Carey/Medina rumors; vintage Hendrix album; Carl Weathers divorce; Atlanta Mayor’s ex-husband dies; Ashford & Simpson live; NAMIC lauds Hunter-Gault September 10, 2008

The New York Post’s Page Six is reporting that Jimi Hendrix’s fired her manager Benny Medina Friday “over rumors that he was courting his former client, and her nemesis, Jennifer Lopez, again.” But Medina told the column: “I just had lunch with Mariah today. We’re restructuring her company and streamlining it. That’s all.” Page Six commented: “If he ends up streamlining himself out of a job, Carey would be his third major loss this year – Tyra Banks and Usher both recently left him.”

 

       *Jimi Hendrix’s incendiary 1970 concert album, “Band Of Gypsys,” will be issued Sept. 30 on fiery red 180-gram vinyl from Capitol/EMI’s high quality “From The Capitol Vaults” U.S. vinyl. All “From The Capitol Vaults” titles feature carefully replicated artwork and packaging true to their original single or gatefold jacket LP releases. More “From The Capitol Vaults” titles will soon be announced.

 

       *Actor Carl Weathers, best known for his role as Apollo Creed in “Rocky,” is divorcing his third wife after just 17 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. According to divorce papers filed Thursday in L.A. County Superior Court, Weathers is asking a judge to make his soon-to-be ex, Jennifer Peterson, pay for his legal costs, reports TMZ.com.

 

       *David McCoy Franklin, ex-husband of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and a key adviser to former Mayor Maynard Jackson, died Sunday at the age of 65. Longtime friend Tom Houck, an Atlanta political consultant, said Franklin had suffered several strokes in recent months. A native Atlantan, Franklin joined Jackson’s law firm in 1972 after returning home from Washington. D.C., where he had attended American University law school. It was there he met Atlanta’s current mayor. Before entering politics, Franklin represented a celebrity clientele including Richard Pryor, Miles Davis and Peabo Bryson. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Sept. 11 at Radcliffe Presbyterian Church on Hamilton E. Holmes Drive in Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Morehouse College Scholarship Fund in honor of David Franklin. Franklin is survived by three children, Kai, Kali and Cabral Franklin, all of Atlanta; two sisters; and three grandchildren.

 

       *New York’s Feinstein’s At Loews Regency opens their 10th Anniversary season with the return of Ashford & Simpson. Their engagement began Tuesday and will run through Sept. 20.  In addition to performing many of their greatest hits – including “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Solid” and “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” – they will also include several new songs from “Invisible Life,” their upcoming musical based on the best-selling novel by E. Lynn Harris. All shows are at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st St.). For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit www.feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and www.TicketWeb.com.  

 

       *The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) will present award-winning journalist and author, Charlayne Hunter-Gault with the 2008 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award on Sept. 16 during its annual conference. The honor was established in 1992 in memory of the late Texas Congressman and his advocacy of social justice and equality for people around the world. Scheduled for Sept. 14-16, the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference will be held in Manhattan at the New York Marriott Marquis. For more information or to register, visit www.namic.com

OPRAH TO GUEST STAR ON ‘30 ROCK’: Talk show host to appear on NBC sitcom this season September 10, 2008

Actress Tina Fey has gotten her wish. The star of NBC’s “30 Rock,” who has said in numerous interviews that her dream guest star would be Oprah Winfrey, will see that dream come true during the upcoming season.

 

      Co-star Alec Baldwin confirmed to “Extra” that Oprah, as well as former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston, will make guest appearances on the series, which will have its season premiere on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 9:30 p.m.

 

      “Yes, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah. What more do you want?” he said. “We’re only on episode four!”

      He remained tight-lipped about the role Oprah would play, but was more forthcoming about Aniston’s guest stint.

 

      She plays Tina Fey’s pal and “has a reputation of a man-eater,” Baldwin said.

 

      “She loves to seduce alpha men,” he said, explaining how Aniston’s character falls for his character, network executive Jack Donaghy. “Tina warns me about her, and I say, ‘Don’t worry, I recognize those kinds of women….’ Count to three, and she and I are coming out of my bathroom with our clothes off.”

AKON DENIES NEW FAN TOSSING ALLEGATION: Singer releases his own footage from a different angle, suggesting it was an accident September 10, 2008

Reps for singer Akon have released a video tape they hope will squash reports that he assaulted two female fans while surfing the crowd at an Aug. 30 concert in Guyana, South America.

 

      As previously reported, a videographer captured footage of Akon appearing to knock one woman off of a camera platform in the crowd, then pushing another woman off seconds later.

 

       His rep says that their raw video (scroll down to watch) shows the singer’s actions were not intentional.      

       “The unedited footage shows Akon struggling to find his balance and accidentally knocking into her (one woman),” said Akon’s rep. “He did not let her fall and gave her a hug and then they started dancing. You can see her smiling.”      

       A statement from concert promoters Hits and Jams Entertainment reads: “We are shocked to hear that there is a video clip circulating that suggests Akon treated a fan badly during his August 30th performance in Guyana. There were no incident reports stemming from the event. Despite a late start, the concert was a tremendous success and we hope that Akon will come back soon.”       

       The incident came just a year after he was charged by police for allegedly throwing a fan into the crowd during a gig in Fishkill, N.Y.

 

Unedited Video of Akon’s Performance in Guyana on August 30th

NAOMI CAMPBELL OPENS UP ABOUT INFERTILITY: Model gives more details about her March surgery for removal of small cyst September 10, 2008

People magazine is reporting that Naomi Campbell had surgery this spring to address her infertility, a procedure she had previously described as “the removal of a small cyst.”

 

      “They thought it was a cyst,” she explained, according to Britain’s Press Association. “When they opened it up they realized it was more.”

 

       Since the surgery, Campbell, 38, said she’s now in perfect health and hoping to conceive.       

       “I was not able to have children up until March,” she said. “Now it’s in God’s hands. I would love to have a family.”

COLOR ME BADD FRONT MAN ARRESTED: Bryan Abrams nabbed Friday for public intoxication and domestic abuse September 10, 2008

Singer Bryan Abrams of the 90s R&B quartet Color Me Badd was arrested Friday for public intoxication and domestic abuse after allegedly punching a woman in the nose and making threats against her, reports the Oklahoma News.      

        According to a police report, a waiter at the Oklahoma restaurant where the incident happened said he was setting tables when he witnessed Abrams punch the victim in the face and yell “I’m a kill you! You and me! You and me!”       

      The victim agreed to press charges against Abrams, who was booked into the Oklahoma County jail and remained there as of press time.

 

       Abrams’ rap sheet includes a Sept 2006 arrest for drunken driving, to which he pleaded no contest. He was also arrested on a drunken driving complaint in 2005, for which he received a deferred sentence.

OBAMA’S ‘LIPSTICK ON A PIG’ ZINGER DRAWS FIRE: McCain camp calls comment offensive and disgraceful September 10, 2008

What’s the difference between the presidential campaign before and after the national political conventions? Lipstick.

      The colorful cosmetic has become a political buzzword, thanks to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s joke in her acceptance speech that lipstick is the only thing that separates a hockey mom like her from a pit bull.

 

      Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told an audience Tuesday that GOP presidential nominee John McCain says he’ll change Washington, but he’s just like President Bush.

 

      “You can put lipstick on a pig,” Obama said to an outbreak of laughter, shouts and raucous applause from his audience, clearly drawing a connection to Palin’s joke even if it’s not what Obama meant. “It’s still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It’s still going to stink after eight years.” 

 

      John McCain’s campaign called the comments “offensive and disgraceful” and said Obama owes Palin an apology. Obama’s campaign said he wasn’t referring to Palin and said the GOP camp was engaging in a “pathetic attempt to play the gender card.” Obama’s camp also noted that McCain once used the same phrase to describe Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care plan. 

 

      Get MORE of this story here.

DIDDY’S PRIVATE JET NOT ENTIRELY HIS: Fact-checkers scramble after he blames gas prices for having to fly commercial September 10, 2008

After Sean “Diddy” Combs filmed a video blog complaining about having to give up flights on his private jet because of high fuel prices, the Palm Beach Post decided to do a little investigating.

       The newspaper said it reviewed federal records that showed that no plane in this country is registered to a Sean Combs or any of his numerous companies, including clothier Sean John and his music company, Bad Boy Entertainment.”      

       One private aviation source told the paper: “It’s my jet this, my jet that, he’s just pretending. I have list of every plane with the name of the owner, and he’s not on it.”

 

      Turns out, Diddy is a fractional owner of a jet under NetJets. The company’s spokeswoman, Maryann Aarseth, did not provide the amount of his share or the tail number of the plane.

 

       Fractional owners, according to NetJets.com, pay for a limited number of flight hours on any company jet. Other celebrity fractional owners include Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera and Jerry Seinfeld.      

       Diddy also said on his blog: “As you know, I do all my own jet … and (flying from New York to Los Angeles twice a month) it’s $250,000.” The newspaper’s unnamed private aviation expert said Diddy’s math is fuzzy. Flying back and forth to the Left Coast twice would set him back $100,000, even with the high price of fuel.      

       “Believe me,” said the spy, “the truly rich aren’t affected by oil when it comes to private planes. Monthly payments on a $20 million-plane and crews, that’s expensive.”

USHER AND TAMEKA EXPECTING A BABY: Couple confirms another child is on the way September 10, 2008

A source close to R&B star Usher has confirmed that he and his wife, Tameka Foster, are expecting another baby.

 

       Their second child together will be a little sister or brother to 10-month-old son Usher Raymond V, who was born to the couple three months after their wedding in August 2007.  There’s no word yet on when the new baby is due.

 

       The news follows reports of Foster dressed in a belly-disguising outfit during Usher’s Sept. 4 NFL kick-off concert in New York.

 

       The dress was “very deceiving,” a source tells People.com. “You couldn’t tell she was pregnant when she was sitting down.”

NEW BEYONCE ALBUM DUE IN NOVEMBER: Third solo project described as ‘most personal’ to date September 10, 2008

Columbia Records has announced that Beyonce will have a new album in stores on November 18.      

       The as-yet-untitled release, her third solo album apart from Destiny’s Child, is led by two tracks “If I Were A Boy” and “Single Ladies,” to be shipped to radio on October 7.       

       Beyonce co-wrote and co-produced all of the songs on her upcoming album, which Columbia describes as “her “most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to-date.”       

       Meanwhile, Beyonce’s younger sister, Solange Knowles, debuted at No. 9 on the chart last week with her second album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.”

Obama Force One By Jimm Lasser September 10, 2008

Image source: here.

This pair of sneakers has Obama’s pictures on their soles and is specially meant for Obama fans. Jimm Lasser started his exhibition in New York on September 4. The Democratic Sen. Barack Obama was the theme of Lasser’s exhibition. The picture shows the Obama Force One. The Air Force One model was used to create this. Jim Lasser is a clever artist.

It looks like a special pair of outsoles were designed with Obama graphics and then attached to the regular Air Force 1 shoes. The right outsole has an engraved half portrait picture of Obama. The left outsole has the side profile of Obama. A slogan is included in the lower half of the sole. The sentence reads – “A black man runs and a nation is behind him.” The capital A forms the necktie of Obama’s figure.

The sneaker’s upper is in all white but it can be customized according to the wearer’s desires. The main distinguishing feature that Lasser wanted to show would be the outsole. When the outsole was stained with ink, the portrait showed up handsomely. Now we need to look for Nike sneakers that feature McCain.