Tag Archives: NEWS

CHRISTIAN KEYES SLAMS STEVE HARVEY OVER HIS CONTROVERSIAL ‘DIRTY FLINT WATER’ COMMENTS – WATCH!

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

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*Hollywood heartthrob Christian Keyes is calling out Steve Harvey over the controversial comments he made about the Flint water crisis.

As previously reported, the comedian and radio host came under fire for telling a caller to “enjoy your nice brown glass of water”, following a debate over the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals loss to Golden State Warriors.

The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the drinking water source for the city was changed to the Flint River. Due to insufficient water treatment, over 100,000 residents were potentially exposed to high levels of lead in the drinking water.

Television personality and host Steve Harvey speaks at the State Farm Color Full Lives Art Gallery during the 2016 State Farm Neighborhood Awards at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on July 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As reported by thejasmineBRAND.com, Keys took to social media to address Harvey’s offense comments, saying:

Nine thousand cases of lead poisoning. Three and four-year-olds out there who haven’t started speaking yet because the lead has left them disabled to a certain extent. They have not been able to develop properly.

He continued:

We supported you through a lot of stuff. If you did a show in Flint, guaranteed people would come out by the thousands spending money they don’t even have to come see and support you to take their minds off what they are going through. And you on there cracking jokes about the dirty polluted water telling the Flint native “enjoy his glass of brown dirty water” You should be ashamed of yourself. You set a terrible example.

Keyes ended his criticism with:

I know accidents happen. This is a perfect time for you to lift up that heavy ass mustache you yours and apologize to the city of Flint. Have some class man. Message! Let’s see if he is man enough to make right what he did wrong to the city of Flint.

See the clip below:

MIKE BROWN’S PARENTS REACH SETTLEMENT IN WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

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The parents of Mike Brown, the Ferguson, MO black teen who was shot and killed by then officer Darren Wilson, have reportedly reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit.

USA Today reports that a federal judge approved the settlement for an undisclosed amount on Tuesday (06-20-17). U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber reportedly sealed the settlement terms due to the sensitivity of the agreement.

“The settlement agreement shall remain sealed by this Court and shall be considered a closed record under Missouri Revised Statute . . . due to the adverse impact to Plaintiffs should it be disclosed,” Webber wrote in the settlement approval documents. “Disclosure of the terms of the settlement agreement could jeopardize the safety of individuals involved in this matter, whether as witnesses, parties, or investigators. The public policy to consider records open is outweighed by the adverse impact to Plaintiffs.”

RELATED NEWS: WARNER BROS SET FOR MIKE BROWN FILM BASED ON HIS MOM’S BOOK (REPORT)

mike brown's parents

While the terms of the settlement are sealed, the suit reportedly alleges that Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Brown, violated the victim’s civil rights by way of “unlawful detention and the use of excessive and deadly force,” USA Today reports. The suit also accused the former police chief of failing to hire, train, and conduct a proper and fair investigation into Mike Brown’s death. According to court documents, Brown’s family accused the police department of having “a custom or policy of negligently hiring and retaining officers, failing to properly train and/or supervise officers in the use of deadly force.”

Whatever the amount was that he ruled for, Judge Webber said the settlement was “fair and reasonable compensation for this wrongful death claim and is in the best interests” of Brown’s family.

J.R. SMITH CLAIMS A HACKER SENT THAT ‘CAVS IN 7’ TWEET

08 Thursday Jun 2017

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*Cleveland Cavaliers player J.R. Smith is denying that he sent a tweet following Game 3 of the NBA Finals that read, “Cavs in 7.”

The tweet appeared to signal his confidence that the Cavs will win the next four games to take home another NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors, but some fans felt the timing of it – minutes after losing 118-113 – was way too soon.

The tweet was eventually deleted from Smith’s timeline and the player has since denied even sending out the declaration.

He tells Cleveland.com, “I got out of the shower and my phone was buzzing. I did not tweet that. I’m smarter than that.” And while many NBA spectators thought it was too much, it did give high hopes for Cavs fans who fell to a dead silence in the last final minutes of Wednesday night’s game.

“I do believe, but I didn’t tweet that,” he told the outlet. “I would be much smarter than that than to tweet that at literally 12:04, right after the game.”

Game 4 of the finals is Friday at 6 p.m. in Cleveland.

WESLEY SNIPES SCI-FI THRILLER ‘ARMED RESPONSE’ SET AT SABAN FILMS

06 Thursday Apr 2017

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*Saban Films has acquired North American distribution rights to “Armed Response,” a sci-fi thriller starring Wesley Snipes and directed by John Stockwell.

Anne Heche, WWE superstar Seth Rollins, Gene Simmons and Dave Annable also star in the film, which follows a team of highly trained operatives who find themselves trapped inside an isolated military compound after its AI is suddenly shut down. The crew begins toWesleySnipesCHIRAQNewYorkPremiere6rSlBZstIuKl-1 experience strange and horrific phenomena as they attempt to uncover what killed the previous team.

The project – from WWE Studios, Simmons and Erebus Pictures, with a script by Matt Savelloni – is now in post-production.

 

THE 32ND STELLAR GOSPEL MUSIC AWARDS HAILED AS AN ‘EPIC NIGHT IN GOSPEL’

03 Monday Apr 2017

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  *Last Saturday (03-25-17) Central City Productions hosted the 32nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV at The Orleans Arena.

The annual show, hailed as an “epic night in gospel music,” was hosted by Erica Campbell and Anthony Brown. The telecast will premiere on TV One, on Palm Sunday, April 9 at 6pm ET with encores at 8pm and 11pm ET. Additionally, the Stellar Awards will air in national broadcast syndication April 15-May 7, 2017.

The night included performances by Tamela Mann, Shirley Caesar, Jekalyn Carr, Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, Bizzle, Canton Jones, Da’ Truth, JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise, Travis Greene, Jonathan McReynolds, Jonathan Butler, VaShawn Mitchell, Tasha Cobbs, Doug Williams, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson, Da Chosen Brothaz, Donnie McClurkin and more.

Stellar Awards founder, Don Jackson bestowed special honors upon gospel legend Spencer Taylor (of the Highway QC’s) and Reverend Clay Evans. Stellar Honors Hall of Fame inductees included: Fred Hammond, Mississippi Mass Choir, Catherine Brewton, Harvey Watkins, Jr. and Dr. Leonard Scott.

For more information on TV One’s telecast of the 32nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, viewers can join the conversation by visiting the network’s companion website at www.tvone.tv and connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hashtags #StellarAwards and #Represent. For more information on syndicated airings of the show, visit www.thestellarawards.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram via @TheStellars.

The 32nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards will air on TV One, Sunday, April 9th at 6pm ET with encores at 8pm and 11pm ET.

ASCAP AND MOTOWN GOSPEL CELEBRATE 2017 STELLAR AWARDS NOMINEES AT ANNUAL ASCAP “MORNING GLORY” BREAKFAST IN LAS VEGAS

25 Saturday Mar 2017

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Photo Credit: Leon Bennett

Featuring Inspirational Performances By Tasha Cobbs,

Brian Courtney Wilson, VaShawn Mitchell and Gene Moore

 

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (March 25, 2017) — Earlier today, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), along with the Motown Gospel label, celebrated gospel music’s most prestigious names and the 2017 Stellar Awards nominees at its 8th annual ASCAP “Morning Glory” Breakfast reception in Las Vegas, NV at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

The exclusive ASCAP “Morning Glory” breakfast is one of the premier events leading up to the 32nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Hosted by gospel singer and television personality, Lexi Allen, the program featured uplifting performances by Motown Gospel artists, Brian Courtney Wilson, performing his single “Heal (Find A Way);” Tasha Cobbs who debuted two new songs “River of The Lord” and “Forever”from her upcoming album Heart, Passion & Pursuit; VaShawn Mitchell, performing “Joy” and Gene Moore, who performed his single “All For Me.”

“It was great to partner with Motown Gospel again this year for the ASCAP Morning Glory Breakfast,” says Nicole George-Middleton, ASCAP’s Senior Vice President, Membership. “When we launched this event eight years ago, our vision was to provide a pre-show gathering to celebrate the culture of gospel music and honor all of the Stellar Award nominees as winners! I’m excited each year for this event because the spirit in the room is so inspiring.”

 “We were thrilled to partner with ASCAP for another year, hosting the ASCAP/Motown Gospel Stellar Awards Morning Glory Breakfast,” says EJ Gaines, Vice President, Marketing, Motown Gospel. “We share the same heart for serving songwriters and artists, and we were able to recognize some major musical accomplishments, while showcasing some must-hear new music from the Motown Gospel roster.”

During the breakfast, a special surprise Gold plaque was presented to Tasha Cobbs by Ken Pennell, President, Gospel Music, Capitol Music Group for achieving RIAA-certified gold record status for her hit #1 single “Break Every Chain” and toVaShawn Mitchell, who served as producer on the song.

A host of VIP’s, ASCAP songwriters and 2017 Stellar Awards nominees were in attendance at the “Morning Glory” Breakfast reception including: Byron Cage, J.J. Hairston, Jonathan McReynolds, Janice Gaines, The Williams Brothers, Cortez Vaughn, Jekalyn Carr, MAJOR, Tina Campbell, Teddy Campbell, Joshua Head, Darlene McCoy, William McDowell, Alexis Spight, Gerald and Tammi Haddon, Jason Nelson, Kenny Lewis, Pastor Marlon Lock, Pure-N-Heart, Shanika Deshun Bereal, Ajanee Hambrick (of LIVRE), Allundria Carr, Alyn Waller, Bryan Andrew Wilson (of LIVRE), Charles Butler, Christon Gray, Gary D. Hines, Lamonte Harris (of G.I.), Lemmie Battles and Malik Spence (of LIVRE). 

Gene Moore (1).JPGAbout ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP’s mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world’s best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business – from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 560,000 members representing more than 10 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com.
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DARIUS MCCRARY’S WIFE FILES FOR DIVORCE, FEARS FOR DAUGHTER’S SAFETY

19 Sunday Mar 2017

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*Tammy Brawner, wife of “Family Matters” star Darius McCrary, has filed for divorce amid a nasty battle and wants the judge to keep him away from their infant daughter until he gets help for booze, drugs and his rage issues.

Brawner filed in L.A. citing irreconcilable differences, and made it clear that she has concerns about their 1-year-old daughter Zoey’s safety. TMZ obtained the court docs, and Tammy says she wants Darius to “attend alcohol/drug abuse and batterers’ intervention classes.”

Tammy’s seeking legal and physical custody of Zoey and spousal support. She also wants Darius’ visitation rights cut off until he provides proof he’s completed a treatment program.

darius mccrary & tammy brawner

Brawner’s divorce petition comes less than a month after she accused her husband of hitting her in the head with his forearm. She also said he once held their infant daughter over a boiling pot of water. The couple have restraining orders against each other, with each claiming to be a victim of spousal abuse.

McCrary denied the abuse allegations and claimed in his request for a restraining order that Brawner threatened him with a knife on one occasion and on another occasion, she attacked him with a flat-iron.

“The hot flat-iron burned my chest with a visible inch-and-a-half, 2nd or 3rd degree red burn mark on the right said,” he said in his hand-written filing requesting a stay-away order.

“She has been verbally abusive and degrading to me as a man. She has told me no one would believe me and has told me this would be the outcome if I did not comply,” he wrote.

In her new divorce filing, Brawner listed McCrary’s apartment building as her address, but a judge ordered her to stay away from McCrary’s apartment in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Canoga Park.

LANCE GROSS SCORES ROLE IN ABC PILOT ‘THE TRUSTEE’

08 Wednesday Mar 2017

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Actor Lance Gross attends 48th NAACP Image Awards After Party at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 11, 2017 in Pasadena, California.

*Lance Gross is returning to TV in a series regular role opposite Meaghan Rath in “The Trustee,” ABC’s comedic one-hour pilot from “The Smurfs” writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn, Warner Bros. TV and Brownstone Productions, reports Deadline.com.

Written by Scherick and Ronn and directed by Michael Engler, “The Trustee” is described as a fun, female buddy cop comedy about Eliza Radley (Rath), a driven but stubborn detective who finds unlikely help from her precinct’s trustee, a larger-than-life ex-con finishing out her prison sentence doing menial tasks for the police department. Although these two have completely opposing views on crime and punishment, an entertaining and successful partnership is born.

Gross will play police detective J.D. Hayes, Radley’s colleague – who is also dating her. He relishes her toughness but is not so thrilled when an old tragedy threatens their relationship, which he wants to take to the next level.

Gross recently played the series regular role of FBI boss Daniel Reynolds on “Sleepy Hollow,” starred as Agent Marcus Finley in the NBC drama “Crisis,” and was a series regular on Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” on TBS.

Gladys Knight Cuts Ties With Son’s Chicken & Waffle Restaurant

04 Saturday Mar 2017

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© ddp USA/REX/Shutterstock/Rex Images Gladys Knight in Concert, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jan. 27, 2017.

Gladys Knight recently won her bid to end all personal connections to her son’s struggling chicken and waffles restaurant, according to a settlement filed in Georgia’s Clayton County court.

The agreement, signed Monday, states that 40-year-old Shanga Hankerson must remove all uses of Knight’s name, likeness and memorabilia from the restaurant formerly called Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles by April 26, 2017, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, he will have to complete the orders immediately if the restaurant fails another health inspection.

“She’s out of litigation and has her name and intellectual property back,” Knight’s attorney, Chris Bussert, told the newspaper. “What’s not to like about that?”

Hankerson founded the restaurant — now named The World Famous Chicken & Waffles but originally called Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles — with his mother’s help in 1999. It used to have three Atlanta locations, including one downtown, but the Cascade and Stonecrest eateries closed after being seized by state tax agents last June.

The legal battle has strained Knight’s relationship with her son, especially after Hankerson said in court documents that his mother did not possess the “mental capacity” to choose to remove her name from the business. Knight claimed Hankerson was trying to harm her reputation.

DRU HILL ROYALTY LAWSUIT AGAINST PUBLISHERS DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE

28 Tuesday Feb 2017

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*Music publishers have been cleared in a royalties lawsuit filed by the members of R&B group Dru Hill after a New York federal judge on Friday dismissed with prejudice the claims against them, reports Billboard.

Mark Andrews, James Green, and Larry Anthony Jr. — a.k.a. Sisqo, Woody and Jazz, respectively — first sued Sony/ATV and EMI in 2015. According to their complaint, Dru Hill entered into a publishing agreement with Art of War Music Publishing in 1996, and in 2002 Art of War made an exclusive deal with EMI.

Andrews claims EMI paid more than $600,000 of his royalties to 27 Red Music, which is also a defendant in the suit, and he never received them. Anthony and Green claim EMI wrongfully paid at least $30,000 of their royalties to 27 Red.

Their second amended complaint, which was filed in June, is the one at issue in regard to this motion. The Dru Hill members sued EMI and Sony/ATV, which has administered the interests of EMI since its 2012 acquisition, for breach of implied contract and declaratory relief.

“[E]ven taking all allegations in the SAC to be true and disregarding entirely the first two complaints, Plaintiffs still fall short of stating a plausible claim to relief as against EMI and Sony,” writes U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan.

Nathan found the band members failed to allege that they had an implied contract with the defendants — but, even if they had, it would have been barred by New York’s Statute of Frauds.

“As Defendants correctly note, the Statute of Frauds renders unenforceable unwritten agreements that are impossible, by their own terms, to complete within one year of their creation,” writes Nathan, explaining that contracts of “indefinite duration” have been deemed incapable of being performed within a year. “The SAC does not allege any termination provision or end date applicable to this contract, and indeed Plaintiffs appear to seek all royalties that purportedly went unpaid ‘from and after 2005,’ without limitation.”

The band members had also asked the court for a declaration that “the EMI Administration Agreement is terminated and that the EMI Defendants and Defendant Sony/ATV no longer have the right to administer the Dru Hill musical compositions.” The judge found they lacked standing because they were neither parties to the EMI agreement nor intended third-party beneficiaries of it.

Not resolved by this decision are the claims against 27 Red. Andrews is suing for breach of contract, Green and Anthony are suing for breach of implied contract and all three men are suing for breach of fiduciary duty and conversion.