her dream by rising to supermodel status in the 1990s, when she became the first African American woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue and the first African American to earn a contract with Victoria's Secret.
Banks has been in more magazines than she can count; endorsed plenty of products, from cosmetics to basketball shoes; and drawn five-figure paychecks just for walking up and down a runway for an hour or so.
At 29, though, she's starting to shift her focus.
She hasn't walked away entirely from the modeling world. She's still signed to Victoria's Secret, and she'll be featured in an upcoming issue of Elle.
But Banks is spending less time worrying about how she looks and more time thinking about how other people look, as creator and executive producer of the new reality-TV program "America's Next Top Model."
The series, premiering at 9 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 31, centers around 10 women who are competing for a big break -- not to mention a Revlon contract, a guaranteed appearance in Marie Claire magazine and a deal with Whilhemina, a top agency.
The wannabes will live together in a New York City penthouse and go through "supermodel boot camp" as they try to prove they're the next Tyra Banks -- with Banks and a panel of three other industry experts voting somebody off of the show every week.
Great work ... if you can win it.
Banks talked about the show, the industry and a certain superstar forward from the Sacramento Kings during a conference call with reporters.
She is, by the way, the only TV executive producer who has ever graced the cover of GQ in a bikini.

Q: You've done so much stuff in your career; what made you want to do this show?

A: I've always had an affinity for television. It has a lot of power and it reaches the masses. I wanted to get across this message about the modeling world and being a top model and what it takes -- trying to dispel myths about it.

Q: Everyone on the show is female. Did any males try out?

A: We were thinking about males, but we decided for this first season to have all females. I hate to say this, but the modeling world is one of the only occupations where women make a lot more than men.

Q: It's quite an eye-opener, the sequences in the first episode with the bikini waxes and all that screaming. Did you start the women off with waxes and photo shoots in the freezing cold to show that being a model isn't just fun?

A: It was important for me to put the girls through what real models go through. You see models shooting on the beach, and you just assume it's 90 degrees. But sometimes, it's 20 degrees. That is the difference between a model that's just kind of OK and a top model. A top model makes you think that they're having the best time in the world.

As far as the bikini waxes, I can say that I've never had one in my life -- and never will. But every other model has.

Q: Can we expect to see any cat-fighting?

A: There's 10 women and there's only two bathrooms, so there's definitely conflict. If I lived in there, I'd have some conflict, too.

Q: You've said you want to dispel myths about modeling. Are they myths about the job itself -- that modeling is not as glamorous as people think? Or is it the public's perception that models have low IQs?

A: All of that. One of the girls on the show is a med student. She's drop-dead gorgeous and she also wants to be a doctor. There's also a full-figured girl who's studying to get her master's degree right now. A lot of people think models are stupid. It's not that they're stupid. It's that (many are) uneducated -- similar to athletes. Models are pulled out of school early, because this industry and our society worship youth. It makes them uneducated -- but not ignorant.

Q: How do you think the parts of the show dealing with appearance will impact younger female viewers?

A: That's always been a thing I've had to balance when it comes to the show and when it comes to being a model, period. I used to get so many letters from girls talking about how insecure they were looking at me and my pictures. So I decided to start a camp called T-Zone. I take 60 girls up into the mountains (near Los Angeles) every year, and we talk about beauty and body image and sex, dating and relationships.

I dispel a lot of myths about my industry, and about how I look physically and all of my insecurities. That's what the show does, too. Yes, it's glamorous. But the modeling world is nothing but entertainment. I hope that girls understand that they should open up the magazine, enjoy it and then put it down -- just as a guy will watch a Lakers game, enjoy it and then turn the TV off.

You'll see how these models look when they wake up in the morning, and everybody ain't pretty. Hopefully, it will show girls that the modeling industry is about creation.

Q: When you first got into the industry, there were some top models -- and I'm thinking of one in particular (Naomi Campbell) -- who didn't want to see you succeed because she didn't want to be replaced. But here you've created a show that could help somebody take your own place. You must not be worried about finding work.

A: I've never been worried about that. I think my experiences with the person you're talking about helped me realize that there are so many spots, and everyone has their time to shine. By that person being so negative to me, it made me open up my arms even more.

When I was at fashion shows and I started getting more famous, if I saw a young girl sitting in the corner who was very nervous and insecure, I would go up to her and give her my phone number in Paris and say, 'Call me.' I tried to be as supportive as I can. I think this show is only an extension of that. My mom told me to always just compete with myself. I'm all about helping. I want to see somebody else be a star. I'm tired. (Laughs.)

Q: Finally, we haven't seen you at any Kings games lately. Are you and Chris Webber still "friends."

A: Uh, I'm not going to talk about that. But I love Sacramento. It's so beautiful. Yeah.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Honeykiss1974]

WHY TYRA WHY!

Isn't this MTV's "Made" meets MTV's "Real World"?

I though this was going to be about a sitcom or something, not another dag blasted reality show?

[CountryGurl]

Clinton Assails Bush at Commencement
by Barbara Powell, .c The Associated Press


JACKSON, Miss. (May 19) - Former President Bill Clinton accused President Bush of spending more time fighting the war on terrorism than on domestic issues during a commencement speech at Tougaloo College.

''I supported the president when he asked for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we can't be forever strong abroad if we don't keep getting better at home,'' Clinton said Sunday to a crowd of about 8,000.

Clinton also criticized Bush's position on affirmative action and tax cuts just two days after the President formally kicked off his re-election campaign.

Clinton stayed for the entire three-hour ceremony and shook hands with each of the 144 graduates at the relatively obscure historically black college. But this private school of 800 students will also be the site of the Aug. 13 Democratic presidential debate.

Judging from the warm reception to his every blast of the Bush administration, Clinton had a lot of supporters in the crowd - which included former Democratic governors of Mississippi, Ray Mabus and William Winter.

On the stage with Clinton were Governor Ronnie Musgrove, and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., a Tougaloo graduate and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

''We Democrats in Congress miss you,'' Thompson said, referring to the Republican majority in both houses of Congress and the Democrats' inability to derail Bush's tax cut plan.

Clinton, who commands as much as $350,000 a speech, was speaking at Tougaloo for free.

Clinton's attack on the president comes as Bush - who in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll had an approval rating of 71 percent, down from 77 percent during the war in Iraq - is drawing criticism from Democrats for his tax cut proposals and support for ''race neutral alternatives'' to affirmative action.

Clinton laughed long and heartily when student government president C.J. Lawrence assured the crowd that selecting Clinton was not an example of affirmative action. ''Yes, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby were also considered, but I assure you Bill Clinton was selected solely on his merit,'' Lawrence said, drawing a big round of applause.

Despite the laughter, Clinton spoke seriously about what he said is the need to show that America takes care of its citizens of all races and all income levels through affirmative action and after-school care programs.

Clinton suggested that Bush's priorities are fighting terrorism, not domestic issues.

The Bush administration, Clinton said, ''is still focused on defeating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and that's good, but not good enough. The power of our example is just as important as our military might.''

Clinton also took aim at the growing budget deficit and Bush's tax cut proposals - all issues that are being raised by the nine Democrats who are running for president in 2004. Sunday's crowd at Tougaloo made it plain who many of them would like to see in the White House.

''I think if you were to take a vote here, they'd vote for Bill Clinton if he was running again,'' said Jerry Keahey, class of '61.

Clinton, who sang along with the choir to ''Lift Every Voice and Sing'' and chatted at length with many of those around him on the podium, also took time to take a jab at Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.

Lott lost his Senate Majority Leader position after his comment in December that the nation would have been better served if retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond had been elected president in 1948 when he ran on a segregationist platform.

Referring to the 134-year-old college's need to raise money to renovate its old buildings, Clinton suggested that Lott might want to help them raise money to make up for his remarks.

''Reach out, don't give up on anybody,'' Clinton said. ''This is Sunday. Ask Lott to give you the money for the buildings. He said he was going to spend the rest of his life making up for the little trouble he had.''

[CrimsonTide4]

Whitney Duets with Bobby


Volatile couple Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are to confirm their love for each other after ten years of marriage - by performing together at the VH1 Divas Duets event.

The troubled pair will blast out a version of Whitney's "My Love" - from her "Just Whitney" CD - at the plush Las Vegas ceremony on May 22.

The rest of the 'Divas' line-up includes Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Jewel, Ashanti, Beyonce Knowles, Stevie Wonder and the hot newcomer Lisa Marie Presley.

[CrimsonTide4]

Wacko Jacko's kinky afro
By Tara Conlan, Daily Mail
19 May 2003
He is legendary for his efforts to transform the looks that helped him find fame.
Afro Jacko: CLICK image to enlarge


So it was something of a surprise to see Michael Jackson turning the clock back by more than 30 years at a 1970s themed party.

Guests gasped as the 44-year old singer arrived at a Miami restaurant wearing a giant Afro wig, rhinestone-studded jacket and leather trousers.

The hairstyle was almost identical to the one he wore as the young lead singer of the charttopping Jackson Five in the early 1970s, performing hit songs such as I Want You Back, ABC and I'll Be There.

As his solo career progressed, Jackson underwent plastic surgery and had his skin tone lightened, removing all trace of the cute teenager who once sang alongside his brothers.

At the party - to celebrate the 70th birthday of family friend Al Malnik - the father of three seemed happy to go back to his roots.

He stayed at the party at The Forge restaurant - restored by Malnik in the late 1960s to become Miami's most glamorous showbusiness haunt - for about two hours on Saturday night.

One guest said: 'It was like he was back in the 70s. Michael didn't dance, unfortunately, but he was jigging around in his seat.'

Jackson, who claims he was 'betrayed' by interviewer Martin Bashir in an ITV documentary earlier this year, has released home videos in an attempt to counter the negative publicity he attracted. These are to be shown here soon on Sky.

[Kodaka]

...yes, just what we need, another reality show. BUT, I will be watching this one to root on Alum/former Ms. Tennessee State University- Robin Manning.

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
WHY TYRA WHY!

Isn't this MTV's "Made" meets MTV's "Real World"?

I though this was going to be about a sitcom or something, not another dag blasted reality show?

[Bamboozled]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4

Wow! He really looks like the twin sister of Diana Ross now.

[Afrochic]

4-1-1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 12, 2003

Singer Barry White is also in critical condition. Barry suffered a stroke last September and he needs a kidney transplant. Barry has been waiting for months to receive a transplant and he is on Dialysis. According to published reports Barry developed on infection in his lungs and his colon and before doctors could treat it he suffered a heart attack. Barry White is not doing well and his family is worried about how much more his body can take.

60 Minutes Correspondent Ed Bradley is doing well after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Bradley 61 is planning to tie the knot later this year. The former WDAS Newsman has been a bachelor for the past 20 years and now he is going to marry a woman who is half his age.

Former Washington D.C. Mayor, Marion Berry has had to be hospitalized for Pneumonia. Berry is also having problems with high blood pressure and diabetes.

Singer Eric Benet opens up in the new issue of US Magazine. Eric admits he almost destroyed his marriage to Halle Berry with his cheating. Eric says the worst is behind them. Eric enrolled in a well-publicized stint at a sex rehab clinic in order to save his marriage to the Oscar Winner. Eric says can’t wait to have children with his wife. Eric claims his past demons led him to cheat on his wife and he says he no longer wants to live like that. Now speaking of Halle Berry she will be teaming up with Today Show weather guy, Al Roker in a new ad campaign to raise money for a memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (Al Roker is having problems with his teenage daughter, scrolldown for the scoop). A lot of people are wondering if Halle will return for another X-Men movie. There will be an X-Men three but Halle says she will only return if her role as Storm is beefed up.

Boxer Mike Tyson likes giving his money away. Mike was in Miami standing on a street corner passing out over 15 hundred dollars. Later that night Mike got into an altercation with a guy who tried to take his vodka bottle.

Actor Lawrence Hilton Jacobs was recently arrested for beating up his girlfriend. Jacobs 49 is best known for his role as Freddie Boom-Boom in ‘Welcome Back Kotter’, Cochise in the classic film ‘Cooley High’ and as Joe Jackson in the ‘Jackson Family Movie’.

Oprah is continuing with her talk show. Oprah was planning on quitting in 2006 and now she has decided to go until 2008.

Oracene Williams is ready to let loose and get her groove back. Oracene is the mother of tennis sensations Venus and Serena Williams and she recently divorced their father Richard Williams. Oracene opened up to More Magazine and she says her ex-husband was selfish and self-centered. Oracene who is now going by her maiden name Price says she stayed in the marriage because she felt it was better to have a piece of a man than no man. Oracene says she is looking for a man who is considerate, loving and kind. She says he doesn’t have to be black but he should be a Jehovah’s Witness and he has to have money. Oracene says her children must also approve of her new mate.

Michael Jordan is still in shock over his recent firing as President of Basketball Operations of the Washington Wizards. Michael was fired by the Owners of the Wizards who say they want the franchise to move in another direction. Sources say the players on the team didn’t like Michael because he yelled all the time and made them practice too much.

Basketball Star Jayson Williams is starting a new career. Jayson is awaiting trial on charges he fatally shot a limo driver. Jayson is going to open a car wash in North Jersey. Jayson says he’s always wanted to open his own car wash business.

The Today’s Show, weather guy Al Roker is having problems with his 15 year old daughter Courtney. Courtney is dating an older guy and she got caught smoking weed at school. Courtney was suspended from the school where her father pays $24,000 in tuition. Al met with school officials about what is going on at the school and after an investigation several other students were suspended for drug use. Last year Al made headlines when he lost over 100 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

[Afrochic]

4-1-1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 19, 2003

Guess whose getting married? Actor/Choreographer Darrin Dewitt Henson. Darrin plays Lem on Soul Food. I’m crushed! I love this man. The lucky lady is the mother of his two sons and they have another one on the way. The wedding is scheduled for September.

Oscar Winner Halle Berry had a rough time last week. Halle broke her arm while filming a scene for her new movie ‘Gothika’. Halle is expected to return to work this week. Halle also had a scare at her rental home. A burglar tried to break into her home while she was there. Halle was naked getting a body massage when the intruder tried to come in. Halle has had to move into a hotel and she has hired extra bodyguards. Meanwhile if you are wondering why she looks different in the movie X-Men 2, its because she requested a more glamorous look for her character as Storm. Halle had to wear a white platinum wig but she hated how she looked in it so the Producers had a special wig made for Halle. The wig costs six thousand dollars but Halle says it’s worth it because now she has the glamorous look she deserves.

A park and recreation center has been named for Singer Barry White. The Park/Recreation Center is located in the South Park Community of Los Angeles. Barry is recovering from a host of ailments including a stroke, Kidney Failure, Heart problems and infection that developed in his lungs and Colon.

Luther Vandross remains in a coma at this time. Luther’s Mom Evangelist Mary Vandross says it’s going to be a slow progress for her son. She says she is thankful for all of the love and support for her son.

The Essence Music Festival is set for the weekend of the 4th of July in New Orleans. Just added Kindred, Musiq, Erykah Badu, Babyface, Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, and Donnie McClurken.

Cedric the Entertainer will be back for another season on Fox. His show ‘Cedric the Entertainer Presents’ has been renewed for another season. Steve Harvey returns to the WB with a variety show called ‘Big Time’ that will air at 8pm on Thursday’s.
Comedian J Anthony Brown will be joining Holly Robinson Peete for the comedy ‘Like Family’ which will air on Friday’s at 8:30pm. Anthony Anderson and John Amos will star in the comedy ‘All About the Andersons’ Friday’s at 9:30pm.

Monique will be hosting the BET Awards on June 24th. The Godfather of Soul James Brown will be getting a lifetime achievement award and Magic Johnson will be receiving the BET Humanitarian Award.

How about Dr. Phil getting shut out at the Daytime Emmys’. Dr. Phil has the hottest Talk show on TV but he was not the big winner last week. Dr. Phil lost out to Wayne Brady as Best Talk Show Host and he lost the Best Talk Show award to the Wayne Brady Show and The View. Dayuuummmm! Dr. Phil got shut out. According to published reports, Dr. Phil is mad at his mentor Oprah Winfrey. Upon Oprah’s retirement, Dr. Phil was expecting to get her time slot and take over as the King of daytime TV but a couple of weeks ago Oprah changed her mind and she said she would not retire in 2006 but she will retire in 2008. Oprah is getting 280 million dollars for the two extra seasons. (Sidenote: Um Phil, you rode Oprah's a$$ to get where you are right now, you better be glad about the fame you got Country Phil. )

Singer Tamia is back with her new song ‘Officially Missing You’. Tamia has a two-year old daughter with her husband Basketball Star Grant Hill. Mrs. Hill looks fabulous in her new video. She recently lost 55 pounds and she looks hot. Tamia has a new LP coming out in July and she is a new spokesperson for Verizon Wireless.

Singer Mariah Carey will be joined by Ashanti when she brings her ‘Charmbracelet Tour’ to the First Union Center on September 14th. Two former loves of Mariah Carey are talking about their past relationships with her. Rapper Eminem dated Mariah briefly and he says she would talk in a baby voice and leave long gushy voicemails. Eminen says he was not impressed and says she’s crazy. Mariah says Eminen should get over it and stop acting like a girl (OUCH!) Meanwhile, Mariah had a hot and heavy romance with Latin Superstar Luis Muguel. Luis is hoping to break into the US Music market a la Ricky Martin and sources say he is willing to spill the beans about Mariah for publicity. Luis says he has the inside scoop on her 2001 breakdown and her bouts with depression.