KANYE WEST CREATES PUPPET SHOW, 'ALLIGATOR BOOTS' FOR COMEDY CENTRAL NETWORK.

Rapper Kanye West is developing a new puppet show project for Comedy Central Network. A 30-minute pilot for Alligator Boots, has already been shot. West teamed up with comedians Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla's Jackhole Productions for the project, which has been described as hip-hop meets the Muppets. West and fellow executive producer Rhymefest will serve as musical directors on the show, which is scheduled to debut in 2009. According to Billboard.com, West hosts the pilot. Like The Muppet Show, the idea is to have a different celebrity guest host for every episode.

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TISHA CAMPBELL-MARTIN TO JOIN HER ON-SCREEN/OFF-SCREEN B.F.F. TICHINA ARNOLD ON 'EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS.'

Fans have something to look forward to when Everybody Hates Chris returns for a fourth season this fall. Ooooh, and I can't wait!!! Aside from the hilarious new storylines that await the residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, actress Tisha Campbell-Martin will attempt to spice up the comedy as she reunites with her old Martin sidekick Tichina Arnold. According to Entertainment Weekly, Tisha Campbell-Martin will be joining the cast of Everybody Hates Chris for a multi-episode arc. The 39-year-old actress will reportedly portray a character named Peaches, who is described as “a sexy, edgy, vibrant ghetto princess who moves back to Bedford-Stuyvesant after a stint in prison and strikes up a frenemyship with Arnold's Rochelle.” Everybody Hates Chris fourth season premieres on Friday, October 3rd on The CW. Besides Arnold, the series also stars Terry Crews as Julius, Tyler James Williams as Chris, Tequan Richmond as Drew, Imani Hakim as Tonya, Vincent Martella as Greg Wuliger, and Chris Rock as The Narrator.

Aside from Everybody Hates Chris, Tisha has also been cast in several upcoming projects including the movie Pastor Brown and the TV show Rita Rocks. In Pastor Brown, she'll be playing a character named Amanda Carlton in a romantic comedy about a prominent pastor's daughter who is tasked to take over the church. Rita Rocks, on the other hand, will feature Tisha as Amanda Carlton in a comedy about a frazzled working mother who starts a garage band with her neighbor and a female postal worker.

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Known for her starring roles in such programs as Rags to Riches, Martin, and My Wife and Kids, Campbell-Martin is a notable actress whose accomplishments extend to the film, theater and music industry. Most recently, she appeared as Carmen on the TV series All of Us, which ran from 2004 to 2006.

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MARA BROCK AKIL DISHES ON THE THIRD SEASON OF 'THE GAME.'

Without a doubt, the 3rd season of The CW’s The Game is the most anticipated return to television especially since the network’s upper-ups canned Girlfriends. But I digress…I have to or I’m liable to have a conniption just thinking about it. Anyhoo, here’s what we (diehard) fans already know: Melanie Barnett a.k.a.‘Med School’ a.k.a. 'Girl Melanie' and Derwin Davis are thisclose to hooking back up for good when Derwin’s ex-girlfriend, Janay, informs him that she is with child….his child! Jason, who has finally kicked his steroid habit, might have finally pushed his wife, Becky….I mean Kelly as far as she could go with his cheap, ‘I-Am-Man-Hear-Me-Roar’ tactics. In the meantime and in between time, Tasha has found love…or maybe lust with her new co-worker, played by that ever-so-fine Rick Fox. Then there’s Malik who has not only fired his mother as his manager (he obviously hasn’t learned a damn thing from Curious George’s human twin brother, Usher), but has also jumped the broom with his cougar Robin Givens. Although the majority of the cast portray fictional characters, their unresolved issues vastly parallels most of our everyday lives.

With that said, who wouldn’t become addicted to such an entertaining sitcom? Hell, it’s all we have to look forward to this fall season anyway. According to Nielsen Co., The Game (created by executive producer Mara Brock Akil) dominates the half-hour comedy spot in Black households, which was left vacant by its sister sitcom (also the brainchild Akil‘s) that I mentioned above. Therefore and thus and such, I will not repeat its name for fear of breaking down into tears….so please allow me to digress once more.

AFTER THE JUMP, FIND OUT IF THERE WILL BE ANY RECONCILIATIONS, BREAKUPS OR BABY MAMA DRAMA. PLUS TAKE A PEEK AT A FEW INTERESTING SPOILERS FROM THE UPCOMING SEASON.

So what can we expect to see this season? While some fans, such as myself, are hoping and wishing for a Team Merwin reconciliation, there are others who are wondering what will become of the clique’s interracial couple now that their marriage has become so strained. The only person that can answer that question and tackle that true-to-life image of a Black athlete who marries a White woman is Akil. ’On the show, we’re very vocal about when a brother marries outside the race. That’s what Tasha’s character represents toward Kelly. But they’ve formed a friendship out of being bold, brash and confronting the race issue,’ says Akil. If you’re on the edge of your seat wondering which couple(s) will actually cross over into the end zone before breaking out into their well-coordinated touchdown dance or which couple(s) will get sacked at the one yard line, Akil wants you to know that she feels your pain. She tells Essence magazine, ‘I hear the audience. I know they want a happy, good couple. I want that, too, but I’m just showing the journey of how you get there.'

While Akil may be tight-lipped about giving us the goodies on next season, TV Guide and a few other sources aren't. According to the publication, more veteran actors will make guest-appearances during the run of this season. On the October 31st episode, Laverne and Shirley actress Penny Marshall will play Rick Fox's mother. In this episode Tasha discovers just how much of a mama's boy her new boo really is. It'll be funny to see how Penny and Tasha interact considering Penny's role comes off as an overprotective mother who commends herself for the success of Rick's career with the Lakers. TVguide.com also revealed what some of us Team Merwin fans have feared: Janay is indeed pregnant. But is she pregnant with Derwin's baby? If this gives you any clue at all, in an impromptu interview during the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, Tia Mowry said the season opener will be an emotional, hour-long episode. Also, more spoilers have claim the Pitts marriage has hits the skids for good and that they will go through a divorce. That's not all. While 'Med School' decides to seriously buckle down in an effort to obtain her medical degree, even going as far as beginning her residency at a local hospital, our playboy Malik, on the other hand, will find himself doing something he never thought he would have to do: defending his manhood and fighting off gay rumors. As for Tee Tee. Nothing's changed.

Check out The Game when it premieres its third season on a new night and time beginning on Friday, October 3rd at 8:30 p.m. Also check back with Real Gossip 101 next week when I will have new news on actor Coby Bell (who plays Jason Pitts) and a new photoshoot of Hosea Chanchez (who plays Malik Wright) including details on his love life as well as his relationships with his cast mates..

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TYLER PERRY'S 'MEET THE BROWNS' TV VERSION TO DEBUT IN JANUARY 20090; PICS OF SANAA LATHAN & TARAJI HENSON AT RED CARPET EVENT.

Wednesday nights on TBS may get a little bit more funny pretty soon. At the top of 2009, get ready to Meet the Browns for the third time via cable television. Nearly a year ago, I told you all a television version of Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns would soon find its way to the small screen once a network picked it up. Unsurprisingly, TBS, which airs Perry's House of Payne sitcom, has also snatched up Meet the Browns and will begin airing the first of ten episodes, which have already been filmed, next January. Of his highly anticipated series, Perry says, "I am so excited to continue my relationship with TBS. It has been so fulfilling artistically, I feel as if I've been adopted into another family. An artist such as myself cannot imagine being in a partnership with any other network." The film version of Meet the Browns starred Angela Bassett as a struggling single mom from Chicago who meets the family of her estranged late father in Atlanta and inherits a house. Actor David Mann will reprise his role from the movie as Leroy Brown, the head of the Georgia family.

The sitcom will kick off with Leroy inheriting the run-down house from his late father. Other cast members include Lamman Rucker (CLICK HERE to read more news on LAMMAN RUCKER on BLACKCELEBRITYMEN.BLOGSPOT.COM!), Denise Boutte. Of course Tyler will executive produce the series. And speaking of Tyler. His new movie The Family that Preys starring himself, Sanaa Lathan, Taraji Henson and Alfre Woodard will hit theaters next Wednesday. I was able to find a few pics of Sanaa and Taraji posing on the red carpet at the Verizon launch party for the Blackberry 8330 Pink Curve last week.

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NEW PICS: NELLY SIGNS ON TO BECOME DIDDY'S SPOKESMODEL FOR HIS SEAN JOHN UNDERWEAR LINE; JOINS CAST OF 'CSI.'

Applebottom clothing line creator/rapper Nelly has signed his name on the dotted line to become Diddy's first ever spokesmodel for the mogul's Sean John Underwear Line. Underwear! Uh, quick note to Nelly: make sure Diddy cuts you your check. It seems to slip his mind more often than not to pay his employees and artists for their work. Just ask any former Bad Boy artist. But I digress. Anyhoo, according to the St. Louis Business Journal, the St. Lunatic will be featured in various advertisements wearing the Sean John undergarments from a house overlooking Los Angeles, California. The decision to hire the rapper was based on Diddy’s confidence in his image. “To me, Nelly is the quintessential definition of the Sean John man,” the Bad Boy CEO said in a statement. “He has the attitude, the swagger and most of all, the physique that our customers can both aspire and relate to.” In addition to the male audience Diddy expects to reach, the hip-hop mogul is also banking on a strong female reception from the advertisements. “And let’s be honest, all of the ladies out there are going to be thanking us for this campaign,” he added. “The images are so strong; they speak for themselves.”

Click on the picture on top to fully view Nelly's Sean John Underwear ad...although it would have behooved somebody to give dude less clothes than what we see in the picture. I mean, damn, it is suppose to be an underwear ad.

In related news, Nelly will be coming to the small screen soon, with a role on crime drama series CSI: NY. According to Entertainment Weekly, the rapper – whose other acting credits include 2005’s The Longest Yard - will be featured in several episodes as a club owner turned informant. "He's a great actor," executive producer Pam Veasey told EW. He really stepped up."

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SANAA LATHAN & NIA LONG LAND VOICE ROLES ON 'FAMILY GUY' SPIN-OFF 'CLEVELAND.'

Sanaa and Nia Long's gripes about landing decent roles as black women in Hollywood has paid off...kind of. The two actresses along with actor Kevvin Richardson have been added as voice talent for the upcoming Family Guy spinoff Cleveland. The African American pal of Family Guy's Peter Griffin moves with his son to Stoolbend, Virginia and shacks up with his high school sweetheart Donna, voiced by Sanaa Lathan. Nia Long will voice Donna's unruly teen daughter Roberta. In perhaps the most interesting casting decision, black actor Kevin Richardson has signed on to voice white redneck Lester, who is Cleveland's next door neighbor. As previously reported, Cleveland is voiced by the show's executive producer Mike Henry, who is white. Kinda scary, right?

Lathan will be seen next in Wonderful World. Long was recently in the feature Are We Done Yet? and last season's ABC drama Big Shots.
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WENDY WILLIAMS NEW TALK SHOW TO PREMIERE MONDAY, JULY,14, 2008 + CANDID PICS.

Starting Monday and running for the next six weeks, Wendy 'Monkey Feet' Williams new live, hour-long, daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, will air on Fox at 1 p.m. With th show produced before a New York audience, expect fans who are devotees. "I start with a very, very devoted fan base," Williams said. "My sidekicks will be my audience; I really want the smartest, freshest audience in all of daytime. My set is fabulous and my theme song by David Vanacore says it all -- 'Say say say it; feel it, feel it, feel it; how you doing? Shout it out.'...We're embracing the old-school way of doing talk shows where the audience is very much a part of the show." On the other side of the screen, Williams said the target viewership is "women aged 25-40, the usual daytime audience. In terms of color, I'm a black woman, so my natural fan base would be black women. But in actuality, plenty of different people listen to The Wendy Williams Experience. Heterosexual men are embarrassed because they feel it's a gay man's thing, but that's not true either, you know? But if you're interested in me, I'm interested in you. I take everyone."

What will you see? Three segments look to be regular. First are "Hot topics ... which is what's going on with Michelle Obama ...or Lindsay Lohan's mom's reality show," she says. "I love pop culture, hot guys, hot women, hot restaurants, great clothing." Then there'll be celebrity interviews with those who can stand some astringent querying. "This is not the Jay Leno interview," Williams warned. "I guarantee that Wendy will give a more interesting twist for my audience. That's my job: to put the remix on what others are doing."

The shock-jock-turned-talk-show hostwas spotted shopping for shades at the Solstice store in New York City earlier this month looking a hot-ass mess....as usual.

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KATT WILLIAMS TO STAR IN HIS OWN COMEDY CENTRAL SKETCH COMEDY SHOW.

Katt Williams is getting his hustle on at Comedy Central. The self-described "pimp" is close to wrapping a deal that will net him a pilot for a sketch comedy series as well as a comedy special, reports Variety. Williams will star in and executive produce the series, along with Jeff Golenberg and Michael Green. Details of the sketch comedy are still being hammered out.

In related news, Williams' It's Pimpin' Pimpin' tour ranks as one of Pollstar's top live comedy acts of 2008 thus far, generating $17 million in ticket sales and volume of half a million ticketbuyers since it kicked off in January. The special, shot during the Washington, D.C., leg of the tour, is the part-three continuation of Williams' successful Pimp Chronicles franchise. Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Part 1 and last year's follow-up, Katt Williams: American Hustle, both released on disc by Salient Media, have sold a combined 1.2 million DVD units. Part 1, which was taped in Atlanta, garnered 3.6 million viewers on HBO in 2006, making it the cable company's top-rated comedy spesh that year. American Hustle, which combined scripted sequences with 2007 tour footage and included appearances by Snoop Dogg, Jeremy Piven and Ludacris, made its TV premiere in January on Comedy Central.

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Williams has had roles in a number of features of late, including DreamWorks' Norbit and Sony's First Sunday. He's also attached to star in helmer John Whitesell's upcoming Mission: Intolerable. He has also been seen on Nick Cannon's MTV improv series Wild 'N' Out, NYPD Blue, UPN's Girlfriends, The Tracy Morgan Show, My Wife and Kids, as well as the popular adult cartoon The Boondocks, where he provided the voice for an animated pimp named "Slickback."

Williams currently resides in Los Angeles with his eight children.

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TISHA CAMPBELL-MARTIN TO STAR IN NEW COMEDY SERIES 'RITA ROCKS' ON LIFETIME NETWORK THIS FALL.

Tisha Campbell-Martin, best known for her starring roles in Martin and My Wife and Kids as well as guest-starring appearances in All of Us, returns to the small screen this fall in Lifetime's Rita Rocks, according to trade reports. In Rita Rocks, Sullivan stars as Rita, an overworked wife and mother in the middle of a full blown identity crisis. Trying to maintain romance with her husband Jay (Richard Ruccolo), juggling the demands of her nine-year-old daughter Shannon (Kelly Gould), disciplining her defiant, teenage daughter Hallie and her ever-present boyfriend Kip (Raviv Ullman), and being passed over for a promotion at work; Rita is at her wit's end. In search of "youthful" Rita, she dusts off her old guitar and forms a garage band with her nosey postal carrier Patty (Tisha Campbell-Martin) and unemployed neighbor Owen (guest-star Ian Gomez), in the hopes of putting that spark back in her life.

The cable network ordered 13 episodes of the series for a fall premiere. The series will air as part of a one-hour comedy block alongside the sitcom Reba.
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MELANIE 'MEL B.' BROWN TO STAR IN BLACK VERSION OF DISNEY'S 'HANNAH MONTANA' ON NICKELODEON.

Melanie Brown, formerly of the Spice Girls, has written a new half-hour TV show which she describes as the "black version" of the Disney Channel's popular children's series, Hannah Montana. "I've written my own sitcom that's just been picked up by Nickelodeon that I start at Christmas," she said, according to Contact Music. "I'm the star of it. It's a bit like Hannah Montana, but the black version." The project is reportedly scheduled to go into production later this year. No other details were given.

Hannah Montana, meanwhile, focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus) by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real identity from the public, other than her close friends and family.
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EVA MARCILLE (A.K.A. EVA PIGFORD, EVA THE DIVA) & JAMIA NASH TO JOIN CAST OF THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS.

America's Next Top Model winner Eva Marcille and singer/actress Jamia Simone Nash (August Rush) join the cast of The Young & the Restless on Wednesday, June 25. Marcille plays Tyra Hamilton, Devon's aunt who is a single mother to daughter Ana, played by Nash. Devon is reunited with them at Lily's 21st birthday party. It's about time Y&R added more color to their cast. I'm so tired of seeing pale-ass Lily, I don't know what to do. Anyhoo, Marcille has guest-starred on several television series such as Kevin Hill, one episode of Smallville, one episode of Everybody Hates Chris, and one episode of The Game as herself. Most recently, Marcille has also appeared on TBS' House Of Payne, a series created by playwright Tyler Perry.

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At age 11, Nash has already shared the stage with major artists, including Alicia Keys and Diana Ross. She has acted in episodes of 7th Heaven, Romeo!, My Wife and Kids, and appeared as herself on Half & Half and Big Time. She also played a ten-year-old Fantasia Barrino in the 2006 Lifetime Original Movie Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, a biopic about the 2004 American Idol winner. And she provides the singing voice for the character Uniqua on The Backyardigans.

Nash made her feature debut in August Rush and became the youngest African American to ever sing on an Oscar telecast when she performed that film's nominated song this year.

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KEKE PALMER ('AKEELAH & THE BEE') LANDS LEAD ROLE IN NEW NICKELODEON SERIES.

Akeelah and the Bee star Keke Palmer has scored the lead role in Nickelodeon's new live-action pilot True Fashion, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The project, described as Big meets The Devil Wears Prada, centers on a 15-year-old (Palmer) tapped to head the teen division of a major fashion label. She has a passion for fashion but soon learns that corporate life has the same highs and lows as high school, complete with cliques and mean girls -- but also with such cool perks as designing for up-and-coming rock stars and casting cute models.

Palmer, who pocketed an NAACP Image Award for her Akeelah role, will next be seen on the big screen in The Longshots. Based on a true story, the movie stars Palmer as the first female quarterback in Pop Warner football history.
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CAST OF 'GIRLFRIENDS' TO FILE JOINT LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CW FOR UNPAID WORK.

I told myself I wouldn't post anymore bad news pertaining to the demise of Girlfriends, because just the thought of it makes my head, chest, stomach and feet ache! But reading the following article last week took my level of pisstification to new heights and made me hotter than two fat people sexing each other under a leather blanket during a hot and humid day in southern Mississippi in the middle of August! Yes, I was that mad!

Fans, like myself, of The CW's once top-rated show, Girlfriends, who thought they'd be given a glimmer of hope at seeing the cast (maybe even 'Toni Childs Garrett' a.k.a. Jill Marie Jones) together on-screen for one last time may not want to set their DVRs just yet...or perhaps never. According to AOL Blackvoices columnist Jawn Murray (Black Buzz), The CW made the cast members an offer to return for a "retrospective" episode that would feature recaps of the previous shows and cast members reflecting on those shows. The CW apparently only offered to pay the actors half of their episodic salary to shoot the makeshift finale, thus the stars collectively opted not to participate. Murray says he was told by several people close to the show that network also refused to honor the contracts of the principal cast members and does not intend to pay the actors for the nine episodes that will not be taped. Now the show stars have hired a litigator who will file a joint lawsuit on behalf of the talent, suing the network for the money they are due. An anonymous source revealed to Murray that the network upper-up told the actors "'Sue us!' After using this show to help build its name, The CW has turned their back on them and disrespected them in the most horrible way," says the source. A rep for The CW was unaware of a pending lawsuit or the latest developments with the show's finale. "To the best of our knowledge no lawsuits have been filed. Nor is there any new word on finale special," said show publicist Paul McGuire via e-mail.

Devoted and longtime fans of the show, again, such as myself, have come together to speak their piece on the abrupt cancellation of the show as well as the issue of the taping of the retrospective episode, by filing a petition to the network's brass.

AFTER THE JUMP, READ ALL ABOUT THE PETITION & WHERE YOU CAN SIGN IT.

After 8 successful seasons on UPN and now The CW, the network has abruptly decided to cancel Girlfriends leaving all the storylines hanging in the balance, and without letting it have a proper series finale. It has been a positive show that has touched the African-American community. We all know that everything will come to end, but we ask that the CW gives us closure by having a proper series finale. So sign the petition and hopefully the CW will see that the fans do care. Here is the info also to contact the network executives listed below:

President of Entertainment – CW Network
Dawn Ostroff
818-977-2525
Dawn.Ostroff@cwtv.com

President of CBS Paramount Network TV
Nancy Tellem
323-575-2380
nancy.tellem@tvc.cbs.com

SIGN THE PETITION HERE.

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TYLER PERRY LUV THE KIDS; MOGUL TO CREATE NEW ANIMATION SERIES STARRING THE ONE AND ONLY 'MADEA.'

Bless his heart. Just when you thought Tyler Perry had done it all (i.e. stage plays, blockbuster movies, television sitcoms, books, production company), he turns around and surprises his fans with another project. And for those of you who love yourselves some Mabel 'Madea' Simmons as much as my 8-year-old niece, you all are in for a big treat because Perry is bringing the gun-toting, 'Good Morn-ting' greeting, chain-smoking, house-arrest-anklet-wearing grandma to life in her own cartoon series. Perry has teamed up with animation company Exodus Film Group for the untitled series, which will be produced entirely up front before shopping to a network or releasing on DVD – or both. The actor/filmmaker will create, write and executive produce an undetermined number of 22-minute standalone episodes and also provide the voice of Simmons.

Perry, who has never written an animated project before, said his goal was to take the more adult-themed Madea and gear it toward younger viewers. "After receiving thousands of letters from parents telling me how much their kids love Madea and realizing that a lot of the plays were not kid friendly," said Perry, "I wanted to do something more appropriate, and this seems to be it. A 'Madea' animation looks like the best way."

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Perry has turned his Madea plays into such movie box office hits as Madea's Family Reunion and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. The next Madea feature, Meet the Browns, will be out next month from Lionsgate. He also has written for television with the current TBS series Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which Perry also funded and produced before shopping to networks.

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THE CW OFFICIALLY CANCELS 'GIRLFRIENDS' BUT WILL GIVE SHOW A 'PROPER SENDOFF.'

Fans who wanted to see the return of favorite, Toni Childs Garrett (played by actress Jill Marie Jones) will never get that chance. Yes, it saddens me too. After opting to cancel its long-running sitcom Girlfriends and scrapping production on the remaining 9 shows of its scheduled 22 this year, the CW brass and Girlfriends creator Mara Brock Akil are reportedly considering giving the show "a proper sendoff" by airing a special Girlfriends retrospective episode paying tribute to the show's history. Last Monday night's two new episodes marked the end of the road for Girlfriends. Hours earlier, the CW told writers that the show would not return for a ninth season. Girlfriends star Tracee Ellis Ross also made her directorial debut on the 9:30 p.m. episode, which ended up being the series swan song. Girlfriends has quietly made a mark as the longest-running live-action comedy currently on network TV.

"Although it's always difficult to say goodbye, I choose to focus my energy on the history that Girlfriends has made, the human stories that we told, the beautifully complex images that we projected and the blessings 172 episodes bestowed on us, both personally and professionally," Girlfriends' creator and executive producer, Akil, said in a statement Thursday. "I am immensely thankful to the amazingly talented cast, writers, directors, staff and crew for their endless dedication and hard work for eight seasons, to the network that always wanted us and the studio that always supported us," said Akil. "But mostly to the audience, especially African-American women, who took the time to tune into us every Monday night at nine to have a dialogue with us and who have been our partner in this journey."

AFTER THE JUMP, READ THE FATE OF THE CW'S OTHER TWO TOP BLACK SITCOMS, 'EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS' AND 'THE GAME.'

As for the fate of the CW's other top black comedies, Everybody Hates Chris has wrapped production of a 22-episode season before the writer's strike kicked in. And the network is looking to crank out eight or nine more episodes of The Game.

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RUMOR OR REAL: WITH NO WEDDING PROPOSAL IN SIGHT, TYRA BANKS IS ALREADY DESIGNING HER BRIDAL GOWN.

Word around the rumor mill is that Tyra Banks, who has been dating businessman John Utendahl for only six months, is already designing her bridal wedding gown. According to a 'source close' to Banks, 'She's at a point in her life where she wants a serious commitment.' There's just one catch though: Utendahl, the 50-year-old chairman of the largest African American-owned investment bank, hasn't proposed. In a recent Essence magazine interview, Banks admitted that living the single life leaves her feeling empty and that she's now ready to share her life with someone. "I'd go to work and women would be crying in my arms. But then I'd go home and put my key in my door and nothing. No friends, not husband, no children. I feel so full when I'm at work but so empty when I come home." But since meeting, 34-year-old Banks has fallen under his spell. 'John is acting like her manager and is totally immersed in her life,' adds the 'source.'

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In related news, Banks is executive-producing yet another fashion-related competition series for the CW. The network has ordered eight episodes of an untitled fashion-magazine reality series from Tyra and her business partner Ken Mok to go along with their other CW project, America's Next Top Model. "It is a competition show about aspiring assistants looking to become assistant editors at a fashion magazine," Mok told the Hollywood Reporter. "At the same time they're trying to prove themselves as aspiring fashionistas, that they have a sense of style and savvyness, all the things to make it in the fashion world." Described as The Devil Wears Prada meets The Assistant, each episode will feature contestants competing in two challenges, an individual competition and a team competition, in which each squad will submit a page for The Book, a mock edition of the magazine. The losing team's page will end up in the trash, and one of its team members will be eliminated. The page from the other team will be included in The Book. The winner of the competition will land a job in the fashion industry.

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CANDID PICS: TRACEE ELLIS ROSS SPOTTED IN HOLLYWOOD; GOLDEN BROOKS ON THE WRITER'S STRIKE'S NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON 'GIRLFRIENDS.'

Girlfriends star Tracee Ellis Ross was spotted walking her little doggy after having lunch at Fred Segal in West Hollywood, California yesterday (January 28, 2008). We very rarely see candid pics of our favorite black sitcom stars such as Tracee. But there's a reason for that. The ongoing writer's strike has forced a lot actors (specifically those who are a part of a sitcom and/or drama series) into an unintended temporary leave of absence. So, don't expect to see any new episodes of Girlfriends or any other sitcom or drama-related television series any time soon.

According to Ross' co-star Golden Brooks (who plays Mya Wilkes on Girlfriends), non-working actors equals non-paying actors as well. And although Brooks or her co-stars aren't getting paid their contractual salary, she still supports the writers. "Look, I agree with the strike. This needed to happen because the writers are just not protected and they're not treated with the respect and the value that they should be. Let's say Snap Back (the episode Brooks wrote) airs and it airs over and over and over again and I don't get any type of compensation for that rerun or for that DVD. It all comes back. And everyone — from craft services to grips — needs to be protected, respected and taken care of. And that's what it is at the end of the day."

The cast last day on the Girlfriends set was Friday, November 9, 2007.

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NEW PICS: MEET THE CAST OF THE 3rd SEASON OF VH1'S 'FLAVOR OF LOVE 3.' PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2008.

VH1 has unveiled the third round of (Flavor of Love 3) thirsty-ass, pressed-ass, camera-hogging, windmill fighting women willing to work harder than Stevie Wonder at the Soul Train Scramble Board in hopes of becoming Flavor Flav's boo...well, at least temporary, seeing as thought there just might be a fourth season. Am I the only one wondering which wanna-be actress and soon-to-be aspiring video 'vixen' will be the first to bed down Mr. Flav? Yall know what they say, right? Beauty is only a light switch away. LOL! Look at that freaking face to the left!!! Is this the same face belonging to the man who Deelishis said broke her heart when he decided to get back with his 4th, 5th or 6th baby mama?

Anyway, check out the faces and aliases of the 20 girls who should not only receive a clock (cause Lord knows they don't know what time it is) but also be clocked dead in the face for putting themselves on national television to make fools out of themselves. As I perused through each girl's stats list, I thought to myself, 'this season may be just a wee bit better than the previous two. While there are some girls whose jobs hold such titles as waitress a.k.a. 'Hooters' girl and full time baby mamas, there are other women who actually have career-type jobs such as 22-year old 'Saint Lewis.' She not only works as a hair stylist...but she also happens to own her salon. And New York native, 'Bee Ex' who works as an IT consultant as well as a promotional model. Then you have 'Grayve', a 25-year-old real estate company owner from Holcomb, Mississippi. But what will definitely put a twist on this season's Flavor of Love is the set of identical twins, 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2'

Flavor of Love 3 premieres Monday, February 11 at 9pm on VH1.

PEEP THE PICS OF THE NEW CAST BY CLICKING 'READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!' ON THE BOTTOM LEFT.

FIRST ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Bee-Ex is a 30-year-old who grew up in the Bronx. She says that her upbringing gave her street smarts and made her a bit rowdy; Bunz is proud of the junk in her trunk, hence her moniker; DYMZ is a 22-year-old from Atlanta who comes equipped with the tired reality show catchphrase, "I'm not on the show to make friends."; 28-year-old El is also from Atlanta. She's a passionate Latina who describes herself as aggressive, rude, fast, and hyper.

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SECOND ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Grayve is a 25-year-old real estate agent from Mississippi, and she also tastes great when poured over turkey. At age five she changed the pronunciation of her name from "Yvonne" to "Y-Vonne"; Hotlanta comes from Georgia, of course. She claims she's intimidated by loud, aggressive people, which makes me think she's on the wrong show. This 27-year-old doesn't stand a chance; Ice is a part time DJ and a full time Hooters waitress in Michigan, which gives her that extra touch of class that Flavor Flav requires in his women. People often tell this 21-year-old that she looks like Paris Hilton, which is incredibly insulting; Myammee is, weirdly enough, from Georgia, for real. The 23-year old describes herself as a tomboy in a Barbie body who always has to get the last word in. Can you guess where she works? Hooters!

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THIRD ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Peechee is a bit plus-sized, and also incredibly bubbly and upbeat; When she's not pulling Santa's sleigh, 26-year-old Prancer can often be found drunk and wearing sneakers with wheels in them; 26-year-old Houston native, Q-Tee, who certainly isn't one, wears a grill and has 13 tattoos; Rayna wants a man who is in touch with his spiritual side, which leaves me to wonder why the 24-year-old Chicago girl is on this show. She also works at Hooters, so I guess that explains it.

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4th ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Saint Lewis, who is from, um, Saint Louis, is a salon manager and party girl who is proud of the fact that she doesn't drink. The 22-year-old also considers herself a local celebrity in her Missouri town; 23-year-old Savanna is another Bronx girl. She'll lie, cheat, and steal to win Flav's affections if she has to; One girl who must have an interesting childhood trauma is Seezinz, a 25-year-old from Maryland, who says she's afraid of hair and intimidated by overweight people; 23-year-old Shore-Tee from Rhode Island, considers herself to be classy and beautiful.

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5th ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: 24-year-old Shy considers herself a "masterpiece." The Chicago native can sing, tap dance, rap, act, and model; When Sinceeer isn't holding the letter E hostage, the 26-year-old San Diego native is busy as a single mother of two; Thing 1 and Thing 2 are 26-year-old twins who hail from California. They finish each other's sentences, dress the same, and share the same laugh, which is totally creepy; 25-year-old Tik shouldn't be confused with the arachnid of the same name. After all, arachnids can't wear watches, and this Texan has over 60 of them in her obsessive collection.

Click here to read the contestant's bios.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!