Bring That Week Back: Week of March 22
Gilbert Arenas is sentenced | Lance and Eva split | Obama tells GOP to go for it. Get more top stories!
1 / 25
Gilbert Arenas is Sentenced - Suspended Wizards star Gilbert Arenas was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house on Friday for his conviction on gun charges stemming from a locker-room confrontation with a teammate. He was also sentenced to 400 hours of community service and given a $5,000 fine.
2 / 25
Kilpatrick Father, Wife to Testify in Civil Suit - A court ordered the wife and father of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to answer questions in a civil suit involving the murder of a stripper. The dancer, 27-year-old Tamara Greene, was shot and killed in 2003. She was rumored to have performed at a wild party at the mayor’s mansion in 2002. The suit alleges that the mayor, along with other high ranking officials, stifled Greene’s murder investigation.
3 / 25
Diggy Simmons Inks a Record Deal - Rev. Run’s middle son, Daniel Dwayne "Diggy" Simmons, signed a record deal with Atlantic Records this week. The 15-year-old dropped his first mixtape, “The First Flight,” in December. Big sis Angela was there taking pictures as Diggy signed the contract, reports Sister to Sister Magazine.
4 / 25
50 Gets Tats Removed for Role - 50 Cent isn’t taking his movie career lightly. In fact, according to reports, the rap star is having some of his tattoos removed and trying to lose 50 pounds for a movie role. 50 will produce and star in “Things Fall Apart,” playing the role of a college football player. The movie is set to start production in May.
5 / 25
Akon Not Welcome in Sri Lanka - South Asian nation, Sri Lanka, won’t grant singer Akon a visa to perform in a concert at the end of next month because one of his videos is offensive to Buddhists. “The government has taken into consideration the sensibilities of the Buddhists who have been offended by one of his videos which showed scantily clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue,” an official told AFP. Akon was due to perform at a cricket ground in Colombo.
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6 / 25
Drake Thinks Kentucky’s the Best - Rapper Drake, a huge fan of the Kentucky men’s basketball team, recently witnessed his Wildcats crush Wake Forest 90-60 Saturday night during the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Toronto native says he’s a “natural fan” and has picked the team to win the national title. If they do make it to the championship, Drake will pull out all the stops to get to the game (which is April 5 in Indianapolis) even though he starts a college tour April 1.
7 / 25
Eazy-E is Remembered - This week marks the 15th anniversary of the death of former N.W.A. rapper Eric “Eazy-E” Wright. Eazy-E died due to complications from the AIDS virus, just 10 days after publicly announcing he was diagnosed.
8 / 25
Obama Tells GOP to “Go For It” - The president has a message for angry GOP lawmakers who want to repeal his new health reform law: go for it. On a visit to Iowa City to trump the reform, President Obama expressed doubt that such a move would go over well with the American public. “If they want to have that fight, we can have it,” he said. “Because I don’t believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver’s seat.”
9 / 25
“State of Black America” Report Released - The Urban League released its annual “State of Black America” report this week, and in it claimed that recent health and jobs legislation wouldn’t be enough to reduce racial gaps in unemployment and health care. While the study recognizes Obama’s efforts so far, “much, much more must be done,” the report said.
10 / 25
Witness: MJ’s Doctor Interrupted CPR - According to Michael Jackson employee Alberto Alvarez, the late King of Pop’s doctor, Conrad Murray, stopped CPR on him as he lay in his room dying, and delayed calling paramedics so he could collect drug vials at the scene. Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide caused by an overdose of propofol and other sedatives. If it’s proven Murray tried to hide evidence, prosecutors could use that to buffer their involuntary manslaughter case against him. Murray’s lawyer denies Alvarez’s claims.
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11 / 25
ACORN Disbanding - The community activist group, ACORN, announced this week that it would be folding due to decreasing revenues. The group came under fire last year after video footage emerged showing its workers giving tax tips to conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute. Since then, Congress took away its federal funding and many donors stopped giving money.
12 / 25
T.I.’s Done With Prison, Still Has Curfew - Though rapper T.I. has officially completed his prison sentence, he’s not completely off the hook yet. While his sentence ended March 26 (he was allowed to return home to complete the remainder of his sentence this month), he’ll be placed under 23 days of “supervised release.” During this time period he has to be home by 11 p.m. On days that he has a performance, the curfew is extended to 1 a.m., reports MTV.com.
13 / 25
Diddy Eyeing U.K. Soccer Team - Rap entrepreneur Diddy is looking to purchase a European soccer team. He is planning to put a bid on London’s Crystal Palace Football Club. The team was a premier club at one time but has been struggling recently.
14 / 25
Tiger Woods Speaks Out - Tiger Woods recently gave two televised interviews that aired on The Golf Network and ESPN Sunday. Woods, whose world was rocked in past months by revelations of rampant infidelity, plans to end four months of seclusion and return to golf at the Masters tournament next month. In the interviews, he talked about his pending return and took responsibility for his actions.
15 / 25
Black Marriage Day - This weekend, married Black couples across the country will celebrate the eighth annual Black Marriage Day by attending workshops, black-tie dinners and other activities. The aim of the more than 300 celebrations nationwide is to try to stabilize, if not reverse, the trend of non-commitment in the Black community. Blacks are less likely to marry and more likely to divorce, and are having children out of wedlock more than other ethnic groups, according to statistics.
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16 / 25
Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian Split - Football player Reggie Bush and girlfriend Kim Kardashian have parted ways, according to sources at E! News. Apparently Kim’s busy schedule and the fact that she’s constantly in the spotlight was an issue for camera-shy Bush and led to their break up. Kim is currently in Miami shooting “Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami” and Bush has recently been seen in New York.
17 / 25
Eva and Lance Call Off Engagement - Actor Lance Gross and model Eva Marcille recently called off their engagement. The couple had been engaged since Christmas Eve 2008, and they were set to get married this July. However, earlier this week the two released a statement to Essence Magazine announcing the end of their relationship and calling the split “completely amicable.”
18 / 25
Former ‘Idol’ Finalist Expecting - Tamyra Gray, who came in fourth place during the first season of “American Idol,” is expecting her first child with her husband and former Color Me Badd member Sam Watters. The two got married in 2006 and their baby (whose gender will be a surprise until birth) is due in July. Watters has a son from a previous marriage.
19 / 25
Keyshia Cole Loses in Court - Singer Keyshia Cole recently lost a case brought against her by a promoter in a New Jersey court. Cole was a no-show at an event in 2006 and the promoter sued her for damages amounting to almost $160,000, which the singer has been ordered to pay. The singer was also admonished in court papers by the judge who wrote that she appeared “illiterate” when asked to read certain documents in court. The judge realized she was literate only when she read documents that helped her.
20 / 25
Lawmakers Threatened for Supporting Bill - More than 10 Democratic lawmakers have reported violent threats and incidents of vandalism from angry conservative radicals since the recently passed health care bill. As a result many of them have asked for increased security. All of the incidents have been reported to the FBI. “I would hope that we would join together jointly and make it very clear that none of us condone this kind of activity,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said.
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21 / 25
Health Care Bill Signed - U.S. lawmakers made history by passing Obama’s landmark health reform legislation late Sunday night. The president signed the bill into law on Tuesday in front of congressional supporters and everyday citizens during a ceremony at the White House.
22 / 25
Teen Charged in 2nd Racial Incident at Walmart - The teenager who allegedly made an announcement earlier this month ordering all Black people to leave a New Jersey Walmart over the store’s intercom system, was charged for doing the same thing at the same Walmart store just after Christmas. Police were not notified initially about the incident in December, but the store has since turned over surveillance tape. The 16-year-old has been charged with harassment and bias intimidation.
23 / 25
Settled - Talk show host Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation suit filed by the ex-headmistress of her South African girls’ school. The former headmistress, Nomvuyo Mzamane, claimed she had trouble finding a job after Winfrey stated she had "lost confidence" in her and was "cleaning house from top to bottom," shortly after the sex abuse scandal involving a dorm matron at the school in 2007.
24 / 25
Touring the Ruins - Haitian President Rene Preval, former President George W. Bush and former President and U.N. special envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton, greet people at a makeshift camp for homeless earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince. The U.S. leaders, tapped by Obama to head fundraising efforts, were in the nation assessing recovery needs Monday.