The Daily Buzz For April 4

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North Carolina outlasts Gonzaga for NCAA title in THRILLER Final!

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gonzaga left its first national title game with a pain it had never known; a disappointment that may linger with each player and coach for the rest of his life.

North Carolina knew the feeling better than anyone — and the Tar Heels weren’t going through it again

One day shy of the one-year anniversary of “The Shot” — Villanova’s Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beating, championship-clinching 3-pointer — the Tar Heels completed their season-long quest for redemption and claimed the school’s sixth national championship, with a 71-65 over Gonzaga Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.

This year, the Tar Heels soaked in every second of the confetti shower that felt like acid in Houston. This year, the fireworks sounded like a symphony. The moment they wished had never happened had created an experience even greater than they could envision.

With the win, No. 1 North Carolina (33-7) became just the fourth team to win a national championship after losing the previous year’s title game (1982 North Carolina, 1991 Duke, 1998 Kentucky), while Roy Williams won his first national title since 2009, and third overall, tying him for fourth all-time, with Jim Calhoun and Bobby Knight.
Though the action between the top two teams was marred by fouls, and even uglier shooting, North Carolina’s smiles were no less brilliant afterward, none stretching as wide as Joel Berry II’s.
After hobbling through one of his worst games of the season in the semifinals, the junior point guard quickly erased any doubts of his effectiveness on two sprained ankles, finishing with 22 points, six assists and one turnover to be named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Berry became the first player since UCLA’s Bill Walton (1972-73) to score at least 20 points in back-to-back championship games.
“It was just gritting it out,” Berry said. “What we went through, I think we just deserved it.”

Playing in its first national title game, No. 1 Gonzaga (37-2) failed to become the first West Coast Conference to win the national championship game since 1956, and the first team outside of a power basketball conference to win the national title since 1990 (UNLV).

Taraji Henson on the Cover of Sophisticate's Black Hair Styles and Care Guide

As “Cookie Lyon,” on the hit Fox-TV show Empire, actress Taraji P. Henson is the undisputed queen. And when we asked Sophisticate’s Black Hair readers to name the “10 Best-Styled Women of 2017” in our annual Readers’ Poll, you crowned the Hidden Figures star at the top of the list! So for our big 33rd Anniversary edition—the awesome May 2017 issue of Sophisticate’s Black Hair—there was no question Taraji was destined to be our cover star! Here, check out some of her trendsetting hairstyles..

Red-carpet bob!

#RHoA: I see Frick and Frack (Phaedra and Porsha) keep it moist on RHOA

This week on The Real Housewives of Atlanta,  Kandi races to launch the restaurant and its party time, with Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks leading the charge.

Porsha and Phaedra certainly have their moments but they also know how to have a good time and if they’re throwing a party, that’s the one you want to be going to!

It’s Phaedra’s birthday and with all her recent divorce troubles she is the mood to let her hair down. Porsha does not disappoint and has laid on an amazing spread, and best of all she’s had a couple of custom onesies made up with “FRICK” and “FRACK” emblazoned on the ass.

Meantime, Kandi and Todd are racing to get the Old Lady Gang restaurant launched and later an unexpected guest appears and this heralds some revelations

#MUSICNEWS: Chris Brown Kicks Off “The Party Tour” in Baltimore

Breezy got the ‘Party’ started on Friday night (Mar. 31).

R&B superstar Chris Brown kicked off his North American “Party Tour” in Baltimore with an electrifying first show at Royal Farms Arena.

Supported by rappers Fabolous, O.T. Genesis, and Kap G, the singer made his grand entrance to a booming recorded introduction by DJ Khaled. “They don’t want us to win,” he said over the arena sound system. “So we gon’ win more. They don’t want us to party, so Chris Brown’s bringing you ‘The Party Tour.’ When I say ‘Chris,’ you say ‘Brown!’ When I say ‘Team,’ you say ‘Breezy!’ I introduce you to the legendary, iconic, my friend, my brother, Chris Brown.”

Surprising the packed arena, Brown floated down from the ceiling, flipping backwards, and singing upside down, as he opened his set to the turn-up anthem “Wrist.” The Grammy Award winners catalog runs so deep he ran through hit after hit, receiving screaming applause when he gyrated on the floor to “Take You Down” where he was joined by a female guitar player. He stripped down for sexy cuts like “Time for Love” and “Back To Sleep,” and smoothed it out with his brand new single “Privacy.”

Brown’s trademark acrobatic moves continued throughout the show. A trapeze artist even joined Breezy for some Cirque du Soleil action during a performance of “Drunk Texting” (sans Jhené Aiko). Both alone and with his Black Pyramid-donning back-up dancers, Brown lit up the stage for dance-ready smashes like “Kriss Kross” and the closer, “Party.”

“The Party Tour” continues through cities including Boston, Miami, Brooklyn, Chicago, Houston and more, before wrapping in Los Angeles on May 23.

Check out some fan footage from the opening night

Intro + Wrist (The Party Tour Baltimore 3-31-17)

Chris Brown Privacy (The Party Tour Baltimore 3-31-17)

Chris Brown - Party (The Party Tour Baltimore 3-31-17)

Get your Tix!

#NEWHIPHOP: New Music: will.i.am – ‘Fiyah’

will.i.am turns up the heat on his funky sizzler, “Fiyah.”

After debuting it live on “The Voice UK,” the bass-heavy song finds the Black Eyed Peas frontman in his usually-infectious zone, delivering a catchy chorus.

 “You can’t touch me,” he raps on the hook. “I’m way too high up / You can’t touch me / I’m about to rise up / Look at me… / I’m on fiyah!”

The “Voice UK” judge premiered “Fiyah” on the British singing competition last month. Surrounded by Michael Jackson-inspired dancers and a circle of flames, will ignited the show with his latest banger.

Produced by will.i.am, the song was written exclusively for “The Voice UK,” which also features judges Jennifer Hudson, Gavin Rossdale, and Sir Tom Jones.

LISTEN HERE

The idea first ignited when fans started screaming “Fiyah!” on set of the show. “I’m about to make a song like that,” will told J-Hud. “You should,” she responded. Moments later, will started making a different version of the track with some help from “The Voice” band.

Cam Newton Shows Off his BEAUTIFUL Baby Girl!

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton and girlfriend Kia met their family's new addition during Super Bowl weekend this past February. Now, we finally got to see her.  Cam was pictured with his adorable, newborn baby girl as he gushed about her being a heart breaker. He also seemingly revealed her name posting:

Y'all know Cam and this font go together and refuse to part ways, unfortunately, so it's not all that easy to know exactly what her name is.

Of course, the internets went in about it all.  Cambella Newton, clearly taken from Cameron Newton, is definitely part of the name. However lets just love on this baby!

Awwww.

Beyonce Shows Off Baby Bump on Date Night With Jay Z

Beyonce puts her baby bump on display in a form-fitting blue dress in these new photos.

The 35-year-old pregnant entertainer posted the gorgeous new shots to her website and labeled them “date night.”

Her hubby Jay Z makes a cameo in one, as does their daughter Blue Ivy, who adorably hugs her waist.

Bey is wearing a Nicole Miller dress, Gucci Anklet shoes, XIV Karats earrings, a XIV Karats handbag: and Samantha Wills flowers painted by Othelo Gervacio.

#WTH?!? Dylann Roof To Plead Guilty To Murder Charges In Exchange For Life In Prison

There’s no need for a second death trial because Dylann Roof is expected to plead guilty to murder charges in his state trial next month. He was sentenced to death earlier this year for killing nine black parishioners at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, S.C. in 2015.

Prosecutors say that Roof agreed to plead guilty to murder charges in exchange for a sentence of life in prison.

“The plea is negotiated which means it is ‘carved in stone,’ ”  Scarlett A. Wilson, the prosecutor overseeing Roof’s case in state court, wrote in the letter to the victims’ families.

“A guilty plea in state court means that if something very, very, very unlikely were to happen at the federal level, the state sentence would take effect and he would serve life in prison,” she wrote. She added in parentheses: “And no more trials!”

Federal death sentences such as Roof’s are extremely rare and less commonly end in execution. There have only been three federal executions since the federal death-penalty statute was reinstated in 1988 and expanded in 1994.

It will be interesting to see how this case moves forward.

IT’S A WRAP!  Derrick Rose out for season with torn meniscus in left knee

(Newsday) It was supposed to be a comeback season for Derrick Rose, one in which the former NBA MVP proved to the league that he was healthy and durable and had what it takes to help a team win.

Instead, Rose’s first — and possibly last — season in a Knicks uniform was a weird, sad odyssey that started with a sexual assault trial that caused him to miss most of training camp and officially ended with the Knicks’ announcement Sunday that he will have season-ending knee surgery.

The Knicks confirmed in the first quarter of Sunday’s 110-94 loss to the Boston Celtics that an MRI of Rose’s left knee revealed a torn meniscus that will require arthroscopic surgery. The only timetable the Knicks gave for Rose’s recovery is that he will miss the final five games of the season, but it generally takes six to eight weeks to come back from this type of surgery.

“Yeah, it’s tough for Derrick,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “He’s played real hard all year. He’ll get that taken care of and probably get back. He worked hard last summer with yoga, those kind of things, to get his body in great shape. I feel bad for him.”

The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2008, Rose, 28, became the youngest MVP ever in 2010-11, his fourth season with the Bulls. He now heads into the summer as a free agent with an injury-riddled resume. Rose previously had surgery on his right meniscus twice and missed most of the 2014-15 season as a result. He also missed all of the 2012-13 season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn right ACL.

The Knicks obtained Rose in June in a multiplayer trade with Chicago. He is in the final year of a five-year, $94-million contract and had been hoping to prove that he still is the elite player he had shown himself to be earlier in his career.

Rose was not on the bench to watch the Knicks lose a meaningless game to the Celtics on Sunday. The Celtics, led by Isaiah Thomas’ 19 points, had six players score in double figures. Carmelo Anthony sat out for a second game with a sore lower back.

The Knicks’ Ron Baker said the entire team was shaken by the news of Rose’s injury.

“I think it’s tough for everybody in here,” Baker said. “We’re all a pretty close group. Derrick is obviously a great player, a great friend. Now that we’re out of the playoffs, it’s tough to see a guy that’s worked so hard all year like him get that injury. And I kind of know he’s low in spirit, but we’ll support him the best we can as teammates and hopefully he can get back to 100 percent during this offseason.”

Courtney Lee, who led the Knicks with 16 points and five assists, said the news was tough but added that the injury is something a player can recover from pretty quickly.

“I feel for him a lot in knowing the situation,” Lee said. “That’s a quick-healing injury. What is it six, seven weeks? So I mean it could have been worse, you can look at it that way.”

Rose had missed the previous two games with what the team described as soreness and swelling. He said Wednesday that he initially felt the discomfort in his knee before the Knicks’ win over the Pistons on Monday, a game in which he scored 27 points in 33 minutes. Rose said at the time that he didn’t believe the injury was anything serious or would need to be surgically repaired. He had expected to return to the court shortly.

Rose averaged 18.0 points and 4.4 assists in 64 games. He and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, repeatedly have said he would like to return. The Knicks might want to go in another direction, though, given that they have a high pick in a draft stocked with point guards.

“Yeah, I thought he’s played well,” Hornacek said. “The explosiveness that you saw from years ago, you saw that quite a bit this year. Again, the way the season has gone, to have something like that right toward the end, that’s a bad break for him.”

Only time will tell how bad.

Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez Hold Hands in the Big Apple

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez‘s relationship continues to heat up!

The cute couple was spotted with big smiles on their face while holding hands and walking together on Sunday afternoon (April 2) in New York City.

In case you missed it, A-Rod opened up about their new relationship earlier in the week during an appearance on The View.

“We’re having a great time,” Alex said. “She’s an amazing, amazing girl. One of the smartest human beings I’ve ever met and also an incredible mother.

Sam Smith Is Proud & Honored To Support War Child UK's Enough Is Enough Campaign

Sam Smith keeps it casual while out and about on Sunday (April 2) in the Chelsea neighborhood of London, England.

The 24-year-old singer was joined by his sister Lily and a friend.

Sam recently lent his support to War Child UK’s latest campaign, Enough is Enough, raising awareness for Syrian refugees. Sam, Carey Mulligan, Jude Law, Marcus Mumford, Nicole Scherzinger, James Bay and comedian Michael McIntyre all shared the story of one girl in particular, Fatima, in a video for the campaign, which you can view below.

SEE THE CAMPAIGN HERE

“The Syrian war has now lasted 6 years,” he wrote on Instagram. “1 child is killed every hour and another 400,000 are still trapped by the conflict. #EnoughisEnough. I’m so so proud and honoured to be part of this campaign with @WarChildUK.”

Chicago Teen Arrested For Gang Rape Streamed On Facebook Live

The teen is facing charges that include aggravated criminal sexual assault and dissemination of child pornography.

A Chicago teen has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl that was streamed on Facebook Live. According to NBC News, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi announced that the Chicago Police Department apprehended one juvenile offender and others are expected to be arrested as the probe surrounding the incident moves forward.

From NBC News:A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old Chicago girl that was streamed live on Facebook and watched by about 40 people who didn’t report it to authorities, police said late Saturday.

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said more arrests are expected as the investigation continues. Police have said the attack involved five or six males, and Guglielmi said the boy “was one of the offenders in the video.”

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is slated to provide more details at a news conference Sunday morning.

The suspect will face charges that include aggravated criminal sexual assault, manufacturing of child pornography, and dissemination of child pornography, reports the outlet.

According to NBC News, the video was the second time that an attack in Chicago was streamed on Facebook Live within the past few months.

EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Justin

Ladies and others LOL Meet Justiin. So you know what to do to see more. Just CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN NOR ALTER any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.

You’re Welcome!

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

Courtesy of P.O.Wm

‘GEORGIA BOY’

Stop distracting us from your terrible tattoos. I mean, it works but just temporarily because we end up having to look away anyway!

HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!

EFREM