THIS IS THE CHRONICLES OF EFREM: The Daily Buzz For Feb 2

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

And The Super Bowl Champs are The New England Patriots! 28-24

Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns and Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson's pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left, helping the New England Patriots hold on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 Sunday night for their fourth Super Bowl title.

The Patriots had lost three straight Super Bowls since winning three in four years a decade ago.

The 37-year-old Brady led them back, hitting Julian Edelman with 2:02 left for his 12th career Super Bowl touchdown pass, breaking Joe Montana's record.

The Seahawks pulled off a miraculous rally to beat Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game and were in position for another improbable victory when Jermaine Kearse made a juggling, 33-yard catch while on his back.

With the ball on New England's 1, Seattle appeared to be headed toward a second straight Super Bowl title. Butler spoiled the Seahawks' bid, stepping in front of Ricardo Lockette for the interception.

Katy Perry blew away the Super Bowl halftime show

With the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks providing fireworks at the end of the first half of Super Bowl XLIX, Katy Perry brought some too, literally.

The mega-pop star showed off her patented-blend of soft-serve sexiness at the Super Bowl halftime show, performing a medley of her biggest hits that ended with her hit Firework, which came complete with pyrotechnics and Perry rising stories above the field to sing the song.

Pepsi, the show’s sponsor, was heavily involved throughout, with on-field participants holding up lights to make the soda’s famed logo at the start of the show. Fans in the stands got involved too, waving light sticks. It felt more like an Olympic Opening Ceremony than Super Bowl halftime show, which is a major achievement for a 13-minute show in the middle of a football game. Even Twitter, which collectively dislikes everything, was impressed.

Perry emerged riding an animatronic lion and wearing a dress of fire to perform her hit Roar. She quickly transitioned into the 2014 smash Dark Horse, a performance highlighted by a 3D rendering on the Super Bowl field that appeared to make the turf turn into different shapes and sizes, like a chessboard. Perry then made a wardrobe change for a campy, childish rendition of Teenage Dream that wouldn’t have been out of place on Yo Gabba Gabba!

With the entertaining, hassle-free show, Perry proved the NFL correct in her selection as halftime — one of the few things the NFL got right this year. Perry is the world’s most followed Twitter user (64.3 million and counting) and a popular, energetic female pop star who sings songs with catchy hooks. She’s someone in the prime of her career and adored by the NFL’s target demographic: young people. Katy Perry is what a Super Bowl halftime show should be. Rather than dragging out The Who or Tom Petty for a medley of songs that were on “Greatest Hits” albums before Katy Perry was born, get someone actually relevant today.

Even if you weren’t a fan of Perry’s music, you had to be impressed with her spectacle. She brought out dancing sharks, fake palm trees and wild animals, like the lion she rode in on.

“I’m the only person in Super Bowl history to bring a lion and sharks to the show,” Perry boasted this week, although that first part is more the fault of Matthew Stafford and Barry Sanders than anything.

Perry appeared to sing much of performance live, thought she avoided any of the usual absurd lip syncing controversy by admitting this week that some of her vocals would be prerecorded given all her movement. She also stuck to her hits, unlike Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones, who all chose to play material unknown to most fans.

The Perry-only performance was top-notch, but the show slipped when its “special guest” was revealed. Perry had been hyping it all week: “When you hear the first ring of the chord, I think jaws will drop and faces will melt.”

The guest didn’t bring quite the reaction for which Perry was hoping. Speculation had ranged from Madonna to Britney to Cher, so when Missy Elliott came out, it was a halftime deflation (down to at least 9.5 PSI). Just when the Super Bowl halftime show threatened to be relevant to the current zeitgeist, Perry trots out a rapper whose last song to hit the charts was in 2008 and peaked at No. 95. Though Missy is a fine rapper, she’s probably unknown to a vast majority of the viewing audience, which is why it was so odd for Perry to hype her like she wanted fans to expect Elvis to enter the building.

Imagine the Patriots holding a press conference in the offseason, heralding their announcement as the player who will take them to the next level, and then Doug Flutie walking out from behind the curtain and you’ll get an idea of what the Missy Elliott “surprise” was like.

A real surprise would have been Taylor Swift, the mega-popular pop star with whom Perry is allegedly feuding. Now that would have melted faces.

The inclusion of Elliott was as superfluous as The Red Hot Chili Peppers last year, but at least Katy and Missy’s music has something in common. Elliott guested on a remix on that remix of Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) a few years back, so the rapper’s rhymes flowed nicely over the sleek, stylized, pop beats from music’s biggest hit-makers. But her part of the show was hardly epic and instantly forgettable.

Why everyone feels the need to bring out a special guest at the Super Bowl is baffling. It’s like telling your audience “I’m not enough.” Duets are fine, but not when they’re just for the sake of having a duet. You know who didn’t have a guest? Prince. Bruce Springsteen. Michael Jackson. The real stars don’t need it. Katy Perry didn’t need one.

Oh, Lenny Kravitz was on stage too because Lenny Kravitz is everywhere, despite having exactly two songs people can name. Though he seems like a perfectly nice, cool rock star, stop trying to make Lenny Kravitz happen. Still, it was kind of enjoyable to hear him sing I Kissed A Girl.

Perry has performed 108 shows so far in her worldwide Prismatic tour, in front of roughly two million fans combined. The expected audience for Sunday night is slightly higher: 113 million.

“I just hope that at the end of the day, [the viewers] are all smiling in unison,” Perry said this week.

Perry gave plenty reason to smile (those dancing sharks were great), but the biggest grin may be her own. She had gone on a diet before the show and cut out one of her favorite treats. After performing at the Super Bowl, however, she said she’ll eat as many Girl Scout Cookie thin mints as she can.

Does Mariah Carey have an addiction to codeine cough syrup?

Insiders fear Mariah Carey may be headed towards an addiction to codeine cough syrup…

According to Star Magazine: Star has learned that Mariah Carey has been turning to codenine cough syrup to shore up her cherished five-octave vocal range, the faltering of which was made painfully clear by leaked isolated vocals of her performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” during the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.

Understandably, Mariah consulted throat experts, who recommended total voice rest. The problem: Mariah is a chatty diva and couldn’t bear not talking to her kids or refraining from ordering her staff around. So her voice got worse, and she begged doctors for syrup scrip.

“Mariah’s team was adamantly against it, worried she’d develop a problem,” says a close insider of the singer.

“Needless to say just days after receiving a prescription Mariah had her people call a doctor to say she lost her prescription and needed another one. The truth is, she didn’t lose her prescription. She’d already drank all the syrup and wanted more!”

Mariah’s loved ones are scared that the cough syrup, compounded with alcohol and work pressure, could harm her.

Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel Confirm Baby News With Adorable Pic

After months of media speculation and “is she or isn’t she” social media debates, Justin Timberlake took to Instagram today to confirm that he and his wife Jessica Biel are expecting their first child.

According to People, Justin shared the adorable picture while thanking everyone for their birthday wishes. Justin captioned the photo:

“Thank you EVERYONE for the Bday wishes! This year, I’m getting the GREATEST GIFT EVER. CAN’T WAIT”

Timberlake was celebrating his 34th birthday on Saturday.

Rumors began to surface a couple of months ago regarding the pregnancy, but both Timberlake and Biel have remained fairly quiet on the subject despite multiple photos of Biel seemingly sporting a baby bump.

Some of the speculation has been that the couple have been expecting a girl however, Timberlake seemed to deny any knowledge of the gender with hashtags on his Instagram photo stating:

“#BoyOrGirl #YouNeverKnow #WeDontEvenKnow #WeAreTakingBets”

Last month, former *NSYNC bandmate, Joey Fatone, fueled speculation when he let the news slip during an interview with Intouch stating, “He (Timberlake) told me a while ago and I kept my mouth shut but now I can talk about it!”

Justin Timberlake broke into stardom as a child appearing on Star Search and The All New Mickey Mouse Club.

The multi-talented Timberlake rose to the top of the charts as part of the of boy band *NSYNC before eventually breaking out for a highly successful solo career.

Justin just wrapped up his blockbuster 20/20 Tour earlier this month in Las Vegas. The conclusion of the worldwide, whirlwind tour seems to be the perfect time to pause and delve into parenting.

Besides being known for his ability to sing and dance, Timberlake is also an accomplished actor having starred in several critically-acclaimed roles including Alpha Dog and The Social Network, among others.

He is quite possibly one of the favored guest hosts of all time for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live having appeared in thirteen episodes.

Jessica Biel is best known for her role as Mary Camden on the television show 7th Heaven. She has gone on to star in several movies including I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and the 2012 reboot of Total Recall. She most recently guest starred on the television show New Girl.

Timberlake had previously been romantically linked to singer Britney Spears and actress Cameron Diaz. He and Biel began dating in 2007 before finally tying the knot in October of 2012.

This will the first child for both

Move Over Kevin Hart, Eddie Murphy Wants His Spot Back!

There’s no doubt that Kevin Hart is the king of comedy right now, but Eddie Murphy may want his crown back.

On the heels of Hart’s latest Saturday Night Live appearance, Eddie Murphy has announced he will be returning to his old stomping grounds for the first time in 30 years. In an interview with Roland Martin, Murphy revealed he would be returning to celebrate SNL‘s 40th anniversary.

“It just never worked out where the timing was right for me to do it,” Murphy told the News One Now host about his absence from the sketch comedy show. “They’re having a 40th anniversary…I’m going to that. And that will be the first time I’ve been back since I left.”

Murphy was a cast member of the iconic show from 1980-1984. We’re looking forward to his return on SNL and the various projects he has slated for 2015 and 2016. Eddie is back!

First Look At “The Book Of Negroes” Mini-Series Coming To BET

BET will be bringing a new mini-series to the network just in time for Black History Month.

WATCH HERE:

“The Book of Negroes” is based on the award-winning novel by Lawrence Hill, which tells the story of Aminata Diallo and her powerful journey as she tries to escape to freedom. Get On Up actress Aunjanue Ellis will star as Aminata and she will be joined by Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr.

Dr. Dre — Suge’s Full Of It, I Never Asked For A Peace Summit

Dr. Dre is calling BS on Suge Knight for suggesting the good Doc asked Suge to come to the set to make peace with him.

ACCORDING TO TMZ:Sources connected with Dre tell us … he scoffed when he was told Suge is claiming Terry Carter — the man he struck and killed — was bringing Suge to the set because Dre wanted to end their beef.

TMZ broke the story … less than an hour before the hit and run, Suge went to another set location but was thrown out by Dre’s security. Sources connected with Suge say he got a call from Carter who said he had just spoken with Dre and the Beats mogul said he wanted Suge to return so he could make peace.

Our Dre sources say it never happened, and note it’s pretty convenient the only other person who has first-hand knowledge is dead because Suge killed him.

As for why Dre and his people didn’t want Suge around … we’re told it’s because they view Suge as having a big fat target on his back. They say the shooting last Summer where Suge was hit 6 times is proof enough … he has enemies, and Dre didn’t want him and his people in the line of fire.

Serena Williams WINS 19th Grand Slam Title At 2015 Australian Open

The champ is here!

Tennis champ Serena Williams proves why she’s the top-ranked female tennis player of the world. Saturday the lady took home her 19th Grand Slam Title after defeating Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova at the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Australia. This makes her SIXTH Australian Open title.

Not only did she take her the win, but she did it while not feeling 100% healthy as she suffered with a bad cough during the game. But that clearly didn’t stop her from bringing her A-game! She said, “I had a really bad cough, I ended up throwing up, actually. I think that helped me when I got it out. I’ve just got a really bad cold, a really bad cough. Usually when that happens you stay in bed, you don’t play matches every day.”

We’re sure she’s glad she decided to battle it out anyway.

After beating her opponent (which extends her decade long dominance over Maria) the 33-year-old tennis star said, “I’m so honored to be here tonight and to hold this 19th trophy @ my favorite stadium”.

Chick was making history too, becoming the oldest winner of the Australian women’s title in the Open era. Congrats Serena!

Kobe Bryant Nike Kobe X Finally Unveiled [PHOTOS]

Kobe Bryant saw his 2014-2015 NBA season going much differently last summer. Out for the year with a torn rotator cuff, a ray of light arrives today with the unveiling of the Nike Kobe X.

Per Nike:

Superior functionality is often driven by a less-is-more design philosophy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The KOBE X blends three essential performance elements crafted into a clean, minimalist form

Get an inside look at the Nike Kobe X

Nike Creative Director and VP of Innovation, Eric Avar (whose work with Bryant spans 10 years) said, “The Kobe signature line allows us to think bold with provocative concepts that spark conversation.

“Kobe’s tenth shoe is a super light, responsive and purposeful look at high performance, high design and high style. The work is exciting and the collective teamwork around the project is contagious.”

The Kobe X 5 AM Flight will be available on February 7.

White Missouri Man Charged With Lynching Threat Against Black Woman

Tommy Dean Gaa, a 65-year-old White man from northwest Missouri, was charged with felony assault after he threatened a Black waitress with lynching. Gaa is formerly charged with felony assault motivated by racial discrimination.

The incident took place in the town of Maryville, which according to the latest census numbers is 92 percent white. As reported by local publication, Maryville Daily Forum, Gaa’s hate crime occurred Jan. 25 when he was ordering breakfast at a local establishment.

The Daily Forum has more:

Nodaway County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice on Wednesday announced that he has filed a felony assault charge against Tommy Dean Gaa, 65, Maryville, in connection with an alleged hate crime.

According to a probable cause statement filed by Maryville Public Safety Officer Adam James, Gaa was taken into custody after ordering breakfast at a local business on Sunday, Jan. 25, where he was waited on by an African-American employee.

The employee, according to James’ statement, asked Gaa if he wanted white or wheat toast, and Gaa allegedly responded by saying, “I’m prejudiced. I’ll take white.”

Moments later, Gaa is said to have approached the employee, allegedly grabbing her arm in a manner that caused bruising and asking her if she “liked to party.”

According to the probable cause statement, Gaa then allegedly said, “I have a place I would like to take you where I hung your grandpa.”

The report stated the employee then left the part of the business open to the public and returned to a kitchen area.

Gaa denied the crime at first, but later admitted to some of the acts but there are no reports of what exactly those actions were. The officer’s report regarding the arrest shows that Gaa also used a derogatory term to describe Black people. Gaa was released from jail on a $4,900 bond.

Iggy Azalea READS Steve Madden Over ‘Disgusting’ Photo Shoot

Iggy Azalea is not exactly head over heels for Steve Madden. The “Fancy” rapper took to Twitter to blast the shoe designer.

Iggy collaborated with Madden on a spring/summer collection of footwear. But she was furious when she saw the creative displayed on Madden’s Tumblr page on Thursday (Jan. 29). According to Iggy, the designer did not consult with her about the model photos that were posted online.

“@SteveMadden kinda ruined the creative direction when u added those gross extra pictures to a random tumbler page I had no part in creating,” said an upset Iggy.

“Everything in a collaboration is supposed to be mutually approved. But Steve madden did the most disgusting photo shoot ever and never even told me about it,” she added. “I’m just now seeing it as its uploaded on some random tumblr page and i am livid.”

She continued to voice her disapproval. “I worked really hard on the creative direction of both the shoes and the shoot I WAS involved with and in.

I really feel it’s been tainted with these God awful images that Steve madden took appon themselves to create and share without my knowledge. Gross gross gross.”

Iggy later deleted her tweets and Steve Madden’s Tumblr page was removed.

UPDATE: Iggy wants her fans to know that she is not angry at Steve Madden. In a note posted on Instagram following her Twitter tirade, she clarified the reason for her outburst and shared her support for the collaboration. For the record: I absolutely LOVE these images, they are from the shoot I directed for my Steve Madden campaign. Im incredibly proud of the shoes we've made together, as well as these images that I've been anxiously waiting to share with you all. What I had a "rant" about on Twitter isn't in regards to these pictures, it was about another, different set of images i wasn't a part of creating that I felt weren't reflective of my vision and direction for the collection. I'm an artist and I'm extremely passionate and emotional and crazy sometimes because I care ALOoOoot about this shit! I love Steve and he gets it! Artists clash sometimes, it doesn't mean I dislike the brand. I love Steve Madden as an individual and as a company. I have 3 more seasons I'm making with these guys and I'm going to enjoy it. Shit just happens sometimes and you gotta fight for what you believe in! I believe in this collection immensely; that's why I just wanted it to be perfect. it comes out tomorrow and I hope you guys enjoy it because I put my heart and soul into them! Sorry for the drama! I didn't mean for it to turn into some big blog situation (as usual) but I'm not gonna sit back and totally let Steve Madden get dragged under the bus because as a whole they're awesome ppl. I just don't support neoprene Jesus sandals WITH socks 😉. That all.

YEAH RIGHT GIRL! LOL!

Aja Naomi King Poses Up A Storm For O, The Oprah Magazine February 2015

She looks great in pretty much everything and Aja Naomi King is featured in a fabulous fashion spread for the February 2015 issue of O the Oprah Magazine.

The “How to Get Away with Murder” starlet worked with photographer Todd Marshard for the project, exploring the grounds of the Golden Door Resort in California.

Check the spread!

And Aja got to wear all kinds of designer duds from big brands like Liz Claiborne, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Jimmy Choo and Marc Jacobs.

How to Get Away With Murder Renewed for Season Two

Shonda Rhimes new hit drama How to Get Away with Murder renewed for a second season…

HTGAWM star Viola Davis broke the news to fans on social media telling them season two was officially a go.

How to Get Away with Murder returned to strong ratings for its mid-season premier this week pulling in 9.1 million viewers over all, easily dominating the 10pm time slot.

And in case you were wondering fan favorite Scandal returned strong as well pulling in 10.4 million viewers.

NeNe Threatens to Sue Over Gir Bye Phrase

Earlier this month T-shirt company Tees in the Trap put NeNe Leakes on blast for stealing the design for their 'Girl Bye' T-shirt [Here’s a refresher]. Now Tees in the Trap owner Arsha Jones claims NeNe is trying to sue them claiming she made the 'Girl Bye' slogan popular…

From Radar Online

“When I saw that she took my shirt I was shocked. I was so disappointed,” Jones said. “NeNe talks about being real and it caught me off guard that she would portray herself like that on television and then come off as the complete opposite in real life.”

Jones filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint with Shopify, the site that was selling Leakes’ t-shirts, and they promptly removed the line. The following day, Jones received a cease and desist letter from the reality show star’s lawyer.

The letter, dated December 16, 2014, which Radar obtained, states that Leakes has made the phrase famous and demanded that Jones discontinue selling her shirt.

“Ms. Leakes has been using the phrase ‘Girl Bye’ for over two years on her television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta and in public,” it reads. “The ‘Girl Bye’ phrase is widely associated with Miss Leakes due to Ms. Leakes’ fame and high level of exposure in the public limelight. In fact the public commonly refers to the ‘Girl Bye’ phrase as a ‘Neneism,’ the letter states.

The letter demanded that Tees in the Trap discontinue production of anything with the phrase “Girl Bye.” “We hereby demand that tease in the trap cease-and-desist from any and all uses representations or associations of Ms. Leakes’ image and use of the “Girl Bye” phrase. We further demand that Tees in a Trap immediately discontinue all sales of T-shirts and/or any other clothing items and apparel bearing the “Girl Bye” phrase.

Jones told Radar that she doesn’t understand why NeNe “stole” from her.

“NeNe didn’t file for her trademark until the beginning of 2015,” she said. “I’ve been selling my shirts for much longer than that. I’m an experienced business woman and I am surprised that she didn’t come up with her own design. She can reach millions of people; we are just a small business. I am not going to be bullied by NeNe.”

The Atlanta Celebs and More PARTY PEOPLE: Party It Up At THE GOLD ROOM

The ATL celebs love to party. And love even more when they get paid to party. Good friends Porsha Williams of "RHOA", Monyetta Shaw of "Atlanta Exes" and Toya Wright of a few BET reality shows made it a girls' night as all three hosted The Gold Room in Atlanta last night. The ladies snapped a pic with fellow host Mendeecees Harris of "Love & Hip Hop", who just welcomed a new baby girl with girlfriend Yandy Smith, and promoter Mr. Ruggs.

Toya and her new grey hair seem to be unbothered by the latest marital drama in her household. So she's partying her nights away and having some fun:

The mom and reality star rocked a mini skirt and crop top from BCBG to show off her bod she's been hitting the gym had to get, Louboutin boots, and a jacket from her store Garb Boutique.