Entertainment Week of 8/1/11

God Gave Me This Child! Fantasia has finally come clean and admitted that she is pregnant by the married boyfriend. Yes! Antwuan Cook is still married and his wife knows. Last year, Fantasia made headlines when she tried to overdose on sleeping pills and aspirin. Fantasia became involved with Antwuan Cook, and caught a lot of flack because he was married with two kids. Antwuan’s wife, Paula Cook, went on to sue Fantasia, but lost the case. The trial did cause a lot of embarrassment for the former American Idol winner because it was revealed Fantasia had an abortion due to her affair with Cook. Paula Cook knows about the pregnancy and is very hurt. Is Antwuan going to eventually married Fantasia? Fantasia is due later this year.




What will Mo’Nique do now, and did her attitude get the best of her? The BET network pulled the plug on her late night talk show after deciding they couldn’t deal with her attitude and money demands. Some of the meetings became so heated and strained that many knew the end was near. Mo’Nique has been very quiet about her firing, and many wonder if she’ll ever talk about what happened. What will the BET network do now? Will they replace her, or just move Wendy Williams into that timeslot?


Arsenio Hall wants to come back to late night TV. Hall, 55, has an 11-year old son, and he says he is ready to return to what he does best. Back in the 90’s, Arsenio Hall was the man with his highly rated talk show. Would BET have him replace Mo’Nique?

Speaking of BET, the network is teaming up with the United Negro College Fund for a new version of An Evening Of Stars. The 33-year old UNCF fundraising telethon goes back to being a diverse line up of talent and performances. Scheduled to perform are Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild, Estelle, Miquel and Marsha Ambrosious. An Evening Of Stars will air on BET this fall.

Jennifer Lopez opens up in Vanity Fair magazine about the end of her marriage to Marc Anthony. She says it was the hardest decision she’s ever had to make, but he wasn’t treating her right and she had to leave. Does this mean Marc Anthony was cheating? There were rumors of control issues and he didn’t want her to return to American Idol? Lopez opted to return to the show for $20 million and end her marriage. Last year, she made $12 million. Lopez and Anthony will continue to do projects together despite the end of their marriage. Now who’s next for Lopez? Will she get back with Diddy? Let’s hope not. This would be a bad career move for her, but it would be a major boost for his career. But, what about his jumpoffs: Cassie, Kim Porter and Sarah Chapman. Diddy says Lopez was the love of his life.

Tami Roman says if Meeka Claxton returns to VH1’s Basketball Wives, she will leave the show. This past week, the show hit a new low when former NBA Player Eric Williams threw water in his ex-wife’s face. Jennifer Williams was horrified, but in the name of ratings, she went along with it. Will Roman really leave the show? Two weeks ago, she slapped the mess out of Claxton and caught a lot of flak.

Shout out to Jet magazine. I love the new layout. If you haven’t checked out an issue, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I love the pics, the articles, the contests and the info.

After nine years of marriage and one son, it’s over for Singers Chante Moore and Kenny Lattimore. Chante was previously married to Actor Kadeem Hardison (A Different World, School Daze) and they have a daughter.

Congratulations to Singer Eric Benet. He got married over the weekend to Prince’s ex-wife Manuela Testolini. Benet is on top of the world right now. He and Manuela are also expecting their first child. Benet has a 20-year old daughter from a previous relationship.

Get ready for Actor/Comedian Affion Crockett. His new FOX show, produced by Jamie Foxx, is called In The Flow With Affion Crockett. It debuts Sunday, August 14th at 9pm.

Singer Brandy is looking to reinvent her career. She says no more reality TV. After stints on Dancing With The Stars, her VH1 show and America’s Got Talent, nothing has really jumpstarted her career. She is currently filming a documentary about the ups and down of her career and her comeback. Brandy is also working with the show Majors And Minors, which is about mentoring young people.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s home is featured in the latest Architectural Digest.

Wedding bells may be ringing this fall for Janet Jackson. Jackson is engaged to 36-year old Qatari Businessmen Wissam Al Mana. Jackson, 45, got a 15-carat ring last year during their engagement. She is currently on tour and hopes to get married this fall.

Laurence Fishburne is joining the cast of the new Superman movie Man Of Steel. Fishburne will play “Perry White,” the editor-in-chief of Metropolis’ The Daily Planet. Fishburne recently left CBS’ C.S.I. TV show. He is being replacing by Cheers’ Ted Danson.

Oprah is returning to TV. Oprah will be hosting a nightly show on her OWN network. They will repackage classic Oprah Winfrey Show episodes, and she will do new introductions. Oprah says she will use the show as a teaching tool. Oprah will air at 8pm before The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Oprah is also getting an honorary Academy Award along with James Earl Jones this November in a special ceremony. Winfrey is getting a Humanitarian Award, and Jones is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award.






Queen Latifah opens up in the latest issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, and she talks about what she looks for in a woman: A Woman With Class And Confidence. She says a confident woman is sexy. Speaking of the Queen, get ready for a second season of her hit VH1 smash Single Ladies. VHI has renewed the show. Queen Latifah is the show’s executive producer. It is the cable network’s first hour-long scripted series about three best friends in Atlanta. LisaRaye and Stacy Dash star. The second season debuts next year.

Legendary Football Player/Actor Bubba Smith has died. The 6’8, 260 pound Smith played in the NFL from 1967-1975, and earned a Superbowl Championship Ring in 1971 with the Baltimore Colts. After retiring, he turned actor and commercial pitchman. Smith appeared in a host of TV series, the successful Police Academy movie series and was one of the original all-stars from the popular Miller Liter Beer commercials of the 70’s and 80’s (“Tastes Great….Less Filling”). Smith, 66, was found dead in his home.
Singer/Songwriter Gene McDaniels has also passed away at the age of 76. As a singer, he had the early 1960's hits A Hundred Pounds Of Clay and Tower Of Strength. In 1974, Roberta Flack had a number one hit with Feel Like Makin' Love, written by McDaniels.
Actress Jurnee Smollett will be starring in the Florence Ballard biopic. The movie about the castoff member of The Supremes is being made into a movie. Ballard’s daughter Michelle Ballard Chapman is the co-producer of the movie. Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story will also star Solange Knowles as Diana Ross.

Boyz II Men celebrates 20 years with a new album this fall. Twenty is a double CD with 10 new songs and updated versions of their classics including End Of The Road and I’ll Make Love To You. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Babyface and Charlie Wilson helped out on the project. The CD will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Star Jones is still having problems with her ex-husband Al Reynolds. Jones was served papers by Reynolds for a lawsuit suing her for $50,000. Reynolds says his ex violated their divorce agreement by discussing their marriage on The Wendy Williams Show. Jones was promoting her new book Satan’s Sisters when she was served.

Singer Tank is part of the cast of the Lifetime series The Protector with Tisha Martin Campbell. He plays her love interest.

Eddie Murphy teams up with Ben Stiller in the movie Tower Heist. The film also stars Gabourey Sidibe and Alan Alda and opens in theatres November 4th.

Zoe Saldana is set to become Hollywood's next action star. Her new movie Colombiana opens in theatres August 26th.

The George Lucas movie Red Tails with Terrence Howard opens in theatres January 20, 2012. The movie about the first African American fighter pilots (The Tuskegee Airmen) also stars Oscar Winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Sharon Osborne is leaving the CBS daytime show The Talk. She is leaving the show this fall.

The Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin is coming to NBC in a primetime special which airs September 24th. The special will feature music from her new album A Woman Falling Out Of Love. Franklin is very busy these days. She’s also teaming up with the legendary Tony Bennett for his new album Duets. They will be doing a cover of the song How Do You Keep The Music Playing originally done by Patti Austin and James Ingram. Bennett turns 85 in September.

In more Queen Of Soul news, Franklinis being sued by Songwriter Norman West for copyright infringement. Published reports say Franklin is very disappointed in light of her assisting and advising West for many years.

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards air August 28th on MTV.

Get ready for Jumping The Broom! The Bishop T.D. Jakes-Tracey Edmonds hit movie is coming out on DVD August 9th. The movie stars Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, Loretta Devine and Angela Bassett. Speaking of T.D. Jakes, Blair Underwood has joined the cast of Bishop Jakes’ movie On The Seventh Day. The movie also stars Pam Grier and Sharon Leal. Bishop Jakes is on a roll. Besides Jumping The Broom, his other films include Woman Thou Art Loosed with Kimberly Elise and Not Easily Broken with Morris Chestnut.

The VH1 network is gearing up to unveil their new lineup of shows. LaLa Anthony, the wife of Carmelo Anthony has a show LaLa’s Full Court, which debuts August 22nd at 9pm, and season three of The T.O. Show kicks off Monday, August 22nd at 9:30pm.

Tia and Tamera Mowry are promoting their new Style network show, which debts Monday, August 8th at 9pm.

Is L.A. Lakers Star Ron Artest joining the cast of Dancing With The Stars? The show is in desperate need of A-Listers, and they are relaxing the rules of the rigorous rehearsals so big time stars will sign on.

Kelly Rowland is nude on the new issue of Vibe magazine. She’s promoting her new CD Here I Am, which already has a number one single with the song Motivation.

Some big honors are coming up for Dawn Staley. Staley is the head basketball coach for the University Of South Carolina, the former Dobbins Tech Star will be inducted into the 2012 Women’s Basketball Hall Of Fame. In November, she will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall Of Fame. Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts is also being inducted into The Women’s Basketball Hall Of Fame.

Wendy Williams returns for a third season of her daytime talk show on September 12th.

L. A. Reid is one busy man. In addition to his judging duties on Simon Cowell’s new singing competition show The X Factor, Reid will also be heading up Epic Records. The X Factor debut Wednesday, September 21st. Reid will be joining Judges Cowell, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and Mentor Mariah Carey. Don’t look for nice judges on this show. They will all have an edge.

Filming has started on Steve Harvey’s new movie Think Like A Man. The cast is incredible: Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Nephew Tommy, Taraji P. Henson and Meagan Goode. It’s based on Harvey's bestselling book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man.

SWV is getting back together. They are planning a tour, a new album and a reality show. Coko, Taj and Lelee are back.

The 63rd Annual Emmy Awards air September 18th on FOX. Congrats to Taraji P. Henson, Andre Braugher, Idris Elba, Laurence Fishburne and Alfre Woodard, who have all been nominated for Emmys this year.

Gabrielle Union is in Tyler Perry’s movie Good Deeds, it also stars Thandie Newton, Brian White, Phylicia Rashad, Beverly Johnson and Eddie Cibrian, opens in theatres February 24th. In other Tyler Perry news, his latest Madea project, A Madea Christmas, will be out on DVD just in time for the holidays.

Tom Cruise returns in Mission Impossible IV, which opens in theatres December 16th.

Actress Viola Davis is the cover girl for the new issue of Essence. She has a new movie called The Help coming out August 12th. The Tony winning and Oscar nominated-actress is best known for her roles in Doubt and Fences.

Nicole Richie has joined the cast of the NBC reality show Fashion Star. Richie will serve as a celebrity mentor. Jessica Simpson will also be part of the cast.


Congrats to Laz Alonso! His A&E TV show Breakout Kings has been renewed for another season.

Kindred The Family Soul has released a new CD called Love Has No Recession. Raheem DeVaughn, Chuck Brown, Lady Alma and Carol Riddick are featured on the album which is out now.

Singer Lenny Kravitz will be starring in the movie Hunger Games, and his new album, Black And White America, comes out August 30th.

Mary J. Blige is ready to start work on her new film project. Blige will be starring in a movie based on the life of Jazz Great Nina Simone. Mary is also releasing My Life II: The Journey Continues in September.

Actress Kerry Washington will be staring in the new Shonda Rhimes produced-TV drama Scandal. Rhimes is known for her TV smashes Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Scandal debuts this fall on ABC.

Get ready for Steve Harvey. He’s coming to town in November with a new show. Before that, Jill Scott, Kem, Kirk Franklin and Kevin Hart will be joining Steve in Las Vegas for The Hoodie Awards, August 11-14th.

Speaking of Kevin Hart, his movie documentary, Laugh At My Pain, opens in theatres September 9th. The movie follows Hart on his latest concert tour including his hometown Philly.

Tyrese is gearing up to release a new album. The CD, Open Invitation, comes out November 1st. The Transformer III star is also pushing his latest book, How To Get Out Of Your Own Way.

Harvey Star Washington is back on the hunt for full figured women. Sizes 8-20 the model search is Sunday August 7th 3pm to 5pm at the Radison Plaza Warrick Hotel 220 South 17th street for more info got Harveystarwashington.com

Jill Scott’s new CD is The Light Of The Sun, and she is about to go on tour with the Budweiser Superfest. She will be at The Susquehanna Bank Center, this Saturday, August 6th with Anthony Hamilton, Mint Condition, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Doug E Fresh, who is hosting the concert.

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick is gearing up to release his autobiography. Finally Free is in bookstores now. Tony Dungy is doing the forward. In his book, Vick talks about his life: his youth growing up in Virginia, playing for the Atlanta Falcons, the dog fighting scandal, going to prison and landing with the Eagles. Vick recently resigned with Nike Athletics with a four year deal for endorsements.

Johnny Gill says he is ready to come out of retirement. Gill, 45, says his new CD is coming out this fall. The project, In The Mood, is being produced by Terry Lewis.

Angela Bassett is also coming to Broadway replacing Halle Berry in the production The Mountaintop. Samuel L. Jackson is starring as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The show opens October 13th. Speaking of Halle Berry, she is returning to TV. The Oscar and Emmy winner will play a college professor in a project called Higher Learning. It is currently being shopped to HBO and Showtime.

Actress Naturi Naughton, who used to sing with the group 3LW, has joined the cast of the NBC-TV show The Playboy Club. The show debuts this fall.

The 2011 summer season for The Dell Music Center is underway. Look for some exciting changes this season, including a new night. Thursday will be the new concert night ....no more Monday concerts. The Box Office at 33rd and Ridge will be open Wed through Saturday. Video screens will be added so you can really enjoy the shows. A marquee is being added in the front to announce the shows. There will be more concessions stands with a better variety of food, including fruit. You can pre-register for tickets at mydelleast.com. The Dell Music Center is located at 33rd and Ridge Avenue:


August 11th- Jeffrey Osborne and Kindred The Family Soul

August 18th – Will Downing, Kirk Whalum and Gerald Albright;

August 25th- Rachelle Ferrell and Angela Winbush;

The Bynum Brothers are getting ready to unveil a new venture: Green Soul, 7169 Ogontz Avenue. It’s a new healthy food restaurant.


WHAT’S THE UNDERGROUND BUZZ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will this female Superstar realize that her weed smoking is getting in the way of her career?


**Courtesy of Pattys Page