Bring That Week Back: Week of Oct. 18
Monica's engaged | Swizz Beatz is sued | Clarence Thomas' wife calls Anita Hill. Plus more!
1 / 19
Md. Detective Killed Over Parking Space - Police in Maryland charged 25-year-old Sian James on Sunday with first-degree murder in the death of a Baltimore police detective killed during a dispute over a parking space. According to witnesses, James picked up a rock or a piece of concrete and threw it at the off-duty Detective Brian Stevenson, who was out celebrating his birthday. Stevenson died from the blow.
2 / 19
Pregnancy Rumors - The internet was abuzz this week with the latest round of Beyoncé pregnancy rumors. Earlier in the week Us Magazine reported that the singer was expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z. However, mom Tina Knowles denied the rumors while taping her appearance on “The Ellen DeGenerse Show.” “No, it’s not true. Not right now. I’m looking forward to it. With all the rumors, by now I should have about five or six grandchildren,” she said.
3 / 19
Police Kill NY College Football Player - Pace University football player Danroy “D.J.” Henry, 20, was shot and killed by police officers last Saturday after he sped away from an officer who tapped on his car window outside of a New York bar. Police say that Henry hit an officer who clung to his hood, but friends and family members remain skeptical saying that they used “aggressive” and “excessive force” against him. New York State Police are investigating the incident.
4 / 19
Monica is Engaged - After months of dating, Monica is reportedly engaged to her Los Angeles Laker boyfriend, Shannon Brown. The singer recently Tweeted a pic of herself wearing the massive ring. She and Brown started dating after he appeared in her “Love All Over Me” video back in June.
5 / 19
Clarence Thomas’ Wife Wants an Apology - Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Virginia, called Anita Hill asking her to apologize for accusing her husband of sexually harassing her 19 years ago. Hill, who had worked for Thomas before he was selected to the court by former President George H.W. Bush, thought the Oct. 9 voice message was “inappropriate” and contacted the public safety office of Brandeis University (where she is currently a professor). Virginia Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, defended her phone call in a statement.
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6 / 19
Swizz Beatz Sued - Producer Antawnn Frost is suing Swizz Beatz and rapper Cassidy for $1.5 million. Frost, who worked with the pair to co-produce the hit song “My Drink N My 2 Step,” claims in the lawsuit filed Monday that he’s been duped out of royalties for the song. Beatz originally offered him $5,000 and 5 percent ownership of the song, but Frost thinks he should have equal partnership now.
7 / 19
Hundreds March Over Proposed South African Law - About 300 protesters hit the streets of South Africa Tuesday, in protest of a proposed media law that would jail reporters for releasing information that officials want kept secret. Many demonstrators taped their mouths and held signs that said, “Stop the return to apartheid secrecy.” Despite the proposed legislation, President Jacob Zuma says that his country’s government is committed to media freedom.
8 / 19
Baltimore Black Male Students Improve - The latest numbers show good news for Black male students in Baltimore. According to school officials, they have improved their graduation rate and decreased their dropout rate at a faster pace than students city-wide. While the rate is still behind the school system as a whole, in 2007 there were 1,537 Black males who graduated, and about just as many dropouts. But this year, there were 1,724 grads and only 593 dropouts.
9 / 19
Rutgers' Player Paralyzed During Game - Eric LeGrand, defensive tackle for Rutgers’ football team, was paralyzed during an Oct. 15 game against Army after making a tackle. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior laid on the field for five minutes after the hit while medical teams attended to him. LeGrand will remain in the hospital for the near future.
10 / 19
Kanye West Says He Had Considered Suicide - During a screening of his video film, “Runaway,” rapper/producer Kanye West revealed to the audience that he had thought about killing himself in the past. But he turned away from suicide because he now feels responsible to contribute to pop culture and art. “There’s so many people that will never get the chance to have their voice heard,” he said Monday. “I do it for them.”
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11 / 19
Ex-NFL Star Drives Off Cliff After Arrest - Former NFL great Junior Seau drove his white Cadillac SUV off the road into a beach Monday following his arrest for domestic violence in an incident involving his 25-year-old live-in girlfriend. Seau, who last played with the New England Patriots, told investigators that he fell asleep while driving. Police say there isn’t any evidence of drug or alcohol involved. Seau sustained minor injuries in the crash and was released from the hospital the next day.
12 / 19
President Obama to Appear On “MythBusters” - The president has taped a segment for the Discovery Channel show “MythBusters” that is set to air Dec. 8. The show uses science to investigate whether an urban legend is truth or fiction. President Obama’s participation is part of his administration’s efforts to promote math and science education. On Monday, he hosted a White House science fair celebrating students who won competitions across the nation.
13 / 19
Nick & Mariah Picking Baby Names - He’s still not confirming whether or not his wife, Mariah Carey, is pregnant. But Nick Cannon did tell OK magazine that they have been tossing around baby names. “We’ve been naming our kids since the day we met,” he said. On Mariah being a mother, he said, “She’s going to be amazing. I will be a good dad too, but she’s such a nurturing spirit, she’ll be good.”
14 / 19
Magic Sells Lakers Share - Businessman and former NBA great Magic Johnson sold his 4.5 percent share of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Johnson called the move a “bittersweet business decision,” but some speculate that he could be eyeing a larger share in another NBA team or that he might be freeing up money in an effort to bring a professional football team to L.A.
15 / 19
Sidibe Lands New Role - Actress Gabourey Sidibe, of “Precious” fame, has landed another top role in the comedy, “Tower Heist,” which will also co-star Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. The movie is about investors attempting to get revenge after they are conned in a Ponzi scheme.
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16 / 19
Juan Williams Fired - NPR news analyst Juan Williams was fired late Wednesdays for controversial remarks he made Monday on “The O’Reilly Factor.” "When I get on a plane … if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think…they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous," he said. In a statement NPR said the comments, “undermined his credibility as a news analyst.” Williams was signed to a multiyear deal at Fox News, shortly after.
17 / 19
Ohio Man Pleads Not Guilty in Gunpoint Abortion Ca - An Ohio man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder after being charged with trying to force his girlfriend at gunpoint to have an abortion. Police say Holt-Reid, 27-year-old father of six, pulled a gun Oct. 6 on his three-months-pregnant girlfriend, Yolanda Burgess, and forced her to drive to an abortion clinic. Burgess didn’t go through with the procedure and managed to slip a note to an employee. Holt-Reid is being held on a $350,000 bond.
18 / 19
NFL Fines Players for Hits - On Tuesday, the NFL fined three players for their hard hits in Sunday’s games. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ James Harrison will have to pay $75,000 while the New England Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather and the Atlanta Falcons’ Dunta Robinson were each fined $50,000. The league has recently ramped up its punishment for hard hits, and will soon begin to suspend players for infractions.