What’s good everybody? We have arrived at the beginning of another weekend as the week concludes.
Thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends of Ashley “A.J.” Jewell, the fiancé of former Xscape member and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burrus, and Burris herself, who is mourning Jewell, who died a week ago after a heated argument at a popular strip Club in Atlanta.
Shout out to the sounding boards for always knowing the way out.
Ladies and gents, here is your …. Last Word for the week ending Oct. 9, 2009.
1. Tyler Perry Opens Up About Childhood Abuse; Ammonia Bath and Molestation
Although we see Tyler Perry as a successful entertainment mogul who has found his niche in Hollywood, he has endured quite a bit to get to that point in his 40 years on Planet Earth.
Perry recently took to his website to reveal his past experiences after watching the critically acclaimed film he’s producing with Oprah, Precious.
The feature, which stars Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey, was so powerful that Perry cried and likened it to his own childhood as he opened up about being abused by his father, propositioned by the mother of a childhood friend and molested by a man who went to his church. Not to mention discovering his father sexually abused a girl he had a crush on.
Regarding the mother of his friend, Perry remembers being greeted by the woman, who wore “skimpy lingerie.” The mogul soon found himself alone with the mother after she told Perry to go home and locked her son in the bathroom as she told him to take a bath.
“I was at the front door trying to get out, when she came in and laid on the sofa and asked me if I wanted the key,” he said. “I told her I had to go home as it was getting dark. She put the key inside of herself and told me to come get it, pulling me on top of her.”
Perry’s relationship with his father was a complicated one with him being on the receiving in of physical and verbal abuse. After being beat with a vacuum cleaner extension cord “until the skin was coming off my back,” Perry ran to aunt’s house. Once she saw her nephew, she became “horrified” and sought to kill the patriarch with a loaded 357. It wasn’t until her husband came to the house that Perry’s aunt stopped what she was doing.
Perry later admitted that his father beat him in a drunken rage until he was 19. Couple that with the unique way his father’s mother tried to help him get better and you have a rather traumatic childhood.
I had to go to the doctor every Tuesday to get shots to control my allergies,” Perry recalled.” When his mother found out she said, "Ain't nothing wrong with that damn boy...he just got germs on him. Stop wasting all that money. " When my mother left to visit some friends I heard what sounded like water running in a tub but it was sporadic. She came and got me out of the living room leaving my Matchbox cars on the floor. She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all. She gave me a bath in ammonia.
Despite the abuse and drama, the actor/director triumphed by becoming a success in the entertainment business. The actor gave all credit to God for helping him through the rough times.
“It kept me from being strung out on drugs, from dying when I wanted to commit suicide. It kept me from being a gang banger or drug dealer,” he wrote. “Worse than all of those things put together, it kept me from being him. It brought angels to comfort me after every foul, harsh word or every welt on my legs or back GOD, only GOD.”
2. R. Kelly Comes Clean About Illiterate Past
It’s no secret that R. Kelly has made a lot of money from singing and songwriting. If you’re in need of a hit, there’s two people who guaranteer esults, Lil Wayne and Kellz.
And while R&B’s Pied Piper can bump and grind with the best of em, it may surprise people to know that he can’t read. Kelly addressed his illiteracy at the Midwest Music Festival in Chicago. According to the singing superstar, he caught flack from relatives, who doubted his chances of becoming a household name.
"When I was trying to make it out here, I already knew, and I was stubborn about it," Kelly said. "I don't even read really and I'm not afraid to say that. My cousins and brothers used to tease me 'you can't even read right. ‘How you think you're going to come up?'”
Despite not being able to read, Kelly managed to get the last laugh after graduating from high school due to his way with a basketball. “The only reason I graduated from grammar school is because I had a great jump shot, “continued the entertainer. “I went to high school and [my teacher] told me 'you will be one of the greatest writers of all time.' I believed. You [have to] believe it. You can't believe [anything] if you're hating. You can't achieve [anything] if you're hating."
And there you have it. Wow. That really killed the idea of asking for I.D. huh? Couldn't read it if he did. Nevertheless, Kelly must have a wicked jump shot. I am sure glad that reading and writing are not prerequisites for making and singing. Just think of how many artists we would have lost, including those that made up words in their songs.
Makes me wonder. If a sign was held reading ‘Will the real R. Kelly please stand up?, would he?
3. Alicia Keys Expands Her Business Influence for Fans
After collecting 12 Grammys, a slew of fans and an endless supply of admirers, Alicia Keys is solid in her status as a successful vocalist. So it’s only natural that she would want to conquer new ground.
And Keys is doing just that with the launch of her new company AK Worldwide. According to the singer, the venture will be focused on handling her projects as well as non-music related endeavors.
The company’s first project will be The Barber's Daughters, a handcrafted jewelry line engraved with messages of hope and wisdom. In addition, Keys will launch iamasuperwoman.com, a new website that, according to the songbird, will highlight inspirational women and causes that will fill a missing gap in the blogosphere.
"It really calls out to all those brilliant, amazing, fantastic women every day that are doing their thing and need kind of a community to support each other," said the entertainer, who admitted that her business mindstate has influenced her upcoming CD The Element of Freedom.
"We have the ability to be totally free, to be totally unstoppable, and there's no heights that you can't reach," Keys said. "So I totally love that and that's what the music feels like, and that's what everything that I'm doing sounds like."
Now that's a female version of a HUSTLER. While her personal pursuits (i.e. extramarital activities with Swizz Beatz) may not sit well with some people, A. Keys is truly making waves on a professional level. Let’s hope Mashonda doesn’t get an urge to wipe her out while she’s surfing.
4. Michael Vick Attempts to Change Image with New Reality Show
In his quest to change his image and move past the dog fighting scandal that landed him in prison, Michael Vick is doing a Terrell Owens as he becomes the latest celebrity to jump on the reality TV bandwagon.
The LA Times reports the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback is partnering with BET for a new eight-part docu-series that is slated to air in early 2010. Tentatively title The Michael Vick Project, the show will look at Vick’s controversial comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles while also examining his tumultuous past -- including his troubled childhood and his 2007 arrest for running a dog-fighting ring.
The main purpose for Vick’s involvement with the series is a desire for “people to really get to know me as an individual."
"What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I've made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened. But it's not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up."
While Vick may seem sincere in changing public opinion on him, The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is finding the athlete’s efforts and return to football a little hard to swallow.
Those wondering if Vick’s show will be anything like T.O.’s VH-1 reality series can fall back. According to the producers on the new show, the tone will be serious and somber as it focuses on Vick’s personal struggles since his release, including the strains on his relationships with his fiancée, Kijafa Frink, and his children. It will also revisit the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., where Vick spent 1 1/2 years behind bars and the Virginia property where he ran and financed a dog-fighting ring.
Good luck to Vick. I’m sure most of you are probably tired about all the drama with him. Now that he’s back on the field, maybe all the talk will turn to football. One thing is certain, though. Now that BET has the show, we can safely rule out any chance of Animal Planet putting it in its lineup.
5. Faizon Love Bares All for Fertility Status; Talks Iron Man Appearance
If you plan on going to the movies to see the comedy Couples Retreat, you may get something extra from Faizon Love. According to WENN, the actor’s co-star Keli Hawk was caught off guard when Love went au natural for a scene that was shot on a beach in Bora Bora.
"When I went to pull down his pants, I assumed there would be a sock or something, but, no, I pulled down the pants and it was there!,” Hawk told WENN. “I was so mad that he didn't have anything there and that nobody told me. We're making a comedy, so nobody told me they're gonna pull their d**k out, because that would ruin the joke, so hardy har, har.”
Hawk wasn’t the only one who got surprised by Love. According to the actress, her co-star’s display attracted onlookers who came to see what was going on. Because of all the attention, Love’s stock elevated amongst the locals.
"He tried to walk around Bora Bora naked and the islanders thought that it was kind of cool - they left him a bunch of gifts,” Hawk revealed. “He was like a fertility legend, a walking fertility God on the island because he was willing to take that chance!"
As if being the talk of Bora Bora wasn’t enough. Love is getting a look from his other co-stars, Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Peter Billingsley, who have been trying for the longest to get him to appear in one of their Iron Man films.
Despite the lure of sharing screen time with Tony Stark and Co., Love has a different opinion about the impact he would have on the blockbuster franchise.
‘’They already tried to put me in Iron Man but I couldn't. I think I would make it suck,” the actor explained to Moviehole.net. ‘’I don't know that genre. These guys do. I didn't know it was a real comic book. [Jon] thinks I'd make a good villain. Maybe I should just get it out of my way and just do it?”
So what do you think? I know Faizon made his mark as Big Worm in Friday, but do you think he could honestly bring something new to Iron Man. Or should he just stay fully clothed and funny in comedy?
