Bring That Week Back - Week of July 12
How is Janet Jackson coping with her brother's death? An NBA star leaves his bride at altar; Plus more!
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Off the Hook - Weeks after her brother's death, Janet is getting some good news. A Manhattan judge has let her off the hook in a $120 million lawsuit, The New York Post reports. The judge found that Leonard Salati, who filed suit against Jackson in 2005, was not roughed up by her bodyguard when he went to say goodbye to Jackson inside Club Marquee in Chelsea. The judge also ruled that his alleged assailants were employees of a security firm that had been hired by the club.
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'All Seems Well' - Meanwhile, Malik Yoba, Jackson's love interest in Tyler Perry's 2007 film "Why Did I Get Married?," took to his audio blog Saturday on location for the "Married" sequel, saying that she was back on the Atlanta, Ga., set. "For those of you who are curious about the state of Ms. Jackson, all seems well," Yoba said. Yoba also indicated that the cast will shoot for another week in Georgia, then head to the Bahamas for more filming.
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‘Michael Was Murdered’ - Speaking out for the first time since Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 25, the singer's sister LaToya Jackson alleges that her brother was “murdered.” In an exclusive interview with London newspaper the News of the World, LaToya says, “We don't think just one person was involved in the murder," she added, refusing to name the people she believes are responsible for the death during her four-hour interview in L.A. “It was a conspiracy to get Michael's money."
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Jackson 3? - Michael Jackson's father, Joe, is reportedly lining up the King of Pop's children for a world tour as “The Jackson Three,” according to FOX News. Joe Jackson is said to have approached Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and 7-year-old Prince Michael II, about hitting the stage next year. He has also reportedly offered recording contracts to two of Michael’s kids. At least one of Michael's family members is said to be "livid" at the scheme, the news agency reports.
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Sold for $4 Mil? - Michael Jackson's baby mama Debbie Rowe has sold her kids again – this time squeezing about $4 million from her former mother-in-law in exchange for giving up her parental rights, a family source told The New York Post Monday. The family isn't happy about the mega-payout – but they consider it a necessary evil, the source said.
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Michael’s Kids - An unidentified source told ContactMusic.com that Michael wanted his sister Janet to look after his kids with help from his mom Katherine, and was planning to draft a new will to reflect those wishes. "Janet was the one person he spoke to regularly and he made sure the children kept in touch with her too," the source said, adding that the children automatically turn to her for comfort and direction.
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Concert Merchandise - Michael Jackson's comeback concerts will never happen, but you can still get the T-shirt. Merchandise from Jackson's "This Is It" tour, which was scheduled to begin Monday in London, will be available online and at retailers across the United States. Jackson helped design the concert T-shirts, belt buckles, caps and other souvenirs. A spokesman for the merchandising company said that Michael wanted functional and fun items that his fans would like.
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McNair Mourned - Nearly 5,000 turned out Saturday to say goodbye to 36-year-old NFL star Steve McNair, who was shot and killed on the Fourth of July by a girlfriend who then turned the gun on herself. McNair’s family, old friends and fans filed into the Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, and McNair's family rented buses to haul in people from his hometown of Mount Olive.
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Steve Left No Will - McNair's widow, Mechelle, will handle his estate because he left no will, a judge ruled Wednesday. She has 60 days to file an inventory of her late husband's assets, which court documents claim is "of sufficient size to be administered." McNair listed herself and their sons, Tyler and Trenton, as the heirs to the estate. McNair fathered two other sons, Steve Jr. and Steven, in a previous relationship.
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Grave Undisturbed - Michelle Obama's father is among those buried at a cemetery near Chicago where workers are accused of digging up and dumping bodies to resell plots, the first lady's office confirmed Tuesday. There was no indication Fraser Robinson's grave was among those disturbed at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, the Chicago Tribune reported. Three former gravediggers and a former cemetery manager have each been charged in the alleged scheme. They allegedly made about $300,000 in reselling plots.
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Offer Rejected - Amid a storm of racial controversy, a Philadelphia day camp, whose mostly Black and Hispanic children were asked to leave the private, suburban Valley Swim Club, has rejected the club's invitation to return and announced plans to sue, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Members of the Valley Club reportedly removed their children from the pool, while making racial comments on June 29. About 45 families, along with the day camp itself, are to be plaintiffs in the case.
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Being Settled - Eastman Kodak Co. has agreed to pay $21.4 million to settle legal action brought by Black workers who claim the photography products maker discriminated against them. The deal, given preliminary approval by a federal judge last month, would have the company paying amounts ranging from $1,000 to $75,000 to more than 3,000 past and current workers. Kodak is admitting no wrongdoing and says it agreed to the settlement to avoid further litigation.
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Fighting Racism - The NAACP launched a program called the "rapid response system" Monday that allows people to capture photos or video of incidents of alleged police misconduct on their cell phones and send them through a Web browser to the organization or upload it through a computer. The database will provide a more accurate account in real time of what's happening in our communities, the group said.
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Obama Salutes NAACP - Speaking for 45 minutes in his first address as head of state to the nation's oldest Black organization Thursday night, President Obama insisted there can be "no excuse" for failure by Blacks. The president also saluted the work of civil rights leaders from generations past and depicted the NAACP's work as part of the mainstream of American values.
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Taking Over - The son of Brooklyn's late Godfather of Gospel, the Rev. Timothy Wright, took over at his father's church this past Saturday. The New York Daily News reported that 30-year-old David Wright was officially named pastor of Grace Tabernacle Christian Center in Crown Heights during an afternoon service on Friday. The elder Wright died in April, nine months after a devastating car crash left him paralyzed and killed his wife, Betty, and 14-year-old grandson, D.J.
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15-Year-Old Pilot - Trained to fly in a program for disadvantaged youths, 15-year-old Kimberly Anyadike is believed to be the youngest African-American female pilot to fly solo across the country. Anyadike, who took off from Compton, Calif., 13 days ago in a single-engine Cessna with Levi Thornhill, who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, said she "wanted to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves."
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Lieutenant Governor? - "Apprentice" winner Randal Pinkett may be auditioning for a different role: New Jersey lieutenant governor. Pinkett's name is among those being floated for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic gubernatorial ticket. If chosen from a narrowing list of contenders, Pinkett would apprentice under Gov. Jon Corzine, the incumbent seeking re-election. Corzine’s campaign spokesman said no decision has been made. Running mates must be named by July 27.
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New NASA Chief - Charles Bolden, a former astronaut and firm believer in manned exploration of space, is set to pilot NASA. Bolden, 62, was voted in unanimously by the U.S. State Senate Thursday, making him the first African American to head the space agency.
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Enthusiastic Welcome - President Obama received an enthusiastic welcome in Ghana, where he was embraced as family. Obama, the son of a Kenyan father, spoke of his personal connection to Africa's tragic past, but said the time has come for Africans to take control of their own destiny. He called on a new generation of Africans to build democracy, create opportunity, fight corruption, and end the long cycle of strongman rule and conflict on the continent.
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The Doctor Is In - Obama announced Monday his choice for surgeon general – Dr. Regina Benjamin, a 52-year-old family practice doctor, who has spent most of her career tending to the needs of poor patients in a Gulf Coast clinic in Alabama. "When people couldn't pay, she didn't charge them," Obama said. "When the clinic wasn't making money, she didn't take a salary for herself." He called Benjamin "a relentless promoter" of programs to fight preventable illness.
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Unemployment Climbing - On Tuesday, the president declined to predict how high unemployment will climb, but made clear he expects it to keep worsening for a while as hiring lags behind other signs of economic recovery. More than 2 million jobs have been lost since Congress passed Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package. Without that government intervention, Obama said, states like Michigan would be in worse shape because they would have had to lay off more teachers, firefighters and other workers.
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Vaccine Delayed - A fully licensed swine flu vaccine might not be available until the end of the year, a top official at the World Health Organization said Monday, in a report that could affect many countries' vaccination plans. The swine flu viruses currently being used to develop a vaccine aren't producing enough of the ingredient needed for the vaccine. Last week, WHO reported nearly 95,000 cases of swine flu worldwide including 429 deaths.
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Sued for Child Support - One of Akon’s baby mommas is suing for child support. Sara Coleman and the rapper have a 6-month-old child together. According to Coleman, her lawyer has been trying to reach him to serve him with court papers, TMZ reports. Akon is the father of five kids by three different women. He has four boys and one girl. He also claims to be married to only one woman, despite reports of him having several wives.
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Runaway Groom - NBA groom Richard Jefferson of the Spurs got cold feet this past weekend and backed out of his wedding without informing many of the guests. According to the New York Post, Richardson was scheduled to marry former New Jersey Nets dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols. A few days before the big day, Jefferson called off the ceremony and broke up with his fiancée. Unfortunately, nobody told a significant number of the guests.
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'I'm Going To Do It' - NFL star Chad Ochocinco says he isn't about to let the NFL tell him what he can and can't do during games. The Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver had already declared that he wanted to Tweet (post to Twitter) during NFL games, and the NFL already gave him a very firm “no.” But he told SportsFanLive that he plans on doing it anyway. "When I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it, regardless of what they say," Ochocinco said.
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Facing Jail Time - Antoine Walker could be facing jail time for writing bad checks. The 32-year-old ex-NBA star wrote 10 bad checks, totaling $1 million to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort, according to documents from the Clark County District Attorneys Office, which were provided to The Associated Press. Walker, who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, reportedly paid back $178,000 of the debts, which were incurred between July and January
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Sasha Fierce Collection - Beyoncé is pushing the identity of her alto-ego Sasha Fierce even further. According to Women's Wear Daily, Bey and her mom, Tina Knowles, are planning to launch a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon. The collection will include sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry. It has already been picked up by department stores such as Macy's and Dillard's.
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‘Making His Band’ - Diddy formed the groups Day 26, Danity Kane and Da Band, but this summer the mogul will take on the task of finding and molding 'His Band'. Slated for premiere on MTV July 27 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Diddy, along with a few recognizable faces, will embark on the creation of what is being called his last album, "Last Train to Paris," and the creation of a band that will perform live with the Bad Boy and Sean Jean mogul.
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Dropped? - R&B singer Brandy says rumors about her being booted from Epic Records is a flat-out lie. After receiving word that BV Buzz confirmed that she had been dropped because of lackluster sales from her comeback album, "Human," Brandy wrote on Twitter, "#notagoodlook when so called journalist spread false rumors without the facts:)." According to BV Buzz, the album has only sold 196,509 copies since its Dec. 8, 2009 release.
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Top Spot - Maxwell’s long-awaited return to music landed at the top spot on this week’s charts. “BLACKsummers'night,” the singer's first album in eight years, sold approximately 319,000 copies to take the No. 1 spot.
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The Wendy Williams Show - "The Wendy Williams Show" made its debut on BET this week. Williams, who has made quite a name for herself with her pull-no-punches interviewing style, takes on current events and pop culture. Tune in weeknights at 11 p.m./1OC for gossip, straight talk and laughs.