• How could you not love Jennifer Hudson after this:
“I have the height of a model, the breasts that people pay for and the lips that everybody wants, so why should I change?” the 26-year-old Oscar-winner asked at the Oct. 30 Avon Foundation Gala in NYC. “I wouldn’t change myself for anything or anybody. That will never happen.”
[OK]
• Of course Al Sharpton is open to a meeting with Dog the Bounty Hunter. [People]
• For all of you Vanessa Simmons fans. [C&D]
• And they wonder why there are no black people in San Francisco. [EaterSF]
• Brandy’s trying to make it happen post-scandal. [CL]
We can stop wondering about how Nick Cannon pulls so many girls who are out of his league. He just until they capitulate. Persistence is key.
FRESH off his split from fiancée Selita Ebanks, Nick Cannon is moving on. He has a major crush on Miss USA Rachel Smith and he’s been going all-out trying to win her over. “Last week, he sent her several dozen roses, chocolates and balloons,” said a source. “When she opened her apartment door, the hallway was flooded with stuff, and on each item was a different hand-written note from Nick to her.” No word yet if Smith wants to date him. Cannon’s rep had no comment.
Rachel Smith, Selita Ebanks, Christinia Milian, Kim Kardashian, this chick…Nick Cannon definitely has a type.
Omarion and Bow Wow are obviously trying to recreate some sort of Best of Both Worlds vibe with their new joint album, but they’re Bow Wow and Omarion. So we can predict how this is going to go, before we even see their so so clip for their lead single “Girlfriend.” Interestingly, Bow Wow had this to say about this track:
“[’Girlfriend’ is] probably gonna be one of the biggest records that I’ve ever done in my career,” he added.
But his career hasn’t even been that short!
Since I had you guys vote for the most popular blackface Halloween costume, the least I could do was search Flickr for some real life examples. While there were a few Michael Vicks – check one out after the jump — I found this one to be the most egregious. According to the Flickr site, this guy is supposed to be Zwarte Piete (Black Pete), who, to make a long story short, is Santa Claus’ black assistant in Dutch folklore. Considering the fact that this guy had the nerve to tag his photo “blackface,” I’m pretty sure he knew what he was doing.
More fun with ignorant blackface costumes Flickr after the jump.
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With the recent arrest of T.I. and the historically bad relationship between rappers and the police, a debate rages about whether or not law enforcement unfairly targets people in the hip hop industry (we sort of tack black athletes onto that, too). Stereohyped TV took to the streets yesterday* to get some opinions.
*You’ll see a couple Halloween costumes.
Dog the Bounty Hunter, who, if such a contest existed, would surely be voted “White Television Personality Most Likely To Use The Word ‘Nigger,’” is, predictably, rather fond of the word “nigger.”
The National Enquirer obtained some audio (listen here) of Dog (can I call you Dog, Mr. Bounty Hunter?) expressing concern that his son’s “nigger” girlfriend would tell a tabloid that he says “nigger” all the time. Look how that worked out.
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Who is this dashing celebrity — so modest, so unassuming, so self-assured that he has the courage to show up to a star-studded celebrity event with his face completely covered? If that glimpse of his jumpoff the ever-present Cassie right behind him doesn’t give it away instantly, I’ll offer you another hint. The “modest and unassuming” thing was a total lie.
The dramatic reveal, plus lots more celeb costumes from last night’s parties, after the jump.
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Are you willing to skip online shopping, dinner with friends, getting your hair done (or is it getting your hair did?), drinks at the bar/lounge/club, going to the movies, taking a cab, etc. tomorrow? What if it’s for a good cause?
A group of radio DJs, led by Atlanta attorney/morning show host Warren Ballentine, are calling on black people nationwide to keep their wallets closed on Friday. In the wake of, among other things, all the noose hangings, wrongful incarcerations, and the mortgage crisis, Ballentine wants to teach the government a lesson about our worth.
“I’m a lawyer and I’m seeing a lot of people across the board suffer from the mortgage crisis,” he said. “I’m asking all Americans to participate, not just blacks. I’m asking people — if you can — don’t spend any money.”
With an estimated purchasing power approaching $1 trillion, black consumers are a formidable U.S. economic force. There are about 36.4 million blacks in the United States.
But Ballentine quickly adds, the boycott is more a symbolic than economic stab at the nation’s problems.
“It’s showing togetherness and unity and it’s one thing we haven’t shown the federal government in a long time,” Ballentine said.
Is the government really receptive to lessons? I’m not so sure about that, nor am I very faithful in black peoples’ ability to hold off on conspicuously consuming, even for a day. Also, there are plenty of black-owned businesses and Mom and Pops that would suffer if no one used their services for a whole day. Nevertheless, a blackout definitely has the ability to shake things up if it works.
Al Sharpton has to get more racist emails than the average black public figure, but a series of hateful messages from someone posing as a manager for Merrill Lynch probably stood out. As it turns out, the imposter was sending racist emails — full of n-words and “nappy-headed hoes” to Sharpton and several black Merrill Lynch brokers.
Since it’s not really the sort of thing to take lying down in these litigious times, Merrill Lynch is suing the email-sender for trademark infringement. Of course Al Sharpton was .
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Atlanta jails are starting to look like the audience at a hip hop awards show. Da Brat got a little rowdy last night — smashing a bottle of rum into a waitress’s face — and then got a little arrested. Funny how that works.
Witnesses told police the incident started with an argument between Harris, 33, and a waitress at Studio 72, a club owned by Jermaine Dupri, the Atlanta record producer and rapper.
The argument escalated to shoving, witnesses said; then Harris is accused of grabbing a bottle of rum and hitting the waitress in the face. The victim was taken to the hospital with cuts on her face and above her eye.
Harris is being held at the DeKalb County jail.
New VH1 reality show idea: Celebrity Probation Club. [WSBTV]
