4-1-1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 29th, 2008
LaBelle is back. Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx are back together after 30 years. Their new CD, Back To Now, is coming out on October 21st. The first single, Roll Out, was produced by Wyclef Jean. The new LaBelle CD also features production from Gamble & Huff and Lenny Kravitz. This is a busy time for Patti LaBelle. She’s coming out with a cookbook which features all her favorite recipes called Recipes For The Good Life. She also has a DVD coming out called In The Kitchen With Patti LaBelle and a new line of spices. This January, she’s going to be honored at the UNCF Evening Of Stars.
Morgan Freeman is getting ready to get married again. But wait! He’s still married to his wife of 24 years. Freeman, 71, is planning to marry the jumpoff, the woman who caused the rift in his two decade plus marriage. Once his divorce is final, the Oscar winner is going to marry 60-year old Mary Joyce. She’s a southern woman who abandoned her family once she hooked up with Morgan. A few weeks ago, Freeman was involved in a car accident that almost killed him. At the time of the accident, he was in the car with yet another woman. Once he got to the hospital, there was the new woman, the jumpoff and the wife. Talk about too close for comfort! Freeman’s wife realized she couldn’t put up with the nonsense anymore and agreed to a divorce. She stands to get half his fortune. Friends say Freeman is still in a lot of pain after the accident and is healing, but he can’t wait to get married again.
Mel B is ready to pose nude, and Playboy magazine has got her. The Spice Girl, who is best known for being Eddie Murphy’s baby momma, has an incredible body, and she will be showing it off in an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. Mel is a married mother of two girls. What about her husband’s reaction to Mel’s posing nude? He’s being quiet. She’s getting paid a lot of money to pose nude, and he loves spending her money.
Oprah is going animated. Winfrey is lending her voice to the animated film The Princess And The Frog. The movie comes out late next year.
Congratulations to Singer Babyface. “Face” and his dancer girlfriend, Nikki Pantenburg, are the proud parents of a baby girl. Babyface is 50. He says this is an exciting time in his life, and he welcomes his new addition. Babyface has two sons with his ex-wife Tracey Edmonds.
Our condolences go out to Actor Terrence Howard. Howard’s mother passed away last week after a long battle with cancer.
Will Beyonce be the new “Aida” if the Broadway musical comes to the big screen? Beyonce is hard at work on a new album which is coming out around the holidays. Beyonce is also making headlines with her million dollar wig collection. The lace front wigs are custom made with human hair. The wigs usually start at $10,000 and up. Her old wigs are donated to charities that supply wigs to women who are going through chemotherapy.
This was not a good week for Janet Jackson. First, her boyfriend, Producer Jermaine Dupri, throws up on her (the little fella had too much to drink). Then, she got sick and had to cancel numerous shows on her concert tour. Janet is suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. Janet is 42-years old, and sources say the tour schedule is too tight. She needs to be able to rest along the way. The show goes non-stop for over two and a half hours with continuous dancing. When Janet had to hospitalized, her boyfriend Dupri was nowhere to be found. He was off partying and refused to stop. Canceled shows are scheduled to be made up, but can Janet stop her man from partying all the time? She was recently dropped from Island Def Jam Records where Dupri is a boss, and sources say the stress of it all is really getting to Janet.
The movie Notorious, based on the life of Rapper Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., is gearing up for its release, which is scheduled for January 16th 2009. Angela Bassett will be playing Biggie’s mom, Volletta Wallace.
Who wants to date Omarosa? The Queen of Reality TV is getting a new reality show on VH1. The show aims to find a date for Omarosa much like Flavor Of Love, only classier.
Motown Records is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new box set of songs that the fans have picked. The box set is due before Christmas.
Prince has a new book out. 21 Nights is the name of the book, and it chronicles Prince performing 21 sold out concerts on London. The book also features 124 previously unreleased photographs. Prince turned 50 earlier this year, and he says he is single, celibate and sexy. Prince is a practicing Jehovah’s Witness. He says he was introduced to the religion by Singer Larry Graham.
Actress Heather Locklear is in need of help. After her recent D.U.I. arrest, will she admit the truth? When she was arrested after driving erratically, she was believed to be under the influence of a controlled substance. Friends of Locklear say she has been getting high everyday for the past 20 years. Locklear is best known for her TV stints on Melrose Place, T.J. Hooker and Dynasty. In June, she entered rehab, but only stayed a few days. She claimed she was suffering from depression and anxiety, but friends say her problems go beyond that. Maybe now she will admit the truth and get the help she needs.
The Whispers are coming out with a holiday DVD. The famed singing group has been performing for over 45 years. Christmas With The Whispers features holiday classic and interviews.
The James Brown Estate is finally getting settled. After months of haggling, the various family members are coming together to settle their differences. In the new proposed settlement, there will be no more DNA tests, seven-year old James Brown, Jr. will be recognized as Brown, Sr.’s legal heir and biological son. Tomi Rae Hyne will be recognized as his last legal wife. The family will also come together to create a museum honoring the James Brown legacy, and they will also find a building to place his remains.
Niecy Nash’s Fox TV show, Do Not Disturb, has been cancelled after three episodes.
Spike Lee’s latest movie, Miracle At St. Anna, is not doing well at the box office. The movie barely made $4 million coming in at number nine in box office totals. Lee’s World War II drama stars Kerry Washington, Laz Alonzo and Derek Luke. Despite mixed reviews, Lee was hoping this movie would do well. He has been having a hard time finding money to finance his movies. With the poor box office results of his latest, his other projects, including a movie based on the life of James Brown, may be put on hold.
Comedian Sommore has a new DVD out called The Queen Stands Alone. The Trenton, New Jersey native says she’s excited about the project, which she wrote, produced and directed.
Kevon Edmonds is hard at work on a new album. Edmonds, the younger brother of Babyface and one of the founding members of After 7, says his new solo project should be out in March of next year.
Oprah Winfrey’s mom Vernita Lee is countersuing a high-end fashion store that is suing her. Oprah’s mom is being sued for an unpaid bill totaling over $156,000. Lee says the store took advantage of her, and they should have never extended her credit.
Big Daddy is back! The Food Network’s latest star, Aaron McCargo, Jr., hails from Camden, New Jersey, and his food show, Big Daddy’s House, has been renewed for a second season. The new season premieres in January 2009. McCargo will be in Philadelphia on Friday October 24th at the Radisson Plaza – Warwick in Center City, Philadelphia. For more information and to get tickets, visit his website at Aaronmccargo.com.
Mark your calendars for November 7th, 8th & 9th. It’s the Philadelphia International Art Expo presented by October Gallery. This is the nation’s largest African American Art Expo. It all takes place at the Liacouras Center, Broad and Montgomery. Special guests include NBC 10’s Lori Wilson, CN8’s Arthur Fennell, Bern Nadette Stanis & Ralph Carter (“Thelma” & “Michael Evans” from Good Times) Actress Ella Joyce (“Eleanor” from Roc) and Rapper/Actor Ice-T. There is a $10 admission fee that will cover all three days.
Quincy Jones is gearing up to release The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey And Passions. The 75-year old music giant is set to release this book on October 28th. Clint Eastwood is doing the foreword for the book, and Dr. Maya Angelou is doing the introduction. Jones is not slowing down. He is also opening a restaurant in Las Vegas. In other Quincy news, he says he will not be working with Michael Jackson on his upcoming album. The Q produced some of Jackson’s biggest selling albums, including Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad. Q says he is too busy with his other projects.
Morgan Freeman and Barbara Streisand are among the honorees for the Kennedy Center Honors.
Cedric The Entertainer is headed to Broadway. The stage play American Buffalo, about small time crooks, also stars John Leguizamo. American Buffalo opens on November 17th.
I Want To Take You Higher, The Life And Times Of Sly Stone is title of the new book about the famed musician coming out in October.
Poet and Author Dr. Maya Angelou is going to be honored along with TV Producer Norman Lear at the 2008 Annual Marian Anderson Awards. The ceremony honoring them is taking place November 17th at the Kimmel Center. Lear is best known for the TV classics All In The Family, Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude. The award is named after the famed Contralto Marian Anderson, a Philadelphia native. Past honorees include Sidney Poitier, Richard Gere, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Oprah Winfrey and Harry Belafonte. Dr. Angelou and Lear go back a ways back. The doctor is godmother to Lear’s youngest children.
Sanford & Son, the popular 70’s show, is coming out on DVD. The complete series, 17 discs containing all six seasons, comes out on October 28th. The late Comedian Redd Foxx starred as the grouchy junkman and Demond Wilson played his long-suffering son, Lamont.
Singer Al Jarreau is hard at work on a new Christmas CD, which is coming out this fall. Brian McKnight, Aretha Franklin, Howard Hewett and Ledisi are also releasing holiday projects.
The 5th Annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors takes place in October. Actor Comedian Katt Williams is hosting.
The late Bernie Mac and the late Isaac Hayes make their final screen appearance in the movie Soul Men. Soul Men opens in theatres on November 7th and also stars Samuel L. Jackson.
Upcoming TV and Film Events:
A new best of compilation featuring the music of Tina Turner is coming out. Look for ‘Tina’ on September 30th.
WHAT’S THE UNDERGROUND BUZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This Rapper/Actress has fallen off the map. After a promising start, she has been dealing with bad relationships, drugs and alcohol.
This Oscar-winning Actress/Singer refuses to face reality. Her husband has a scandalous past, and she refuses to talk about it. When she is asked about him in interviews, she glosses over his life. She doesn’t want to talk about his past. She refuses to listen to anyone who talks bad of him, even when she had to buy her own engagement ring!!! |
© 2008