KIM KARDASHIAN ADMITS TO PRE-PLANNING SHE & REGGIE'S WEDDING.

So-called socialite Kim Kardashian recently responded to photos and video footage of her being seen thumbing through wedding magazines which have prompted folks to speculate that she and her do-boy Reggie Bush could soon be walking down the aisle. During a radio interview, Kim told radio host Ryan Seacrest that she had just spent the weekend in Las Vegas with 16 of her 'best friends', one of whom is getting married. Now this is the part I'm still trying to figure out: they were at a bachelorette party, but instead of them tipping strippers with dollar bills and boozing it up, they opted to sit their asses in a Las Vegas hotel room and look through wedding planning magazines! Also, during the interview, Kim mentioned that she was wowed at the fact that half of the girls at the bachelorette party already have engagement rings. That may be the reason why, in that pic at the top of this post, you see her trying on an engagement ring on the ring finger of her a LEFT HAND. Of course she's just practicing for the day when (not if) Reggie pops the question because, guess what, ol girl has also began planning her wedding with Ashy Reggie.

While laughing off rumors that the two are engaged, she wasted no time admitting to the fact that she is already making plans for their big day. "I'm going to have my whole wedding planned out, so that whenever I get asked there won't be any drama. You know Reggie will be so easy. He'll be like, 'Alright, babe, we'll do this. Check, check. We'll do this, we'll do that.' He's so easy. Plus he'll do what I tell him too. He just wants to pick the place. We talk about it. It's totally pre-planning so it will eliminate all the drama whenever it happens." When asked when (not if) will Reggie pop the question, without hesitation Kim said, 'Oh, it will definitely be after the [football] season. We have a while. We gotta focus. I'm in season three of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He's in the season three of the NFL, so I just have a feeling that this is all going to be just a good year for us.

In the meantime and in between time, check out these photos of Kim and her big-ass little sister Khloe at McDonald's Big Mac 40th anniversary party. Yes, the Big Mac is now over the hill, yall!

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READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

MICHELLE WILLIAMS ON HOW SHE COPED WITH THE DISSOLUTION OF HER ENGAGMENT & DREAM WEDDING; APOLIGIZES TO FANS FOR ALBUM'S PUSHBACK.

"I had looked at wedding books. I was looking at venues and doing all those things that a person would do who knows they're gonna marry somebody. I bought the house and all that good stuff. Then it was like, no, that's not gonna happen. I think that was the worst hurt I've ever felt in my life. Nothing can help; food didn't help, trying to get with somebody else didn't help, family didn't even help. It was literally me praying for my heart to get healed, because, when I love, I love pretty hard and I put a lot into a relationship." The singer insists she's glad the break-up happened, because now she's much stronger for it: "I grew so much. I'm a totally different person because of it, but in a good way. A lot of people go through a bad break-up and they just become promiscuous...and they are bitter all the time, but, for me, that didn't happen."

--28-year-old singer Michelle Williams on how she nursed her secret heartache after the 2004 break-up of her engagement and the dissolution of her dream wedding to her former fiancé after he told her he wasn't ready for marriage. Williams says her only way of coping with her heartbreaking loss was through prayer and a big bank account; and she says she's going to make sure her next relationship (or maybe her current one?) will not be so costly. "Relationships get very expensive... You try to fly on the red-eye (overnight plane) home, you try to spend time (with him). When I was overseas, I racked up a $10,000 cell phone bill....I'm not weary of it [getting married] at all. I do believe there is a particular gentleman out there for me who will come when I least expect it." Bless her precious heart. I had no idea she was supposed to be the first wife'd up member of Destiny's Child.

Michelle's new album Unexpected has been pushed back for released from August 18, 2008 to October 7, 2008. Gosh, it's bad enough that it took her two years to record the album and now it's been pushed back 2 months!

AFTER THE JUMP, READ MICHELLE'S APOLOGY TO HER FANS REGARDING HER ALBUM'S NEW RELEASE DATE.

..I am so sorry about the news of my album!!! Trust me......when they told me I was numb for two days and couldn't talk to anybody!!! I had sooooooooooooo many questions of as to why they'd push my album back three weeks before the original release date!!!! I will be honest and say that I am disappointed becuz I feel like we should've been doing more 3 months ago to promote my album instead of waiting to the last minute to change the date!!!! I have thought about EVERYTHING!!! Columbia Records is saying that they need more time to properly set up the album to ensure its success!!! So let's make some lemonade out of the lemons!!! This could very well be a blessing in disguise!!! Plus there are still many people who didn't even know my album was coming out August 12th anyway. I know you guys are LIVID but let's keep the energy POSITIVE!!!! Things will work out for the good!!!! I will still WIN!!!!!

I HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE to do my part in making the album a success!!! I have a great album and am confident that it can stand with the rest of the great music that is coming out this year!!!!

MICHELLE'S BLOG POST VIA HER OFFICIAL MYSPACE.COM PAGE.

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NEW LEAKED MUSIC FROM WHITNEY HOUSTON, 'LIKE I NEVER LEFT' FEATURING ANNOYING-ASS AKON.

Over the past year or so it's been reported that Whitney Houston was busy slaving away in a recording studio preparing for her first album in five years. Over the weekend, one of Whitney's tracks from her untitled cd made its way onto the Internet. Titled Like I Never Left, the leaked love song runs three minutes and 39 seconds and is produced by R&B singer Akon, who also appears on the track. I want you to love me like I never left, Houston croons in the song. In one verse, the Grammy winner sings the apt line: Yes, your girl is coming back. The long-awaited LP, her first since bouncing back from substance-abuse issues and a rocky divorce from Bobby Brown, is expected to be released this fall. Listen to the track Like I Never Left Whitney featuring the ever-annoying ass nasal voice of the one and only Akon by CLICKING HERE.

Below is video footage (from this month, July 6th to be exact) of Whitney performing LIVE in Kazakhstan. And judging by the video, it sounds as if she may have gained at least some of her vocal strength back. Not much, but enough for the time being. Then again, I could just be tone-deaf. Although unfortunately we may never hear her belt out her most strongest vocal hit, I Will Always Love You. That ship has sailed on to its salvation folks. Judge for yourself.

I ain't finished. 44-year-old Whit the cougar was recently spotted by tmz.com cameras as she and her boy toy Ray J., 17 years her junior, cuddled and kissed in the backseat of a car. Click here to view video footage.

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IS TRICK DADDY A TATTLE-TELL? RAPPER DENIES ACCUSATIONS OF LEAKING PHOTOS OF RICK ROSS AS A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER.

I never posted any of the hoopla surrounding the allegations of Miami rapper Rick Ross (born William Leonard Roberts on January 21, 1977) having been a correctional officer despite his 'I'm So Hood' persona because quite frankly just reading about it and his beef with fellow Miami rapper Trick Daddy, gave me a headache the size of Rihanna and Tyra's foreheads combined. But in recent days more details have emerged in this debacle. Trick Daddy is now responding to the insinuations that he is responsible for the leaked photos depicting Ross as a former correctional officer. Trick says the rumors are just an attempt to create division within his city’s thriving Hip-Hop community. “We don’t deal with rap beef down here,” Trick told AllHipHop.com. “That’s not in our character. That’s not something we do. We’re the only city that ever gets compared to other people’s entire states. Whoever put my name in this is really attacking all of us.” During a recent interview with Rick Ross circulating on the internet, an interviewer inquired about an alleged rift between the former Slip-n-Slide label mates. During the clip, Ross is “informed” by the interviewer that “Trick Daddy accused [him] of working as a prison guard at one point.“ (watch clip here.

While Trick would not directly confirm any knowledge of the Def Jam rapper’s employment as a law enforcement officer, he did address the controversy. “So what if he [was],” Trick asked. “That just means he avoided something a lot of us in the hood haven’t, including me. I’m not proud of being an ex-con. Now that means I always got one foot in and one foot on a banana peel. I’m not proud of the things I did to land in that position.”

Below is the well-circulated pic(s) of William Leonard a.k.a. Rick Ross in his C.O. uniform. If you all saw the video of Rick roasting Trick for his latest drama, then he's really gonna hit the roof of his hood when he learns what the SmokingGun.com has dug up. It gets better. Just keep reading below the photo.

TheSmokingGun.com has obtained an additional 86 pages of Ross’ personnel file from the DoC of his 18-month employment as a corrections officer in the mid-90s. Included documentation ranges from Ross’ employment application and finger print card proving his clean criminal background to signed agreement forms where he promised to “shoot an inmate attempting to escape.” Also found in the reports are his loyalty oath, payroll information, and a Certificate of Appreciation that he received due to his perfect attendance record. Dude was one of those get-to-work on time brothers! The Smoking Gun recently confirmed that Ross worked as a prison guard from December 1995 until June 1997 at the South Florida Reception Center in Dade County, despite denials by the rapper. He was reportedly earning a salary of $25,794.34 upon his departure.

AFTER THE JUMP, TRICK DISHES ON HIS ALLEGED BEEF WITH ROSS.
Despite having seen Ross’s heated response to the question, Trick maintains that there is no bad blood between the frequent collaborators, who spoke as recently as this week. “I told Ross he needs to have better people around him. He needs better publicists, so that he can avoid even being asked those type of funny questions. I been in this game for thirteen years, and anybody who’s ever listened to my music knows Trick Daddy is very smart. I know when somebody’s trying to use me and pull me into some s**t. But the people doing this need to understand what their words can do too. When you start talking about beef, and creating [situations] between people from the same hood, you gotta realize that that beef s**t can end with one man in jail and another man gone.”

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

DWAYNE WADE REVEALS REASON WHY HE HAS CHOSEN TO GO BALD; BALLER ALSO SUED FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT REGARDING HIS RESTAURANTS.

"For those of you who haven't checked out my latest video from Vegas, you're missing my new look. I've cut all my hair off. I've gone bald for the simple fact that I'm focused solely on basketball. I'm not concerning myself with waking up in the morning, brushing my hair trying to look pretty. I'm really focused on playing and bringing home the gold. Also, in China I'm not letting anybody cut my hair. If you're not my barber, it's not happening. The bald look will last me the next 30 days. My head looks good, but my body feels even better...."

--That's D-Wade commenting on why he has chosen to go bald. The All-Star is now in Beijing, China preparing to bring home the Olympic gold medal alongside his USA Olympic teammates Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Wade says he has pushed his body past it's limits in an effort to perform at his very best during the Olympic games.

In related news, Wade is facing a lawsuit for breach of contract from former partners Mark Rodberg and Richard von Houtman. Rodberg and von Houtman helped Wade open two restaurants last year and were planning a third, according to a story in Florida's Sun-Sentinel. But both D. Wade's Sports Grills shut down in the last couple of months and the plaintiffs are saying it's because Wade didn't fulfill his end of the deal by making the required marketing and promotional appearances on behalf the restaurants. Wade, however, is saying that he did meet his obligations and Rodberg and von Houtman , who are looking for $15,000 and attorney's fees, needed to slow their roll and let the restaurants marinate for a minute before expanding.

"If anything, Dwyane has a concern that the value of his name has been tarnished by ceasing operation of the restaurants," Steven Peretz, Wade's attorney, told the Sun Sentinel. "This is an instance where D. Wade called a timeout on the expectation of the restaurants. The pilot restaurants have not shown any record for success."
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VID CLIP: CATCH A SNEAK PEEK AT BRAVO'S 'HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA' THIS WEEK + CANDID SHOTS OF 1 HOUSEWIFE LUNCHING AT THE IVY WITH BISHOP NOEL JONES.

Bravo's Housewives series has made its way to peachy-keen ATL. Finally a series with some color in it! LOL! I refused to post anything on this earlier because an official premiere air date will not be set in stone until sometime in August. But at least the folks over at Bravo have saw fit to give us a 3-minute sneak peek of the Real Housewives of Atlanta this Wednesday (July 30, 2008) at midnight. The show follows Bravo's original The Real Housewives of Orange County, and its offshoot, The Real Housewives of New York and will be the first to feature African American women in the cast...although to the ATL cast will feature one 'Becky' whereas the previous two never featured any housewife of color, but I digress.

And believe it or not but it was the lady tea-spillers over at popular gossip site LipstickAlley.com who were the first to report that Bravo cameras had followed five well-to-do socialites in the Atlanta area for the new series. Bravo executive VP and general manager Frances Berwick says, "Bravo's Real Housewives franchise has resonated with our viewers across the country, and we think they will be equally fascinated by the lavish lifestyles and personalities of these Atlanta wives. They let us peek inside their exclusive, affluent community and see how they live their often-dramatic lives and manage families and careers. There is truly never a dull day for them."

Cast members for The Real Housewives of Atlanta are:

• DeShawn Snow, a mother of three and the wife of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Eric Snow. Runs a non-profit foundation and sits on the boards of three other local charities.

• Kim Zolciak, a single mother of two who's trying to jump-start a career in country music.

• Lisa Wu Hartwell, wife of Oakland Raider Ed Hartwell, real-estate firm owner and jewelry designer, among other things. She and her husband have three kids.

• NeNe Leakes, a mother of two with her husband, a real-estate investor, and founder of an organization to raise awareness of domestic violence. Bravo says she's also aiming to open a boutique hotel "in the very near future."

• Sheree Whitfield, a single mom and former boutique owner who's now concentrating on launching a clothing line.

And it looks like Mrs. Leakes (second from the right in the photo above) is already getting her first taste of paparazzi shine. Below are photos of Leakes and Bishop Noel Jones, who is unmarried and living the 'Christian-single life', as they were spotted having lunch at the infamous Ivy restaurant in Los Angeles about a week ago. Bishop Jones (the younger sister of singer/actress Grace 'Strangé' Jones) heads the City of Refuge Church out in Gardena, California which has about 17,000 members. You can catch Jones ministering his congregation on the Church Channel.

And I'mma gon 'head and say it: Oooh, Mrs. Leakes, you know you wrong. I could care less about you lunching with the Bishop man, that's your business...but to don a wig from Diamond's (former Crime Mobb member) personal collection is just wrong, Mrs. Leakes. It's all kinds of wrong. You don't go to the Ivy--the one restaurant where A, B and C-list celebrities dine at just too be seen--looking like that...especially when you're an Atlanta socialite with a reality show soon to hit the airwaves. Tsk, tsk, tsk. CLICK HERE and HERE to view a more up close and personal image of Mrs. Leakes.

FOR A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EACH ATLANTA HOUSEWIFE & TO WATCH THE LADIES PROMOTE THEIR SHOW, CLICK 'READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!'

DeShawn Snow — Snow and her husband Eric, captain of the Cleveland Cavaliers, recently moved to their dream home in Alpharetta, GA. Mother to three boys: nine-year-old EJ, six-year-old Darius and five-year-old Jarren, Snow is an active member of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. She exercises her faith by running The DeShawn Snow Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on improving self-esteem in teenage girls. She is a regular on the Atlanta social circuit and extremely active in local philanthropy, sitting on the board of three different charities, all while expertly juggling her busy social calendar with being an NBA wife and keeping up with her boys.

Kim Zolciak — Zolciak lives in an exclusive gated townhouse community in Duluth, GA with her two children, 11-year-old Brielle and six-year-old Ariana. Zolciak is single, but happily dating with hopes to marry again in the near future. She also has her sights set on fame in the music business as a country singer, and is currently working with Grammy award-winning mega-producer Dallas Austin and will begin recording an album later this year. A staple on the Atlanta scene, Zolciak balances life as a single mom with a vivacious social life.

Lisa Wu Hartwell — Hartwell, a resident of a luxurious country club community in Duluth, GA, is a busy career woman who wears many hats - she owns her own real estate firm, Hartwell & Associates, a jewelry line called Wu Girls, a baby clothing line, Hart 2 Hart Baby, and juggles a budding acting, modeling and writing career. She’s a devoted wife to her husband, NFL player Ed Hartwell, and their three children 13-year-old Jordan, ten-year-old Justin and one-year-old EJ. When she’s not running one of her many businesses or running after the kids, Hartwell is very active in Atlanta’s social scene.

NeNe Leakes — Leakes is an active member of Atlanta society. She resides in the upscale Sugarloaf area of Atlanta with her husband Gregg, a successful real estate investor and business consultant, and their two sons, 18-year-old Brice and nine-year-old Brentt. Leakes donates her time to various foundations and is the founder of The Twisted Hearts Foundation, which brings awareness to domestic violence against women. Never one to sit still, the outspoken social butterfly also hopes to open a luxury boutique hotel in the very near future.

Sheree Whitfield — Single socialite Whitfield, a resident of the exclusive Sandy Springs area of Atlanta, juggles her busy home life with a packed social calendar. She is a busy working mother to three children -Tierra, Kairo and Kaleigh. Whitfield prides herself on her fashion sense, and owned her own upscale clothing boutique - Bella Azul - for years before closing up shop to focus on her next business venture, a clothing line called “She by Sheree.” Whitfield is opening a new chapter in her life as a single mom while balancing her entrepreneurial spirit and active social life.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

LIL KIM & FOXY BROWN BOTH SUED BY PUBLISHING COMPANY FOR FAILING TO DELIVER POST-JAIL BID MEMOIRS.

Former friends-turned-rivals Lil Kim and Foxy Brown have more in common than spending time behind bars, rapping about their designer clothes and the sexual tricks they play on men. They're also become known for taking money for work they have yet to produce. Brown and Kim may soon find themselves side by side in courtroom over a new lawsuit filed by book publisher Simon & Schuster. Last week, Simon & Schuster filed two separate lawsuits in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday (July 25), accusing both rappers of failing to deliver books for the company. The lawsuit claims Lil Kim of accepted a $40k advance for an untitled book that was to be finished by 2004. Brown also pocketed a cool $75k for an autobiography titled Broken Silence, yet neither rapper delivered a finished book to Simon & Schuster. Both rappers spent time incarcerated and both claimed to be writing books during their stays in prison.

Lil Kim served a year and one day in a Philadelphia prison for lying under oath about a shootout, while Foxy Brown served eight months in prison for repeatedly violating the terms of her probation.
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VID CLIPS: MONICA CLEARS UP BEYONCE BEEF RUMORS + PROMO PICS OF THE SINGER & HER 2 SONS, LIL' ROCKO & ROMELO FROM 'THE SINGLE: MONICA' REALITY SHOW.

Monica will follow in the footsteps of her close friend Keyshia Cole when she launches her new reality show, The Single: Monica, which is also distributed through Dubose Entertainment, the same production company that brought Cole's The Way It Is to the small screen. The Single: Monica is set to premiere on Peachtree TV on August 5, 2008. On the series, which is about musical comebacks, viewers will get a peek-a-boo peek in the life of Monica as she prepares to release her new album, Lessons Learned. (Click here to listen to Monica) talk about her show. Naturally, the reality show will include glimpses of Monica's personal life as a mommy and future wifey to her fiance rapper, Rodney 'Rocko' Hill, who announced at a recent performance that he and Monica are indeed engaged to get married real soon. Apparently there was/is a rumor about a possible beef between Monica and Beyonce that revolved around Monica taking 'slickshots' at Beyonce and Jay-Z and their decision to keep their marriage a big secret. That rumor most likely stemmed from (this video) where Monica makes the following comment: 'Ain't nothing a secret over here. We're to real for that. So we'll let you know.' Somehow Monica feels that her words were misconstrued and decided to call up blogger BlogXilla to clear up any misunderstandings. Click here to listen. If you're a true Monica fan then you know that if she has something to say about anything or anybody, she ain't gonna send out subliminal messages and sugarcoat anything...she's gonna keep it real and say what she has to say! LOL!

In the meantime and in between time, check out a couple of promo pics (peeped at SandraRose.com and courtesy of Peachtree TV) of Monica with her Lil’ Rocko, 3, and Romelo, 18 weeks.

(CLICK PICS TO SEE FULL IMAGE.)

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KELLY ROWLAND ON LOSING OUT ON 'SEX IN THE CITY' ROLE TO JENNIFER HUDSON: 'I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT.....'

Did you all know that Beyonce's background singer/dancer, Kelly Rowland also lost a movie role to Jennifer Hudson...just like Beyonce did? Rowland, who failed to nail the role of Louise, the assistant to Sarah Jessica Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw in the movie version of Sex in the City, says she sometimes ponders the existence of what she calls the 'Jennifer Hudson curse. To say Rowland was stunned to hear she lost the role to the Oscar winner would be an understatement because she claims she was totally convinced that she had it in the bag. "I can't understand it because I did a really good job at the audition, a really good job! I hate it, and of course I feel that I should have the part, but then Jennifer Hudson's just won an Oscar, so maybe she's better for the role. But I was so bummed at that, I really wanted it." When it comes to her music and acting career, that girl just can't seem catch a break. Bless her heart.

It is the second time in as many years that Hudson has triumphed over the Destiny's Child girls - in 2006, she was awarded the part of Effie White in the big-screen adaptation of musical Dreamgirls - the role Beyonce Knowles initially wanted to audition for. Knowles later accepted the smaller part of Deena Jones, in a story loosely based on the rise and fall of The Supremes in the 1960s and 70s.

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TRINA & HER BOYFRIEND & NBA PLAYER KENYON MARTIN INVOLVED IN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT IN BELIZE + CRASH SITE PHOTOS.

Rapper Trina and her NBA player boyfriend Kenyon Martin walked away from a car accident unharmed in Belize. However, the accident did leave two young children, ages 12 and nine injured. According to a report by News 7 in Belize, the rapper and her boyfriend were on their way from the airport in a motorcade led by a police mobile when a green minivan crashed into the passenger side of a white Excursion, which Martin and Trina were riding in. According to eyewitness Raymond Martin, “As we were coming down from the airport trailing behind the vehicles we see the white car that Trina and Kenyon Martin were travelling in was cutting across and the same time a green van came and they hit each other and they went straight across and one of the children nearly came out of the vehicle because of the impact.” Martin added, “It was very very hard and horrifying and hmmm, I still left stunned right now.” Whatever the hell that means. JA Jex, Trina's driver of the white Excursion, suffered minor injuries. However, George Abraham, the driver of the green minivan was shocked and angered after the accident took place. His eldest child, Delane had to be carried away on a stretcher. Abraham’s other son, was also hurt. “I was on my right hand side and this vehicle overtake on this side. That guy was in the wrong in that vehicle. I was on my correct hand. Ahh my shoulder,” Abraham painfully told News 7.

After the accident a visibly shaken Trina told law enforcement authorities that she wasn't injured. When asked by news reporters how she felt after the collision--which to me is a dumb ass question if ever I heard one--she replied, “It was just…I don’t know.” Trina and Martin are in Belize for the weekend attending a Hip Hop peace rally and celebrity basketball game. Below you'll find several pics (click on them to see their full image) from the scene of the accident. (courtesy of Channel 7 News)

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RADIO PERSONALITY MISS JONES TO DEBUT NEW REALITY SHOW ON B.E.T. THIS FALL.

I may be a bit late with this, but what's up with all of these djs/radio personalities jumping from behind the mic to either sitting on a sofa in front of a live studio audience or nabbing a reality show? Michael Baisden did it. Then Wendy 'I Insist on Wearing My Lion-King Wig 3 Inches Behind My Forehead' Williams was granted a six week trial run for her new self-titled talk show and now former Hot 97 radio host Miss Jones has made a bee-line toward reality television. According to online reports, this September, Miss Jones will debut her untitled reality series which will chronicle her on-air interviews, elements of her personal life and even her departure from Hot 97. The show was originally set to air on Viacom’s VH1, but it has been acquired by co-owned BET. Earlier this month (July 3), Jones and her cohorts DJ Envy and Michael Shawn kept it live and upbeat as they bid their final radio airwave goodbyes to the tri-state listeners of Miss Jones in the Morning on Emmis rhythmic WQHT (Hot 97)/New York.

In the meantime and in between time, Miss Jones will continue to be heard weekdays on the radio -- this month Radio One urban WPHI (100.3 the Beat)/Philadelphia will relaunch Miss Jones in the Morning. Her show has been airing on WPHI since 2007. As for her two compadres, well, I hope they either saved up for a rainy day...or had something else lined up.

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CHILLI IN JEZEBEL MAGAZINE; DISCUSSES 'CHILLI'S CREW'; COULD SHE BE AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ROLE MODEL?

Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas is featured in Jezebel magazine's July 2008 issue. In the article the singer dished details on just about every aspect of her life: from her debut solo album, Bi-Polar, to her favorite places to shop (Target and Old Navy) as well as the comfort and solace of her Stone Mountain, Georgia home to her favorite dishes she likes to cook. And I don't have a problem telling yall that it was quite entertaining to be able to read an article on Chilli where she's not just talking about her new single, or her BagsByChilli handbag line or dare I say...Usher. I mean, those things, with the exception of Usher, were discussed, but fortunately they weren't the only topics being talked about...and that was, at least in my personal opinion, a welcomed change.

Anyhoo, as a member of TLC, the first biggest-selling female group (as well as my favorite) of all time, and with hit ballads such as Unpretty (from TLC's 1999 Fanmail album), a song which was recorded as an empowering song for TLC's mostly female fan base to overcome feelings of physical and mental inadequacies, it's no surprise that the members of this popular girl group can still find it within themselves to continue to bestow both 'girl power' and compassion towards their fans--old and new. Chilli says, "We touch so many lives and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I want people to always remember Chilli as the girl who wanted to help and did help." And it's that same compassion that has led Thomas to create Chilli's Crew, a non-profit organization to help young women deal with self-esteem and self-image issues. Chilli says, “Young people have always and will always need guidance. It goes back to the old African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ We should take that seriously because it is true in so many ways. With Chilli’s Crew, I am dedicated to building strong, independent women. It goes back to what I’ve been doing the past 17 years–helping young women and girls with self-esteem, loving themselves and helping them to succeed."

Showing and proving that she possess beauty on the outside as well as on the inside, it won't be long before Chilli becomes America's Next Top Role Model.

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CANDID PICS: HALLE BERRY OUT & ABOUT IN HOLLYWOOD HILLS; ACTRESS TO SUE PAPARAZZI OVER PHOTOS OF DAUGHTER.

Halle Berry was spotted by the paparazzi leaving a friend's house in Hollywood Hills last Thursday. If she looks a bit pissed off in these pictures she has a right too. Most of the images of Halle I post on this blog are candid shots of her out and about doing the things some of us do everyday: shopping, exercising, visiting friends, going to work, etc. Needless to say Berry seldom had no problem with the paparazzi following her every move; she of all people know it comes with the territory of being a well-known celebrity. However, now that she's become a mother to a beautiful 4-month old baby girl who can't make decisions on her own, things have changed. What she once considered a pesky nuisance has now become an itch on her ass that she can't reach. According to the Associated Press, Berry is so livid that members of the paparazzi took it upon themselves to trespass onto her private property to snap photos (before posting them on the Internet and in two celebrity magazines) of her holding her daughter Nahla in her backyard, that she is now fighting back and filing a lawsuit against the photographers in an effort to protect her daughter.

"The paparazzi have gone too far," Berry said in a statement to The Associated Press. Berry disputes the notion that the photos were taken when she was "out and about in Los Angeles." Evan Spiegel, an attorney representing Berry, said a criminal complaint has been filed and an investigation is under way. He said there are witnesses who saw the photographers in the middle of a "very blatant and invasive trespass." Besides pursuing criminal charges against the photographer, Berry is seeking to get the photos removed from the Web. In her statement, Berry said she will never sell pictures of her children. "I have long since come to terms with the fact that choosing a career as an actress has made me a public figure, but my baby has made no such choice, and unless and until she does, I will do everything I can ... to keep her out of the public eye," the statement read.

The photos, some of which have blurred leaves in the foreground, show Berry holding her daughter, standing near a table in what appears to be a private backyard. Berry's mother is also in some of the pictures. Berry said she wants anyone who used the photos to know they were illegally obtained.
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NEW PICS: TATYANA ALI, HER SISTER, ANASTASIA & TYSON BECKFORD AT THE INTERNATIONAL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL.

Below are pics of Actress Tatyana Ali, model Tyson Beckford and Ali's baby sister Anastasia attended HBO's New York International Latino Film Festival at the Fordham Univ. Lincoln Center in New York City, on Friday. And here's a heads-up on what the actress has been up to lately: Not only has Ali finish recording her sophomore album titled, The Light, which will be distributed later this year independently, the Harvard graduate has also been pounding the concrete while participating in Senator Barack Obama's Presidential election campaign.

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