Singer Ashanti and her mom/manager Tina Douglas attended Carlos McKinney’s Grammy nomination and birthday celebration at Suzie Wong on Wednesday night in New York City.
Mary J. Blige and LA Reid (he looks different w/o his glasses) attend Karen Kwak’s birthday party at the Thompson LES on Wednesday nigth in New York City.
I’ve never been heavy on the Super Bowl, but I know a little bit here and there. I just wanted to give a little shout out to Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers! At the age of 36, he became the the youngest coach ever to make it to the Super Bowl.
Here are a couple of photos of him during a press conference earlier on Thursday afternoon, where he received the ‘Motorola Coach of the Year’ award. Make sure to tune into Super Bowl 43 this Sunday on NBC.
Actor Michael Jai White and his wife Dr. Courtenay Chatman were spotted at Los Angeles International Airport recently with their newborn baby daughter, Morgan Michelle. Dr. Chatman was waiting in the baggage claim area and surprised Michael as he arrived.
The couple was recently featured on Essence.com, where they both spoke on their marriage and newborn baby girl. Make sure to check the story out over there, it’s cute.
Seems like Dawn Richard finally confirms the split of Bad Boy’s girl group, Danity Kane, just before the new season of MTV’s Making the Band 4 airs. Richard confesses that neither Shannon Bex, D. Woods or Aubrey O’Day (who will appear on March’s Playboy Magazine cover) showed up for the meeting that takes place on the season premiere of the show, which airs February 12th. Former bandmate Aundrea is the only one that attended the meeting with Dawn.
Dawn, however, seems to be the only one that’s appearing as a solo act on Diddy’s new album, which is set to drop sometime this year. Danity Kane’s latest album, Welcome to the Dollhouse debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart, making them the first girl group to debut at #1 with both albums. It’s a shame that the girls can’t get it together. Their third album could have been huge.
Good to see Jennifer Hudson still on the promo trail for her self-titled debut album, with her second single, “If This Isn’t Love.” She recently shot a video for the single in Los Angeles, and the video will debut the week of February 9.
I’m glad to see what J. Hud is back at work, even though this recent tragedy struck her family.
♫ Lil’ Mama - I’m A Diva (full) - listen
I didn’t think that Lil’ Mama was going to be doing another album, I just thought that she was going to continue to be a judge on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. Everyone’s a diva now. The production, although I’m not sure who is reponsible for it, sounds like Britney Spear’s first single from her album, Circus, “Womanizer.” I don’t know, some people said that they liked it, but I’m not really buying it.
♫ Rihanna feat. The Dream - Hatin’ On the Club (full) - listen
To me, Rihanna, The Dream and Tricky Stewart have undeniable chemistry. From the material that they produced together on her Good Girl Gone Bad project (”Umbrella,” “Breakin’ Dishes,” etc.), I would say that I have just about liked everything they’ve done together. I’m a little confused though, because I thought that Rihanna was going for a more edged-out, rock sound - records that sounded more like “Disturbia.” Perhaps these songs that have leaked have been all tracks leftover from previous sessions.
Jazmine Sullivan, (who is riding high off of her 5 Grammy nominations), just released her brand new video for “Lions, Tigers and Bears.” This is one of my favorite cuts from her self-titled debut album. Peep it above.
Jazmine will perform on Good Morning America on February 2nd and Jimmy Kimmel Live on February 6th. Jazmine will also be featured in Katie Couric’s All Access Grammy Special airing February 4th on CBS.
BAYARD RUSTIN (1912-1987) was one of the most influential civil rights activists who maintained a low profile, reserving the spotlight for other prominent figures, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph.
Born March 17, 1910, Rustin was one of twelve children raised by his grandparents in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Rustin’s life-long commitment to nonviolence began with his Quaker upbringing and the influence of his grandmother, a member of the Society of Friends and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). NAACP leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson were frequent guests in the Rustin home. With these influences in his early life, Rustin campaigned against racially discriminatory Jim Crow laws in his youth.
