The Daily Roundup for March 22

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Lenny Kravitz Talks About Bisexual Role in "The Hunger Games"

As the much anticipated film "The Hunger Games" gears up to hit theaters this week. We're getting to know the characters a little more and even delving into how Lnenny Kravitz prepared to play a bisexual role in the action packed flick. Many fans of the book have wondered if Kravitz's character, Cinna, is gay or not because he is a stylist and fashion designer for the main character, Katniss.

Talking to Celebuzz about his character, Lenny revealed how surprising it was when people made that assumption, saying, "I’ll be quite frank with you — I didn’t know about Hunger Games — so when I’m telling kids and they say, ‘Who are you playing?’ and I say Cinna, they go, ‘Oh you’re playing the gay guy.’ That was an actual answer. I’ve never brought that up yet. That’s how they perceived it. So I thought about it, and I read the book and I don’t see that he is or isn’t [gay]. He’s a designer, he’s a stylist, he has gold eyeliner—that doesn’t mean anything either way.”

Piping in about the sexuality of the series, Elizabeth Banks - who was sitting next to Lenny during the interview - added, “I always read the Capitol as f—ked up pansexuality, everybody is doing everybody. Back to Greek and Roman times! It’s all happening.”

As for how Lenny was able to really tap into character, he revealed, "I actually have a friend who is a dancer who is bisexual, and he was a lot of inspiration for my speech pattern and my rhythm, and kind of the way I sauntered in and out a little bit.”
Cinna becomes close friends with Katniss in the film, and developing that relationship on screen was very easy for Lenny because the stars knew each other before filming.

“[Jennifer] is so funny. There was already warmth between us. She was already so close with my daughter. She would come home on weekends to the house. That definitely helped.”
Check out the most recent clip of the "Hunger Games," in which Miss Lawrence's character Katniss says goodbye to Liam Hemsworth's character Gale just before she leaves for the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

"The Hunger Games" hits theaters this Friday, March 23rd.

SHAQ KICKS OUT HOOPZ?

Word is the romance between Shaq and fiancee Hoopz is over and didn’t end with out major drama. Sources report that Shaq had his fun and was ready to move on. Sources are reporting

“He was cheating on her the hole time, and like most celebs an attention ho*, that acts like he never wants press. Shaq love to trick off and like most men, and loves things he can’t have.”

Although the source didn’t know the statues of there relationship now, they did say its always with a different girl around. (Update coming soon)

Hello Beautiful reports Shaq allegedly broke the news to Hoopz two weeks ago and let’s just say she was not happy, ish got messy and security had to escort her out of the house.v Source say
“Hoopz got emotional, and Shaq had to protect himself [from a lawsuit] . . . so he left the house and had [his security] help Hoopz gather her things and leave.”

TICHINA ARNOLD ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED

Tichina Arnold, best known for her roles as Pam on Martin and Rochelle on Everybody Hates Chris, is showing off her new engagement ring (of her own design) these days! She is engaged to Rico Hines, an assistant coach for Saint John’s University Men’s Basketball Team. “My goal is not to make the same mistakes twice,” Tichina says of marriage, who has been married before. She believes the key is being friends, “A friend is someone who loves you unconditionally. Rico and I have earned each other’s friendship so the only thing left to do is take it a step further,” she said. The couple plan to wed later this year, sometime in September.

First Lady Obama attended David Letterman’s Show!

First Lady Michelle Obama laughed back tears during her appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman , as she recalled memories of her father, who suffered from multiple sclerosis.
Mrs Obama, making her debut appearance on the late night show Monday, talked about how she learned about the notion of unconditional love from her parents, and how it's helped her become a better mother.

The interview's serious turn was short, however, as the First Lady quipped: 'This isn't "Oprah!" and sent the live audience into a fit of laughter.
Discussing her upbringing in Chicago's South Shore, Mrs Obama said the most important thing for children to know is that their parents adore them, and that she and the president try to instill that stability in their own two daughters and her parents did with her.

Talking about her father’s battle with multiple sclerosis, she said: 'I never knew him to be able to walk, but my dad worked so hard and he loved us so much, and I think from him I learned just absolute, complete unconditional love, the notion that kids really don’t need anything but to know that their parents adore them.
'I think that’s the greatest gift they gave us, just their constant support and, you know, stability, and that’s really what we try to instill in our girls,' she continued. 'I mean, you talk about raising kids, it’s just really — you know, we had rules, we had boundaries, but there wasn’t anything my dad wouldn’t do for us, and, uh don’t make me cry.

She stopped: 'This isn't "Oprah,." It's supposed to be "Letterman." What’s up? Where are the laughs?'
Letterman was quick to come back with a quip about his former television rival: 'Did somebody tell you this was "Oprah"? Is that why you're here? Oh my, someone misled the first lady!'

Family: Michelle Obama's father, Fraser Robinson III, pictured with family in an undated photo

Wearing a colour-block dress in green, blue and cream paired with a matching brooch, the First Lady appeared on the late night show to promote her Joining Forces initiative with Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden, which aims to support military families.
But she also took a moment to share more lighthearted laughs with the comedian. 

Asking about her relationship with the president and his tenuous dealings with Congress, Letterman prodded: 'Hypothetically speaking, at the end of the day… has your husband ever come home and said to you, "Oh, that [Speaker] John Boehner, what an idiot."'

With a shake of the head, she laughed and denied such a conversation had ever happened, insisting her husband is 'always upbeat, particularly about Congress.'
Mrs Obama also revisited her shopping trip to a Washington-area Target after Letterman held up a picture of her after wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap during her highly-scrutinized undercover excursion last September.

She said she thought for sure her cover was blown when a woman approached her in the detergent aisle.
But the First Lady told Letterman the woman only wanted help with a package she couldn't reach.
Mrs Obama said the woman apparently was oblivious of the fact she had asked a favour of the First Lady and said 'you didn't have to make it look so easy' after the detergent was retrieved.
'That was my interaction,' Mrs Obama said. 'It felt so good.'

Nicki Minaj Scores Multi-Million Pepsi Deal

Nicki Minaj is set to become the new face of Pepsi Cola.
The ‘Starships’ rapper recently signed on to be the face of Pepsi’s new beverage coined ‘Pop’!

According to Derek Jackson, the Glu agency chief who brokered the agreement, Minaj will become the face of a new Pepsi beverage nearing its debut. He said the pact, which includes a commercial filmed in South America last month (pixely footage has already leaked on YouTube), is a multimillion-dollar deal.
“You’ll see the commercial probably in the next two months,” Jackson told me before Lil Wayne’s performance at South By Southwest. “That’ll be a segue into a new beverage Pepsi has, called ‘Pop,’ and she’ll be the face of the brand … it’s going to be explosive.”

I guess Nicki is following the footsteps of her mentor, and big brother Lil Wayne who also landed a beverage deal of his own with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, and Drake is currently peddles rival Coca-Cola’s Sprite beverage.

Looks like a competition of the BUBBLES with the YMCMB camp…lol!! But in the meantime Nicki Minaj is eager to make her upcoming ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ album to be a global hit so she has scheduled a promotional European tour. The ‘Pink Friday Tour’ is set to begin on June 8th in Sweden and is currently scheduled to last just four days.
Tickets for the ‘Pink Friday Tour’ UK leg will be available on March 23rd via Live Nation with pre-sales available exclusively on My Pink Friday. Minaj’s ‘Roman Reloaded’ album will be released on April 2nd in the UK and April 3rd in the US.

See the preliminary list of tour dates below:

June 8th – Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden
June 9th – Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
June 11th – Falconer Salen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
June 13th – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
June 18th – Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Zuidoost, Netherlands
June 19th – Zénith de Paris, Paris, France
June 21th – Alcatraz, Milano, Italy
June 24th – HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
June 25th – HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
June 26th – NIA Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
June 28th – O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester, UK
July 6th – T In The Park Festival 2012, Balado Airfield, Kinross, Scotland
July 7th – Hyde Park, London, UK
August 18th – V Festival 2012, Weston Park, Shifnal, UK
August 18th – V Festival 2012, Hylands Park, Chelmsford, UK

It Was a “Desperate Mistrial” Nicollette Sheridan's Wrongful Terminiation Claim Ends in Mistrial

Spending yet another day dealing with her legal drama, Nicollette Sheridan was spotted walking into a Los Angeles courthouse holding hands with her legal council

With her hair pulled back, the 48-year-old actress looked confident as she took to the legal building wearing a white button up under a black suit.

Unfortunately for Nicollette, things didn't go as hoped for - as her lawsuit against her former ABC series, "Desperate Housewives," ended with a deadlocked jury - leading Judge Elizabeth Allen White to declare a mistrial after two weeks of testimony.
With her lawyers set on seeking a re-trial, one of the last things to be sorted out was whether or not Sheridan was wrongfully terminated from the primetime drama, as she claimed.
The news comes one week after Sheridan's battery charges against creator Marc Cherry were dismissed, as well.

THE SECOND BIENNIAL DIAMOND AWARDS

The Not Alone Foundation Second Biennial Diamond Awards were held at the Morehouse College Ray Charles Performing Arts Center Saturday in Atlanta. The event was hosted by actress Terri J. Vaughn and Jackée Harry received an award for excellence in acting. LisaRaye McCoy was also amongst those honored for excellence in television. The Diamond Awards were established to honor individuals in the entertainment and business worlds who, through their perseverance and success, have made a significant impact on their industries. See the pictures from the event as well as a few red carpet photos:

The Not Alone Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance and educational and medical resources for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and their families.

The Dream Talks Black Artists Being ‘Pigeonholed’ In Music…..Really?

Terius Nash, aka The Dream, has been bringing things back real hard as far as his solo career is concerned– and he made a splash over the weekend while performing at Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest Music Festival. The R&B hit maker and artist has had a bit on his mind as far as this new generation of music is concerned and he isn’t afraid to share it either.

When it comes to people who he feels are biting off his sound, Dream lets it be known. Especially if he can take the low blows on Twitter. He had a brief beef stint with The Weeknd, where the two almost subtweeted one another in a way– but it was pretty public.

But they’ve both got bigger problems than that, and according to Terius– things are clearly getting worse. “What’s crazy is that blacks can’t do soul records any more. We love Adele singing it, but Beyoncé singing it? No, the tempo’s too slow, gimme the club hit. Now the blacks in America are responsible for the pop records, and everybody else is singing soulful records. It’s weird to me. We’re pigeonholed over there.”

Hopefully he turns that attitude upside down, because he’s got a lot of hot songs that are making it onto the album. And what is this LP about? When asked, all he replies is “Hmm, let me think. Sex, sex … and more sex.” Alright by us. What do you think, are African Americans pigeonholed by music these days? I think this asshat is an idiot!

Ready for Reverend Ray J? He Could Become a Preacher – Whoa!

First he was trying to act, then sing like his sister, then make sex-tapes. He lost his last girlfriend, rest her soul. Now he’s thinking about becoming a preacher, sources hint.
Ray J is on the Christian tip and has been transformed since the death of Whitney Houston.

The young man told the press at the Brotherhood Crusade/Mothers in Action event that he was touched by the tragedy and he’s giving his life to God.

“I’m able to look at life in a whole different way. I always look at my phone because I got a picture of somebody I really love and it helps me through the day,” he said.
At the event, he donated several items to the charity and told the press he’s really emotional right now.

“The most important thing of all is that God is talking to me. God is talking to me right now, and now is the time to listen. My ears are open.”

Since Whitney’s death, Ray J hasn’t taken a blunt to his lips, says a source. He’s expected to make a major move real soon, the source also said.

KIDDIES OUT AND ABOUT! Russell Simmons Takes Ming & Aoki On Swanky Shopping Spree & Malia Obama Spring Breaks In Mexico!

If Ming isn't the spitting image of her mama Kimora! Russell Simmons took his daughters to Fred Segal in L.A. for a little swanky shopping over the weekend. 12-year-old Ming Lee & 9-year-old Aoki Lee looked their usual cute and curly selves for the occasion.

And the fun times with daddy continued as Ming hit up the L.A. Mirror Mirror premiere and brought her friend, LL Cool J's daughter Nina, along:

Awww. Very cute.
And down in Mexico:

Malia Ann Obama, daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama, was spotted having some fun with her friends at a hotel in Oaxaca, Mexico over the weekend. She and her friends are likely celebrating their Spring Break, and they had books and cameras in hand:

Looking just like her mom First Lady Michelle!

Malia turns 14 on the 4th of July. My how time flies....

Sean Kingston accused of gang attack of a woman in new lawsuit

Last year there was an outpouring of compassion for Sean Kingston after he had a near fatal jet ski accident.
Now the Jamaican singer, who made a name for himself with his hit song Beautiful Girls, has been accused of 'being involved in serious attack of a woman.'
According to RadarOnline, the 22-year-old was served with a civil summons and complaint upon arriving in Los Angeles from Miami on Friday night.
Kingston is alleged to have been part of a gang attack of the woman back in 2010, following a concert in which he performed alongside teen star Justin Bieber.
The website reports that Kingston was served with the papers by a private investigator.
The singer had touched down at a Los Angeles airport from his residence of Miami with a bodyguard.
The investigator in question told RadarOnline that he was at the airport on 'official business', but shed no other light on the case.

Last year Kingston was involved in a near-fatal jet-ski accident over Memorial day weekend at the end of May.
The singer suffered a broken jaw, fractured wrist, battled water in his lungs, and a torn aorta - an injury so severe that 90 of sufferers do not survive.
Just months after the accident he made a triumphant return to the spotlight at the Teen Choice Awards, where he graced the red-carpet for the first time.
Speaking to MTV news, Kingston said of his fans: 'They seem so excited to see me. A lot of people didn't know how devastating it was, so when people heard about the story you could tell people were very shocked and [also] very supportive.'
He added: 'To the fans out there, I just want to say I love you all.'

Kingston took his health very seriously following the accident, modifying his diet and exercise regime to ensure that he took the best possible care of himself.
Scene of the crime? Kingston is alleged to have been part of a gang attack of the woman back in 2010, following a concert in which he performed alongside teen star Justin Bieber 

'...I shed like 45 pounds, and I've been working out every day,' Kingston told MTV News.
He added that he was determined to maintain his new outlook: 'But I got to keep it up and lose more weight. It's easy to gain weight when you're in the studio. That's how it first started out but I'm cutting all that out.'
Sean told MTV news: 'I'm 100 per cent right now. What the accident basically taught me is, in life, you have to count your blessings.'

Jill Scott is BFFs with Vanessa del Rio?

Jill Scott and Vanessa del Rio have a love fest on Twitter...

Mary J Looking FAB at the Beach!

After having spent a few busy days in the Sunshine State, the queen of RnB was ready to relax on the beach.
Mary J Blige took a large entourage along for a day of sun, sea, and sleep as she kicked back and chilled out on a sun lounger for most the afternoon.
The 41-year-old, who can often been seen on stage in daring outfits, decided to stay pretty covered up for her sandy escapade.

Mary looked laid back in a green adidas jacket which she teamed with a white vest and a pair of denim shorts.

While most beach babes would choose to wear flip flops or sandals to get across the sand, Blige stayed true to her urban style and rocked a pair of adidas trainers.
However, she removed the expensive footwear before walking across the sand and kept them close to her designer handbag.

When the large group of friends finally arrived at their sun loungers, Mary got to do exactly what she had planned to all week.
She flung her things down next to the bed, put a towel down and lazed around in the warm sunshine, but decided not to slip into a swimsuit.

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
“Hope?”

You know what I hope? I hope you stop “half-assing” it and just rock a nice little g-string between those beautiful buns! Didn’t think I was gonna go THERE did you?

SEE YA!!!

EFREM