Bring That Week Back!
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I Wasn't Naked - Ciara still insists that VIBE set her up and she wasn't naked on the magazine's October issue. While the singer says she has no intention of suing the magazine, she's heated. However, VIBE editor Danyel Smith said she shouldn't be because she was in fact "nude." Ciara says she knows the real deal, and Smith is flat-out lying.
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Fork It Over! - She asked for it, and T.I.'s babies' mama sho nuff got it. A judge decided on Tuesday that LaShon Dixon should get additional scrilla from T.I. He was ordered to fork over more than $3,000 a month, continue to pay for their boys' private school, medical and other expenses. The judge also awarded the couple joint custody of the boys, ages 7 and 8.
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Suit Dropped - A family sued Michael Jackson during his child molestation trial in 2005, claiming a hospital moved their heart-attack-stricken loved one to make room for M.J., who was suffering from the flu. The woman, Manuela Gomez Ruiz, died. Jackson was a co-defendant when the case was filed, but a judge dropped him as a defendant in April.
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Stroke Fear - DMX was supposed to appear in court this week but pulled a Fred Sanford instead. The rapper was admitted to a Florida hospital for "fear of a stroke." He reportedly remained in doctors’ care through his scheduled court appearance on Tuesday in Arizona – where he was set to appear on charges of theft.
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All Black? - Word is, when next season's "America's Next Top Model" premieres, all the models will be Black. Sources say Tyra considered the idea in earlier seasons, but wasn't sure if it would be a hit. But after the success of "Vogue's" all-Black issue, she reportedly believes it now makes a lot more sense.
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Race Factor - A new Associated Press-Yahoo poll indicates that a-third of White Democrats view Blacks as "lazy," "violent" or responsible for their own troubles. The poll results seem to explain why Obama continues to be locked in a tight race with McCain, despite issues like the economy, an unpopular war and a candidate who represents the same party of a wildly unpopular president.
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Anti-Obama Shirt - On a day when students were asked to show their patriotism by wearing, red, white and blue, this boy wore a homemade shirt that read "Obama is a terrorist's best friend." School officials, who say the shirt caused a disruption, gave him a chance to change or be suspended – the student chose suspension.
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Too Close - Being parked too close to Obama's house with a handgun, got 31-year-old Omhari Sengstacke arrested. A convicted felon, Sengstacke didn't make any threats against Obama, but was charged with unlawful use of weapon and criminal trespassing to state land.
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Obama Lynching - George Fox University is a small Christian university in Oregon. But what was done to a cardboard figure of Obama was hardly Christian-like. The life-size cutout was hung from a tree with a fishing line around its neck. Taped to the cutout was a message speaking out against a scholarship program designed to boost the number of minority and low-income students at Christian colleges.
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Time To Serve - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is now wearing a different uniform. It's a prison outfit. He has reported to a federal prison camp to begin his 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal. Donaghy said he took thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on games, including games he worked.
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Not Feelin' Barack - A group of about 10 activists, calling themselves “Blacks Against Obama,” were escorted out of a rally for Sen. Obama in Coral Gables, Fla., after interrupting his speech for about two minutes. They were waving signs that said that Obama supports gay marriage, abortion and he's been endorsed by the KKK!
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Stabbed to Death - The 19-year-old nephew of NCAA basketball Coach Tubby Smith came to a tragic end Sunday morning. William L. Smith, a student at Becker College, was stabbed in the chest after a fight involving students and non-students broke out during a house party and spilled into the street. No arrests have been made.
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Hayes’ Will - It's a question that comes up anytime someone passes away – who gets what? The question is an even bigger deal when the person is famous. And that's what's going on with Isaac Hayes' estate. Hayes’ will is to be divvied among his wife, children and the Isaac Hayes Foundation, which promotes literacy, music and nutrition.
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Journalism Pioneer Dies - Nancy Hicks Maynard, the first Black female reporter at The New York Times and co-founder of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, died of multiple organ failure this week at 61. She and her husband Robert C. Maynard purchased the Oakland Tribune from Gannett Co. in 1983, making it the only major daily with African-American owners.
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Complications - Natalie Cole was recently rushed to the hospital as a result of side-effects from her treatment for Hepatitis C. Cole's publicist says the singer has been hospitalized in New York since Sept. 12 and attributes Cole's recent medical problems in part to her hectic promotional schedule.
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Grieving Loss - Actor Terrence Howard is mourning the death of his mother. After a long battle with cancer, Anita Williams passed away this week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.
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Open Your Wallets - LisaRaye McCoy-Misick is calling on a few her famous friends to open their wallets and pocketbooks. The First Lady of Turks & Caicos had a birthday party Tuesday in Los Angeles to raise money for the islands' residents hit by Hurricane Ike.
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Giving Back - Tyler Perry hasn't forgotten where he comes from. After being homeless for a while and growing up poor in New Orleans, he's giving something back. He's donated enough food to feed 1,000 families in Atlanta for two weeks. He says he couldn't imagine not having money for life's necessities – and having children looking to him for food
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"Soul Men" Drama - Original Soul Man, Sam Moore, hasn't seen the movie "Soul Men," but he's already threatening a lawsuit. Moore says he was informed that producers used his music and rips a chapter from his and Dave Prater's career. Moore claims the bosses at Dimension Films also "tried to buy me out" with a $1,000 offer for a walk-on role.
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The Return - If you’ve been waiting for the return of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "The Game,” your wait is over! The shows are returning Friday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. with entirely new episodes. Since the sitcoms first hit air three years ago, they have been on three different nights. Hopefully the shows now have a permanent home.
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Coming to T.V. - Kanye is coming to a television set near you – well, sort of. He and Comedy Central have teamed up for a TV project described as "hip hop meets 'The Muppets." A half-hour pilot has been shot for the project, tentatively titled “Alligator Boots.”
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J.D.'s Birthday - Janet may be making appearances at concert venues across the United States, but one of her most important appearances was at her boo's birthday party this week. She and boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri celebrated his 26th birthday on Tuesday night.
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'The Bitch Switch' - Omarosa plans to keep on doing what she does best -- being a b*tch. So much so, that she has a new book, schedule to hit store shelves next month, titled, "The Bitch Switch: Knowing How To Turn It On and Off." Her publisher says the book is a “must-read for every woman who aspires to succeed in relationships, in business, and at home.”
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Spilling the Tea - Lil Wayne's ex is about to spill the tea about her life with the New Orleans rapper. Antonia "Toya" Carter, who split with Wayne in 2004 after a 2-year marriage, announced on her MySpace page this week that she's about to tell it all. I wonder if it’ll be a good read.
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It's Over - Once the baseball season is over, Alex Rodriguez won't have anyone else to think about but his two daughters. That's because he and his wife officially ended their marriage this week. Terms of the split weren't disclosed. However, there were allegations that A-Rod's relationship with Madonna broke up his marriage, and there was also talk that Cynthia Rodriguez sought refuge in the company of rock star Lenny Kravitz, a claim both parties denied.
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Looking for Love - Soulja Boy needs love too, and he reportedly plans on making it happen with a reality show similar to the “Flavor of Love.” The rapper is expected to choose between a dozen or so prospective mates with the hopes of one being his boo.
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Swim $uit Dismissed - A warning to the ladies! Don’t go to Diddy’s annual star-studded white party dressed as a topless mermaid then sue for $3 mil when your photo ends up in a national magazine. That’s what one woman did – and she lost her case.
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Ball of Nerves - Mike is feeling the pressure, so he's putting the heat on his writers and producers. He wants them to understand that his comeback album has to be on a "Thriller" level or better. Ne-Yo, who has submitted songs for the as-yet-untitled album, says Mike is a ball of nerves about the project, and he wants "killer melodies."
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Janet Splits - Janet Jackson has dropped her label like a hot potato. After only 14 months, she has given Island Def Jam the boot because her latest album, “Discipline,” didn’t sell the way she wanted it to. “Discipline” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March with 181,000 copies sold. But so far, it only sold 415,000 copies in the United States.
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Back With J.Lo - Both Tyra Banks and Usher have gave Benny Medina the boot last year, but it may not matter to him, because he’s kickin’ it again with former client J. Lo. Benny is largely credited for making the Latin diva a household name, but things got ugly when she fired him in 2003. Rumors swirled recently that Mariah Carey recently gave Benny the ax because he was courting Lopez, but the manager denied that.
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Mariah Gets a 'Push' - Mariah Carey is about to put her acting skills back to the test. She's landed a role a new Lee Daniels' film titled "Push." In the movie, Carey will portray a Harlem social worker who is working with an overweight, HIV-positive woman impregnated by her father.
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Bey’s Bankin’ - We all know Bey's got bank – but $80 million?! That's just what she stacked up last year alone. And her constant cash flow has earned her the number 2 spot on Forbes' "World's Best Paid Music Stars" list. With her bangin' albums, shows, endorsement deals, movie appearances and the Beyoncé Experience Tour, the singer came pretty close to the #1 spot which is occupied by 'The Police' who earned $115 million.
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In Limbo - 50 Cent's "Blood on the Sand" video game is in serious danger of cancellation after a merger between game maker Activision and Vivendi. The game was to feature Fiddy and his G-Unit cronies causing Grand Theft Auto-esque havoc after they’re stranded in an unnamed war-torn Middle East country following a concert. "Blood" may still get released on March 31, 2009 if it can reach a deal with another publisher.
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Final Stages - They’ve been off the scene for a while, but Naughty By Nature is back! The group is in the final stages of completing their first album, tentatively titled “Anthem, Inc.,” in eight years. The CD is expected to be on store shelves before the end of the year.
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Obama's Soundtrack - Talk about rock-star clout! Barack Obama has his own album out. The project, Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement," features Kanye West, John Legend and Stevie Wonder. The CD went on sale this past Friday and is available through the official campaign site. Proceeds will go to help the Democrat's campaign.
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Get Over It - He used to be in Hillary's corner. But now that she's out of the presidential race, Magic Johnson is in the political ring, swinging for Barack. The ex-NBA baller spoke at an Obama event in his hometown of Lansing, Mich., and urged other Clinton supporters, like himself, to get over it and help elect Obama. More than 250 people attended the event.
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"Dancing" Toni - You know she has the chops to sing, and now her fans will get a chance to see if Toni Braxton has the moves to go along with her vocals. Braxton is among the celebrities trying to win this year's "Dancing With The Stars" competition. The new season kicked off Monday night on ABC.
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The Nominees Are… - Before long, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may soon look like the rap, hip-hop, disco, R&B, metal and punk halls, too. Acts can be nominated 25 years after recording their first hits. Among the acts with a shot at making it this year are Run-D.M.C., the R&B/dance group Chic, as well as War, Bobby Womack, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.
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Pick the Songs - Motown wants your help. In honor of it's 50th anniversary, the legendary label wants you to help it determine the tracks that should be on its "Motown 50" album to be released on Dec. 1 The closing date for votes is Oct. 13. Fans can go to classic.motown.com to vote.