Kat Williams & The Detroit Incident

Word is that Kat Williams got slapped - no, not with a lawsuit, but the backhanded, bitch kind at a club he was performimg at. Bossip reports that the unconfirmed rumor has it that Kat was sticking the read to an audience member who was wearing cowboy boots and a hat, which got the crowd hollering. He was not amused. Then, when Kat took a corner table for a cig break, Ill Cowboy approached and served him the knocks. Lovely. When asked if he was okay, he reportedly said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Hellz no! I just got knocked!"

If this is true, I got two thangs to say:

1. Like Kat, I'm short mofo, so I don't bring heat unless I'm carrying some, or at least be hanging with a big beast to handle sitchy-ations like this.

2. Please don't call out people in Dee-troit who happen to be dressed like they've just been desert-combing the mesas of Arizona. Chances are, they gots some issues. And just when it's time for them to deal, it might be with your foolass.

Or could it be that Ill Cowboy was a Steve Harvey fan? At a New Year's Eve show, Kat followed Steve's act, and immediately went in. Here's the clip:

50 Cent Makes Year End H8 List

50 Cent, along with Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Kathy Griffin, and one of the goldiggers from Real Housewives From Atlanta (the White one) among others, have made the list of Videogum's The Worst People Of 2008.

The list strikes me as strange though. I personally don't think that neither of these people have committed any major media sins worse that than all the Britneys, Lindsays and Paris Hiltons of the world (okay, maybe that RHFA chick), but I will say that they'd better back the hell off some Family Guy.

Baby Alive Is The Shit?

Although its been around for a couple of years, I'm just finding out via The Washington Post , that the latest version of Baby Alive, which is expected to be a big hit this season, poops, pees, and says phrases like, "I made a stinky", "What kind of f_cking mother are you? Why don't you stop sucking on that gin bottle and change me?! I've been walking around in this rotting, shitty diaper for so long, it's stuck to my ass!", and "Somebody call Child Protective Services!" But seriously, do little girls really need this level of realism when it comes to babies and being a mother?

Rihanna Headlines RIAA's Charity Inaugural Ball

Rihanna has been tapped to headline the Recording Industry Association of America's charity ball to benefit Feeding America on January 20. Beyonce has reportedly expressed interest in performing during the Inauguartion festivities, but so far, there's been no word on this happening.

How It's Done Part Two: Alica Keys Is Thick (And That's A Good Thing)

Alicia Keys is looking quite healthy and natural in this shot of her vacationing in Australia. This is how it's done, ladies. Now go and eat a damn sammich!


From Bossip

Mike Madness Monday: Mike Tyson Blows Up, While Michael Jackson Implodes

There is simply no way to put this kindly, but Michael Jackson seems to have officially lost his goddamned mind, and I fear for the safety of his children. The picture on the right shows Jackson in LA over the weekend, looking like tortured tobacco heiress Doris Duke on a daytrip after a brunch consisting of Vienna Fingers cookies
followed by scotch and Xanax cocktails. (MJ scoop Courtesy of Concrete Loop). In other tales of Mike-madness, it looks Mike Tyson is capatalizing on the bear craze by packing on more than a punch. Does dat big daddy bear look work for you, ladiez?

Jennifer Hudson Returns to Shoot New Video, Score Grammy Noms. Fantasia Struggles with Financial Woes

Bouncing back from her recent family tragedies, Jennifer Hudson is once again in the spotlight with a scheduled video shoot in Los Angeles for the single If It Isn't Love.

She also garnered several Grammy nominations, including:

Best R n’ B Album
Best R n’ B Song for Spotlight
Best R n’ B Female Vocal Performance
Best Performance by a Duo or Group for a duet with Fantasia, who herself is struggling with financial difficulties including property foreclosure.


JHUD news from Brown Sista

Macaulay Culkin's Sister Dies After Being Struck By Car

Dakota Culkin, the 29 year old sister of actor Macaulay Culkin, has died after being struck by a car in west Los Angeles yesterday.

There has been no offical statement from Mac or his family at this time.

Thoughts prayers and condolences to his family.

Lazy Tuesday Gossip Roundup

I'm just getting over a bad cold, so I had to take a break. Having to read things about the Illinois governor being arrested after being wiretapped and trying to sell President-elect Obama's former Senate seat, Paula Abdul's claims that the powers that be at American Idol are trying to bring her down, and the bottom pic (which I won't even bother to explain, so go over to Crunk + Disorderly and read for yourself), has succeeded in making me feel a little better about myself. Isn't that what reading gossip is supposed to accomplish anyway?

O. J. Simpson Sentenced To 15 Years

O. J. Simpson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a Las Vegas robbery/kidnap scheme which was orchestrated in order to retrieve some sports memorabilia connected to the beleaguered former football star. He apologized to the court with the statement, "I didn’t want to steal anything from anyone ... I’m sorry, sorry," before sentencing. He'll be eligible for parole in 5 years. Somewhere, the Brown and Goldman families are popping champagne corks!



UPDATE: As expected, Fred Goldman and daughter Kim have appeared at a news conference following the verdict. And of course the message boards at websites such as The Huffington Post and Concrete Loop are of of course alive with comments weighing in on the sentence. At HuffPo, I've found that the racial divide in terms of opinion on Simpson is just wide as it was after his acquittal in 2004. This appears to be one of those cases where blacks and whites will always disagree to a large extent on the Simpson Affair. The clip I posted above, reflects my thoughts on the whole thing.

Gossip Re-up

Could it be that Britney's recently televised glorified commercial was faux real after all? Did her mental issues seep through what amounted to a PR coup? Choire Sicha thinks so. The Daily Beast

Speaking of PR, you know sometimes it's hard to lend credence to some crap, but I feel that I must pass this on. And as difficult and riduculous as it might seem, the only way to get it out would be to just spit it out. Sigh. According to Kim Kardashian's camp, the UN has offered her an ambassadorship to Africa. Obama's probably thinking, "I gotta find a way to silence these ignorant-ass fameho's before they make it hard for me." I agree. Nip this shit in the bud. Bossip

Kanye thinks that Beyonce is not only a living legend, but is greater than Tina Turner. I don't know where to put my feelings about this. Then again, maybe I do after all. Singersroom

Also from Singersroom: The good news is, however, that soulstress Syleena Johnson will release her new album, Chapter 4 earlier that expected. It's scheduled to hit digital outlets December 23.

Are You A Beyoncé Stan?

First off, let's define the term "stan" for the uninitiated. A stan, derived from the Eminem song of the same name, is slang for an obsessed fan. I first heard it a few years back in the comments section of a Beyoncé post on
Crunk+Disorderly, which is well-known in the black blogosphere for its hilarious and often devastating critique on the cult of celebrity. No one is spared. She is also the one celebrity who incites the most heated debate, bar none. From Crunk to Concrete Loop, to just about every black entertainment blog, small and large, a Beyonce item is almost guaranteed to ignite a frenzy of comments, unlike no other subject or performer, politician or otherwise. The most interesting thing is that some of her supporters seem to have a love for her that borders on a type of psychosis. The same can be said about Michael Jackson fans, so Bey is in very good company indeed. The item could just be a simple photo of her out at an event or some promotional photo op, and the sparks will fly. The comments generally start out with a simple, "Bey looks hot", or "Make that paper, girl!", until one commenter weighs in with, "I'm so tired of seeing her face. OVEREXPOSED!" to which yet another will follow with, "You done did it now, look out for the stans in 3, 2, 1..........", at which point it'll be off to the races.

What strikes me as odd though, is that her detractors almost always point out that they find her to be a transparent, not very bright robot who seems to speak from a script in the matter of an adult stuck in a state of arrested development, doesn't appear to have any discernible or valid opinions of her own without the aid of her parents, as witnessed here, while acknowledging her obvious talents and gifts. Hell, some are even mad because during a recent appearance on Oprah, when asked if she'd reached out to Jennifer Hudson since her recent family tragedy, she replied, "No, but I'm Praying for her". Is that reason to "hate" on her? Any positive acknowledgements are not nearly enough for her fans who vehemently declare them as haters, mostly in CAPS, and will not accept any form or criticism, no matter how balanced or nuanced it may be. At all. They can't offer any further analysis other than to list her accomplishments and say that she's rich and you're not, so there! The so-called stans' favorite line of defense is basically, if you don't like her, you're "just jealous", like pouty children who are ready to peel the skin off your face at the mere mention of your doubt of Bey's formidable power. And for the record, I'm one of those who feels that while Beyonce is indeed very talented, I don't consider myself an avid fan. I'd love to see her relax, and sing a song with some depth and real emotion as opposed to all the unnecessary vocal acrobatics, an issue I used to have with Mariah Carey before she resorted to merely whisper-singing over trite Hip Pop beats. To date, I don't think she's reached the vocal maturity of singers like Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson or Keyshia Cole, who manage to bring raw feelings to the surface of a song and make me feel the pain of their struggles and the joy of their momentary happiness, which is always in danger of slipping away by the time the next track queues up. I know that in time, she will hone her skills and perhaps earn the respect of those who share my opinion. However, I get the feeling that she seems determined to convince us that she can sing, she can dance, she's so hot, while simultaneously asking us to believe that she's really a good girl who would rather kick back with a bucket of Popeye's hot wings, and that it's her alter-ego, Sasha, who takes over when she hits the stage and does all the dirty work. That, in itself is fine; this is entertainment after all, and although I think that artists like David Bowie and even Mariah Carey to some extent have utilized their alter-egos to greater effect, I think it would be okay if it didn't seem so - calculated. New York magazine has also touched on the whole Beyasha phenomenom. Uh-oh. Haters. Much like the comparisons of her to Diana Ross, her detractors liken her fast ascent and the dropping of group members to Ms. Ross's alleged unapologetic backstage machinations to become the breakout star of The Supremes.
And what about her star turn in Dreamgirls? Coincidence? The Machiavellian-like tactics of her father, Mathew Knowles, whose unrelenting determination to ensure her success could also be compared to Ross' connection to Motown head Berry Gordy, though of course, the personal relationship of star and mentor greatly differ. It could also be said that Ross is nothing if not original, which Bey non-supporters seem to all agree, but her fans believe is okay - as long as she does it better than her predecessors and that she is not aware of any shyster-like doings behind the scenes or of any copycatting on her part. Case in point, one complaint that's been made against her is that her Sasha character seemed to surface soon after Mariah affected one. And that leads me to the biggest charges that have been made against her; first, the charge that she sometimes takes credit for the work of other singers and songwriters by making slight alterations to lyrics and harmonies, and then taking a writers credit. There was some controversy over statements made she allegedly made about writing "Irreplaceable", which was, in fact, written by Ne Yo & "If I Were A Boy", which was after she replaced a few key lyrics, claimed a writer's credit. The song was originally recorded and co-written by singer BC Jean & Toby Gad, and became the basis of a lawsuit.










There have also been unsubstantiated claims that Mathew Knowles used strong-arm tactics to secure the rights for the song from Ms Jean, unlike the previous case involving British singer Des'ree, who had a mid-nineties hit with "You Gotta Be". She sued Beyonce for altering the lyrics to her song, Kissing You and then tried to include it as a song entitled "(Still In Love) Kissing You" on the "B'Day" cd. She won. As for Ne Yo, he seems to have taken it all in stride and Bey has made statements to the fact that he was indeed the writer. These claims and rumors have dogged Beyonce since her days with Destiny's Child. She allegedly made changes in harmonies and added a word here and there in order to secure a song credits, but isn't this also an unspoken practice in the music biz? The question is to what extent does one stretch their professional ethics, if that should apply to these cases?

And check out this You Tube clips which purports that she "borrows" from other male & female acts, in some cases right down to their wardrobe:


The comments to this clip provide the perfect testimony to the vociferousness of both sides. Here's more:


First two clips are the work of SweetXxyCh3Ck on You Tube


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I know that there is a such thing as paying homage to the works of others, but for her sake, if this is at all intentional, I wish she would wait until the proper time has passed before she does this. It's okay to recreate a piece of work that you admire but it should be noted that one should probably wait for several years before doing so. Preferably a generation or so, anyway.

Lastly, I took the opportunity of taking a survey of the opinions of various relatives during a Thanksgiving gathering. One 20-ish younger cousin, which is the age group indicative of her admirers, to whom I spoke with via phone and who upon being told that I was planning to write this piece, became somewhat "hot" and defended her devotion to Beyoncé in no uncertain terms. "Jealousy" and "hater" were the terms I believed she used to describe her feelings toward those who don't care much about her idol. Hmmm, I've heard that one before....does that make her a stan? I hope not, cuz! Others supported her as well, citing her beauty and dance skills. Most were not aware of the controversies, alleged or otherwise, that surround her. Older relatives didn't seem to care about her one way or the other, but those who had an opinion stated that she seemed dense and artificial. And my cousin Nicole, who is much younger by the way, agreed with the latter.

All of that said, we need artists like Beyoncé. Like her or not, she inspires and is a role model to countless young people, conveys a strong sense of business acumen, and can and will continue without a doubt to make a huge impact in the lives of her fans. She's work extremely hard for what she's achieved. Whether or not her work will stand the test of time remains to be seen, though. I will, however, enjoy watching her grow and hope to get a glimpse beyond the curtain, no matter how brief. Perhaps it doesn't matter who likes or dislikes her for whatever reason, she's a star. And a damned big one.

But it's all good. This is just my opinion, stans. No hate.

Gossip Re-Up

President-elect Obama ain't feelin' no poodles. HuffPo

Al B. Sure returns. To TV One. Eurweb

T.I. and Shawty LO serve beats to each other at awards show. 24Hour Hip Hop

You heard that right. Carly Simon urged President Bush to free John Forte. Gawker

2008 American Music Awards: Some Of It Was Ill, Some Of It Made Me Ill

Sigh. I guess I'm not all that impressed with awards shows nowadays, considering there are so many of them, but The 2008 American Music Awards, in particular, has further weakened my already shaken faith as far as the credibility of these shows go. Then again, we're talking about the AMAs, which is sort of akin to watching the MTV Video Awards, in that awards are given based on popularity, and, I suspect in some cases, ratings, but I still want to rant about it, alright? I mean, I like Chris Brown and all; he's a very talented dancer, does okay in the acting department, and can sing just as well as any of the other young jacks that saturate the Power-pop stations, but the guy won Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Pop or Rock, AND, this is the one that I find particularly insulting, Favorite Male Artist, Soul/Rhthym & Blues Music. Just yesterday, I posted a bunch of throwbacks and bemoaned the current state of Soul/R&B, but I also pointed out that there are some younger and not-so-young artists that still carry the flame, so to speak. Some that come to mind are: Raheem DeVaughn, Erykah Badu, Dwele, Jazmine Sullivan, Musiq Soulchild, Raphael Saadiq, Solange, Leela James, Liv Warfield and Algebra, to name a few.

Granted, perhaps some of those I've listed did not have an album out at the time of consideration, but come on, now, they barely get any radio play to begin with. The real travesty is that Chris won over Ne Yo, who wasn't even nominated, and lost at last year's AMAs to T Pain(!), who's best known for collaborating with everyone from L'il Wayne to fucking Liza Minelli. That said, I have tremendous respect for Ne Yo as an all-around entertainer. He writes, sings, dances and acts. Like John Legend, his music and lyrics also tend to be a bit more layered, and at least manages to communicate something other than the usual insipid sex-u-sex-me-canned-computer studio slop that's mistaken for R&B today (at least bring real handclaps back into the mix, please!). Perhaps the Grammys, which sometimes manage to get it right, will reward those who I feel rightly represent a dying genre. Right. As Homer Simpson would say, I was being sarcastic.

Sometimes, I feel as if maybe I just refuse to embrace the inevitable changes that have sucked the soul out of Soul music. It's all about the visuals and the spectacle of watching someone perform a superhumanly complex feat of Cirque Du Soleil type sexually acrobatic dance moves structured to distract me from the fact that they cannot sing well at all. Well, consider me not fooled, Pussycat Dolls. Although the Rihanna, who won for Favorite Female Soul/R&B and Chris Brown (PR Coup ALERT!) might have passable chops, I wonder how good they would sound accompanied by a simple piano, sans dancers? Live? I know that my rant will not likely change anything, so I might as well deal with it and find some of the good things about this show. And there were some. Can't post You Tube clips cuz they've been removed, though:

Alicia Keys sang Superwoman with Queen Latifah and Kathleen Battle

Bey-sasha wiggled her thickness, as per usual, but nobody does it like she does.

Christina Aguilera, drenched in female drag, reeled in the gayz with her performance.

Kanye kept things focused on the future

Ne Yo solidified the new template

And Annie Lennox should seriously consider a duet with Ms. Keys. For real.

As for me, I'll try to Keep Hope Alive.

Michael Jackson, the Muslim: Yes His Ass Did

I knew that Michael wouldn't let us down. In full freak-mode, he now professes to be Muslim. And just in time for a courtroom spectacle that's sure to vie with any holiday football games which are sure to dominate the tube next week.

Celebrity Prostitutes: You Might Want To Turn Off Your TV

It pays to be a prostitute nowadays, I guess. But you knew that already, right? If you didn't, well, you should get out more. Or turn on your tv. Divine Brown and Ashley Dupre's

assignations with a famous actor and politician respectively, has brought them both a great deal of wealth for the former, and attention, for the latter. The jury's still out on any projected earning's for Ashley, as for Divine, according to her Wiki page, she's delcared herself a "millionairess" and has, allegedly, made enough money to put her kids through college and bought herself a four bedroom house. Ashley might go her one better if her upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer does anything to improve her brand status. Not bad work, if you can get it. And it's not surprising considering the glut of glorified hos, male and female, starring in "reality" shows like VH1's Flavor of Love, I Love New York, I Love Money, and one called Tila Tequila Sunrise or something like that, which I never had the chance to view. These shows definitely have their appeal, and I like to watch people act the fool and get down and dirty at times (like a lot people, I suppose it makes me feel better about myself, but that's between me and my therapist), but are your kids watching as well?

Some of the young 'uns in my family are well aware of shows like BET's College Hill, MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen and The Hills, and I have to wonder how they're putting it all into context. I hardly ever see them cracking a book like I used to when I was a kid, so what kind of adults will they turn out to be? I try to mentor them and talk about how reading a book transports me to places far more interesting and richly layered places than I could ever image some of the stuff I see on tv could ever take me, but their eyes just gloss over and they stare at me like I'm an alien from Planet Oblivion, which is actually how I'm viewing them.

I grew up in the late 60's & 70's and, of course, these same arguments were bandied about by the parents of my generation, and I'm sure that they, too were told that that's how it is, things were different and changing, and that The Kids Are Alright. I was young, wild and did my share of walking on the wild side, to boot.

And I ain't about to turn off my tv yet, either.

Fuzzy News: Snoop Dogg Does Martha Stewart

This makes me feel all warm inside! Snoop Dogg made a stop by The Martha Stewart Show to share his recipe for Drive-by Blazin' Mashed Potaytaz. Martha wrote in her blog that she was pleased to have had the chance to catch up on some street code wordz, because as you know, homebuscuit makes it emphatically clear to her audience that one simply must be prepared to accommodate the likes and dislikes of all types of guests, should the occasion arise. Bless her. Personally, I'd be more interested if Snoop had gotten all weeded and then told her, "Yo, but first, I'ma show you how to make some Fo'Shillzlin' Breaded Blunt Fingaz....." But I digress. Here's an example of Martha being blinded by ghetto scientifics:

"He and his posse add ‘izzles’ onto the ends of words. It’s kind of a code, or a way of communicating so that others won’t know what they’re talking about. Example: fo shizzle is how they say, for sure. Snoop Dogg also shared –

Crack-a-lackin – means get something poppin
Chuuuch – means take God everywhere you go and everything will be all right
All hood – means goodBall til ya fall – get as much money as you can before you die"

Deep!

All right, Buscuit, just by having the Dogg as a guest, you proved to me that you wasn't just weaving wire baskets when you did that bid. And that was probably some sh_t you already got from your cellies, anyhow, but the true essense of power is ac'kin like you don't know. Point check. You true gully. And your Ghetto Pass is being printed up as we speak.

Read more here.

Snoop pic credit: Dave Allocca/Startraks

Michael Jackson Sued By A Prince, Prince Also Sued

Timing is everything. Two members of music royalty are being sued, one by a member of royalty, and one by a fragrance company.

Michael Jackson is facing a 7 million lawsuit brought by Bahrain prince Sheikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al-Khalifa as the result of an alleged deal he made with the pop icon. According to the suit, MJ was supposed to deliver a recording, book and musical package, including the much-hyped Hurricane Katrina charity single, which never materialized. Michael fled to Bahrain after his acquittal of molestation charges, and much has been made of his stint in the Arab country before his return to the US shores last year. The prince has also alleged that he paid off a substantial amount of delinquent bills on behalf of the star, including monies owed on the much-beleaguered Neverland Ranch, which is now in foreclosure.

Prince, the purple one, is also being sued. Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics has filed a suit against him for $100,000, alleging that he reneged on a deal to promote a frangrance which was tied in to the album 3121. Now I'm not one for conspiracy theories, especially of the PR kind, but don't you find it rather interesting that three of the biggest icons of the 80's, including Madonna, are embroiled in high profile legal matters? What's next? Ike's children suing Tina Turner for leaving him?

Now that one would be more like it.

MJ photo source

UPDATE: Looks like we can expect more courtroom hijinks from MJ. He says he's too sick to travel for impending lawsuit.

The Roots Skip Vegas, Settles for Tonight Show Gig

Nah Right reports that my favorite hip hop band The Roots is retiring in order to gig as the house band for the upcoming Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
All I can say is, whatever will be, will be.

Diddy Say: Trim and Clean Your Peen Area

Diddy keeps his d_ck garden trimmed and presentation- perfect. I was gonna mention something about if he serves it on a plate or in a box, but...oh, I did mention it after all, didn't I? And ladies, he also prefers that you keep your personal area V.I.P.-tight in a Brazilian way. Just so you know.