NEW PICS: CELEBS AT BORIS KODJOE'S 35th BIRTHDAY PARTY IN ATLANTA. (3.8.2008)

Actor Boris Kodjoe and model (and ex-girlfriend of actor Leon) Cynthia Bailey were the guests of honor during a double-header birthday bash at Uptown Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia last Saturday night (3.8.2008). Boris, who was celebrating his 35th birthday, spent most of the night on the dance floor and hugged up with his wife of over two years actress Nicole Ari Parker. Other guests in attendance included: Sanaa Lathan, Kodjoe & Parker's former Soul Food cast mate, Rockmond Dunbar, Michael Jai White, producers Dallas Austin and Jazze 'No Neck' Pha, Lynn Whitfield, Mari Morrow, Russell Simmons sans girlfriend Porshla Coleman, R&B singer Joe and actor Lamman Rucker (and for those of you who're wondering, 'Ugh! Why is he all hugged up on that chick?!! Let me find out he's already dogging Jill! Somebody better tell her to come get her man!' click HERE. , read and calm down! Lamman isn't dogging anyone). Peep the pictures (courtesy of Genius Hates Company) from the event below.

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RAVEN-SYMONE TO LAUNCH CROSS-COUNTRY 'PAJAMA PARTY' TOUR IN APRIL.

Ladies get your little girls and pre-teen daughters ready! Multi-talented star Raven-Symoné is inviting her fans all over America to join her as the singer brings her cross-country “Pajama Party” tour to arenas nationwide beginning April 26 in Orlando, FL and continuing for 55 dates through July 13 in Sacramento, CA. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early to shows wearing their favorite pajamas for a fun-filled pre-concert slumber party leading up to Raven-Symoné’s performance -- on a stage being designed to replicate her own house. Opening the show will be Raven-Symoné’s fellow Disney star Mitchel Musso, known to fans for his role as Oliver Oken on the smash hit show Hannah Montana. Musso will be performing original hip-hop/R&B songs from his own forthcoming album. In addition, recording artists B5 will perform their hit single Get'cha Head in the Game off the High School Musical soundtrack.

Also, Raven-Symoné has teamed with I Love All Access to provide her fans with an unforgettable VIP ticket package experience at every show including a photo opportunity, backstage tour, party, and the best seats in the house. This special VIP ticket package is available exclusively at RavenSymonePresents.com. Tickets for the tour will go on-sale beginning March 14th.

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The tour launches in support of the April 29 release of Raven-Symoné’s self-titled Hollywood Records release, which features some of R&B and hip-hop’s hottest producers including Eric Hudson, Sean Garrett, The J.A.M. and acclaimed songwriting/production team The Clutch. The forthcoming album is led by the Clutch-produced first single, Double Dutch Bus, a cover of the classic early 80’s hip-hop party jam of the same name.

“My message is in this music and everyone associated with the album captured what I'm trying to say,” says Raven-Symoné. That positive attitude explains why Raven-Symoné is both hugely popular and also a role model. That mix of talent and integrity is the reason the longest running Disney Channel series, That’s So Raven (which she produced), has earned numerous honors including two NAACP Image Awards, two Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards and a primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.

Raven-Symoné's 2008 "PAJAMA PARTY" U.S. Tour Dates

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JUANITA BYNUM'S HUSBAND, BISHOP THOMAS WEEKS PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT CHARGES; SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS PROBATION.

According to the Associate Press, the husband of televangelist Juanita Bynum pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting her, was sentenced to three years' probation and then turned to her and apologized. Thomas W. Weeks III, a minister known to his followers as Bishop Weeks, turned after his sentencing to address Bynum, who sat in the second row of the Fulton County courtroom gallery. "I want to apologize to my wife for all she's had to go through," he said. Bynum nodded in response and quietly thanked him. The two later walked out of the courthouse together. "They are in communication and working on their relationship and the status of their marriage," said Ed Garland, Weeks' attorney in the criminal case.

Prosecutors alleged that Weeks beat Bynum — a prominent televangelist whose message of women's empowerment resonated with thousands of followers — in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel in August. According to a police report, Bynum told officers that Weeks "choked her, pushed her down, kicked and stomped her ... until a bellman pulled him off of her." Weeks initially pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of aggravated assault. Weeks must undergo violence and anger counseling and complete 200 hours of community service that cannot be church-related. He had been barred previously from communicating with Bynum, but that restriction has been lifted. His record will be cleared if he completes the terms of his sentence.

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Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said during a brief press conference that a personal plea from Bynum initiated by Weeks' grandfather convinced prosecutors not to pursue jail time for Weeks. "Many people in her situation would've been asking for him to be put in jail," Howard said, calling Bynum's request "courageous." Bynum said that she was overwhelmed by Weeks' grandfather's plea. "I don't believe my husband is a criminal," she said.

Bynum is a former hairdresser and flight attendant who became a Pentecostal evangelist, author and gospel singer. Weeks is the founder of Global Destiny churches. The couple wed in a million-dollar, televised ceremony in 2002 and together wrote "Teach Me How to Love You: The Beginnings." Bynum filed for divorce from Weeks a month after the attack, citing "cruel treatment" and saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken." Since then, the two or their lawyers have issued a series of conflicting statements about the initial incident and the couple's travails.

On Monday, the couple saw each other for the first time in months, when Bynum appeared at Weeks' divorce lawyer's office to be deposed in that case. She said the meeting was emotional. "When I saw him, it allowed me to reflect on the first time we got married," Bynum said. "I thought about the time wasted and the time lost, and I said, `This has got to stop.'"

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NEO-SOUL SINGER INDIA.ARIE TO DEBUT ON BROADWAY THIS SUMMER.

R&B singer India.Arie will bring her talent to the Great White Way this summer in the first Broadway revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Whoopi Goldberg and DreamTeam Entertainment Group will serve as executive producers of the work, which is based on Ntozake Shange's book of the same name and presents the stories of seven women of color from the African Diaspora. Arie, born India Arie Simpson, will head the company at a theatre to be announced this summer. Shirley Jo Finney will direct the production, while Tony winner Hinton Battle has signed on as choreographer. Previews of the Obie-winning drama will begin on or about July 15 with an opening on or about Aug. 2, according to Playbill News. The supporting cast and its home theater have yet to be announced.
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CELEB CANDIDS: KELLY ROWLAND IN HOLLYWOOD; RIHANNA IN LONDON.

Days after announcing that she did undergo breast enhancement, Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland was spotted having lunch at La Scala restaurant in West Hollywood with her music producer.

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Rihanna was spotted sneaking out of the back door of London, England's Paper nightclub flanked by personal bodyguards who did their best to stop photos being taken of the Grammy award-winning singer in the early hours of Sunday, March 9th.

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AL B. SURE!, BOBBY BROWN & MC HAMMER'S SEEDS TO 'ROCK THE CRADLE' ON MTV'S NEW TALENT REALITY SHOW.

Offspring of celebrity musicians including Bobby Brown, M.C. Hammer and Al B. Sure! are set to compete in a new reality talent show to discover the next American singing sensation. MTV has gathered 20-year-old A'keiba Burrell-Hammer, Landon Brown and his B.F.F., Lil Al B. Sure to battle it on a new TV show entitled Rock The Cradle, which is an eight-episode series slated to premiere on the network on April 3, 2008 at 10 p.m. The show, which will feature the pop wannabes competing in a live broadcast every week in front of their parents, a panel of celebrity judges and a live studio audience as they seek to become stars in their own right. A’Keiba, whose dad plans to be with her every step of the way during this process, said she joined the show after he presented the idea to her. “It sounded like a lot of fun,” she told People magazine. “I love performing.” M.C. Hammer, who attended a cast photo shoot with his daughter says, “She’s a hard working girl. I’m a proud papa. My advice is to have fun.”

Despite not wanting to be a part of his father’s reality show, Being Bobby Brown, Landon Brown says "Rock the Cradle will be great exposure for him. “I love to compete,” he told People. “I’ve learned from [my father’s] mistakes. I do me, but I tone myself down a little more, except on stage. I’ll try not to take my shirt off up there. They told me not to.”

Other celebrity kids set to rock the stage include Jesse Blaze Snider, son of Twister Sister star Dee Snider, Kenny Loggin's son, Crosby, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, daughter of Olivia Newton John, and Lucy Walsh, daughter of the Eagles' Joe Walsh.
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'THE THING'S CELEBS SAY': SNOOP DOGG ON WHY HE GETS TEARY-EYED WHILE LISTENING TO 'LET'S CHILL.'

"That record means a lot to me and my wife. Just all the stuff me and my wife been through. ... That one record right there, Let's Chill, makes me feel good. Just when I hear it, I could cry."

--Rapper Snoop Dog (real name Calvin Broadus) on why be broke down in tears as Charlie Wilson (who filled in for Guy member Aaron Hall) performed Guy's early 90s slow jam Let's Chill at the renewal of his wedding vows to his wife, Shante.

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JANET JACKSON PULLS OUT OF 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' PERFORMANCE + SCANS OF THE SINGER IN EBONY MAGAZINE.

Janet Jackson has reportedly scrapped her appearance on Saturday Night Live after falling ill. The singer singer was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday night (3.10.2008) with a "shortness of breath", according to UsMagazine.com. Jackson's representatives have since insisted the pop star is "fine" but she has pulled out of performing on Saturday Night Live this weekend, according to TMZ.com. The star's spokeswoman has revealed Jackson is suffering from the flu, "like everyone else". Jackson was scheduled to perform two numbers on the show, which is to be guest hosted by Superbad star Jonah Hill.

In related news, Jackson has teamed up with her nutritionist David Allen to help dieters overcome their battle with food. The 41-year-old star -whose fluctuating weight has regularly featured in the tabloid media - is co-writing a book about her journey as an "emotional eater" with Allen. The book's title and publication details are expected to be announced within weeks, but Jackson hopes the guide will be released by the end of 2008. She says, "It's not just this sterile, weight loss and how to do it book, but my journey even from when I was a kid... being an emotional eater. It takes you through those moments in my life up 'til now and what worked for me. And hopefully within that, if it doesn't work for them, maybe they'll find something that does work for them and a nice place for them to be content with who they are."

Below are scans of Janet in Ebony magazine's April 2008 issue.
Click on pics to see full image.

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