MONICA GIVES BIRTH TO SECOND SON, ROMELO MONTEZ HILL; SAYS PREGNANCY IS EASY.

According to Access Atlanta, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Monica and her longtime boyfriend and rap artist Rodney Ramone Hill Jr. welcomed their second son, Romelo Montez Hill last Tuesday afternoon. Monica's 19 inch bundle of joy entered the world three weeks before his January 28th due date, weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces. Mommy and baby are doing just fine. Last November, Monica told Sister 2 Sister magazine she couldn't believe how easy pregnancy could be. "It really does agree with me in the sense that I'm never sick. I'm never in pain. I don't even wear maternity clothes until after six months. I eat way too much, but, other than that, I don't have difficulties." The Atlanta native said becoming a mother is like second nature for her because doesn't suffer the stresses and strains of other moms-to-be.

As a matter of fact, Monica's pregnancy was so easy, the R&B singer was reportedly working on her new album (she has recorded 13 songs) right up until she gave birth.

Monica and Rodney also share a two and a half year old son named Rodney Ramone Hill III (pictured above) a.k.a. Lil Rock.

....

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

NEW PIC: KIMORA LEE SIMMONS UNVEILS HER NEW 'BE AN ANGEL FOR DOGS' CAMPAIGN AD FOR PETA.ORG

Kimora Lee Simmons really knows how to make a statement. The former Mrs. Russell Simmons and hip-hop fashion empress turned reality TV starlet is going au naturel for a new ad campaign. This time, it wont be the sensational shots she starred in to promote the Baby Phat sneakers line but for a new eye-popping campaign for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

In the ad, titled Be an Angel for Dogs, the statuesque St. Louis native wears nothing but a stunning pair of angel wings and holding her dog, Zoe, to illustrate the her naked desire to get people to make dogs a part of their families-and not leave them tied up outside or cooped up at home alone all day. "You cannot just chain up an animal," Simmons said. "The chains are heavy, it's cruel. Dogs need to run and play." Karl Lagerfeld's former muse urges people to do whatever they can to help neglected backyard dogs. "Everybody should do the best they can, because a lot of little 'best-you-cans' add up to a lot of saved animals."

According to a PETA spokesperson, the campaign was launched to coincide with national Unchain a Dog Month, which is observed every January. Simmons has reportedly donated more than $20,000 to PETA to help severely underprivileged dogs living in low-income, rural areas. "Thanks to her generosity, more than 100 dogs have received sturdy, weather-tight doghouses with a shade overhang for summer, straw bedding, toys, and new collars and harnesses," the rep said. "Simmons' funding of PETA's program provides not only truckloads of houses but also staff to deliver them, truck rental and gas, and the equipment to dig up fences and posts that commonly tangle dogs' tethers."

The wings she's wearing in the ads were designed by renowned costume designer Martin Izquierdo, the genius behind Victoria's Secret's iconic angel wings. They were made out of 100 percent cruelty-free synthetic materials.

SOURCE: BLACKVOICES.AOL.COM

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

CORONER: DR. DONDA WEST DIED OF HEART DISEASE WHILE SUFFERING 'MULTIPLE POST-OPERATIVE FACTORS.'

Donda West, the mother of rapper Kanye West, died of heart disease while suffering "multiple post-operative factors" after plastic surgery, the L.A. coroner said Thursday. But an autopsy failed to determine the exact role these factors played in her death following liposuction and breast-reduction surgery, officials said. West, 58, died on Nov. 10 at Centinela Freeman hospital after friends and family made a frantic 911 call for help from her home in Playa Del Ray. "The final manner of death could not be determined," the coroner said in a statement. "Multiple post-operative factors could have played a role in the death. The exact contribution of each factor could not be determined. There was no evidence of a surgical or anesthetic misadventure."

Just a day before her death, West had undergone cosmetic surgery with Dr. Jan Adams, who has faced tremendous scrutiny since West died. At the time her death, a family spokesperson said West had passed away "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure."

West had been on the faculty of the English Department of Chicago State University for over two decades before retiring from academia to manage her son's career. She recently published Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star. Her only son, in turn, dedicated his song Hey Mama to her.

...

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

'THE THINGS CELEBS SAY': JENNIFER LOPEZ ON REVEALING HER PREGNANCY: 'I WAS ON TOUR WITH A BUBBLE GUT!'

"I kind of feel like everybody knew anyway. I was on tour with a bubble gut!"
--Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez on when she knew she could no longer disguise her pregnancy.
Harper's Bazaar (Feb.'08 issue)

After months of speculation, J-Lo finally put the rumors to rest in November by announcing at one of her concerts that she was expecting a baby with husband Marc Anthony. Speaking out about why she kept the baby news quiet, the 38-year-old says: "I do realize people want to know because they're interested, but this is the first time I'm going through this. This is my experience and my husband's experience, and we get to hold that for a little while. We're just getting used to the fact that we've told everybody. I'm just feeling too protective to open that door right now. It's a Pandora's box. It's a destructive lifestyle to be out there. I know because I've lived it. Being on the cover of the tabloids every day for two years - it's hard. You start forgetting who you really are inside."

And the Latina star credits her husband for teaching her the value of keeping her personal life to herself, adding, "Marc is a really private person, and he's been singing onstage since he was really young. "He made me realize you can be an artist, and have credibility and success, without your life being on public display 24 hours a day."

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AFTER THE JUMP!

Jennifer is also looking forward to taking a break once the baby arrives. "I don't know - and I like that, because my life has been so planned for so many years," she reveals. Once I did the tour, I really just wanted to shut it down, and since then, I've had to do three things including a video. It may not sound like a lot, but as this point, any woman can sympathize. It is a lot. I was ready just to sit."

And Lopez is delighted she's with child because she was under pressure from her mother to conceive. The star had been trying for a baby with husband Marc Anthony for three years before she finally discovered she was expecting. And Lopez admits she's thrilled to be giving her mother a grandchild. She says, "When Marc and I first got married, my mother rang me every day asking if there was any news. I come from a Latino family where it's all about children. I'm really happy."

Lopez is due to give birth in the spring (08).

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

MICHAEL JORDAN & NIKE TO LAUNCH 23rd EDITION OF THE AIR JORDAN SNEAKER.

High-ass shoes!! It's gotta be the shoes, right? No other basketball shoe has changed the face of business, athletics and marketing like the Air Jordan. This month, Nike releases the 23rd edition, and it is expected to be just as venerated as its predecessors. The Air Jordan XX3 will be released in three hyped-up rounds from January to February, starting with a limited edition to be sent to only 23 retailers to be sold for $230 and concluding with the national launch at $185. There had been talk at Nike about retiring the shoe at No. 23, because of his iconic jersey number. But company officials won't say whether this will be the last of the line. Neither will Jordan. "You'll just have to wait and see," Jordan said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, responding to questions about the upcoming release.

Jordan said he never expected that the shoe would become an icon. "Like every kid growing up, I dreamed of making winning shots at the buzzer and I was fortunate to live out that dream, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever entertain the idea of the success of the Air Jordan franchise," he said. And the Air Jordan remains the pinnacle piece for shoe collectors. The original Air Jordan 1 can sell for thousands of dollars, depending on various factors. "It blows my mind that even after five years removed from the game the shoe would be stronger than ever and I would still be greeted by fans as if I had just won a championship all over again," Jordan stated.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AFTER THE JUMP!

Before launching the first shoe in 1985, Nike had just signed Jordan for $2.5 million over five years. Nike won't say what Jordan's current contract with the company is worth. Jordan's deal with Nike opened the door for sneaker manufacturers to chase after athletes, signing them up --sometimes just out of high school-- for multimillion-dollar contracts in hopes of being able to cash in on the next superstar. It sent sneaker prices to new heights, which has since generated a backlash against selling pricey shoes to basketball-loving kids. "Nobody expected the mass hysteria created by its release," Jordan said in his e-mail to The AP. A new edition was launched each year, and release dates had to be moved to the weekends to keep kids from skipping school to get a pair. The frenzy got dangerous. People were mugged and even killed for the shoes.

Like any bet, athletic companies take their risks -- some pay off, like Tiger Woods or LeBron James. But some don't, a la Michael Vick. Nike terminated its contract with Vick last August after his plea agreement on dogfighting charges. Jordan was spun off into its own division in 1997, a move that some high up in Nike questioned when Jordan retired. But the business is a key component, with new players signing on under the brand. Nike has spun that Jordan swagger into performance and luxury apparel for men and woman.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

YOUTUBE CLIP: SUSPENDED SPORTS LADY APOLOGIZES FOR RACIAL SLUR AIMED @ TIGER WOODS; WOODS ISN'T FAZED BY IT.

Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman, the sport's first female play-by-play announcer, is apologizing for joking that young players should "lynch [Tiger Woods] in a back alley" as a way to deal with his supremacy. "On Friday during our golf broadcast, Nick Faldo and I were discussing Tiger's dominance in the golf world and I used some poorly chosen words," Tilghman said in a statement. "I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by my comments."

The Golf Channel also released a statement addressing Tilghman's remark: "We regret the unfortunate choice of words that Kelly used during the broadcast and apologize to anyone who was offended by her remarks," the network said in its statement. "We take this matter very seriously. She has apologized privately to Tiger and publicly on the air."

Responding to the apologies, Tiger's agent Mark Steinberg brushed off the entire incident, stating: "This story is a non-issue. Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."

WATCH VIDEOCLIP

...

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

CELEB BIRTHDAY PICS: CELEBS AT TYRESE'S 29th BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE GARDEN OF EDEN IN HOLLYWOOD.

R&B singer/actor Tyrese celebrated his 29th birthday over the holiday weekend by throwing a big bash at the Garden of Eden nightclub in Hollywood, California. Celebrities--there wasn't many--in attendance included: Tyrese's fellow TGT group member Tank, Bobby Brown, The Game and actresses Farelle and Kiya Roberts from B.E.T. reality show Hell Date.

Pics courtesy of: THERUNDOWN.TV

....

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

ALICIA KEYS & TYRA BANKS TO BE HONORED AT B.E.T.'S 1st B.E.T. HONORS GALA.

R&B singer Alicia Keys and former model-turned-media mogul and Tyra Banks, will be recognized among the top achievers in entertainment, business and politics awarded at the first ever BET Honors gala. Keys will receive the Entertainment Award and Banks will be honored for her overall media work, including her talk show as well as America's Next Top Model. In addition to Keys and Banks, other honorees include: Dr. Cornel West, University Professor in the Center for African American Studies (Award for Education); Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award); The Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award).

"We are thrilled to pay tribute to the thinkers, trailblazers and trendsetters whose accomplishments serve as inspirations for current and future generations," Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks said via statement. "Each of these remarkable individuals has made significant contributions to the Black community and American culture overall, and BET Networks is proud to recognize them through this very special, new tentpole event. We've done a number of significant shows in other cities, but what better place to honor these individuals than in our home city of Washington, D.C."

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AFTER THE JUMP!

Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, the BET Honors will be taped on January 12 at Washington, D.C.'s Warner Theatre and will air on BET on Friday, February 22nd at 8 PM. Guests appearances include: Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

CANDIDS: RIHANNA SHOE SHOPPING IN LOS ANGELES; TIFFANY 'NEW YORK' POLLARD OUT & ABOUT IN NEW YORK CITY

R&B artist Rihanna with her little doggy and her friend shoe shopping at Barney's in Los Angeles.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That human-size version of a muppet a.k.a. Tiffany 'New York' Pollard was spotted arriving at Cipriani's in New York City with her new celeb publicist Lizzie Grubman.

CHECK OUT MORE PICS OF RIHANNA LEAVING BARNEY'S AFTER THE JUMP!

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!