Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s Brother Raps, Signs W/ Koch December 16, 2008

Actor Omar “Big O” Gooding, younger brother to Academy Award-winning star Cuba Gooding, Jr., has signed a deal with Koch Entertainment as a rapper.

Gooding, known for his role as “Sweetpea” in John Singleton’s Baby Boy as well as his several appearances in such television shows as “Hanging With Mr. Cooper,” “Smart Guy” and “Barbershop,” has released his first single on the label, called “Yessur.”

The as-yet-untitled project will be released in conjunction with West Coast Mafia Records. As of press time no further details have been revealed.

Gooding joins a long list of actors turned rappers. His “Baby Boy” co-star Tyrese Gibson, took up rapping under the alias of Black-Ty on the second half of his 2006 double album Alter Ego,while several members of hit HBO show “The Wire” are also known to rhyme. Other notable thespian rappers include Old School’s Rick Gonzalez and ATL’s Albert Daniels, who goes by the rap name Al Be Back.

Biggie Associate Preps Documentary Release 1 Week After “Notorious” December 16, 2008

With the dramatized version of rap legend Christopher Wallace’s life story, Notorious, set to hit theaters next month, former right hand man Damion “D-Roc” Butler is readying the release of his personal documentary Biggie Smalls: Rap Phenomenon for late January.

Shot entirely by Butler the uncut and uncensored DVD showcases Big as he was with his close friends. Following the Brooklyn icon onstage and in the studio, the documentary shows a more personal side of Biggie, including all the inside jokes, studio outtakes and everyday struggles.

Also highlighting early tour performances, the documentary includes appearances by , Diddy, Lil’ Kim, Lil’ Cease, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch, DJ Enuff and XXL editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas.

Directed by April Maiya (Life After Death:The Movie) and fully endorsed by Big’s estate, Biggie Smalls: Rap Phenomenon is set to hit stores on January 27.

Suspicious Dating Patterns- Vol. 2 December 16, 2008

 

By The Fly Guy 

As the chief of the Behavior Police Department, I felt compelled to release this warning to any man currently engaged in a serious relationship. During my tenure as the head of BPD, relationship crimes in our community have been reduced by a whopping 47%. With that being said, I can only hope that you take heed to the following warning so our streets can continue to be safe.

Attention Men,

If your woman is engaged in any of the following behavior, then the likelihood of her being involved with another man is dramatically increased. This suspicious behavior can include any of the following:

1. A sudden interest in going to the gym. (This sign is particularly alarming if she doesn’t invite you to be her workout partner.)

2. A dramatic increase in her attention to wardrobe, both when going to work and when hanging out with “friends.” Also, be mindful of any new fragrances that she may begin to wear, as well as any noticeable increase in hair appointments that don’t directly correlate with a promotion or bonus at work.

3. If she abruptly stops complaining about the things that used to drive her crazy, then consider it a certainty that something is afoul.

**If your woman is guilty of any one of these offenses, then email me at flyguychronicles@gmail.com so we can develop a sound strategy to attack the problem head on.

But in the unfortunate event that she is guilty of multiple offenses, then all I can suggest is prayer. God speed my brother.

JANET’S ‘RUMORED LOVECHILD’ TO WRITE BOOK December 16, 2008

 

MediaTakeOut.com is claiming that “Renee,” the rumored lovechild of Janet Jackson and James DeBarge, is “considering writing a tell all to clear the air.”       

       The gossip site says “an insider” told them: “There’s so much that nobody knows about what went on in Renee’s life … She wants to come clean about everything that she’s been through.”      

       While the source refused to confirm whether or not Renee was actually Jackson’s daughter, MediaTakeOut quotes her as saying: “After the book comes out everyone will know the truth.”

 

       In 2005, James DeBarge’s brother, Young Debarge, told New York’s Hot 97 that Janet and his brother – married in 1984 – were parents of “Renee,” a daughter the couple secretly sent to live with Janet’s elder sister, Rebbie.

 

       “Her birth was top secret,” Young said of Renee, now 21. “James and the Jackson family kept everything real close, real tight. No one really knew how it was working out until things kind of surfaced.”

 

       Jackson denied the claims, stating in Nov. 2005: “I do not have a child and all allegations saying so are false.”

‘CADILLAC RECORDS’ IGNORES BO DIDDLEY December 16, 2008

 

While prominent Chess Records artists Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry and Etta James are represented in the new film about the label, “Cadillac Records,” its famous artist Bo Diddley is nowhere to be found.

 

       According to the late singer’s management company, there’s a reason for the omission. The legendary talent, who died last June, had no love for the record label.      

        “It’s no secret that Bo had real issues with the Chess brothers and their ‘creative accounting practices,’” Margo Lewis, who heads up Talent Source, Diddley’s management company, told the New York Post’s Page Six.       

       She added: “It was Bo’s recollection that every time he or another performer would go into the Chess offices to ask for their royalties, they were given the keys to a new Cadillac instead. So, in that regard, at least they got the title of the movie right. Regardless, we are completely shocked that the producers would omit such a seminal figure as Bo.”      

       But, Lewis says a deal is in the works with Apostle Pictures for a documentary that will tell Bo’s story.

WHOOPI BRINGS ‘STRANGE’ SERIES TO INTERNET December 16, 2008

 

Whoopi Goldberg will executive produce and play the lead character in “Strange,” a new science-fiction miniseries to debut next month on the Internet.

 

      The Oscar-winning actress and co-host of ABC’s “The View” will star as Jodi, a woman trying to come to terms with her lifelong fears, reports Variety.

 

      The series, airing in six five-minute weekly segments, will debut online at FEARnet.com and on video-on-demand beginning Jan. 15. 

 

       This will be the sixth original series for FEARnet, which is a joint venture between Comcast, Sony Pictures Television and Lionsgate. VOD is available on Comcast, Time Warner and Cox cable operators.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTER FLASH RICHARDSON DIES December 16, 2008

 

Harlem Globetrotters member Chris “Flash” Richardson died in his sleep Wednesday while the team was on tour in Japan. He was 28.       

       A cause of death has yet to be determined, said Globetrotters spokesman Brett Meister.       

       The players were appearing at a U.S. military base in Sasebo, Japan, as part of an annual holiday tour when Richardson’s death occurred.       

       The 6-foot-7, Corpus Christi, Texas native played basketball at UNLV and joined the Globetrotters shortly after his college career ended. He was known for his dunking skills and a genial disposition, according to Meister.      

       “He was a great Globetrotter on and off the court. He just had a very engaging smile that would light up the room,” Meister said.      

       Funeral plans were incomplete at press time, but team officials said the memorial service would take place in Corpus Christi. Richardson’s survivors include his mother.

COOLIO, TROYER HEADED TO UK’S ‘BIG BROTHER’ December 16, 2008

 

Rapper Coolio and “Austin Powers” actor Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer have signed on to appear in the UK’s upcoming season of “Celebrity Big Brother,” which is scheduled to premiere on Jan. 2.      

       The series, which has a non-celebrity American version that airs each summer on CBS, broadcasts on Channel 4 in the UK and features “housemates” who must complete a series of challenges while having no contact with the outside world.

       The housemates are followed 24-hours a day by 35 cameras and 40 microphones, which broadcasts their movements to a live viewing audience.       

       The cast will also include TV host Terry Christian and Scottish socialist politician and former MSP Tommy Sheridan, who also leads the Solidarity party.

       Coolio currently stars in “Coolio‘s Rules,” a reality series on the Oxygen network that follows the day-to-day life of the rapper and his family.

PRESTON WHITMORE, PHARRELL TEAM FOR FILM December 16, 2008

 

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have hired Preston Whitmore to write and direct “Zoom,” a music-themed film that teams “8 Mile” producer Brian Grazer with musician and music producer Pharrell Williams.

 

       Grazer and Williams will produce the project, while Williams will compose the score and soundtrack, reports Variety.       

       “Zoom” is the story of a troubled West Virginia youth who attends a music academy and finds his voice and a place in the world.       

       Whitmore most recently wrote, directed and produced “This Christmas.” Imagine just released the Ron Howard-directed “Frost/Nixon.”

SUPREME COURT WON’T REVIEW OBAMA’S ELIGIBILITY December 16, 2008

 

The Supreme Court has opted not to hear another challenge to Barack Obama’s eligibility to serve as president because of his citizenship.      

       Cort Wrotnowski of Greenwich, Conn. argued that Obama had dual nationality at birth — his mother was American, his Kenyan father was a British subject — so he cannot possibly be a “natural born citizen,” and therefore cannot meet the requirement for becoming president.      

       He wanted the high court to halt presidential electors from meeting to formally elect Obama as president, but his appeal was denied Monday without comment.       

       At least two other appeals over Obama’s citizenship remain at the court. Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa. argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama says and Hawaii officials have confirmed.      

       Federal courts in Pennsylvania have dismissed Berg’s lawsuit. Federal courts in Ohio and the state of Washington have rejected similar lawsuits.