By Chris Richburg
What’s good, everybody? It’s been a week since returning from Cali and there’s no place like home. With Obama considering sending larger numbers of additional troops to Afghanistan next year, four people arraigned on charges pertaining to the 2 ½ hour gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl after a homecoming dance and a group of people getting caught for robbing celebrity homes, the news never quits.
Thoughts and prayers go out to actor Nicholas Cage, whose father died Tuesday (Oct. 27) of a heart attack. Shout out my sister and her fiancé for making my trip out West and my mother’s birthday a memorable one and the sounding boards for always staying them, no matter where I lay my head.
And with all that, I give you… the Last Word for the week ending Oct. 30, 2009.
1. Tyler Perry Has Words for Spike Lee Comments
You sort of knew it was coming. But did you expect Tyler Perry to open up publicly about those comments Spike Lee made about the “coonery and buffoonery” he feels is present in his fellow filmmaker’s hit TV shows, Meet the Browns and House Payne?
Perry did just that and more as he opened up about his rise to fame and childhood abuse at the hands of father during a recent 60 Minutes interview. For those that don’t know, Spike made his comments months ago in reaction to watching ads for Meet the Browns and House of Payne. According to the Do the Right Thing director, the clips left him “scratching my head.
“We've got a black president and we're going back. The image is troubling and it harkens back to Amos 'n' Andy."
Needless to say, Lee’s views did not go over well with Perry, who stated that he would “love to read that to my fan base.”
"Let me tell you what Madea, Brown, all these characters are are bait. Disarming, charming, make-you-laugh bait, so I can slap Madea in something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family, any of those things, you know. So yes, I think, you know, that pisses me off. It really does," the entertainment mogul said. "It's so insulting. It's attitudes like that that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist. And that's why there's no material speaking to them, speaking to us."
Care to place bets on what Spike will say next?
2. 106th and Park’s Rocsi Vents on Internet Chatter and Rumors
Rocsi may not be on every 106th and Park viewers’ favorite person list, but the TV host does admit to working hard to get to where she is today. But she’s not so wrapped up in her work to be aware of all the talk on the Net about her rumored affair with LisaRaye’s husband Michael Misick, the former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as talk of being romantic with her 106th co-host Terrence J, Tyrese Gibson, Trey Songz and boxer Floyd Mayweather.
“I think a lot of these Web sites need a story.” Rocsi told Honey magazine. “They need to find somebody to pick on, and I just so happen to be one of those girls. I’ve always had that coming up against Free on a black network and not being black.”
Despite all the rumors, Rocsi credits her family and prayer for giving her the strength to get through all the chatter. But she does admit to being human and having days where it can be a bit much to handle.
“I got where I’m at because of my work. I never had to lay on my back to get where I was,” she said. “…it’s real bad when it gets to the point where everything’s so unbearable. You really got to have that strength, because if I didn’t have that strength in me, I would kill myself. There are some days when I’m like ‘How bad do I want to kill myself right now? What is the point of going on when so many people despise me or hate what I do?’”
Although it’s easy to assume that Rocsi is on the verge of suicide, the Honey reporter was quick to point out that the 25-year-old BET personality is not at all suicidal. But Rocsi does acknowledge the power of those who express themselves online.
“At the end of the day, I don’t meltdown because I’m still going to be on BET,” Rocsi said. “Internet gangsters are so tough. They’re so tough.”
3. Justin Timberlake Looks Out for Tequila Brand With Live Nation Deal
Life continues to be good for Justin Timberlake. Billboard reports that Live Nation has entered in to a new multi-year sponsorship deal with the crooner’s 901 Silver Tequila.
Under the new alliance, the premium brand will be the official tequila sponsor of the majority of Live Nation venues throughout the United States. In addition, 901 Silver Tequila gains the opportunity for ticket promotions, in-venue visibility on Live Nation's in venue video network, and signage placement as the official tequila sponsor in Live Nation venues throughout the country.
Although nothing was revealed about anything regarding an extended relationship with Timberlake or his touring, Billboard believes that the deal will invite talk about the possibility of a more involved partnership between Live Nation and Timberlake. In short, more money for everybody involved.
4. Nia Long and Solange Come Clean About Hair Issues
Hair seems to be a hot topic these days as Chris Rock returns to movie theaters with his new documentary, Good Hair.
According to reports, the critically-acclaimed feature examines African American hair culture as it includes hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples in its quest to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships and self-esteem of black people.
Among the celebrities interviewed by Rock for the film is Nia Long, who weighs in on the subject with her own experiences.
“This is something that we need to have dialogue with each other about. What do we celebrate? Do we honor ourselves in our most organic state, or do we feel that we need to alter in order to feel beautiful?” the actress said. “The things I said on camera are the things that most women think about but never say. I know it's a delicate subject within the black community, and black women and our hair have a love-hate relationship at times. Chris was able to give us insight about hair coming from India, but he also gave us something to ponder in terms of our own history and how we value our beauty. Are we changing our looks to assimilate to look more like White women, or are we simply making a fashion-conscious decision that happens to be our hair? When you look at what's celebrated in the media and what's acknowledged, there are very few images that look like us.”
Even though she isn’t featured in Good Hair, Solange Knowles has endured her share of feedback concerning her short hairstyle. The singer recently opened up to Oprah Winfrey about her decision to cut her long hair. According to Solange, the decision to get a buzz cut in July came as a result of being tired of spending much money and time to properly maintain her hair.
"Realistically I was spending about $40,000-$50,000 [on hair]," the vocalist told Winfrey. "A year and probably half of my life, I grew up in a hair salon, my mum owned a hair salon. There was always this feeling of always wanting to be in the salon once or twice a week and I got a perm pretty early -- I was four."
"This phase in my life I want to spend the time the energy and the money on something else and not in the hair salon," Solange added.
5. Michael Jackson’s Money Making Ability Extends Beyond the Grave
If the hugely successful opening of the new film This Is It is any indicator, then it’s safe to say that Michael Jackson continues to generate a lot of interest and money from fans even after his tragic death.
Fobes.com reports the King of Pop earned $90 million in the past year. About $72 million -- or 80 percent of the $90 million Jackson earned in the past 12 months – was made after Jackson's passing in June, according to a spokesperson for GreenLight, a consultancy company that represents "delebs," their term for dead celebrities still earning money.
As a result, the music legend ranked third on Forbes’ list of dead celebrities who made the most money. The publication’s list covered money earned from October 2008 to October 2009. Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was the top moneymaker with $350 million and songwriting duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein ranked second with $235 million.
Others making the Forbes list was Elvis Presley ($55 million),The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien ($50 million), Charles Schulz, John Lennon, Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), Albert Einstein, Michael Crichton, Jimi Hendrix, Aaron Spelling and Andy Warhol.
In Other Words…
If you’re still a fan of Chris Brown, his new album will be in stores in time for the holidays. The forthcoming release, titled Graffiti, will be available on Dec. 15. Included on the album will be the first single “I Can Transform Ya” featuring Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. Fans can also look for Brown to launch his Fan Appreciation tour in Houston on Nov. 14.
Here’s a new twist for those who love Gladys Knight’s classic hit “Midnight Train to Georgia.” According to the Nashville Story Source, the inspiration behind the R&B classic was none other than the late Farrah Fawcett and her former husband, Six Million Dollar Man star Lee Majors.
"She said she was packing her clothes and she was gonna go back and visit her folks and she was taking the midnight plane to Houston,” said songwriter Jim Weatherly, who added that “a little bell went off in my head” when Fawcett told him what she was doing during a conversation she had with him on the phone. As a result, the song will always be dedicated to the former couple "I actually used Farrah and Lee as kind of like the people in the song... It's just a simple little story about a girl that comes to L.A. to make it, becomes a star and everything, finds it too hard and goes back (home)."
Months after the death of her husband, Corinne Bailey Rae is starting to move on with the release of her upcoming album, The Sea. The songbird revealed how she put her grief into some of the new material in a recent video on her Web site. "I hope you guys will like it and be into it," said Bailey Rae, who added that she co-produced her forthcoming release. In addition, the singer promised "some hints" of the new work and behind-the-scenes footage will be posted to the site.
People magazine reports that Corinne will hit the road before the album comes out as she takes the stage for a Nov. 23 show in London as well as some new shows in the U.S. The Sea is slated to hit stores Feb. 2.
It’s been a while, but Naomi Campbell is making legal news again. TMZ reports the supermodel is at the center of a new lawsuit filed by her former management company Moodform Mission. In the suit, Moodform claims that Campbell suddenly quit giving them their cut of profits from her line of body fragrances. As expected, Naomi’s lawyer, Marty Singer, dismissed the suit as being "ridiculous and absurd."
There’s nothing like the smell of drama to keep a supermodel‘s name in your mouth. What a wonderful world we live in.