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Monday, November 30, 2009

Tiger Woods Cancels Third Meeting with Florida Highway Patrol, Releases Statement Accepting Responsibility for Early Morning Accident

For the third day in row, professional golfer Tiger Woods has canceled an interview with the Florida Highway Patrol about the early-morning crash that sent him to the hospital. A spokeswoman for Florida Highway Patrol said the agency was contacted at about 1 p.m. from prominent local attorney Mark NeJame, who said he is now representing Woods. Tiger Woods has released a statement on his website and has claimed responsibility for the accident and denounced rumors that have surfaced about the incident. The statement reads:
"As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore.

This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again.

This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.

The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.

This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be. "
Tiger Woods and his wife should be afforded some privacy in this matter. It is obvious that something has transpired in his private life, but it does not rise to the level of constant coverage by the mainstream news outlets. I am sure his statement will continue to fan the flames of controversy and the rumors of infidelity will not diminish.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tyler Perry Hit With Infringement Lawsuit by Estate of Gospel Singer/Songwriter Bertha James

Tyler Perry has been sued by Susie H. James, the personal representative of deceased gospel singer/songwriter Bertha James, who claims Perry used too much of the goodness of Jesus in his movie, "Madea Goes to Jail," at least according to a new federal lawsuit. The suit claims Perry lifted an entire verse from a song James wrote in 1950 -- "When I Think of the Goodness of Jesus."

According to TMZ, the suit also claims Perry stole the verse and used it in "Madea," specifically, "incorporating the entire chorus in a monologue delivered by the main character in 'Madea" referencing her deliverance from a jail sentence and leniency for repetitive criminal conduct, in a staged court proceeding presided over by 'Judge Mabeline.'"

Bertha's estate, which is also suing Lionsgate Entertainment, wants unspecified damages for copyright infringement. This is amazing. The more money this man makes, the more people come out of the woodwork to sue him. Doesn't this remind you of what happened to the late Michael Jackson?

Monday, November 9, 2009

Comedian Katt Williams in Georgia Jail on Charges of Burglary and Criminal Trespassing

Comedian Katt Williams remains in custody in the Coweta County jail in Georgia on charges of burglary and criminal trespassing.

According to WSB-TV, a deputy at the jail confirmed the comedian is being held at the jail, and that a magistrate was expected to set bond at an arraignment Monday afternoon.

Williams real name is Micah Williams.He is known for his appearances on BET and HBO, including his HBO special Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1, which was shot in Atlanta.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Leona Lewis Told to Leave London Store Because Her Father is Black

Singer Leona Lewis, 24, was told to leave an unnamed London store, along with her Guyana-born father Joe, because of the color of his skin. She said she was purchasing photo frames when they were approached by the store owner, who said: ‘get out of my store right now.’ She asked her ‘are you joking?’ “She said, ‘No, I want both of you to remove yourselves from my store’ She asked why – and pointing at her father she said, ‘I don’t like the look of him. I want him to go now.’

“I said: “What do you mean? She said, ‘I know why you’re coming in here’. She was implying we were trying to steal stuff.” The woman shouted at Leona in front of other customers, but despite being in tears the singer refused to leave.

“I was so angry my dad had to drag me out of the shop. I’d never experienced anything like that. Being judged by the colour of your skin is horrible.” Source: UK Mirror
This young lady has been having a tough time. You will recall that two weeks ago she was punched at a book signing by a crazed fan rejected at an early stage in the X Factor auditions.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Tyler Perry Responds to Spike Lee's Characterization of His Films as "Coonery and Buffoonery"


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Must we always air our dirty laundry in public? Well, Spike Lee picked a fight of sorts with Tyler Perry earlier this year and Tyler Perry responded during an interview on "60 Minutes." Personally, I like Spike Lee's work -- "Miracle at St. Anna," "Do the Right Thing," "School Daze" and "Jungle Fever." I do like some of Tyler Perry's work -- "Dairy of a Mad Black Woman" and "Meet the Browns." I have had enough of Madea and I am looking for some serious work from him and not just comedy. However, I don't think that Spike Lee should have thrown him under a bus, at least not by calling his work similar to "Amos and Andy" skits. There are many African Americans who find some of his characters -- Madea and Mr. Brown -- demeaning and harken back to a period in the African American experience that we need to move away from, but there are also many who love his work.

Tyler Perry said, during his appearance on "60 Minutes" he said he was “insulted” and “pissed off” by Spike Lee’s criticisms of Perry’s hit TV shows and movies. Lee recently called Perry characters such as Madea examples of “coonery” and “buffoonery.”“I would love to read that [criticism] to my fan base,” Perry told "60 Minutes" correspondent Byron Pitts. “All these characters of mine are bait, bait to get people talking about God, love, family, and faith.”

Tyler Perry has an unbelievable gift for comic impersonations and making his audience laugh, but Madea and Mr. Brown are getting tired. Stuttering black men in colorful clothes feel really old -- a little like Amos n Andy. Surely, Tyler Perry can make us laugh with other characters than his usual bumbling black men. To his credit, maybe he has started to move away from these characters through a recent collaboration, "Precious" with daytime queen Oprah Winfrey.

As for Spike Lee, I could also make an argument that he tends cast lighter-skinned Black and/or Latina women as his black lead's love interests. Don't get me wrong, I have no issues with light skinned black women, but it seems that Spike Lee may have a problem with dark-skinned sisters. The reality is that using lighter skinned love interests only reinforces how the black community defines physical beauty and, in essence, socio-economic mobility. That's just as problematic as a bumbling black man like Mr. Brown.

These two men are bringing different things to the table. Tyler Perry has found a way to bring African Americans to the movie theaters, more than Spike Lee has. Spike Lee confronts racial discrimination in his movies and racial equality in Hollywood, still rarely examining his own regressive "color" politics. So, at the end of the day, I guess I'll take my chances with Tyler Perry and his business acumen, but I hope "Madea Goes to Jail" is the last of his movies to feature this big-breasted angry mammy. It's time to let her go. Really.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Adam Jasinski, Ninth-Season Winner of Reality TV Show "Big Brother," Confesses to Using $500K Prize to Buy Oxycodone Pills & Resell Them

Another reality show cast member has found himself on the wrong side of the law. Authorities said Adam Jasinski, 31, the ninth-season winner of reality TV show "Big Brother" has confessed to using his $500,000 prize to buy thousands of oxycodone pills and resell them. He has been charged with attempting to sell 2,000 pills in Massachusetts to a government witness. A fool and his money will surely part company quickly, especially if his motives are less than honorable.

Federal prosecutors said Jasinski was arrested Saturday after he flew to Boston and showed the witness a sock containing two plastic bags filled with oxycodone, a powerful painkiller that is a popular street drug because of its euphoric effects. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Todd Prough said as agents tried to arrest Jasinski at a strip mall in North Reading, he struggled and threw the sock under a car parked nearby.

Jasinski won $500,000 on "Big Brother 9" in April 2008. The CBS reality show features contestants who live under constant surveillance and vote once a week to evict each other in hopes of becoming the last house-guest standing and winning the grand prize.

Prough said in the affidavit that Jasinski told him that he has been using his winnings to buy thousands of oxycodone pills and has been reselling them along the East Coast for the past several months. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on a charge of possession of oxycodone pills with intent to distribute. This incident is proof that old habits die hard. I find it hard to believe that he was not engaged in such criminal activities before he appeared on the reality show. This is another blow for reality television and the nutjobs and criminals they seem to attract.

Leah Ignagni Named as the Slain Football Great Steve McNair's Other Lover

Steve McNair, who was slain by his girlfriend Sahel Kazemi on July 4, 2009, is back in the news again. This time the second woman he was possibly cheating on his wife with has been revealed. Her name is Leah Ignagni. What a tangled web he weaved and it ultimately cost him his life and left his wife, Mechelle McNair with a hot mess on her hands. In an updated police case summary, Ignagni told police that a woman in the same model car (a Cadillac Escalade) that Kazemi owned had been following her a few weeks prior to the former football great's murder. 

Ignagni said in the summary that when leaving Steve McNair's Lea Avenue condominium, she "observed a female inside a black Cadillac escalade parked outside the building. Ignagni said she noticed the Escalade follow her as she drove to her apartment." Kazemi's former roommate Emily Andrews confirmed that she knew about McNair's other lover. Gee, did she really think he would remain faithful to her if he couldn't remain faithful to his wife? There's more. Andrews said Kazemi told her that she found a tampon in the bathroom wastebasket in the condo and saw a woman leaving on another occasion.

Maybe jealously played a big role in Steve McNair's death, but this should serve as a warning to other married men who play such a dangerous game. It can have lasting and damaging effects. The new police report does not specifically speculate on what role, if any, Ignagni might have played in Kazemi's mind, but they have stated in the past they believed Kazemi killed McNair and herself because of stress, money worries, and jealousy.

 
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