Black History....Ernest Withers...Undercover FBI Agent?

You may not know his name, but you know his pictures. Memphis-based civil rights photographer Ernest Withers documented most of the important moments of the civil rights movement, including the murder of Emmitt Till and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King at Memphis’ Lorraine Motel. His work helped exposed the injustices African-Americans faced in the civil rights era, as well as providing a historical marker for generations to come.

But years after his death in 2007, it was revealed that Withers was also a paid FBI informant.

CNN’s Soledad O’Brien profiles this controversial figure in a new documentary, “Pictures Don’t Lie,” airing on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

We talked to her about it.

  How did you get interested in the Ernest Withers story in the first place? I know the “Memphis Commercial Appeal” did a big story on it. Is that how you first found out about it?

SOLEDAD O’BRIEN: Absolutely. And you’ll remember the fallout was national and somewhat international as well. People were really stunned that Ernest Withers was an FBI informant. We were really interested in that story and thought it would be a great subject for doing a longer look at who Ernest Withers was as a human being, and whether his contribution in photojournalism compromised by the allegations. And what was the time like that the FBI would take a guy who was a pillar of the community and try to turn him to be an FBI informant? Those were all the questions we thought hadn’t been answered in their coverage.


Given everything you found in your research, did you come to a conclusion, and if so, what was it?

It is clear that Ernest Withers was informing for the FBI. The real question is why? And the real question was what was the impact of his information? And the real question was what was the era like? I had no idea that there was a thing called the Ghetto Informant Program in the 50’s and 60’s where there were thousands of people [who were a] part of that program in turning people in the ghetto to give information on the civil rights movement.


With COINTELPRO, there was a lot of infiltration of civil rights movements, so was it that surprising that there was also a formal informant program as well?

Part of it, to me, was that the people who ran the Ghetto Informant Program really saw it as very different from COINTELPRO. They thought of it as doing your moral duty for the country, and that’s how they would sell it and spin it. This isn’t spying on your brother - which COINTELPRO was, literally different. That was much more malicious and was out to spread lies and disinformation to undermine a movement.


But how it that different? The intention in both situations was to undermine these movements and have more control over what was going on, or at least knowledge of the activities ...

I would say more knowledge. When you look at Ernest Withers and the others, they weren’t asking Ernest Withers to undermine what Dr. King is doing or spread lies. They were just saying we need to know. Tell us who went to the meeting. As a journalist, you’re doing that anyway. Certainly the FBI saw that as a huge difference between COINTELPRO and the Ghetto Informant Program.


Why would they have needed the information, though? It’s the FBI. They weren’t trying to see who was there to sell them more Girl Scout cookies or something.

People who were trying to turn people thought of those programs very differently.

was no evidence that Ernest Withers was ever spreading misinformation or doing anything where he was reporting on Dr. King’s activities. The FBI folks will tell you that COINTELPRO and the Ghetto Informant Program were very different.

I get it. As an outsider, you and I would say spying is spying, and informing is informing. The comparison that the FBI would use and did use was Neighborhood Watch.


Okay, but in your research did you uncover what the impact of this information would be?

We were looking at the impact of Ernest Withers. This wasn’t a documentary about the Ghetto Informant Program; it was a documentary about Ernest Withers, a man who’s a photojournalist. We did not examine the entire program and compare it to COINTELPRO. When we looked at the information [Withers provided to the FBI], it ran the gamut. Some of it was almost gossipy. Some of it was specific to meetings. But the experts told us that there was no information that he seemed to give that undermined what Dr. King was doing. He was not only a fan of Dr. King’s; he loved him.


But for what purpose was the FBI gathering this information?

The purpose was to understand the movement. That is different than sticking a spy in the situation. And in fact, the reason that Ernest Withers was so valuable was that he was absolutely entrenched so he could give them information about who people were, what they did, what meetings were happening, things like that. Andrew Young’s contention was that [civil rights leaders] were trying to be transparent, so if Ernest Withers made a few bucks doing it, then great.


Ernest Withers had eight children. Did he become an informant because he had those mouths to feed and he wasn’t always getting paid for his photographs?

He had a big family, and clearly, he wasn’t getting paid much for his photographs. Sometimes he wasn’t getting paid at all. Not only did he take those iconic photographs, but he was also taking pictures of people’s families and weddings and graduations. That was his job, and sometimes, he was not well compensated. Clearly as a photojournalist, he was very active in pushing the mission of the movement forward. He was the voice of the Emmitt Till trial and created a book about it.

To me, the motivation is fascinating. We can pick at it and try to figure out what the motivations are but ultimately, Ernest Withers took a lot of secrets to his grave.

50 Cent Plays Cop In New Movie

Rapper 50 Cent has signed on board to star in the new movie Freelancers, which will start shooting next month.

50's Cheetah Vision Films and Hedge Fund Films are producing Freelancers, which being directed by Jesse Terrero.

Freelancers centers around the son [50 Cent] of a slain NYPD detective who joins the police force, and later a group of rogue cops.

According to reports, Freelancers is slated to being filming in late March in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Freelancers will be the second movie in the rapper's recent $200 million, 10-picture deal between his company Cheetah Vision Films, Grindstone Entertainment and Lionsgate.

Rapper Tru Life Sentenced To 10 yrs

Former Roc-A-Fella rapper Tru Life was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in 2009 stabbing that resulted in a murder charge.

The incident started when a suspected drug dealer, was shot in the stomach outside of club Pacha in June of 2009.

Several hours after that crime, police claimed Tru Life and five gang members stabbed 30-year-old Jason Black and killed another teen in a Manhattan area apartment complex.

At the time, police theorized that the back and forth violence was the result of a feud between Jason Black and Tru Life’s brother Marcus Rosado.

Yesterday (February 16th), Tru, born Robert Rosado Life took a plea deal for second-degree murder, resulting in a 10-year-sentence.

Tru Life's brother Marcus Rosado was sentenced to 12-years in prison for his role in the murder and assault.

Actor Kristoff St. John Arrested for DUI

It was a grim Super Bowl Sunday for actor Kristoff St. John of “The Young and the Restless.”

TMZ is reporting that the longtime soap star was arrested for an alleged DUI in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement sources say the TV star – who plays Neil Winters on “Y&R,” was pulled over for speeding on a freeway at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

CHP officers gave St. John field sobriety tests, but he did poorly. He was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The actor was released on $5,000 bail Sunday evening.

Woman Dies After Buttocks Injection...

The British woman who died after having a back-room buttock-enhancement procedure in a Philadelphia hotel was an aspiring hip-hop vixen who was told a bigger booty would make her a star.

Claudia Aderotimi, 20, was a dancer and a choreographer with "a drive to be famous," a heartbroken pal told the U.K.'s Sun newspaper, and had impressed talent scouts after she wore butt-padded pants to a rap-music video audition.

Aderotimi, who sometimes spelled her name Claudiya and used the stage names "Carmella James" and "Carmella London," had once boasted on a British website for wanna-be celebs that "Superstar is my middle name," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
But after scouts discovered her posterior was a fake, her phone stopped ringing, talent scout and friend Tee Ali told the Sun.

"She thought if she had a big booty, she would have been in better videos and been more famous," Ali said.

Aderotimi flew from London to Philadelphia with three other women on Saturday and checked into a Hampton Inn near Philadelphia International Airport.

She and another woman paid more than $1,000 to receive injections to plump their rears. Aderotimi was rushed to the hospital at 1:30 a.m. Monday after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, police said, and died later that day.

Early reports said Aderotimi died after silicone from the shots seeped into her bloodstream and caused a heart attack or coronary embolism.

But Delaware County Medical Examiner Fredric Hellman said Wednesday that a preliminary cause of death wouldn't be known until further testing was completed.

Liquid silicone is commonly used in back-room breast and butt-enhancement procedures, as are paraffin, petroleum jelly and hydrogel.

Injections using these agents are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Aderotimi's friend also received shots in her butt and hips, but did not get sick, police said.

No arrests have been made in the case, but police were questioning a woman in New Jersey who is suspected of setting up the appointment for Aderotimi and the other woman, Philadelphia Police Lt. Ray Evers said Wednesday.

Cops are also hunting for a second woman, who, they said, performed the procedure.

In recent years, similar cases involving women dying or suffering health problems after receiving illegal cosmetic injections have been reported in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles.

Many of the victims come from abroad after being lured by Internet ads promising cheap, safe and quick procedures, experts said.

In the U.S., big bums are all the rage as women aspire to achieve the curves of celebs like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj, and websites and chat forums where users trade butt-enhancement tips have become increasingly popular.

On one chat forum hosted on Topix.com, a user from Los Angeles wrote, "It's like the biggest thing in California now! Girls are all going in for butt jobs so they can look like Kim Kardashian. Some plastic surgeons have special packages now where you can get both your boobs and your butt done for a reduced price!"

Friends and family who gathered at Aderotimi's home in East London on Wednesday night said they were devastated she had gone to such lengths to achieve her dream.

"Claudia was a really pretty girl. I don’t know why she felt she had to have the treatment," a 17-year-old neighbor who did not want to be named told The Mirror. "It's such a waste."

Black History....Dangerfield Newby

During the famous raid on Harper’s Ferry by white abolitionist John Brown, the first black to be killed in his band of freedom fighters was Dangerfield Newby. A slave of Faquier County, Virginia, Newby stood at six-feet, two-inches tall and was a child of his slavemaster, who eventually freed all his mulatto children in 1858.

After gaining freedom, Newby searched for ways to free his wife and seven children. He worked as a blacksmith and raised the $1,500 price that his wife’s master quoted to free her and his youngest child, but once he returned with the money, the price had gone up.

Frustrated with the conditions and unfairness of slavery, Newby connected with the Underground Railroad and joined with Brown, who wished to start a liberation movement among black slaves. Newby decided to free his family by force. Brown had planned a raid on nearby Harper’s Ferry, which was also a city full of guns and little ammunition. In battle, people would stuff guns with anything they could find, including six-inch spikes.

On October 1859, Newby joined in the raid with Brown. The townspeople prepared for a fight, and Newby was killed instantly by a shooting spike in the neck. He was the first. When he died, letters from his wife, Harriet, were found on his body, begging for him to free her and the children. The people of Harper’s Ferry took Newby’s body and stabbed it repeatedly and amputated his limbs. They left his body in the alley to be eaten by hogs.

In addition to Newby, another black fugitive slave who was loyal to Brown, Shields Green, lived to be captured by the law and was hanged after a treason trial. Green’s body was dissected by medical students at Winchester Medical College.

Diet Soda Tied to Stroke Risk, Reasons Unclear

It's far from definitive proof, but new research raises concern about diet soda, finding higher risks for stroke and heart attack among people who drink it every day versus those who drink no soda at all.

The beverage findings should be "a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas," said Dr. Steven Greenberg. He is a Harvard Medical School neurologist and vice chairman of the International Stroke Conference in California, where the research was presented on Wednesday.

A simple solution, health experts say, is to drink water instead.

Doctors have no chemical or biological explanation for why diet soda may be risky. It could be that people who drink lots of it also fail to exercise, weigh more, drink more alcohol or have other risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking. However, the researchers took these and many other factors into account and didn't see a change in the trend.

"It's reasonable to have doubts, because we don't have a clear mechanism. This needs to be viewed as a preliminary study," said lead researcher Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami.

But for those trying to cut calories, "diet soft drinks may not be an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages," she said.

The numbers come from the Northern Manhattan study, which enrolled about 2,500 adults over 40 in the New York area from 1993 to 2001 through random phone calls. Half are Hispanic and one-fourth are black, making it one of the few studies to look at these risks in minorities, who have higher rates of stroke.

Participants filled out a standard survey about their diets at the start of the study, and their health was tracked for nearly 10 years. In that time there were 559 strokes or heart attacks, 338 of them fatal.

Daily diet soda drinkers (there were 116 in the study) had a 48 percent higher risk of stroke or heart attack than people who drank no soda of any kind (901 people, or 35 percent of total participants). That's after taking into account rates of smoking, diabetes, waistline size and other differences among the groups.

No significant differences in risk were seen among people who drank a mix of diet and regular soda.

Earlier studies have tied diet and regular soda consumption to greater risk of diabetes and a group of weight-related problems called the metabolic syndrome.

Some diet soda critics have suggested it can promote a sweet tooth, affecting behavior and how much of a person's diet comes from sugary sources rather than healthier fruits, vegetables and grains.

These sorts of studies just observe groups of people and are not strong enough evidence to prove risk.

"It's too preliminary to suggest any dietary advice," but other big studies should look at this question, Gardener said.

Greenberg, of the stroke association, called it "a real-world" look at possible risk.

Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, said in a statement that there is no evidence "that diet soda uniquely causes increased risk of vascular events or stroke."

"The body of scientific evidence does show that diet soft drinks can be a useful weight management tool, a position supported by the American Dietetic Association. Thus, to suggest that they are harmful with no credible evidence does a disservice to those trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight."

The beverage group's statement also noted researchers didn't adjust their results for family history of stroke. Gardener, the researcher, said that's not "a substantial weakness."

The same federally funded study also looked at a more conventional health risk — salt. It found higher risks for people eating more than 1,500 milligrams a day.

That's the limit the American Heart Association recommends, but last week's new dietary guidelines from the government say it's OK to have a little more.

Researchers found that stroke risk rose 16 percent for every 500 milligrams of salt consumed each day. Those who took in 4,000 or more milligrams of salt had more than 2.5 times greater risk of stroke compared to those who limited themselves to 1,500 milligrams.

A teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium. About three-fourths of the salt we eat, though, comes from processed foods, especially tomato sauce, soups, condiments, and canned foods.

Miss. License Plate Proposed to Honor KKK Icon

A fight is brewing in Mississippi over a proposal to issue specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans wants to sponsor a series of state-issued license plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which it calls the "War Between the States." The group proposes a different design each year between now and 2015, with Forrest slated for 2014.

"Seriously?" state NAACP president Derrick Johnson said when he was told about the Forrest plate. "Wow."

Forrest, a Tennessee native, is revered by some as a military genius and reviled by others for leading an 1864 massacre of black Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. Forrest was a Klan grand wizard in Tennessee after the war.

Sons of Confederate Veterans member Greg Stewart said he believes Forrest distanced himself from the Klan later in life. It's a point many historians agree upon, though some believe it was too little, too late, because the Klan had already turned violent before Forrest left.

"If Christian redemption means anything — and we all want redemption, I think — he redeemed himself in his own time, in his own actions, in his own words," Stewart said. "We should respect that."

State Department of Revenue spokeswoman Kathy Waterbury said legislators would have to approve a series of Civil War license plates. She said if every group that has a specialty license plate wanted a redesign every year, it would take an inordinate amount of time from Department of Revenue employees who have other duties.

SCV has not decided what the Forrest license plate would look like, Stewart said. Opponents are using their imagination.

A Facebook group called "Mississippians Against The Commemoration Of Grand Wizard Nathan Forrest" features a drawing of a hooded klansman in the center of a regular Mississippi car tag.

Robert McElvaine, director of the history department at the private Millsaps College in Jackson, joined the Facebook group. McElvaine said Forrest's role at Fort Pillow and involvement in the Klan make him unworthy of being honored.

"The idea of celebrating such a person, whatever his accomplishments in other areas may have been, seems like a very poor idea," McElvaine told The Associated Press.

Mississippi lawmakers have shown a decidedly laissez-faire attitude toward allowing a wide variety of groups to have speciality license plates, which usually sell for an extra $30 to $50 a year. The state sells more than 100 specialty plates for everything from wildlife conservation to breast cancer awareness. One design says "God Bless America," another depicts Elvis Presley. Among the biggest sellers are NASCAR designs and one with the slogan "Choose Life."

The Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has had a state-issued specialty license plate since 2003 to raise money for restoration of Civil War-era flags. From 2003 through 2010, the design featured a small Confederate battle flag.

The Department of Revenue allowed the group to revise the license plate this year for the first of the Civil War sesquicentennial designs. The 2011 plate, now on sale, depicts the Beauvoir mansion in Biloxi, Miss., the final home of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president.

SCV wants license plates to feature Civil War battles that took place in Mississippi. It proposes a Battle of Corinth design for 2012 and Siege of Vicksburg design for 2013. Stewart said the 2015 plate would be a tribute to Confederate veterans.

Johnson, with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he's not bothered by Civil War commemorative license plates generally. But he said Mississippi shouldn't honor Forrest, who was an early leader of what he calls "a terrorist group."

"He should be viewed in the same light that we view Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden," Johnson said of Forrest. "The state of Mississippi should deny any vanity tags which would highlight racial hatred in this state."

Democratic Rep. Willie Bailey, who handles license plate requests in the House, said he has no problem with SCV seeking any design it wants.

"If they want a tag commemorating veterans of the Confederacy, I don't have a problem with it," said Bailey, who is black. "They have that right. We'll look at it. As long as it's not offensive to anybody, then they have the same rights as anybody else has."

Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin reveals her illness

Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin, best known for her role as Gina on the hit comedy sitcom “Martin” is battling Stage 2 sarcoidosis. She was diagnosed earlier this year. In an interview with ESSENCE.com, Campbell-Martin reveals her illness and talks about family and her dedication to healthy living.

ESSENCE.com: It’s safe to say that you’re focused on staying healthy, yes?

CAMPBELL: [Being in good] health is really important to me. Right now, I’m [battling] a genetic lung disorder called sarcoidosis, which can go into remission. I’m in Stage II and I’m trying to reverse it. I’ve only got one body and I really want to take care of it by working out and eating right.

Sarcoidosis is the same lung disease that killed comedian Bernie Mac in 2008.

Campbell-Martin's other notable accomplishments include the role of Janet Kyle on the Wayans' sitcom "My Wife and Kids", Peaches on the sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" and the "House Party" franchise. She is married to actor Duane Martin.

Another "Kings Of Comedy" ?

Walter Latham couldn’t have predicted how a “Kings of Comedy" sequel would come about, since neither Facebook nor Twitter was around when he produced "The Original Kings of Comedy” tour and hit film over a decade ago.

Now 40, with another standup film on tap, Latham needs your help to choose the next generation of kings worthy to wear the comedy crown.

Following the late, great Bernie Mac, Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey would be difficult on any stage, but on the big screen, it’s a truly daunting challenge. So Latham wants the people’s help. He’s hoping to gain a million followers on Facebook and Twitter to use the power to social media to select the four men who will represent the next generation of comedy on the big screen.

Here’s a portion of our exclusive interview with "The Original Kings of Comedy” creator Walter Latham.


BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM: What made you decide to go the social media route to choose the new kings of comedy?

WALTER LATHAM: We’re doing it differently because times have changed because of social media. When the studio asked me if we wanted to do it, my initial reaction was no. But then I thought, "What if we called it 'Kings: The Next Generation?” There’s definitely people funny enough that can be the next generation, so let me ask the people who they want to see. I started a Twitter and Facebook campaign, and once I get to a million total followers, we’ll make that movie. You can vote for your choice on Twitter @lathament or on the official Facebook voting page.


So, what has been the response thus far?
It went berserk. We have like 2,000 followers now, but the response is crazy. No one has said Steve, Cedric or D.L., and no one has said, "You shouldn’t do that." I don’t know if the followers are just younger or their loyalty is just with these younger guys. No one is saying don’t do it. Everyone wants to see it happen.


Who do the people want to see?

The name getting the most recognition is Kevin Hart because he’s hot right now. Then its Mike Epps and Katt Williams; after that, it’s Rickey Smiley, Bruce Bruce and Earthquake.  That’s probably the next generation because they're not at the stature of the original guys just yet, but they’re on the way.


What made you do "The Original Kings of Comedy?”

In 1997, I said I wanted to do a tour in arenas. At the time, the people I was in touch with were Chris Tucker and Bernie Mac. Only three people would take the chance with me - Steve, Cedric and Bernie. We did 49 shows, and they were all in big, big buildings. I saw the way people were responding, and I’d never seen anything like it. It was almost like a cookout or a family reunion. It was crazy, and I was like, "We can make a movie about this."

At that time, I went to studios, and they were like,"We don’t know who they are, and concert films don’t do that well." We add D.L. to the tour, and we’re breaking records everywhere - three Verizon Centers (in D.C.) two Madison Square Gardens. I go out again, and no studio wants to make this movie. I put up half of my own money, and MTV saw the show at MSG, and we got that movie made. But it took two years and my money!




It's pretty amazing that it was so hard to get made, despite the success you were having around the country
When we first tried to make it happen, Steve had a TV show. I would go into a white [studio] executive’s office on the lot, and they’re like, "Who?" If I go to execs in Hollywood, and you’re Kevin Hart, and you’re selling out shows, and you have a little show on Comedy Central ... when I try to get movies made, they don’t know you. It’s easier now because they actually asked me this time, but it’s still hard to get a movie made when you have black talent. The first thing they say is the movie might do good in America, but it will never do any business overseas. But when our stuff gets made and goes overseas, it does exceptionally well.


So, are you personally pulling for anyone to make “Kings of Comedy: The Next Generation?”

I’m not rooting for anyone. I’m not even playing that game. I’m just looking forward to seeing what the people say

Jim Jones Sued Over Video with Topless Women

Two Texas women say they turned up topless in a Jim Jones video without their permission, and they're suing the New York-based rapper over the "Summer Time" shots.

Sharie Johnson and Samantha Stotts filed a lawsuit against the rapper Wednesday in New York, saying their privacy was violated by the shots in his "Summer Time" video, in which Jones and various others cavort on a tropical beach while he proclaims that he "can't wait for the summer time."

Lawyers for Jones didn't immediately return telephone messages Thursday.

Johnson and Stotts, two Houston-area friends in their 20s, were on a hotel's private beach last May in Miami Beach, Fla., when they noticed the "We Fly High" rapper's film crew and an entourage, their lawyer, Taso Pardalis, said Thursday.

"They weren't too impressed" and didn't know who Jones was, Pardalis said.

The women initially didn't realize they were being recorded and covered up or darted away when they did, Pardalis said. While one shot appeared to be a close-up, it was made from farther away, he said. They were aghast when a friend spotted the video online and alerted them this winter, the attorney said.

Johnson, a college student who works at a doctor's office, and Stotts, who has worked in real estate, want unspecified damages and want to stop the videos from being disseminated. Both Johnson and Stotts are now expectant mothers, he noted.

At least some copies were apparently removed from YouTube on Thursday after getting more than 30,000 views. Representatives for YouTube owner Google Inc. didn't immediately respond to an e-mail inquiry Thursday.

Jones, 34, is one of the Diplomats, a Harlem-based rap crew that also counts Cam'ron, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey among its members.

Jones had one of the top-selling rap songs of 2007 with "We Fly High;" his other hits include "Pop Champagne."

In 2009, he starred in "Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones," an off-Broadway play that chronicled his life on the road and on the streets.

He had a brush with the law in a swanky setting in December 2008, when he punched a friend of R&B crooner Ne-Yo's in the face in the Louis Vuitton store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Jones pleaded guilty the next year to a misdemeanor assault charge and was sentenced to time served — the few hours he was in custody after turning himself in to police.

Jennifer Hudson to Speak About Family Murders on Oprah

Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson will talk about her recent weight loss and the murders of her mother, brother and nephew on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

The Chicago native will also sing during the episode set to air Thursday.

Hudson, a Grammy and Oscar winner, has been a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

In October 2008, the bodies of her mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found in the family's home on Chicago's South Side.

The body of her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found days later in a sport utility vehicle about 10 miles away. All three had been shot.

The estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, is charged with first-degree murder in the killings.

Hudson has repeatedly declined to talk publicly about the killings.

Ohio Coach Makes Racial Slurs To His Undefeated Basketball Team...Team Is Now Boycotting

An Ohio coach may be looking for another job as we speak because of his total lack of judgement when talking to his basketball team … his African American basketball team.

It was obviously quite normal for him to say, “‘Well, you guys don’t go out and play n*gger basketball. ‘Cause this is what they gonna expect ya’ll to do, play n*gger basketball.”

There’s no other way to explain why he would say something like this so matter-of-factly to his team.

Richmond Heights high school’s varsity team coach Jason Popp, is being investigated by the school because of this statement which was retold to reporters by a member of the team, Jordan Early.

Parents and students were outraged by the remark and the team refused to play in a game scheduled for Thursday, forcing the school to postpone until today.  The school superintendent Dr. Linda Hardwick, said that Popp would have an opportunity to attend meetings with parents and school officials to get to the bottom of this fiasco.

Dr. Boyce Watkins gave an eloquent argument on what has happened with this team and the past treatment of black athletes like LeBron James and what led up to his controversial departure from Cleveland.  His entire report is here.  Also, Ohio’s channel 5 reported on the awful treatment of these fine young men. Let’s pray they get justice and Popp will have to pop his butt into the unemployment line.

An Ohio coach may be looking for another job as we speak because of his total lack of judgement when talking to his basketball team … his African American basketball team.

It was obviously quite normal for him to say, “‘Well, you guys don’t go out and play n*gger basketball. ‘Cause this is what they gonna expect ya’ll to do, play n*gger basketball.”

There’s no other way to explain why he would say something like this so matter-of-factly to his team.

Richmond Heights high school’s varsity team coach Jason Popp, is being investigated by the school because of this statement which was retold to reporters by a member of the team, Jordan Early.

Parents and students were outraged by the remark and the team refused to play in a game scheduled for Thursday, forcing the school to postpone until today. The school superintendent Dr. Linda Hardwick, said that Popp would have an opportunity to attend meetings with parents and school officials to get to the bottom of this fiasco.

Dr. Boyce Watkins gave an eloquent argument on what has happened with this team and the past treatment of black athletes like LeBron James and what led up to his controversial departure from Cleveland. His entire report is here. Also, Ohio’s channel 5 reported on the awful treatment of these fine young men. Let’s pray they get justice and Popp will have to pop his butt into the unemployment line.

An Ohio coach may be looking for another job as we speak because of his total lack of judgement when talking to his basketball team … his African American basketball team.

It was obviously quite normal for him to say, “‘Well, you guys don’t go out and play n*gger basketball. ‘Cause this is what they gonna expect ya’ll to do, play n*gger basketball.”

There’s no other way to explain why he would say something like this so matter-of-factly to his team.

Richmond Heights high school’s varsity team coach Jason Popp, is being investigated by the school because of this statement which was retold to reporters by a member of the team, Jordan Early.

Parents and students were outraged by the remark and the team refused to play in a game scheduled for Thursday, forcing the school to postpone until today. The school superintendent Dr. Linda Hardwick, said that Popp would have an opportunity to attend meetings with parents and school officials to get to the bottom of this fiasco.

Dr. Boyce Watkins gave an eloquent argument on what has happened with this team and the past treatment of black athletes like LeBron James and what led up to his controversial departure from Cleveland. His entire report is here. Also, Ohio’s channel 5 reported on the awful treatment of these fine young men. Let’s pray they get justice and Popp will have to pop his butt into the unemployment line.

Star Jones In Fear Of NeNe Leakes

Popeater.com is reporting that the catfight between “Celebrity Apprentice” rivals Star Jones and NeNe Leakes got so heated that Star had to hire her own security detail to keep the Bravo star at bay.

“NeNe is coming unhinged,” a source close to Star tells the website, adding that during taping, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star made La Toya Jackson cry and even got in the face of singing legend Dionne Warwick.

But it’s her beef with Star that is particularly nasty. “Clearly, she can’t get along with women, especially other black women. She is losing it,” said the source.

And NeNe isn’t waiting for the show to begin to make known her dislike for Star. As previously reported, she made her feelings known during a visit to “The Wendy Williams Show” this week.

“I’m not feeling Star Jones, I’m sorry. I gave her a chance when I first got there, I did,” she told Wendy, later adding, “I wouldn’t spit on Star if she was on fire.”

A friend of Star’s tells Popeater that Star will rise above the negative. That said, she feels that NeNe could be a physical threat to her, so she has hired her own private security guards.

“Star is a real celebrity, not some cheap reality star who is enjoying 15 minutes of fame,” the friend says. “She’s a lawyer and a lady. NeNe can say what she wants about Star, but she doesn’t care now that she knows she’s safe.”

Of course, Donald Trump is loving all of this buzz for the show, which premieres on March 6.

“This is the most dramatic season of ‘The Apprentice’ ever. It might just be the best television catfight of all time,” a show source tells the website. “Donald Trump loved it. He’s no fool. He knows that this sort of drama is tv gold.”

50 Cent Names His Dog Oprah

That Fifty Cent has quite a sense of humor. He’s also pretty much insured he’ll never appear on anything Oprah Winfrey has to do with, either.

It’s well documented that he has a problem with the media queen because of past comments about hip-hop.

In a hilarious confession on the Conan O’Brien show, Fifty (real name Curtis Jackson), explained why his pooch is named after the most powerful woman on television.

“At first I thought Oprah Winfrey didn’t like hip-hop, so I didn’t like her and I hadn’t had a chance to meet her, so I felt it was wrong to hate someone that you hadn’t had a chance to meet. So I bought the dog, so now I love Oprah … She listens to me and everything,” 50 explained.

50 also spoke on his run-ins with Gayle and his subliminal flirting with her. He also says that when he grows his facial hair he can pull the older ones.

Jamie Foxx Gets Into Fight

Jamie Foxx was in a fistfight at an Usher concert at Hollywood’s club Avalon.  According to TMZ’s sources inside the concert, the pushing and shoving began just as Usher hit the stage. Foxx was in an exclusive VIP area near the venue’s stage when someone took a shot at Foxx, who defended himself. The police was not called, and Foxx quietly left the club shortly after.
Damien Dante Wayans, part of the Wayans family and nephew to Keenan and Damon, witnessed the fight and said it was a “little altercation between two friends” and said that the two were probably at a diner laughing about it.

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http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=2e4f7821-af35-4a59-8340-53c295478073&isShareURL=true

Talk About Grooming Your Child....

In the past year, the children of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have gone from standing beside their superstar parents at red carpet events to having the red carpet rolled out especially for them.
It began last summer with 12-year-old Jaden's box-office hit, "The Karate Kid," which pulled in $55 million in its first weekend and went on to gross $359 million worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The soundtrack featured a song from teen pop star Justin Bieber, with Jaden showing off his rapping skills.

Now Jaden's headed for the Grammys on February 13, where he'll perform alongside Usher and Bieber. His 10-year-old sister, Ms. "Whip My Hair" Willow, is gearing up to join the Biebs as he tours Europe in March.
The youngest Smith recently unveiled a preview listen of her second single, an uptempo track called "21st Century Girl." An album, she promised on Twitter, is coming "VERY soon!!"
The spotlight on these two has only gotten brighter recently, particularly with news that Willow is set to star in a remake of "Annie," being produced by her parents and Jay-Z, who also has signed her to his Roc Nation label. (Anyone up for a game of six degrees of separation from a fifth-grader?)
But the children's ascent hasn't been without criticism. Some question if the two are being shoved into the spotlight at too young an age, while others are put off by the Smith parents actively creating opportunities for their kids. The conspiracy theorists may fret that the Smiths are strategically trying to take over the world (of entertainment, at least).
Yet neither of these preteens is new to showbiz. At 5, Jaden popped up on the sitcom "All of Us" (on which his older half-brother Trey, whom Will had from a previous marriage, also appeared), and followed that with roles in his dad's film "The Pursuit of Happyness" and Keanu Reeves' "The Day the Earth Stood Still." At 7, Willow appeared in the Will Smith vehicle "I Am Legend," and by the following year, she was acting alongside Abigail Breslin in "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl."
"We knew that Will and Jada had these two kids -- and that Will had Trey -- but they were so quiet," recalls Rachel Chang, editor-in-chief of teen celebrity magazine J-14. "And then they just exploded out of nowhere."
So how did they go from Will and Jada's cute kids to actor/musicians? Well, a few things happened in the past year -- namely, a sense of individual style.
"They started killing it on the red carpet during the 'Karate Kid' premieres," Georgia Toomey, editor of Yahoo's young Hollywood, Crush. "It was obvious right from the start that they had someone styling who knew what they were doing."
Indeed. Willow's red carpet attire in particular -- the Day-Glo colors, the animal print mixed with hammer pants, the hairdo that called to mind an older pop ingenue from Barbados who's also known for her signature looks -- became a conversation piece. The young star has been styled by the same sartorial minds that work with Rihanna, and the attention paid to her eye-catching (for better or worse) get-ups only snowballed after the colorful music video for "Whip My Hair" was released.
"To be totally honest, the first few times she appeared in our magazine was for her crazy fashion," says J-14's Chang, "but that's what got her noticed. For a little girl to dress crazy and confident like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, that got her noticed first."
Her look may have started the buzz, but what drove it home was the kids' self-assurance, says Tamar Anitai, editor of MTV's Buzzworthy blog, where talk about Willow can nowadays be a weekly occurrence.
"It's almost like a lot of adults are surrendering," Anitai jokes of the kids' popularity. "They have so much personality, and it seems like it's their own. It doesn't seem like they've been media-trained, or (that) they're speaking in sound bites. They're good kids, but precocious -- they have swagger."
Plus there's the obvious, Anitai adds: "Their parents are such megastars." The Smiths, not unlike the Brangelinas of the world, are "the closest thing we have to American royalty."
With the duo gearing up for more work -- Willow with an album and "Annie," Jaden reportedly doing M. Night Shyamalan's "One Thousand A.E." -- it looks like the fever for these two will only escalate, not quite unlike the stronghold their pal Bieber has created.
"I think the thing is, they've proved themselves," Toomey says. "Yeah, there's a bit of nepotism involved, but they're actually talented. ... Jaden was successful in ('The Karate Kid') role, and he's a great little actor." She adds, "You see Willow in that ('Whip My Hair') video and she's so full of energy and has a great vibe. They're out to conquer the world basically."
Chang agrees these two have enough talent and personality to sustain them through the bumps of growing up in the spotlight.
"When you hear that another celebrity kid is trying to make it famous, you think, 'Oh God, here we go again,' " Chang says. "But they did it uniquely in their own way and separately from each other. These two have an appeal that goes beyond just our audience; even moms and dads can recognize them. I think they have a long career ahead."

Janet Jackson “I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn’t feel attractive."

In an exclusive interview with TODAY's Meredith Vieira, Janet Jackson reveals that her struggles with her body image were once so severe, "I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn't feel attractive. ... There was a lot of pain in my life. But I did. I felt very unattractive," Jackson said.
The singer/actress writes about the incident in her new book "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself," saying that she's better off now than when she was in her 20s, and "Rhythm Nation" was topping the charts. "I still have issues with it. I don't bang my head up against the wall, but I still have those moments.  And I think it'll probably continue but at least I know how to deal with it now. And I'm in a much better space," she told Vieira.
The issues Jackson had might stem back to how she was treated by her brothers, including Michael, who had nicknames for her like "Horse, pig, cow, slaughter-hog," she said."

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