Shout out to Oprah, for being my stand-in as Patti sang to me!!!

Keep in mind Mariah is really singing to me, they used Muhammad Ali as a stand-in.

When the New Orleans Saints march into Miami to clash with the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV, Big Easy residents will be sporting black and gold T-shirts emboldened with the team’s unofficial “Finish Strong” mission, shouting at their flat-screen TVs, and praying for victory. More important, however, they will be reveling in the reality that their team, the aptly named Saints, will serve as ambassadors and symbols of a city reborn.

I normally try to keep it neutral when it comes to sports. I’m not a big sports fan. However, when I received this song, “Saints Anthem” from Gifted Da Flamethrowa — I instantly became a New Orleans Saints fan. It’s a fun and infectious song, take a listen to it below:

“Katrina couldn’t stop us, what makes you think a Colt could”

Gospel stars BeBe and CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Israel & New Breed, Karen Clark-Sheard and Canton Jones all took part in the 11th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration last night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

Joining the Gospel stars on stage were the NFL players’ choir. “It’s a blessing to be here,” Philadelphia Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver said. “This shows character of who we are, I think, as an organization in terms of the NFL and its players. It shows we care more than about ourselves. A lot of people get the perception that as professional athletes we are all about ourselves.”

Some of the other NFL players joining Weaver on stage were Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, Cleveland Browns tight end Michael Gaines, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Reshard Langford, Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli and Browns offensive lineman George Foster.

Part of the proceeds from the concert went to support the One Team 4 Haiti campaign.  More pictures of the event after the click: Read the rest

BET’s SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti telethon was studded with stars, talent and a positive message last night. Queen Latifah, Diddy and Pharrell spearheaded the event that was held at the American Airlines arena in Miami, and encouraged viewers to donate to the cause of Haiti.

Viewers were treated to a range of performances from inspirational, powerful vocalists like Mary J. Blige, Kirk Franklin, Nas, Ludacris, Robin Thicke, Keri Hilson, Jazmine Sullivan, Busta Rhymes, India.Arie, Akon, Chrisette Michele, Damian Marley, Wyclef Jean, Monica, and others. The nights most emotional and heart-felt performance came from Chris Brown performing “Crawl” and “With You.” Chris received a standing ovation from the crowd. (see performance below)

Money raised during concert will go to organizations providing immediate relief in Haiti, including Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti foundation, C.A.R.E. and Project MediShare.

View the behind the scene photos after the click: Read the rest

Natalie Cole celebrated a milestone birthday on last night at TAO in New York City. How many candles did she blow out? The singer turned the big 6-0, but refuses to be considered over the hill. She said, “Maybe in about 20 years, I’ll say, Oh, now I feel 60.’” She attributes her youthful look and energy to sleep, rest, and being “blessed with good genes.”

One of her many celebrity friends in attendance for the bash, Gayle King, declared, “Natalie’s making 35 the new 60. She looks awesome,” giving her friend the ultimate compliment.

- The banjo originated in Africa and up until the 1800s was considered an instrument only played by blacks.

– Paul Cuffee (1759 – 1817) an African–American, philanthropist, ship captain, and devout Quaker transported 38 free African–Americans to Sierra Leone, Africa in 1815 in the hopes of establishing Western Africa. He also founded the first integrated school in Massachusetts in 1797.

– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) was stabbed by an African–American woman in 1958 while attending his book signing at Blumstein’s department store in Harlem. The next year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King visited India to study Ghandi’s nonviolence philosophy.

– Jazz, an African–American musical form born out of the Blues, Ragtime, and marching bands originated in Louisiana during the turn of the 19th century. The word Jazz is a slang term that at one point referred to a sexual act.

– In the mid 1800s Philadelphia was known as “The Black Capital of Anti–Slavery,” because of the strong abolitionist presence there and such groups as The Philadelphia Female Anti–Slavery Society, The Philadelphia Young Men’s Anti–Slavery Society and The Philadelphia Anti–Slavery Society.

– The African Free School in New York City was the first free school for African-Americans. It was started by the abolitionist group the New York Manumission Society in 1787.

– Maya Angelou’s autobiographical, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” is the first non-fiction work by an African-American woman to make the best-seller list.

“I sit and reminisce on how you change my life,

all the praise to you for all the things you do”

“If you give me half a second, I might dance”

Writer Kelefa Sanneh has written a fascinating profile on rebellious gospel artist Tonex for The New Yorker Magazine (Feb08 Issue). Kelefa talks candidly about the rise and fall of gospel music’s first artist to ever publicly admit his homosexuality in a non-redemptive manner. Kelefa also delves into the “open secret” in the gospel community. The article will definitely ruffle a lot of people’s feathers. The Christian community has never taken to kindly to the notion of being called out. My view is simple, “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Here is a expert of the interview:

This past September, the television host known as Lexi broadcast an interview with Tonéx on the Word Network, a gospel channel, in which he made his clearest public statements about his sexual orientation. He is, within the church world, the first high-profile gospel singer in history to come out of the closet. Within hours, he started to realize what he had done. His relationship with the mainstream gospel industry was effectively over. Read the rest

The superstar siblings will appear in the VH1 reality program Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business, along with their parents, entertainment manager and mother Sonja and musical father Willie Norwood. The one-hour, 11-episode series will give viewers a first-hand glimpse into the lives of the Norwood family and their family business, Rn’B Productions.

In their new 11, one-hour episode series, both Brandy and Ray J will expand their roles in the family business. Brandy will step back into the music scene and team up with famous producer Timbaland for a new album all the while raising her seven year-old daughter Sy’rai. We’ll also see Ray J stepping out of his notorious bad boy image and collaborating with Rodney Jerkins and other popular R&B heavyweights. Read the rest

Tonight (Feb04) from 5pm -7pm, Bishop Hezekiah Walker along with two of the most recognized spiritual leaders of our time, Joel and Victoria Osteen, invite all to join them in Times Square for “A Night of HOPE, HEALING and PRAYER” in support of Haiti. The prayer vigil represents the Christian community’s support for Haiti and through love, faith and prayer, promises to bring revitalization and hope to the people of Haiti. The event is free and open to people of all faiths.

The vigil will take place at one of the most popular locations known to New York City … Times Square … starting from 46th St. and culminating at 48th St. (Duffy Square). Expected in attendance are a host of dignitaries representing the elite of entertainment, political, business and ecumenical socialites.

“This is the one thing that everyone can participate in,” Bishop Walker stated. “During a time that the economy is still suffering for some, prayer is free and available to everyone. It is the one thing that causes us to trust in something greater than us.”

The next time you at a picnic or event, think of:

Nathaniel Alexander of Lynchburg, Virginia on On July 7, 1911 patented the ideal for a folding chair. According to his patent, Nathaniel Alexander designed his chair to be used in schools, churches, and other auditoriums. His design included a book rest that was usable for the person sitting in the seat behind and was ideal for church or choir use.

The next you eating a perfect shape biscuit, think of:

Alexander P. Ashbourne in 1875, was issued for a a U.S. patent for a “Biscuit Cutter.” The device consisted of a number of metal cutters, which could have various plain or fancy shapes, mounted on a hinged plate attached to a molding board on which dough for cake or biscuits would be rolled out. The plate was then closed over the dough, allowing the cutters to cut through the dough, forming many shapes simultaneously. When the hinged plate was lifted, to simplify removal of the cut shapes, each cutter contained a spring-loaded plate of similar shape to eject the cut dough. Provision was made to store the rolling pin in a concave cross-bar along the back of the hinges. Read the rest

Black magazine icon, Jet, is going through some changes. Johnson Publishing, the company behind the weekly is announcing some big moves for the mag. Beginning Monday, with its Feb 15 edition, featuring singer Trey Songz on the cover, Jet will unveil its new look, including a new logo, new design and layout, new sections and features.

The brand will showcase various points-of-view from recognizable contributors such as Dr. Ian Smith, Warren Ballentine and Fonzworth Bentley. Additionally, Jet will maintain reader favorites such as Jet Beauty and Jet Love (formally known as Love and Happiness), while also covering sports, finance, beauty and style.

“As a world-class media company, we will solidify Jet’s position as an innovator and leader in the African-American marketplace by offering expanded content that will entertain, inform and extend our readership footprint of the brand in a smart way,” said Linda Johnson Rice, chairman and CEO. “We will continue to build our communication platforms to engage our audiences and address evolving consumer needs.”

“so many people use your name in vain”

“through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts,
for better or worse I still will choose you first”

Award-winning recording artist/producer Kirk Franklin has defied the odds. Turning negative aspects of his life riddled with drugs, teenage parenthood, poverty, and more into blessings by learning from them and moving forward, Kirk is now ready to release his anticipated new book, THE BLUEPRINT: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms. Due in stores May 18, 2010.

Set for release via Gotham Books, THE BLUEPRINT was pieced together not as a biography or tell-all but, to give young people a chance to become the person they need to be, no matter what the situation, or where they come from. Kirk by no way claims to be perfect or have insider knowledge of how to live your life wisely, but rather puts his setbacks and faults on full blast and suggests that oftentimes people, like Franklin at one point, go through life without a plan for success, simply living purposelessly, and without a person to show them the right way. Read the rest

Blacks have made many significant contributions to America since their arrival. The full story is yet to be told. The contribution of the slaves themselves has been incompletely documented. Many of the contributions that the slaves made have been lost, expropriated, unacknowledged, or stolen and thus they have recieve little or no credit for their contributions. In my attempt to reconstruct the history books, here are some of those over-looked contributions:

“The next time you get a flu shot or take your kids to have their vaccine…”

- During the smallpox epidemic of 1721, Onesimus, a slave of Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister in Boston, informed his master about an inoculation (vaccine) procedure practiced in Africa. The centuries-old practice was practiced throughout Africa and involved the extraction of material from the pustule of an infected person and, using a thorn, scratching it into the skin of the unaffected person. This is the earliest recorded use of the vaccine technique in America. Read the rest

Expanding her empire to include a new perfume, Beyonce Knowles was in New York City at the Launch and After Party for her new fragrance Beyonce Heat last night (Feb02). Held at Catch the Fever at 15 Union Square West, the songstress looked absolutely fabulous as she mingled with guests.

The fragrance is priced between $39-$59 and will be sold in department and specialty stores. “I wanted it to be original and I didn’t want it to be like all the other celebrity brands,” Beyonce said. “It’s been two years in the making. Every little detail is very personal, so I’m extremely proud.”

Wearing a stunning red ruffled dress by Marc Bouwer, her hair down with sweeping bangs told guest, “My husband was like ‘You got six Grammys and you smell good.”

More pictures after the click: Read the rest

Sean “Diddy” Combs is ready to trade some of his time working in music, film and television for the classroom. One of his next projects will be a business academy! “I want to have an academy that’s known for building leaders,” says Diddy. “I feel that’s one of the things I can have an impact on. I want to take on more responsibility. I’m still honestly in search of how I can have the most positive effect that I can have.” This sounds like an awesome ideal….can you imagine the Sean John school uniforms? That would be fly!

Dr. Conrad Murray is expected to surrender to authorities this week. Reportedly set to face a judge on involunatary manslaughter charges, Murray could serve up to four years behind bars for his connection to the death of Michael Jackson. Dr. Murray plans on surrendering any day now, so all signs point to the D.A. filing criminal charges as early as tomorrow. While some believe Murray should be charged with murder, sources say that charge is unlikely. I hope that wrap this up soon, so this man can rest in peace. GEESH! Read the rest

“don’t give me the world with a shallow thrill”

“what profits a man to gain the whole world and loose his soul”

Fantasia is set to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Wednesday, February 3rd (tomorrow). Fantasia will talk to Oprah about everything from her new show on VH1, her family, forthcoming album and her Broadway debut in THE COLOR PURPLE, explaining why she missed 60 performances during her time with the show. Explaining each rumor, Oprah organizers say “Fantasia faces the music” on Wednesday’s episode.

Fantasia is gearing up for the release of her third studio album, a follow up to 2006s “Fantasia”. The first single from Fantasia’s highly anticipated forthcoming studio album has emerged. The track, entitled “Even Angels,” was produced by The Stereotypes, and will be performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow. Take a listen to the new single after the click: Read the rest

Black American History as we know it started in 1619. The first Africans as slave labor are introduced in America by a Dutch trader. He exchanges his cargo of 20 Africans for food in Jamestown Virginia, in August of 1619. Althought slavery already extisted in America, mostly poor European indentured servants — but overtime it became cheaper and a more plentiful labor source to have African slaves. The American slavery system became more developed and codified in its inhumane treatment around 1680. By 1637, The first slave ship was built in Massachusetts, also known as slavers. They would sail from America to West Africa in exchange for goods. In 1641, a Massachusetts colony legalizes slavery. Read the rest