THIS IS THE CHRONICLES OF EFREM: The Daily Roundup for Feb 6

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JESUS MUST TRULY TAKE THE WHEEL; "Preacher Wives" Reality Show HEADED TO "TLC"

(Note these are just random pictures these are NOT the stars of the show)

The producers of "Real Housewives of Atlanta," True Entertainment, have announced they're partnering with the TLC network to produce a new Atlanta-based reality show called "Preacher Wives."

As if there aren't already enough urban reality shows based in Atlanta, True Entertainment is about to bring to light a lot of "church drama" in a new reality series called "Preacher Wives."
The show will follow the "First Ladies" of Atlanta area churches as they play out their roles in the congregation and at home.

Talking about the show, True Entertainment president Steven Weinstock said,

“We are excited to work with TLC to profile the lives of these strong-willed women. With most praise in religious communities directed towards male preachers, we are thrilled to give these remarkable ladies the spotlight they crave and deserve.”

It will be interesting to see what type of holy drama the preacher's wives keep up. I'm sure it will cause many debates at beauty shops, women's conferences and churches around the country.

Hmmm...It would be interesting if Bishop Eddie Long's wife Vanessa participated!

Will you be watching

IN A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND, The NY GIANTS Defeats New England Patriots to win Super Bowl!

Eli Manning and the New York Giants, all but given up on mid-December, saved its best for the last, pulling out a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the New England Patriots to finish off a brilliant stretch of play with a 21-17 victory Sunday for the franchises’ fourth Super Bowl.
Manning delivered a 78-touch down drive, capped by four-yard Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown run against an uncontested Patriots defense with 1:04 left. New England tried to give Tom Brady as much time for a comeback as possible, but the Giants defense stopped them to seal the victory.
It was Manning’s seventh fourth-quarter winning drive of the season for the Giants, who seemed to court disaster and play their best with everything hanging in the balance. It also signaled another late-game, Super Bowl outdueling of Brady, considered among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Manning previously won a duel between the two in Super Bowl XLII.

The Giants took over at their own 12-yard line, trailing 17-15 with just 3:46 remaining. Manning started with a pass to Mario Manningham, who made a circus 38-yard grab down the sideline. The Giants moved methodically the rest of the way, both killing the clock, burning New England time outs and eventually forcing the Patriots to concede the winning points rather than allow a field goal with no time left.
It was just the last in a season full of improbable comebacks.

In mid-December the Giants stumbled to 7-7, leaving their playoff hopes in severe doubt. The New York newspapers were filled with speculation that veteran coach Tim Coughlin would be replaced.
Instead the team rallied for a six-game win streak capped by Manning holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft as championship confetti fell all around him.

This was a tight, tense Super Bowl highlighted by massive swings in momentum.
It couldn’t have started much better for the Giants, of worse for the Patriots. Brady was called a safety after intentional grounding from his own end zone in the first quarter, giving New York a 2-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive Eli Manning torched a Patriots defense that looked overmatched and unprepared. That included getting caught in late substitutions and a critical 12-men on the field penalty that negated a fumble and extended the Giants first touchdown drive, a Manning-to-Cruz two-yard touchdown pass.

Manning started the game on a Super Bowl record 9-for-9 passing tear.

The momentum swung back on a debatable holding call by Giants offensive lineman Kevin Boothe, which stalled a second-quarter drive. The New York offense had been rolling all half and appeared poised to run the clock down and put more points on the board.
Instead New England took over on their own four-yard line, with 4:03 remaining in the half. Brady promptly put together a brilliant, 14-play, 96-yard touchdown drive. Brady was 10-for-10 on the drive, including a final four-yard scoring pass to Danny Woodhead that gave New England 10-9 lead at the break that seemed improbable for most of the first half.

The Patriots took the first drive of the third quarter and went 79 yards, Brady tearing apart the Giants defense with an array of passes. It was capped with a 12-yard touchdown to tight end Aaron Hernandez to make it 17-9 New England. Brady completed a Super Bowl record 16 consecutive passes during that stretch.
The Giants however chipped away with two Lawrence Tynes field goals and a defense that stiffened and forced Brady into a number of forced passes, a bad interception and, most critically, no more points.
That eventually set up Manning and the last-chance Giants with their opportunity to win another Super Bowl.

Manning finished 30 for 40 with 296 yards, one touchdown and one more late-game bit of magic.

Madonna's Full Super Bowl Halftime Performance

You never really know what to expect from Madonna, but given the football theme of the video for her new single "Give Me All Your Luvin" and the presence of MIA and Nicki Minaj as guest stars, her halftime show during this year's Super Bowl seemed destined to be packed with pom palms, football helmets and marching bands. In the end she did offer that, but a whole lot more, from an army of Roman soldiers carrying her on to the stage to surprise appearances by Cee-Lo and LMFAO to "World Peace" scrawled out in gold on the field. You can see all of that, and much much more, in the full video of the performance embedded below.

As a solo performance, the show was pretty much just CUTE-- Madonna can clearly still move even after 50 years on this earth, but she was also obviously lip-synching, something you can't really help at a massive production like this but also taking away from the live performance aspect. But it's hard to know what tops this in terms of sheer spectacle.

You've got the perfect backup dancers, you've got the stadium full of lights backing her up, you've got the dude flying up and down on the tightrope… and then you've got the truly magical effect that somehow turned the field into a giant projection screen, turning it into Vogue covers and speakers and anything else they wanted. Watching it on TV, with some truly well-chosen camera angles, it looked like she was performing on an actual stage, or in outer space somehow. I've really never seen anything like it.

Sure, it was a little awkward when the dopey-looking LMFAO turned up onstage, and "Gimme All Your Luvin" has got to be among Madonna's worst songs, and MIA looked unforgivably bored out there-- apparently if you look closely, you can even see her flipping the bird to the camera. But it's amazing to see this kind of stagecraft during a Super Bowl performance, and even if you don't care about Madonna at all, you've got to admit you're dying to know how they put that together

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

The Emancipation Proclamation

When the American Civil War (1861-65) began, President Abraham Lincoln carefully framed the conflict as concerning the preservation of the Union rather than the abolition of slavery. Although he personally found the practice of slavery abhorrent, he knew that neither Northerners nor the residents of the border slave states would support abolition as a war aim. But by mid-1862, as thousands of slaves fled to join the invading Northern armies.

Lincoln was convinced that abolition had become a sound military strategy, as well as the morally correct path. On September 22, soon after the Union victory at Antietam, he issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom.?

VH1 To Crown ‘The 100 Greatest Women In Music’

Seems like divas are everyone’s talk. For, much like That Grape Juice, VH1 is on a quest to crown ‘the ultimate diva’ and (based on fan votes) tally up the 100 greatest women of music history. The survey comes as their second – the first saw acts Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner take the number 1 and 2 spots respectively while acts like Madonna and Billie Holiday filled out the top 10.

As with most ‘best of’ collections however, much fan uproar encouraged the music channel to redo and revamp their original listing. With 6 categories – “All Time”, “90s”, “80s”, “Pop”, “Rock”, and “Hip Hop/R&B” – VH1 is introducing a more comprehensive compilation of divas to include, unlike their original survey, more contemporary performers.

With singer acts like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Beyonce facing off against legends Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Barbara Streisand, Madonna, and more, the results should be more than interesting. As the first of the series’ week long airing starts February 13th, fans must hurry before voting closes.

10th Anniversary Of ‘The Honda Battle of the Bands’ Special Guest Monica, Ludacris, & More

The Honda’s ‘Battle of the Bands,’” was recently held in in Atlanta GA. The event was hosted by one of Atlanta’s top radio personalities Ryan Cameron. This was the tenth year the battle has taken placed Monica rocked the crowd performing hits ‘Don’t Take It Personal’, and ‘Anything (To Find You)’, as the headlined act. Mo told all her twitter fans her forthcoming album ‘New Life’ is complete and awaiting label approval.

An enthusiastic crowd of some 60,000 fans, students and alumni packed the C to be part of the one-of-a-kind spectacle Invitational Showcase.

Also in the building was Las Alonso and Ludacris and his lovely girlfriend Eudoxie who came out to show support

In addition to the marching band performances at the Invitational Showcase, HBOB includes an HBCU Recruitment Fair engaging high school students with representatives of HBCU schools.

Fun Times!...Hap Tip FreddyO!

Chris Brown Shoots ‘Turn Up The Music’ Video

With Chris Brown‘s ‘Fortune’ set to land in stores this Spring, the singer is wasting no time shooting the video for its latest single ‘Turn Up The Music’.

Shot (Feb 1st), little is known about the clip’s narrative. Although, these “creative” dancer ensembles, and news that Brown is reportedly directing it himself, leads us to believe this’ll be a must-see.

Aaron & Nick Carter Mourn Loss of Sister

Taking time off to be with his family while he mourns the loss of his sister, Aaron Carter is taking a temporary leave from his current Broadway gig, “The Fantasticks.”
The “Ella Enchanted” actor’s 25-year-old sister, Leslie Carter, passed away of a reported drug overdose in upstate New York and blindsided the entire Carter family.

"Aaron is taking a few days off from the show. His Fantasticks family loves him and offers him support and prayers during this difficult time," John Capo, the spokesperson for the production, told E! News.

Meanwhile, brother Nick has already made up his mind to dedicate his tour in honor of Leslie. He said, "Performing is cathartic to me and I am dedicating the rest of my tour to my sister since she loved to watch me perform."

Tracy Morgan Won’t Help Mother Out of Foreclosure

Tracy Morgan’s family members are upset, that the “30 Rock” star, worth a reported $18 million, won’t come up off of $25,000 to help his mother avoid foreclosure on her Ohio home. Morgan has been estranged from his mother, Alicia Warden, for some time, portraying her unfavorably in his 2009 book I’m the New Black. Warden, meanwhile, says she hasn’t seen her son in person in over a decade, according to the Daily News.

The 43-year-old star has reportedly offered Moms $2,000 to help her stave off foreclosure, despite her currently owing $25,000 on her house. But family members have spoken out against the “Saturday Night Live” alum for not providing the entire amount, since it “would be a drop in the bucket for Tracy,” according to his younger sister Asia Morgan, 41. She calls her famous brother a “d—bag” and says she’s done keeping quiet about Tracy.

“Because of the way he’s treating our mother, all bets are off…He’s never been a nice person….And money’s just made it worse….My mom’s house isn’t extravagant, but it’s her home, Her health is failing. She has diabetes, and her legs are giving out on her…This would be a drop in the bucket for Tracy. She has a son that can do, and she’s done everything that she could possibly could for her family….. My mother did everything she could…She ran numbers, but she did it to put food on the table. We were raised in the [Tompkins] projects [in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn}, but we didn’t think we were poor.”

Warden says she worked until February 2011, when she lost her job. Not long after that, she adds, she first approached Tracy about helping her.

She claims he initially agreed to pay off her house, but changed his mind after accusing her of giving an interview to the media. (She denies doing this.)

Sounds like there is a lot that’s not being said to this story!!

BET to Nicki Minaj…You Stupid Ho…Not here!

You won't see Nicki Minaj' latest ode to Lil Kim 'Stupid Hoe' on BET because the network has banned her new video...
BET would not give a reason for banning 'Stupid Hoe' only confirming they would not be airing it.

Now what Young Money?

Kerry Washington COVERS "ESSENCE" March 2012,

Kerry Washington, who will be honored at ESSENCE Magazine's "Black Women In Hollywood" luncheon this month, covers the latest issue of the magazine. Inside, she dishes on being a Black actress in Hollywood and how things are changing.

She said,
“I think it’s a really special time to be a woman of color in this business. The landscape of who has the power is changing. We are in more influential positions and are able to have a say in the stories that are told. I feel very lucky to be in the business now…”

And Kerry's also making history. As the star of SHonda Rhimes' upcoming drama "Scandal," Kerry will become the only Black actress to lead a drama based on a real-life black woman, high-profile crisis management adviser Judy Smith.

Congrats Kerry!

YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS; Teacher Allows Children to Play ‘Slave Game’ of Tag

One teacher has stretched the boundaries of educating children on the subject of slavery far beyond the guidelines of her position. Picture this: ”Time to go to recess children. How about we play a game of “Catch the Slave.” It’ll give you a good idea of what happened many years ago. Now! Tameka come over here and be the first slave to be caught today!”

Ok, well, maybe it didn’t exactly go like that, but one can guess that it was somewhere in that area. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, last week a few students at Camp Creek Elementary School in Lilburn, Ga., participated in a game of “slave tag” with their teacher and classmates during recess.

Parents, Ericka Lasley and Charvia Rivers both said that their children told them “similar versions” of the game they played on the playground. Lasley told Channel 2 that her 8-year old daughter said:
“She was a slave and other students were slave catchers during a game similar to tag.
The report also stated that the third grader said the game was the teacher’s idea and it would be a great way to cover the material they were learning. The school denies the teacher’s involvement.

Lasley’s daughter said:
“[The teacher] would sit on the bench and the slave catchers would come up to the door and ask did she have any slaves.”

What in the fraggle nackle bull shiggidy is this? Imagine your child coming home to report this type of game to you. Would you have been at the school in 0.2 seconds looking for that teacher with brass knuckles on? Or would you try to get the principal to implement a new diversity and sensitivity BOOT camp for the boldly ignorant teacher on her staff?

OH HALLELUJAH? Kim Kardashian tweets bikini photos, claims she wants to start a Bible study group

Here are some new photos of Kim Kardashian, which she tweeted. She was supposed to be “modeling” a new bra from the Kardashian Kollection lingerie line (“All about corals for spring swimwear.”) – but people were just paying attention to her hair, which is freshly dyed. She’s gone from Kardashian-black to Kardashian-dark-brown.

But her hair (and her kat-face) isn’t the only “new beginning”. Kim also tweeted, “I want to start a bible study group with my friends!” Because she’s religious now! Is that her move? I’m debating whether or not to be offended by this. Honestly, I don’t think it offends me. I live in a super-Jesusy area, and I don’t think most of the fundamentalists around here would even bat an eye at doing a Bible study group with Kim Kardashian.

Does that say something about fundamentalists?

Cash Money Heads Sued Over Sexual Assault

Cash Money Records founders Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams are being sued over a sexual assault that took place in an Atlanta recording studio. Nicole Westmoreland says Cash Money is responsible for the attack she suffered at the hands of a man named Alfred Cleveland.

According to MyFoxAtlanta.com, Westmoreland claims Birdman invited her to the studio one day to deliver a business presentation. Westmoreland says she went to use the bathroom while at the studio, at which time she was assaulted by Cleveland.

video from MyFox Atlanta:

Cleveland was allegedly an associate of Birdman and Slim’s, and is currently in prison for the attack. Westmoreland alleges that Cash Money eventually offered her 100-thousand dollars to remain quiet. She says they then threatened to kill her if she didn’t drop the case.
Westmoreland says the incident has left her feeling suicidal, and has required her to seek treatment at a mental hospital. She’s seeking an unspecified amount for damages.

Little Egypt is giving Mommy The runaround in Hawaii!

Now that he is walking Alicia Keys's son Egypt was keen to take a stroll around Kauai airport today.
The 15-month-old toddler kept his mother on his toes as they prepared to leave the Hawaiian island after a week long vacation.
Under the watchful eye of the 30-year-old singer, the adorable boy tottered around, fascinated by his surroundings.

The tiny tot looked adorable in a printed T-shirt, some grey baggy trousers and little black lace-up leather shoes.
Prepared for the flight home, Alicia looked comfortable and casual in a pair of faded jeans, a grey T-shirt and some high-top sneakers.
The mother-of-one appeared to be waiting for her husband Swizz Beatz, as mother and son stood by piles of luggage.
After he emerged, Alicia picked up her gorgeous little boy and the whole family made their way into the terminal.

Earlier, the musical couple were spotted chasing after the adorable toddler on a Hawaiian beach.
Alicia showed off her flat stomach in a striped black and green bikini, which she paired with a multi-coloured, floral-patterned sarong.

She added a pair of massive sunglasses and her curly hair was tied back into a tight bun.
Little Egypt splashed around in the sea, still wearing his nappy, white jumpsuit and blue hat, as Alicia laughed and played with him.

Swizz, 33, matched his son in white attire, with the twosome making for an adorable scene as the rapper jokingly put Egypt's dummy in his mouth….So cute

Chris Brown is The World's Worst Dressed?

British GQ named Chris Brown the worst dressed man in the world. THE WORLD, Craig...
From GQ UK

Chris Brown is GQ's Worst-Dressed Man 2012!
As the bespectacled child at the beginning of his video for "Yeah! 3X" cries out: "Hey, it's Chris Brown!" Inside this year GQ's 50 Best-Dressed Men 2012 in association with Mercedes-Benz, we reveal that the worst-dressed man on the planet is none other than the thuggish rapper-slash-singer. For someone who seems to have so much disposable income - he boasts on one track about spending "15 grand on a phone" and charged over $500 for meet-and-greets on his last tour - Brown seems utterly adverse to investing in tailoring, combining the worst excesses of XXL sizing with a penchant for deeply unflattering costumes. Here GQ.com presents the evidence of Brown's assorted crimes against fashion since 2005. Sorry "Team Breezy", but you may have to look away now...

OH MY! Pilar Sanders CLAIMS Deion Left Her Broke AND Only Offered Cash For SEXUAL FAVORS!

In a jaw dropping move, Pilar Sanders told a judge that Deion Sanders left her broke and with no way to provide for their kids. However, he did provide her with a few options to make money....on her "back!"
And the messiness continues. Pilar Sanders claims Deion Sanders cut out her cash flow and has only offered to give her money if she has sex with him!

In new court papers filed in an emergency motion in a Texas courtroom Pilar claims,
"Since [Deion] filed for divorce on December 21, 2011, he has given [Pilar] $300.00 and offered her money in exchange for sexual favors."

So what did she do? She supposedly turned down the money.
Pilar wants the judge to make Deion come up off some money ASAP saying,

"The children and I have lived in survival mode for several months, and the emotional toll on all of us is palpable."
But it gets worse. Sshe also said Deion "engaged in a pattern of systematically removing my belongings from the house and haphazardly throwing them into piles in the garage of the residence."

So how much does she want? Pilar claims Deion makes more than $1 million per year, so she wants a cut of that.

Jennifer Williams & Laura Govan For J’Adore Magazine

Basketball Wives Jennifer Williams and Laura Govan are two of the four cover subjects for the upcoming Reality Show issue of J’Adore magazine. Jen Williams is covering J’Adore magazine…complete with a diamond headpiece. Check out what Laura had to say about Shaunie O’Neal:

On Shaunie O’Neal:
“I don’t have a relationship with Shaunie and I never will. The information she was given about Shaq and I was false, and she took it and ran with it. I didn’t appreciate it at all and for that reason I will never speak to her again. I don’t have beef with her. If we see each other, I won’t chin check her, but that’s why I chose to do Basketball Wives LA. I wanted people to see exactly who I am opposed to what you heard on Season One: Miami. I mean, there were five grown women talking about me and they had no idea who I was. That was unfair, but it goes to show you where their mentality was.”

On Developing A Brand:
“My kids are my world! So right now I’m in the process of creating a product line for women & children. The line will include a workout DVD for new moms who’ve just given birth and want to lose their pregnancy weight, children books & more! A lot of people suggested I do stuff like write a book or cosmetics, etc. but I really wanted to do something that was true to me.”

On Gilbert Arenas:
“We love each other. Yes, we have our ups and downs, but we have four kids together and like I tell most people, we are doing better than most married couples. I knew the person before I knew the athlete. Whether he still plays ball or not, I’m still going to be married to the person that I fell in love with. We’re not announcing the date yet. When we do, it will be small and intimate. We actually got engaged three years ago. That ring that everyone saw is three years old. If anything, he needs to upgrade that ring. We’ve been together for 10 years.”

On Growing Up In Oakland, California:
“I have nine brothers and sisters and we grew up well; both parents had jobs but we worked hard for things we wanted. My dad has always owned some type of club or jazz venue, and we worked there growing up. I’ve bartended, did janitorial work, I was a waitress as well as management, so I was a jack of all trades growing up and I come from a working family.”

The other 2 covers are graced by E! channel’s Guiliana Rancic and soap star Brandon Beemer. The issue hits newsstands on February 13th!

Allen you forgot to Pay THE JEWELER?

Allen Iverson's bank account has been commandeered by a Georgia judge ... who's garnishing the former NBA star's earnings so A.I. can repay a 6-figure debt to his flashy GA jeweler.
According to court papers obtained by TMZ ... Iverson was sued back in 2010 for allegedly stiffing Aydin & Company Jewelers on a $375,000 bill.

The records show ... A.I. never responded to the lawsuit ... so a default judgement was issued in favor of the jewelry store ... allowing A&C to collect $859,896.46 for the bling, court costs, interest and attorneys fees.
But A.I. still didn't pay ... so earlier this month .. the judge signed off on an order which allows the store to recoup their loss directly from Iverson's Wells Fargo bank account.

So far, it's unclear if the store has received its money. Calls to Iverson's rep have not been returned.

Elephant Man Arrested on Rape Charges

Hip hop star Elephant Man -- the guy behind the 2004 hit "Jook Gal" -- was arrested in Jamaica on suspicion of raping a woman at his St. Andrew home last month.

According to local reports, police launched an investigation after the alleged victim filed a report.

One Jamaican media outlet says E.M. real name Oneil Bryan -- was questioned with his lawyer present ... and after the interrogation, officials decided they had enough information to charge the rapper with grievous sexual assault and rape.
Elephant Man has been released from custody after posting bail, which was set at 400,000 Jamaican dollars ... roughly $4,637.95 in American currency

LaLa Hosts Baller Wives For Her "Motives" Makeup Launch

The ladies came out in full support of their fellow (actual) basketball wife, LaLa. (Left to right) Savannah, Julie Gorelik, Trina, Loren, La La, Alexis, Adrienne, Trina and Jenine Howard (wife of Heat baller Juwan Howard) posed for a fab group pic.

The launch party of LaLa Anthony's makeup line, "Motives For La La," went down last night on Loren Ridinger's (founder of Motives) yacht in Miami. And La, in a sexy assymetrical black dress, gave a sneak peek of all the products to her closest friends.