Bring That Week Back: Week of March 29
Erykah Badu could face indecent exposure charges. More top stories!
1 / 22
Trey Songz Slams R. Kelly (Again) in Vibe - R&B singer Trey Songz covers the upcoming April/May issue of Vibe, and in it he takes some jabs at R. Kelly. While he admits borrowing some of Kelly’s style, he accuses the singer of the same thing – with R&B singer Aaron Hall. “People say, ‘Well, I hear a lot of R. Kelly in your music.’ So what? R. Kelly took Aaron Hall’s whole style. Two albums straight….You can say what you want about me.” Songz had previously taken swipes at Kelly on a mixtape, criticizing the singer for using auto-tune.
2 / 22
Dwyane Wade’s Ex Responds to Custody Claims - Earlier this week, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade filed for sole custody of his two sons with estranged wife Siohvaughn. The document alleges that she can’t “be considered a fit and proper person” to raise their children. He alleges she exhibited threatening behavior, had affairs and used abusive parenting methods. Lawyers for Siohvaughn have responded saying Wade’s move is in retaliation for her filing for an order of Protection last month. The divorce trial is scheduled to begin in June.
3 / 22
Obama Signs Student Loans Overhaul - Earlier this week, the president signed the last of his sweeping health care reform bill that changes the student loan set up. Under this measure, private banks won’t get fees for acting as middlemen in federal student loans. The government will use savings to boost Pell Grants. This move, according to the White House, will make college more affordable to students and also make it easier for many to pay off debt after graduation.
4 / 22
Badu May Face Indecent Exposure Charge - Singer Erykah Badu may face charges for stripping down naked in public for her new video, “Window Seat.” The clip was filmed in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza, the same place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Authorities say that if one witness comes forward to confirm the singer was naked in public, she could be charged with indecent exposure. The charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
5 / 22
Jill Scott On Her Interracial Dating Essay - Jill Scott caused a stir this past weekend with her controversial essay on interracial dating in Essence magazine. She wrote, “Our minds do understand that people of all races find genuine love in many places. We dig that the world is full of amazing options. But underneath, there is a bite, no matter the ointment, that has yet to stop burning.” The singer went on CNN to explain that she’s not against anyone’s love, but was just giving a Black woman’s perspective considering the history of race.
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6 / 22
Jay-Z, Alicia Keys Scratch World Cup Anthem Plans - New York superstars Jay-Z and Alicia Keys won’t be writing an anthem for the World Cup as originally planned. After Keys announced that she would be performing at the games this June, the two, planned to write an anthem for the World Cup Games. But it seems as if the pair doesn’t know enough about soccer to write the song. “If we did a record about soccer it would be obvious we didn’t know much more about the sport than who David Beckham is,” Keys told London’s “The Sun” paper.
7 / 22
DMX Sentenced to Six Months in Jail - On Tuesday, an Arizona judge sentenced rapper DMX (born Earl Simmons) to serve six months in jail for violating his probation by using drugs. Simmons was arrested early last month for five counts of probation violation, MTV reports. He admitted to one violation for testing positive for cocaine on a drug test mandated by the court last year. The rapper could be released earlier, provided that he is accepted into an approved rehabilitation program.
8 / 22
Obama to Allow Oil Drilling Off Va.’s Coast - President Obama announced his plan to allow oil drilling 50 miles off of Virginia’s coast on Wednesday, reversing a longtime ban on most offshore drilling. Drilling could take place 125 miles from Florida’s Gulf coastline as well if lawmakers allow it. Activists strongly oppose the president’s decision saying that it isn’t worth the cost to the environment.
9 / 22
iPhone on its Way to Verizon? - Apple may be working on an iPhone designed specifically for Verizon Wireless, according to reports. Right now, AT&T Inc. is the only phone company in the United States that carries the popular phone. A report in The Wall Street Journal said that Apple will debut a new iPhone this summer and is also working on a model of Verizon, but there’s no word yet on when the Verizon model will be available. Reps from both Verizon and Apple have no comment.
10 / 22
LL Cool J Slams Palin’s New Show - It doesn’t look like rapper LL Cool J wants any connection to Sarah Palin’s new show on Fox. After the network ran promos for “Real American Stories” featuring one of the rapper’s old interviews, he promptly took to Twitter to disassociate himself. Late Tuesday, he posted that Fox “lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else & are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palin’s Show. WOW.” The network has since removed the rapper’s segment.
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11 / 22
Obama's Past Year - In an interview with NBC’s “Today Show” the president revealed that the happiest part of the past year was watching his daughters Sasha, 8 and Malia 11. The two have adjusted well to the White House, Obama says, but he does have some concerns about their teenage years. “I think that’s the time when you’re already embarrassed about your parents. And then imagine if your dad’s in the newspaper every day and people are calling him an idiot. So I feel a little worried about that,” he said in the int
12 / 22
Ricky Martin Comes Out - This week Latin star Ricky Martin announced he’s gay, confirming rumors and speculation that have been around for years. He posted this on his Twitter account: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.” The former Menudo star, who is currently penning his memoirs, says he kept his sexuality under wraps for years because people told him it would hurt his career.
13 / 22
Former “The Wire” Writer Dies - David Mills, a veteran television writer whose credits include such hits as “The Wire” and “ER,” died Tuesday night after collapsing on the set of his latest production in New Orleans. He was 48. Mills suffered a brain aneurism, according to doctors at Tulane Medical Center. Mills was on the set of “Treme,” which was being filmed in the French Quarter.
14 / 22
Obama Condemns Russian Subway Bombings - The president spoke out early Monday against the terrorist subway attack in Russia that killed at least 37 people and wounded 102. The blasts were set off by suicide bombers 30 minutes apart during morning rush hour. In his statement, Obama called the attack “heinous” and offered his condolences to the Russian people.
15 / 22
Jamie Foxx's New Sketch Comedy - Entertainer Jamie Foxx landed a pilot on Fox for a new sketch comedy show. Foxx, along with two other “In Living Color” writers (Fax Bahr and Adam Small) will serve as the untitled project’s executive producers.
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16 / 22
7th Annual Women's Health Symposium - This past weekend, BET Foundation kicked off its 7th annual Women’s Health Symposium in Philadelphia. The event featured local health experts there to educate the more than 1,100 women in attendance about how to make healthier lifestyle choices. According to Mayor Michael Nutter, in Philadelphia “64 percent of adults and 57 percent of children” were classified as overweight or obese.
17 / 22
Meek Turns in Petitions for Senate Ballot - The campaign of Florida Democrat Kendrick Meek recently turned in more than 145,000 signatures to get on his state’s ballot for U.S. Senator. Meek, currently serving as a Representative, only needed 112,476 to qualify. “Just the coffee talk shop about this effort is going to help us propel this campaign into victory in November,” he said during a conference call. The other way people can get on the ballot is by writing a check for $10,000. No one else is attempting to qualify by petition.
18 / 22
Drake Reveals Album Release - Rapper Drake’s long anticipated album, “Thank Me Later” will drop on May 25. The project, which will be released under Young Money/Universal Motown, will also feature appearances by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne to name a few.
19 / 22
President Surprises Troops in Afghanistan - Obama made a surprise trip on Sunday to Afghanistan. During his trip he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. He also addressed U.S. troops mostly from the 82nd Airborne Unit in charge of eastern Afghanistan.
20 / 22
Obama Meets French Leader - President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy met at the White House on Tuesday. Later, in the evening, the president and first lady hosted a private dinner for the French leader and his wife at the White House.
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21 / 22
LL Cool J Partners With Red Cross - The American Red Cross recently named LL Cool J to its National Celebrity Cabinet. The rapper joins the list of other celebrity cabinet members including fellow rapper Ludacris. As part of his new role, LL will promote the organization’s services through a series of Public Service Announcements including some to help raise money for Haiti earthquake victims.