3/19/12

The Daily Roundup for March 20


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SWV Hosts "I Missed Up" CD Listening Party in NYC!
After a 15-year hiatus from the studio, classic R&B group SWV is back with their new album I Missed Us. At a listening event held at Jungle Studios in NYC, the multi-platinum, Grammy nominated trio presented their latest project to a group of expectant journalists, bloggers, industry executives and friends. Speaking to their guests with excitement, the ladies expressed a need to retain their sound, which was evident as the songs played. “We wanted to remain classic SWV, and the fact that you can hear that, we did our jobs,” lead singer Coko said.

With Cocktails swirling and the group encouraging guets to enjoy themselves, SWV's return was respected and very well received. Notable tracks included the feel good dance track "Do Ya" title track "I Missed Us" and the CD;s first sinle "Co-Sign"

I Missed Us is set to release on April 17. I CAN’T WAIT..Are you excited too?



THE EVER SHRINKING MO’NIQUE!
The next time you see comedienne Mo'Nique, expect to see a lot less of her. Since her BET talkshow was put on indefinite hiatus, the actress has been on a serious workout plan, which she shares with fans via Twitter. See her new bod & workout pics inside...
Oscar winner Mo'Nique, who is a mom to twin 6-year-old boys Jonathan & David whom we still haven't seen, as well as an older son amed Shalon, is on a weight loss journey which her fans can follow on her Twitter feed.
She often tweets inspirational words with her twitpics like, "Prove to YOU how much YOU love YOU."
And, "Do what you need to do to do what you want to do."




Though she's already dropped 45lbs, back when her show was on the air she told the audience "I want to get to 180. That's an amazing weight for me. I'm still a thick girl but it's a healthy weight."
Looking GREAT Mo'Nique! Good luck on your journey.


Bobbi Kristina your relationship with Nick is just INCESTUOUS! So says Cissy!
TMZ reports that Bobbi's grandmother, Cissy Houston, revealed to a friend that she is not on board with what may or may not be going on with Bobbi Kris and Nick. In fact, she reportedly said, "What they're doing is incestuous." She said that Bobbi and Nick called each other brother and sister.


Although Whitney never formally adopted Nick, and he is not of blood relation to the Houston family, he has spent a great part of his life living with the family.
And now, reports say Cissy may ask the Whitney Houston Estate to evict Nick from Whitney's $1.2M townhome outside Atlanta where Bobbi Kristina is now residing.
Cissy feels Nick may be preying on a vulnerable Bobbi Kris.
Bobbi Kristina is a 19-year-old young woman can make her own decisions and is not at all blood related to Nick. But does Cissy have a point about her vulnerability?


Yandy Smith Addresses Rumors on Twitter, “No nose job, butt implants & I’m not a lesbian
Love & Hip-Hop’s Yandy Smith took to Twitter to address some rumors. Yandy clarified on twitter, explaining:
Morning! I hate when people send me posts. Especially ones with tons of comments that people just assume are true and factual. Get smarter! Sorry no nose job or butt implants. So don’t send me those posts anymore. Got ur answer?! Annoying as hell. But why do u care anyway? Again, no I’m not a lesbian or wit a married man. Or a man w/girl. Lol! I turn over every night and every morning to the man of my dreams. And finally. Some things are meant 2 be sacred. God has blessed me with some amazing things. Maybe n due time I will share then until then…Fall Back. Ask me about EGL, my clients, Black Enterprise, my movie, the club dates I’m paid to host. Look up my calendar but stop with the foolery!

What do YOU think about Yandy’s comments? Is she being TOO sensitive or does the public need to ‘fall back’ on her personal life.


Solange Knowles Covers Spring Fashion Issue of Timeout New York
Solange Knowles covers the Spring Fashion issue of Timeout New York. The 25-yr-old DJ/model/singer and mom talks about living in New York – 

check out what Solange had to say:
On adjusting to NYC life: “I love it. My entire family lives here, and [since] my niece [Blue Ivy] was born, I love being close to her.”
On any advice from friends and family gave about moving to New York: “Honestly, everyone really frightened me. I had sort of a Texas hillbilly [attitude] about the subway and walking [everywhere] and layering [for the cold weather]. But I’m a tough girl—I lived in Idaho, and if I can survive there, I can survive anywhere.”

On some of her favorite things to do in the city: “I definitely have that sort of Brooklyn vibe of “oh, crossing the bridge is sooo far,” so we stay pretty local in terms of our restaurants, movie theaters and bowling alleys. But really, I love eating out. Some of my favorite new spots in the neighborhood are Buttermilk Channel and Frankies [457 Spuntino]. I’ve definitely packed on the pounds since moving here.”


Jennifer Lopez Covers Vogue's April 2012 'Shape' Issue
Nabbing her first front page for the publication since 2005, Jennifer Lopez took over the cover of the April 2012 "Shape" issue of Vogue.
The 42-year-old "American Idol" judge donned fabulous outfits including a Valentino strapless jumpsuit with rose detail and a Michael Kors cashmere tank top with cotton-and-silk skirt for the Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott shoot while talking about growing to believe in herself and the men in her life - both past and present.
Highlights from Miss Lopez's interview are as follows. For more, be sure to pay a visit to Vogue!
On Benny Medina:
“I just think of him as a real, creative soul mate. He’s been the most consistent man in my life besides my dad. We love each other. People always ask about all the men I dated, and I am like, ‘You know the Benny and Jennifer story? That’s the real story here.’ ”

On Marc Anthony helping her believe in herself:
“He always told me what a beautiful voice I have. He was like, ‘It’s in there; you just gotta let it out. It’s a confidence thing with you.’ Then all of a sudden one day I was like, I’m good at this! Oh, man! People are not giving me jobs because they feel sorry for me! I am an actress. I am a singer. I am a performer. That’s what I do! Once I started giving myself a little credit, the whole world opened up.”

On being a lover by nature:
“By nature I am not tough, believe it or not... I am a lover. And with my kids I am even softer. I realize with my son, I have to sometimes be tough, especially now when he’s pushing boundaries. With my daughter, I can get a little stern with her and she pretty much will listen. But my son will just scream and yell and run. I’m like, Aaaaah, what do I do with this?!”

On current beau, Casper Smart:
“He’s adorable. But you already see that... He really is. He’s a good egg. I don’t want to talk about it too much. It’s my private thing.”


Evelyn’s former Man; Antoine Walker’s D-League comeback isn’t going so smoothly
It's not a sad tale, that Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard wrote on former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker. It's not a confirming tale, either, or a heart-warming one, or a particularly inspiring one. There's too much going on with Walker to fixate on one part of his life -- his early promise, the poor hoop habits that never went away, his off-court largesse, his current struggles in the NBA's minor leagues -- and sign Ballard's story off as a one-note affair. No, it's just another expertly penned piece from one of North America's finest sports writers, on one of the more frustrating figures in NBA history.

After the NBA collectively decided to take a pass on Walker's declining game back in 2008, reports started to surface about the former Boston Celtic's increasing debt. It appears as if Walker had for years emulated Michael Jordan's lavish off-court lifestyle (including frequent trips to casinos) with Jordan at times but without Jordan's accumulated wealth, and without Jordan's ability to say "no" to hangers-on and family members. As a result, Walker is deeply in debt, and playing for the D-League's Idaho Stampede in the hopes that one more NBA contract (even a year at the minimum would just about wipe away his debt) might be in the offing.
According to Ballard, it doesn't appear that a contract like that is a possibility. We'll quote one of the many must-read passages:
The air is thick with the smell of smoke. The blinds are drawn. A lighter sits on the coffee table, next to a giant jug of Crystal Geyser water. Unlit incense sticks are nearby. On the TV a game of NBA 2K12 is paused in the second quarter—the Pacers versus the Spurs. There is a large box of Cheez-Its on the floor and bagged-up cartons of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the corner. Boxes of Corn Pops and Cap'n Crunch line the top of the refrigerator.

In five hours Walker will take the court for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA's Developmental League. For now he has agreed to talk about how and why he came to be here—a three-time All-Star living in a $915-a-month apartment he shares with reserve guard Chris Davis, and playing for a salary of less than $25,000. He has no car, subsists mainly on cold cuts and fast food and plays in front of crowds as small as 155.over his NBA playing weight, and he wasn't exactly the sveltest specimen during his 12-year NBA career.
It shows in his stats with the Stampede. Walker starts about half his team's games, and averages 25 minutes per game. Despite his All-Star pedigree and accrued wisdom, the 35-year-old (that's it?) averages just 36 percent shooting, and takes over 4 1/2 3-pointers in those 25 minutes despite shooting just 20 percent from behind the arc. He makes less than half his free throws, and has nearly as many turnovers (82) as assists (84) this year. This isn't to kick the guy when he's down, we're just relaying the chance he's been given by coach Randy Livingston (who I think will make a fantastic NBA coach someday) at one last NBA tour.
Ballard's piece is predictably fantastic to read, and he makes a joyful noise to end it, with Walker showing brief signs of his old all-around game in a Stampede blowout win. But there are also tales of missed flights, and delayed interviews -- not just relayed to Ballard after the fact, but in SI's attempts to talk to Walker. 

This is a man desperate to get back to the NBA, and yet he still can't be bothered to keep up appearances when a major magazine sends a scribe all the way out to Idaho (sorry, Idaho; but you're pretty far away from midtown Manhattan), and Walker can't be bothered to even tidy up. Much less show up.
It's a little depressing, and as it usually is with Antoine, frustrating. Like we mentioned earlier, Walker is only 35. He may only have a few years left by NBA standards, but … he has a few years left! He's a 6-8 guy with touch and basketball smarts that could still contribute to an NBA team if he got in terrific shape, cut out the bad habits off the court, and canned it with the perimeter obsession on the court.
You know, the sort of things people were begging him to do over a decade ago.
Walker had money back then, though. He had a chance at more contracts and his prime to look forward to. He may have been spending too much, and employing too many people, but the pressures and expectations were different. A smart stint in the D-League could have been his way out, and instead it looks like his old habits are getting in the way of Walker taking advantage of his last viable chance.
I suppose it is a sad story, after all.


WELL THAT WAS QUICK: Diamond Quits Atlanta’s ‘Love x Hip Hop’ Before it Starts!
The cast of Atlanta’s version of “Love and Hip Hop” was just recently shared, and though they aren’t all well known names in the mainstream– but to the avid music junkies these names will likely ring a bell. But two of the names that have come up on the cast roster might be bumping heads a bit.
That’s right, ex lovers Diamond and Lil Scrappy were both signed on to do the show, and it didn’t take long, but apparently Diamond is on the out. She took to her Twitter to make the announcement, although she didn’t reveal why, or whether or not she was actually signed on in the first place.


T.I. Wins Big During First Ever Poker Game : On Set Photo’s “This Time of Night”
T.I. appears to be a natural when it comes to poker. Sources tell TMZ.com the rap superstar played in his first ever live poker game this week and won a few thousand dollars. T.I. performed in St. Louis on Monday night and reportedly decided to kill a little time before his flight by hitting up the Lumiere Casino. Tip is said to have bought into a poker game for 500 dollars, and wound up leaving the table with between 25-hundred and three-thousand dollars.
When he’s not busy at the poker tables, T.I. is working on his next studio effort “Trouble Man.” The record is expected to drop sometime later this year. “Trouble Man” will be Tip’s follow-up to 2010′s “No Mercy,” which hit number one on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart.


TI and Nelly teamed up earlier this week to shoot the video for their song “This Time of Night” off TIP’s new mixtape “F*ck Da City Up.’ The video, shot in ATL’s famed strip club “Diamonds” of Atlanta is already being labeled as “Tip Drill Pt 2.” Nelly and T.I.


Rihanna Tells Ryan Seacrest Why She Chose Chris Brown For Remix ‘He’s HOT’
Rihanna and Chris Brown may still be under fire from people outside of their past situations for the complimentary remixes they collaborated on. But Rihanna is finally speaking about it, and possibly adding more fuel to the fire of their alleged re-connection.
RiRi spoke to none other than the somewhat impartial sounding Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS FM radio show to talk about how and why she chose Breezy to do the remix to “Birthday Cake.”

“The first song that came about was ‘Birthday Cake.’ I mean we ended up recording both at the same time and executing them together, but I reached out to him about doing ‘Birthday Cake’ because that’s the only person that really—it made sense to do the record. We did remixes for both of our fans. We want our fans to come together, there shouldn’t be a divide. The music is innocent.”
People seem to be leaving them alone a little bit more, but it’s still a bit controversial for a lot of people to comprehend. The air feels a bit lighter now that they’ve collaborated, though rumor has it that Jay-Z isn’t too thrilled.


Beverly Johnson and Anansa Work It Out
A new extended trailer of the OWN docu-series Beverly's Full House featuring supermodel Beverly Johnson and her daughter Anansa sheds light on their fractured relationship...

Sneak Peek: Watch the First 5 Minutes of Beverly's Full House

Beverly lost custody of Anansa for 10 years and now that Anansa is grown with her own child, she's moved back home to work out past issues.
Beverly's Full House premieres on OWN March 31 at 10/9c..


It’s Rick Ross' New REEBOK Campaign
Brandy, Swizz Beatz & singer Mike Posner were all on hand to celebrate Rick Ross' new campaign. The "Reebok Back" rapper just inked a deal with the Reebok company itself.
Reebok launched its Classics Icons campaign with Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz and Mike Posner at the NY Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.
And special guest Brandy stopped by to say hello in support of the company's “It Takes a Lot to Make a Classic” initiative.
The fellas kicked it courtside as they rocked the Reebok brand from head to toe. Ricky will be joining Swizzy, who has already designed several shoes and merchandise for the brand, and Mike, who has already shot a few ads, in the campaign.
And they also spoke to media about the new campaign at a press conference. This will be a good look for Ricky Rozay...
Due to tour schedules, rapper Tyga was unable to attend, however, he is part of the new Classics Icons campaign as well.
Check out their brand new ads for the Classic Ex-O-Fit Hi sneakers and commercial: 

Okay Rozay!


Love & Hip Hop’s Erica Mena Gets Wild at Cafe Asia
Love & Hip Hop’s Erica Mena stopped by Cafe Asia last Saturday to party with the locals. And it seems the crazy reality star had fun with local radio personality Sunni and Big Tigger.
So that’s what we’re doing in the streets now…


Sherri Shepherd embroiled in Dancing With The Stars cheat claims after starting rehearsals THREE MONTHS ago
The Dancing With The Stars line-up was only announced two weeks ago.
But today it has been claimed The View host Sherri Shepherd got a head start over her competitors - and started rehearsing with her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy three months ago.
The claims are unlikely to please her fellow celebrity contestants - who have only been practicing for the past couple of weeks.
Sherri was spotted heading into Soho Studio in Hollywood in early December, an eyewitness told RadarOnline.
'She had her dance shoes with her and was dressed in workout gear. I saw them dancing together,' the source told the website.

The 44-year-old comedienne will compete alongside the likes of Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins, Maria Menounos, Melissa Gilbert, Gavin DeGraw and Jack Wagner in the hit show.
Dancing shoes at the ready: The View panellist, pictured here at the end of February, was spotted practising in early December while her fellow contestants have only started rehearsals in the last few weeks
The official line-up for the upcoming season was revealed two weeks on Good Morning America.
A DWTS insider added to RadarOnline: 'You’re not supposed to even know who your partner is before the announcement is made.
'It seems like Sherri is cheating and trying to get a leg up on the other dancers by spending way more time getting ready for the competition.'


Basketball Wives LA’ Jackie & Doug Christie Starting New Reality Show Called “Cali Boys”
Basketball Wives LA Star Jackie Christie, Former NBA Star Doug Christie, and Actor/Writer Christian Keyes, are Executive Producing New Reality show titled: “Cali Boys” with plans to franchise the series in select cities nationwide, which includes “Atlanta Boys, NewYork Boys, Miami Boys, Texas Boys, as well as coming soon ‘Cali Girls,’ Atlanta Girls, NewYork Girls, Miami Girls, Texas Girls and more!” The reality TV show will follow the lives of 6 young men/women chasing their dreams in Hollywood. Cameras have already begun to roll, and the show will chronicle the cast members everyday struggle of breaking into their perspective fields, even when most doors are tightly shut. The viewer will be allowed to witness them on their daily grind trying to establish themselves and eventually make the A list!


AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
“DOUBLE DRIBBLE”
There’s not a college player in the entire tournament that could dunk those basketballs!



HAVE A GREAT DAY!
EFREM

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