Daily Archives: September 28, 2009

IS EBONY MAGAZINE UP FOR SALE?, SIMMONS HOSTS FARRAKHAN DURING NY VISIT, TONY PARKER DEVELOPING FRENCH CARTOON…

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TONY PARKER DEVELOPING FRENCH
CARTOON

San Antonio Spurs player Tony
Parker has inked with French
cartoon production shingle Tele
Images Kids to develop “Basketball
Adventures,” an animated basketball
series using his image.

IS EBONY MAGAZINE UP FOR SALE?

It appears Johnson Publishing is
seeking a buyer or investor for its
flagship publication, Ebony, in an
effort aimed at securing the
survival of the nation’s oldest
magazine devoted to African-
American life. Chairman and CEO
Linda Johnson Rice is said to be
shopping the monthly magazine to
Time-Warner, Viacom and other major
publishers.

SIMMONS HOSTS FARRAKHAN DURING NY
VISIT

Mogul Russell Simmons played host
to Nation of Islam head Louis
Farrakhan and his entourage while
Farrakhan was in town to introduce
Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy
outside the UN last week.

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Yung Berg Gets Punched In The Back Of His Head & Yells Call The Cops!

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Chris Brown to Release ‘Transformer’ on September 30

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Chris Brown will debut the new single featuring Lil Wayne Wednesday, September 30 on Ustream.

Chris Brown has just announced on Twitter that he will unveil his brand new single Wednesday, September 30. “Releasing my single on weds. in going to u stream it… get ready weds.if anything changes ill let u know,” so he wrote.

Though Chris did not mention the title of the song, it is believed that the upcoming track is “Transformer”. Earlier this month, Swizz Beatz who produced the song confirmed that Lil Wayne will be featured in the track and its music video will go into production soon.

“Transformer” is expected to be listed in Chris Brown’s new album “Graffiti”. “He’s got something to prove,” Swizz told MTV about what to expect from Chris on the new track. “He worked on 60, 70 songs. He’s just on fire. I told him, ‘Listen, man, just stay focused on your music. They gonna throw shots at you. Time heals everything’.”

Most recently, Chris was confirmed to perform at Power 105.1′s Powerhouse concert on October 27. He will sing alongside Fabolous, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson, Mario, Ginuwine and Day26 at the gig which will be held at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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Dj Drama Interviews Lil Wayne on His Birthday [Speaks on STILL Wanting an Official Collaboration with Eminem]

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BREAKING NEWS: 50 CENT RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL

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After a long weekend of activites, including performing, throwing a festival in his old neighborhood in Queens, and preparing for his upcoming Thisis50 Concert, 50 Cent has definitely been working hard.

This afternoon while in his Manhattan offices, employees say that 50 Cent was listening to Fat Joe’s new album, “J.O.S.E. 2″ when all the sudden, he collapsed! An ambulance was called, and by the time they arrived, 50 Cent regained consciousness and was complaining of blurred vision and a severe migraine. 50 Cent was rushed to Mt. Sinai hospital at 4:26 pm.

Doctors say after performing a Cat Scan and EKG there seems to be some damage to his auditory cortex, which is the region of the brain that is responsible for processing sound.

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SWIZZ BEATS EX MASHONDA WANTS ANSWERS …

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So last night Mashonda (who is sort of still married to Swizz Beats) decided to confront Alicia Keys on twitter. Alicia was tweeting about love earlier that day and MaShonda felt she was being insensitive to her situation since her divorce to Swizz Beats hasn’t been finalized. So she wrote up a long tweet (using twitlonger) to Alicia and claims she will tweet it every day until she gets a response. Very interesting to me that it was done in a public forum (twitter) however she was very mature about the situation.

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Check it below:

After having a great evening with my son and enjoying some fun twit chat, I decided to sign off and get some work done. However, a few hours later I was advised that I should check @aliciakeys twit page. I’ve never reached out to her on twitter before. I feel our issues are a lot more serious than a website conversation. Not to mention that I’ve reached out to her many times in the beginning of this whole thing, as any wife would do. Unfortunately, I never succeeded in getting a response. The 1st time I meet AK, my husband introduced us to each other at an event. ( I have no choice but to call him my husband, until he is not anymore) In the messages that I sent to her (AK), I made it very clear that on the contrary of what she might be hearing, I am still married to my husband, living with him and just had a child. Its been two years and I still have not received a response. What I do receive, is constant displays of selfishness and disconcern to me and my son.

I was a fan of AK’s last album, we were both signed to J Records and I always checked up on her projects. I sang her songs and admired her for creating Superwoman and Karma, I would never deny her, her talent. I believed in her until I found out she was possibly sleeping with my husband. The affair was denied by both, until it was finally admitted months later.

Already I can hear some of you saying ” why are u blaming her, You cant make someone leave their wife, You cant break something thats broken”. Well, my marriage was not broken, as far as I knew we were celebrating our sons birth and getting ready to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary . Call it blind love, whatever. I call it being a devoted wife.. As far as me blaming her and not blaming him, thats false. Me and my husband have worked out our differences. We are in a good place as people and as parents. I accept his choices and I am comfortable enough with myself to move on. I am so very blessed in many ways.

My concern with AK is no longer the fact that she assisted in destroying a family but that she has the audacity to make these selfish comments about love and wanting to be with someone, even after knowing their situation. How is this the same Superwoman that I sang out loud with in my truck? I ask myself sometimes.

If you are reading this Alicia, let me start by saying, you know what you did. You know the role you played and you know how you contributed to the ending of my marriage. You know that I asked you to step back and let me handle my family issues. Issues that you helped to create.
Im not saying everything was perfect all the time but no relationship is perfect. We made a vow to God and I believe you should have respected that, as a woman. I know you owe me or my son nothing but I just wish you would’ve handled things more carefully. I’m not judging you, I put you and the whole situation in the hands of God, the Higher Power. Just know that as a woman, I expected so much more from you. I never had intentions on reaching out to you this way but after reading your twits tonight, and the constant disregard, you left me no choice. I feel that after 1 and a half years of you hiding this affair and acting like it doesnt exist, that now is the time to confront it, since you talk so openly about it now

This is not a publicity stunt, I dont have a record coming out. I just need to close this chapter in my life and that means confronting our issues. There is a small child involved. His dad loves him to death and he wants to spend more time with him but hes afraid because he knows we don’t have a relationship. This is my main concern. My son NEEDS his dad and I NEED to be comfortable with you. For him!

I know many will see my point and many will not be able to look into what’s real because they only want to see Alicia Keys the celebrity, not the human. This is not for the “people”, this is for you. Like I said I was left no choice but to reach out to you this way. By now, Im sure you want to find a balance in this as well.

I read your tweets tonight and I felt they were very insensitive. You have no idea how much pain I was caused because of this affair. Its baffling to me that you don’t understand what I might have gone through with this situation. I dont consider myself a victim anymore, Ive learned alot from this! I just ask you to try and be a bit more realistic and delicate to the situation, at least until my divorce is final. I felt me attending the party would have been a starting point for us, since you shook my hand after I offered it, but I suppose I was wrong.

If its so, that you and my husband are meant to be together, then God bless you both and I hope you never have to deal with what I did. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. If you two being together forever is the case, its more of a reason for us to get along, because I’m not going anywhere. Theres a child to be raised.

To answer your tweet, choose smart over spark. Sparks burn everyone, be smart! Its simple actually, just think of the shoe being on the other foot.

Stay blessed and lets work this thing out with respect and dignity.

In case you didn’t know, A. Keys and Mashonda came face to face at Swizz Beats birthday party a little over a week ago but there was no drama as the two shook hands and went on their merry way. MaShonda has been pretty quiet about the situation over the past few months because Swizz Beats sought a gag order to keep her from talking about the divorce proceedings. However Alicia Keys has an album coming out in December, and what perfect timing to jump back on the case for MaShonda.

Now the big question is “Why isn’t the divorce finalized yet?”

With that being said, I hope everything works out for the both of them.

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Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s Wedding Pics

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Here’s a few extra flicks from Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s wedding in Beverly Hills yesterday.  According to the rumor mill, the wedding cost about 1 million but E! footed the entire bill.

Of course E! would foot the bill as they taped the star studded event for TV.  I hear a Lamar & Khloe reality show is in the making….but that’s just rumors…

Peep some of the pics:

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Tyson Beckford Says Who He Would Sleep With If He Were Gay….

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Check out the Tyson Beckford’s response to the gay question on this Bravo television show below.

Caller: If you had to spend the night with a man, who would it be and why?

TB: I don’t actually go that way, but i notice like a lot of people think i do… but you know what if I’m a do it – I’m going for Obama. If I got with him I could run the country. If i was that way Obama I would go for you brother.

Commentator: You would give it to Obama?

TB: Yeah, I’d be the one in control. That’s if i was that way. Like who you going to go for? Will Smith – somebody pretty like that? I mean not to say Obama isn’t pretty – I would go straight for Obama.


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How Hip-Hop Will Survive in the Next Music Industry

Hip-Hop

The music industry is dead, and the how come doesn’t matter. The question now is what next? How does an artist eat in an environment like this where record sales have dropped 20% since last year?

For rock bands, touring and merchandising will become more important than ever. Eventually they will be begging you to download their music for free, as long as you promise to pay 50 in damage for the live show and cop a T-shirt on your way out.

Rap acts though don’t tour too tough. However, compared to the rockers, emcees are better suited to survive this new industry fallout. Ever since Diddy declared that anyone who questions how a rapper makes money is a “player hater”, it’s been open season for even the most indie leaning emcee to appear in commercials and have his own sneaker. Muscicians in other genres have to walk a fine line of art and commerce so they don’t offend their fanbase. However, in hip-hop, the number of endorsements you score is part of your marketing plan.

Now, some see this and think there is too much commercialism in hip-hop. Me? I don’t think there is enough.

From Sprite to Scion I see corporate sponsors as the new (or the first?) patrons of hip-hop. Back in the day, before recorded music and record labels, musical masters relied on patrons to front them while they made their art. In return for their investment, the wealthy patrons gained a higher social status by being linked to the incredible artists they fronted. Also, they would retain the artist to perform at their parties and write special dedications for themselves or family.

Now, doesn’t that sound like how Reebok paid for the pairing of 50 Cent and Jay-Z or how  Boost Mobile did the same with Kanye, Ludacris, and The Game?

I’m not mad at any of those examples, because despite the money that’s flowing I think hip-hop does a good job of holding to two rules that makes sure the commerce doesn’t harm the art:

Rule # 1. Commercials are clearly commercials. Sprite has never tried to pass off one of their famous freestyle spots as an authentic, spontaneous, off-the-top endorsement by a rapper.

Rule # 2. Art is clearly art.  When Busta told Pharrell to “Pass the Courvoisier”, I don’t think he was considering a deal with that liquor brand, even if one came after the fact. He name dropped because it sounded hot, and that’s it.

The only pass a rapper can get on rule #2 is if he owns the product he’s pushing. Self-promotion is straight hip-hop.

I’m impressed with emcees like 50 Cent who has been able to remain independent and relevant and dangerous with his left hand, yet snatch coin from corporate America with his right. As 50 himself admitted in a Vibe Magazine interview, when asked about declining music sales industry wide, he said he doesn’t care if less people buy the record, as long as they buy his clothing, vitamin water, videos game, and movies. 50 is in the business of selling a lifestlye, with music as the bait, a trick that Diddy and Jay-Z learned long ago.

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Young Buck Warns Eminem, “We Coming For Your A**”

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Former G-Unit member Young Buck has sent a warning to Eminem with the release of his new song called “If I Have To.”

Aside from name dropping Slim Shady in the track’s intro, Buck uses the song to describe his street credentials.

Cool, turn me up my n*gga,” Buck says in the beginning. “[laughs] Eminem, we coming for your a**, ain’t that right Coop? Man, we go too hard, for real. Shoot a n*gga dead right now if I had to/Hop out, walk up and just blast you/Snatch him out his Chevy/Take what’s on his wrist, let the young n*ggas strip it…I’m pissed, you don’t want your name on that list/’fore we come through, n*gga, we don’t miss/Throwing shells out the chopper…”

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Kardashians Make $1 million on Breakup, Pregnancy & a Wedding

TV Keeping Up With The Kardashians Portrait

People always ask, “What Do They Do?”. But you cannot underestimate service to the public as a great way to make money. The public has proved they will pay top $ to be entertained by anyone and anything. The Kardashian sisters have earned $1 million in just a few months with news of a romantic breakup, a pregnancy and a wedding. The rest of the show business world is having trouble keeping up with the Kardashians’ astonishing earning power, thanks to their prolific and eventful love lives.

Kim, Kourtney and Khloe’s antics — and their curvaceous figures — have landed them big-money magazine covers, TV and media deals, as well as sponsorship from diet aid SlimQuick.

Kim split with her boyfriend of two years, Reggie Bush, in July. Kourtney announced she’s pregnant with on-off boyfriend Scott Disick’s baby in August. And last week, Khloe announced she’ll marry LA Lakers forward Lamar Odom after a whirlwind romance of just a month.

Even their little half-sister, Kendall Jenner, 13, is getting into the act — she landed a contract with Wilhelmina Models in July and is now negotiating an advertising deal.

A source said: “The Kardashian sisters are big business. Their mother, Kris, is a smart businesswoman and manages their deals. She knows how to make the most of these big announcements.

“She’s negotiating a magazine deal for Khloe’s wedding, around $250,000, another deal for Kourtney’s baby, and there will probably be yet another deal when Kim eventually gets back together with Reggie,” our insider said.

“Then there’s the product deals — they’ve already got the fashion line, now they’re branching out into perfume and beauty products.”

The sisters already star in E!’s “Keeping up with the Kardashians” and “Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami,” and the exposure has also upped sales for their clothing line, Dash.

Let’s give Ray J his due. He made Kim Kardashian a star…..


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P.Diddy And His New Boss Jimmy Iovine

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Sean “Diddy” Combs throws his arm around Interscope Geffen A&M head honcho Jimmy Iovine at a screening for LeBron James’ documentary More Than a Game at The Grove in Los Angeles on Saturday (Sept. 26).

Puff is expected to officially announce his new deal with Interscope in the coming weeks after his recent departure from Warner Music.

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Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 3″ To Lose No. 1 Spot, 160K Projected In Week 3

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Jay-Z‘s The Blueprint 3 will reportedly lose out on holding the number one spot on the sales charts this week, however, it is still projected to sell up to 160,000 additional copies.

After 21 days in the stores, Hov will reportedly near platinum status with a possible combined total of 934,000 scanned discs .

Just two six-figure totals next week (place standard disclaimer here), but they’ll be racked up by the Roc Nation and Monkeywrench teams. Pearl Jam is looking to debut in the 200k area while Jay-Z will fall down to No. 2 with an estimated 150k to 160k in sales. In their second week, Kid Cudi‘s Man on the Moon is projected to sell 35-40k and Drake‘s So Far Gone is slated for 35-40k.

Serving as his first Roc Nation debut, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 held on to the top spot this week moving 297,900 albums. The rapper’s 11th number one album has sold a combined total of 774,000 copies in just 14 days.

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Fabolous Confirms Being Rushed To Hospital, “Believed I Was Poisoned”

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After reports spread online this weekend claiming Fabolous was involved in a possible car accident, the rapper has clarified the rumors and said he was, indeed, rushed to a hospital for medical attention.

Writing via Twitter, F-a-b-o explained what went down from his own account.

“Wow! I’m ok everyone..thanks 4 the concern. I was not in a car accident, but I think i know where it started.. Let me explain,” he wrote Sunday (September 27) afternoon. “I was drivin yesterday morning & started feeling very sick & felt like I was gon pass out while driving.. I veered off 2 da side of the road Had a ambulance called and they picked me up from the side of the road.. Maybe that’s where the car accident confusion came from..Believed I was poisoned so I checked in & was given medical treatment..a lil sedated so I didn’t tweet but was released 2 go late last nite Again thanks 4 ur concern & prayers.. I’m ok, No car accident, jus a lil sick.. Imma shake it off and GO IN on somebody later LOL!! (Pause) OK, Im feelin much better.. But i will play sick for a big booty, B/C cup nurse… LOL”…

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Nas “If I Ruled The World” Live In London

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