Bring That Week Back: Week of November 13
Toni Braxton makes headlines. BET mourns death of digital news producer. Get all the top stories of the last week.
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Shaq's Wife Begins Divorce Proceedings - Citing irreconcilable differences in their relationship, Shaunie O’Neal, the wife of NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, filed papers with Los Angeles Superior Court seeking a divorce from her husband. It is believed by Shaq's lawyers that Shaunie filed paperwork in L.A. in an effort to receive more money in spousal support.
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Push at the Box Office - “Precious,” the hit movie that landed in theaters last week, is buzzing after raking in a record $100,000 per location – even though it opened in limited release in only 174 theaters. The flick, an urban tale of domestic violence and sexual abuse, is based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire and directed by Lee Daniels of “Monster’s Ball” fame. It is expected to move into national release during Thanksgiving weekend.
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Obama Heads to Asia - Making his first trip to Asia as commander in chief, this week President Obama will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum to discuss the global economy. Obama will tour China, Singapore and South Korea.
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Lil Boosie to Spend 36 Months in Prison - Torrence Hatch, better known to rap fans as Lil' Boosie, will spend 36 months in a Louisiana prison for violating his probation on weapon charges. Boosie is best known for songs “Wipe Me Down” and “Independent.”
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A Tribute to M.J. - LeBron James is hanging up his number 23 jersey out of respect for none other than the man who made the number magical in the first place: Michael Jordan. James made the announcement after his Cleveland Cavaliers played the Miami Heat. He encouraged the entire league to retire their 23s.
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Obama Remembers Fallen Soldiers at Ft. Hood - The President and First Lady participated in a memorial service for the 13 people who lost their lives during the tragic shooting at Ft. Hood Army Base in Texas. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is suspected of committing the murders as well as wounding more than 40 people.
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Deval Patrick Honors Vets - Hundreds of U.S. Armed Service veterans gathered at the State House Hall of Flags in Massachusetts as Gov. Deval Patrick honored U.S. fighting men and women on Veterans Day. Patrick is Massachusetts’ first African-American Governor.
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BET Mourns Loss of News Producer - Tracy Stokes, the News Producer who produced several popular BET.com franchises including ‘Bring That Week Back,’ has joined the ancestors after a long battle with kidney disease. Stokes, 37, a native of Clinton, N.C., was a stellar journalist, photographer and colleague, and will be missed.
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Woman Honored for Saving Life - Charice Lewis, a train conductor for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Company in Boston, was honored for heroism for her efforts to save the life of a woman who fell onto the train tracks just moments before a locomotive was set to strike her. Lewis was able to stop the train within inches of running over the woman. No one was hurt in the incident.
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Heading to Court - On December 10, pop superstar Beyonce Knowles is expected to testify in a Chicago federal court. Rickey Allen (the plaintiff), a songwriter, is claiming he wrote the Destiny’s Child hit “Cater 2 U,” but was not given credit for the song on the group’s 2004 “Destiny Fulfilled” album. Allen claims he copyrighted the song, which was credited to Knowles, three times.
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T.K.O. at LAX - Boxing champ Mike Tyson was arrested and released on suspicion of misdemeanor after he reportedly slugged a photographer at LAX Wednesday. Tyson was traveling with his wife and 10-Year-Old daughter when he said the paparazzo became aggressive trying to get a photo of them. After Tyson’s punch in “self defense” the man fell to the ground and was treated for a cut to the forehead.
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Call for Death<bR> Penalty for Malvo - Lee Boyd Malvo remains in prison serving a life sentence after being convicted of carrying out one of the most terrifying crime sprees in American history. A growing number of activists believe Malvo should be put to death like John Allen Muhammad.
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Sosa Admits to Bleaching Skin - Former Major League Baseball slugger Sammy Sosa admitted to bleaching his skin after a series of disturbing pictures popped up online. Sosa, who hit more than 600 home runs in his career, was spotted with his new, lighter-tone skin at the Latin Grammy Awards.
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Aha: Oprah Settles Lawsuit - Oprah Winfrey and Mutual of Omaha settled their disagreement over the use of the phrase, “aha.” The term, according to Oprah's lawyers, is a staple of Winfrey's show. Mutual of Omaha believed differently. Terms of the settlement have not been released.
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50 Cent Spends $20,000 a Week on Security - Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson spends $1 million or $20,000 a week securing his Connecticut mansion and person. 50 told reporters the security is necessary to protect his property from theft, paparazzi and frivolous lawsuits.
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New Jersey Mayor Leaves Office - Growing tired of racial threats and damage to his property, Charles Tyson, the first Black mayor of South Harrison Township, is stepping down. He is leaving because he is “worn down” from racism.
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Alabama Town Starts Obama Holiday - Offices in Perry County, Ala., were closed on Monday as the 11,000-person community celebrated the ‘Barack Obama Holiday.' According to the Associated Press, the five-day celebration marked a time to reflect on the civil rights struggle and the accomplishment of electing the first Black President of the United States. Despite criticism that it could not afford another paid holiday, the town held a rally and march, a golf tournament, a weekend carnival and a parade.
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Steele: White Republicans are Scared of Me - Never one to miss the opportunity to stir controversy, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele, during a nationally televised interview, accused some White Republicans of being scared of him during their interactions. Steele said he tries to calm their fears by telling them he's on their team. Steele believes the GOP must do more on the economy and education to appeal to Black voters.
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"Special Performance" - Haven’t watched the American Music Awards in a while? You might be watching this year. The AMAs nominated Michael Jackson for five posthumous awards. To top it off, little sister Janet Jackson will open the show with what producers of the show are calling a special performance. Janet also has an album coming out soon with her number one hits.
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DMX Owes $1.5 Million in Back Taxes - The Internal Revenue Service and the state of New York are telling DMX to “stop being greedy.” The embattled rapper has been saddled by legal woes and reported struggles with drugs in recent years, and now the tax agencies claim he hasn’t paid taxes since 2005 and owes more than $1.5 million.
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Bobby Jones Gives Works to HBCU - Gospel legend Bobby Jones has donated 30 years of recordings to his alma mater Tennessee State University along with exclusive rights to his works and music. The donation by BET’s “Bobby Jones Gospel” host is appraised at $6 million.
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14 Years - Odane Greg Maye, 18, a former Hampton University student, will spend 14 years in prison for shooting a security guard and a pizza delivery man during a rampage on campus. Maye said he shot the men in order to force police to kill him. Both men have since recovered physically from the April shooting.
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13-Year Sentence - Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.
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Conyers: Obama Must 'Knock Heads' - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation allowing for a national system of health care. But it means nothing, according to the Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, if the President doesn't knock heads in the Senate to get them to pass the bill. Rep. John Conyers said the President must hold Democrats in the Senate together in order for the legislation to become law. It is expected to be a tough fight to get the votes required for the bill to pass.
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Tuskegee Airman Gives Museum Medal - Charles Williams, a 93-year-old Tuskegee Airman, has donated his Congressional Medal of Honor and other keepsakes to the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio. The museum, located near the campuses of Wilberforce University and Central State University, will keep the mementos on permanent display.
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BET Examines Obesity in Black America - This Sunday, BET News and Star Jones will examine the growing obesity epidemic in “Heart of the City: Dying to Eat in Jackson.” African Americans are the most obese ethnic group in the United States, and Jackson, Miss., is a city with startling obesity statistics. The program will be broadcast on Sunday, November 15, at 10 p.m./9C on BET.
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"Absolutely Convinced" - Speaking in Asia, President Obama announced Friday that he is “absolutely convinced” that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and other terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay will be subject to the “most exacting demands of justice” when they are tried in New York City. The Obama administration announced its plan today to hold trials on U.S. soil.
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Chris Brown Makes<bR> 106 & Park Appearance - Chris Brown responded to ex-girlfriend Rihanna and apologized to fans on BET's 106 & Park Thursday. The R&B singer talked about the challenges he has faced since the incident and urged fans to consider the consequences of their actions.
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Life in Prison - The man convicted of murder after beating a Little Rock, Ark., TV anchor so severely that he “broke her face like an egg” will spend the rest of his life in prison. Curtis Lavelle Vance, shouts that the system is corrupt, as he leaves the Little Rock, Ark., Pulaski County Courthouse, late Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, after he was convicted of killing TV anchor Anne Pressly.
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Gucci Mane Goes<bR>To Jail - Rapper Gucci Mane (né Radric Davis) was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison for violating his probation. The charge resulted from a run-in with a club promoter. Although he’ll be locked up for a while, Mane can look at the bright side: he has two hits heating up the rap charts, “Spotlight” and “Wasted.”
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Katt Williams Arrested, Denies Burglary Charges - Comedian Katt Williams spent the weekend in a rural Georgia jail after being accused of breaking into a home and stealing more than $3,500 in jewelry. Attorneys for Williams said the comedian had permission from the owner to be in the home and that the whole incident is nothing but a huge misunderstanding.
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Communications Director Leaves White House - Anita Dunn, interim communications director for the White House, has resigned her position to go back to the private sector. Dunn, who led the recent White House attack on Fox News, informed the administration of her desire to go back to private consulting before taking the interim job.
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Rihanna Rocks L.A. - Jay-Z had a surprise for fans who gathered at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles: Rihanna. The superstar performer – who will release her highly anticipated album, “Russian Roulette” on Nov. 23 – joined Jay-Z onstage to perform “Run This Town” and her new single, “Hard.”
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A.I. to Retire? - NBA superstar Allen Iverson may call it a career as he takes a leave of absence from the Memphis Grizzlies to determine his future in the league. Iverson is not happy with his playing time and believes he should start. There is no deadline for his decision.