CELEBS AT FASHION ROCKS (ARRIVALS, PERFORMANCES, AFTERPARTY)

The 4th Annual Fashion Rocks airs tonight at 9 p.m. on CBS.

ARRIVALS














PERFORMANCES

AFTERPARTY

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I'M BACK UP AND RUNNING...THANKS TO MY MAN, MR. MACK!!

HELLO, EVERYONE!

First of all take note of my FAMU Rattler images. I have them posted because I've chosen to forego attending tonight's Pow Wow as well as tomorrow's first home game of the season in order to get my blog back up to par. I think it's worth the sacrifice. And since I'll be looking at this screen for next 50-leven hours, I thought having these pictures up would still keep the Rattlers in my heart and mind. Praise God! LOL!

Enough of that!

As you can see I'm back up and running again, thank God! For a minute I thought I was going to have to shove this blog where the sun don't shine! In case you all were wondering, my problems arose when I tried to change the name/url of the old blog (realgossipwithapassion) to the current one (realgossip101) and then redirect the old blog into the new one. Something obviously went wrong. Although I had a feeling that I'd run into a few problems, I never imagined it would be as bad as it was. I was advised to just go back to the old name, but I completely ignored the advice because I wanted to give you all what you wanted...a shorter and easier URL to remember because quite frankly, I got tired my damn self of having to type in that long ass address! I'm sure I've lost some readers for the simple fact that now that I have this blog with the new name fully operating, all of the individual links that were made under the realgossipwithapassion title are all dead links...even though you can still view them on the new URL. Am I making any sense? Probably not. Anyhoo, my hope for those who have clicked the links I provided in other forums before I made the change is that once they notice the link is dead (they'll get a error message saying 'PAGE NOT FOUND'), they'll type in realgossipwithapassion.blogspot.com into their browser after which they'll be greeted with a post providing a link to the new URL informing them that the name and URL has been changed. That's what I'm hoping for!

In the meantime and in between time, I have to thank MACK for helping a sista out something proper-like! I'd been up working on this problem since 7 pm last night before I finally crashed around 6 am this morning. When I woke up, I thought all of this was a terrible, cruel joke someone had pulled on me...so imagine my horror when I realized it was real! When I chatted with him today, he quickly told me (in a way that I could understand because I have no problem telling yall that I am a complete ignorant, idiotic moron when it comes to working with HTML) what I needed to do to get me back on track and I THANK HIM IMMENSELY FOR THAT! I REALLY DO! Mack, you know if you ever need anything, I got you. Thanks again!

I also want to thank Sunshyne for looking out for me as well. Just knowing you thought enough to reach out to me means a lot ....a whole lot. Thank you, girl!

Okay, I still have more loose ends to tie up, but expect to see some new posts (I know I have a lot of catching up to do) in the next hour or so.

Thanks again to all of you for continuing to support me and this blog. My mission is to never let you all down. I ain't lying! That's real talk right there! LOL!

--SouthernGurl

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TECHINCAL DIFFICULTIES GOT ME GOING CRAZY! IF ANYONE CAN HELP, PLEASE EMAIL ME.

I tried to change the name of the site to a name much more shorter and easier to remember and somewhere down the line I ended up effing it up royally. Yall please bear with me. I'm trying as hard as I can to get this flashing thing fixed. Ive been trying to get this problem fixed since 7 pm Thursday night. As of this posting it is now nearly 3 am and I'm nowhere near getting anything solved. And yes, it's irking me something terrible. I've already been made aware of the incessant blinking with those using IE browsers as well as the minimal (but still very aggravating, I'm sure) flashing with those using the FireFox browsers.

If anyone knows how I can solve this problem...or know someone who knows someone who knows someone that I can help me get things back on track, please email me at realgossipwithapassion@gmail.com or realgossip101@gmail.com. I'd really appreciate it tenfold.

Still working my ass off
--SouthernBlackGurl
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IN TODAY'S 'THIS NIGGAH, HERE' NEWS: CHICO DE BARGE

Have you ever read something about what someone has done that was just so utterly unbelievable, it made you wanna just throw your hands up in frustration and exclaim to anyone within earshot and yell out, 'This niggah, here!' Well, that's what I did while reading about the arrest of Chico De Barge on TMZ.com's website. I absolutely could not believe the fonts that sat in front of my eye as I read Lightskin's bout of what had to be a case of temporary insanity.

According to TMZ.com, Chico, real name Jonathan Arthur was jailed about a week ago for allegedly having illegal drugs and cash in his car. Police reports indicate that the on August 30, 2007, the 41 year old and a female companion were driving a Toyota Camry on a Los Angeles highway when an officer observed them stop in a turn lane and switch seats. When they were pulled over by California Highway Patrol, cops say "illegal drugs and cash" were found in the car. Chico, who once recorded a song called "Soopaman Lover," is being held on $30,000 bail.

Police arrested Chico's older brother El DeBarge for outstanding warrants on August 26 -- just four days before his brother! As of today, he's still in el slammer.

I mean really! Come on, now! I'm truly not understanding the stupidity that has enveloped itself around the De Barge family lately. First, El hits the bricks on a domestic violence charge that was eventually dropped, but hell, he's still in jail on several other charges. NOW, his baby brother, Chico has joined him in the slammer. Although Chico is no newbie to the the clank-clanker, I thought at least he'd learned his lesson after doing his last bid on drug charges over 10 years ago. Well, stupid is as stupid does because now his stupid ass is in jail again for doing the same stupid ass sh!t that landed him in jail in the first place.

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PICS FROM USHER & TAMEKA WEDDING/RECEPTION

Surrounded by a canopy of flowers, the pair steal a

moment to themselves. "There was a wonderful

energy everywhere we were," says Usher, 28.

"The wedding was beyond beautiful."

"Of course, I played it smooth," Usher tells

PEOPLE of recovering from a stumble

down the aisle on Sept. 1. Still, it was a dream

wedding for the singer and Tameka Foster after the

two had scrapped their lavish Hamptons nuptials in

July and legally married in a private ceremony in August.

Amid loved ones and next to his bride, who wore

Vera Wang, the groom (in Armani) raises his glass inside

the reception at the Château Elan Winery & Resort outside Atlanta.

"Every detail was exactly as we wanted it to be,"

Foster, 36, says of the celebration, where guests dined

on southern cuisine, including buttermilk fried chicken.

A mirrored dance floor keeps the newlyweds

on their feet. "You couldn't get Usher off it," wedding

planner Diann Valentine jokes. But by 1:30 a.m.,

she says, Foster “was like, 'Honey, my feet are hurting!'"

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KIM PORTER TELLS ESSENCE MAG THAT DIDDY'S RUMORED LOVECHILD IN ATL WAS THE REASON FOR THEIR BREAK-UP

When will the madness and drama between these two cease?!! Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter is spilling the tea (once again) to Essence magazine, regarding their very publicized break-up just a few short months ago. Below are a couple of excerpts from Porter's interview.

Not that long ago, Kim Porter, longtime girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, triumphantly declared in the pages of this magazine that the love she shared with Combs was something the rest of us could never understand. “I know him like I know my kids,” she said. “He’s gentle, giving and sensitive, especially to me.” What Porter didn’t know was that while she waxed enthusiastically about their union, her on-again off-again boyfriend of 12 years—the man whose twin baby girls she was carrying—was keeping a secret from her that would rock her to the core. If you speak to Porter about it now, the first thing she’ll tell you is that the secret was not the main reason she left the relationship this past July. But later, after hours of conversation, Porter concedes that Combs’s betrayal led directly to an unraveling of trust and faith. From there, she says, it was just a matter of time before things came completely undone.

By Jeannine Amber

ON THE BREAK-UP:

ESSENCE: You left the relationship in a very dramatic way. I understand you waited until Sean was out of town and then you packed up the house. You took the cars, the nursery furniture, the kitchen table, everything. Why did it go down like that?

KIM PORTER: Because there was no other way. You think he would have let me walk out the door? He wouldn't have wanted me to go.

ESSENCE: Were you scared?

KIM PORTER: No! Not at all. But I wanted to be dramatic. I wanted him to know I wasn't breaking up with him for two weeks-or maybe leaving for two days. If I pack up everything — twins and all — it means I'm out! Puffy's an action person, not a talk person. So I had to have an action. Telling him, “Babe, I'm leaving…” was not gonna do it.

ESSENCE: Did your girlfriends come over to help?

KIM PORTER: I did have my little party-packing crew, yes, I did! My friends are very supportive.

ON MARRIAGE:
ESSENCE: After our last article (“No Ordinary Love", Essence, December, 2006), some readers responded by saying Sean was disrespecting you by not getting married. They said you should be trying to get that ring on your finger.

KIM PORTER: Do you know how many rings I have? I don't even have enough fingers (laughing). That's not why I left.

ESSENCE: So if he called you today and said, “I want to get married, right now….”?

KIM PORTER: I would say “No.” And not because I don't want to get married, but because he's not ready to get married. When I get married, I want to stay married. I want both parties to be on the same page at the same time, and to leave a certain type of behavior behind. That's a commitment I don't think he's ready for.

ESSENCE: If it wasn't over the marriage, then why did you end the relationship?

KIM PORTER: I left because at this point in my life I want something different for myself. I invested ten years, I have children, and I've always stood by him. But now it's time for me and what I want to do for Kim.

ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP NOW:
ESSENCE: How have you two been getting along since you left?

KIM PORTER: You know how when two people go their separate ways, most of the time there's animosity? It's not like that with us. Sean and I have this bond, this friendship. It's not about 'if you're faithful to me, if I'm being faithful to you.' We're friends. I'm the person he can tell his inner most thoughts to and he's that person for me. He still calls me everyday and we talk. There's no ill feeling or 'I can't stand you, I hate you, don't call.' There's none of that. We have three children together so that’s just not an option. We're committed to our children even if we couldn't commit to each other.

ON SECRET BEHIND THEIR BREAKUP:
ESSENCE: Speaking of being faithful, there have been rumors about Sean and a baby in Atlanta swirling around for a while. Is this why you left the relationship?

KIM PORTER: Hmmm... Well, that definitely was part of it.

For the complete interview with Kim Porter and exclusive photos pick up the October Issue of Essence.

SOURCE: ESSENCE.COM

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USHER PUTS HIS ATLANTA HOME UP FOR SALE; NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR HIS READY MADE FAMILY

ATLANTA, Georgia – The House of Usher is changing hands. R&B superstar Usher is selling his Atlanta-area home, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home inside Atlanta’s Country Club of the South gated community is being listed for $1.9 million. "This house has a lot of musical history," says Lisa Robinson, the real-estate agent for the property, which also contains a hair salon, exercise room, swimming pool, guesthouse and, naturally, a recording studio. "[Usher] upgraded the master suite, and totally redesigned and renovated the terrace level," Robinson tells PEOPLE. "That level has [the] hair salon, a gym and a state-of-the-art movie theater."

The next owner of the home will be stepping in to quite a musical lineage. Usher originally bought the property from DefJam CEO Antonio “LA” Reid, who once operated his LaFace Records label from the home, with artists including Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin and TLC using the studio. The house was also on MTV's Cribs and once inspired the 13-year-old Usher to declare he would one day live there, Reid told the Journal-Constitution.

After selling the house to Usher, Reid moved to New York's Hamptons, where Usher's original wedding to Tameka Foster was to take place in July. Perhaps Usher feels he needs more room, now that he’s a married man about to welcome a child. Usher and Foster tied the knot in a private ceremony on August 3, followed by a larger reception for about 200 friends and family on September 1. The couple announced their engagement earlier this year and later said Foster was expecting Usher’s first child. She has three children from a previous marriage.

It remains to be seen where Usher will set up residence with his new wife and baby, which is due this fall. But "they're planning to stay in Atlanta," Robinson tells PEOPLE.

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AIN'T THIS BOUT A BITCH? THE MEDIA TURNS ON SERENA; CALLS HER 'CLASSELESS', 'BORDERLINE NASTY.'

NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The American media turned on Serena Williams on Wednesday, labelling the former world number one as "classless" and "graceless" after her sullen reaction to her U.S. Open exit at the hands of Justine Henin. Top seed Henin beat the American 7-6 6-1 in the quarter-finals for the third consecutive grand-slam event on Tuesday but a despondent Williams gave the Belgian scant praise. "I just think she made a lot of lucky shots and I made a lot of errors," Williams said at her news conference. "I really don't feel like talking about it. It's like I don't want to get fined. That's the only reason I came. I can't afford to pay the fines because I keep losing." Players who fail to appear for post-match news conferences face fines from tennis officials.

Williams's words and manner were greeted with widespread disdain.

"(Williams) met the media afterward like a rattlesnake meets a ground squirrel," wrote Bill Dwyer, in the Los Angeles Times. "If anybody was expecting perspective afterward, or maybe a gracious nod to a better effort by an opponent, forget it. We had sullen Serena. Snippy Serena. Snarly Serena."

In the New York Times, under the headline, "Williams needs a lesson in etiquette", Selena Roberts wrote: "Who's classless now? The grumpy, borderline nasty disposition that Williams displayed after her loss was a little jarring considering she had her own lack of preparation to blame for giving in so easily to Henin. Serena was bitter, angry and upset. She directed some of that at Henin. Who could use charm school now?"

In an interview with USA Network, which hosts television coverage of the U.S. Open, John Wertheim, the senior writer for Sports Illustrated magazine, described Serena's reaction as "stunning. There's a lot to admire about Serena but this happens again and again where we just have these completely graceless post-match (news conferences). Lucky shots? I think she means winners."

Onthebaseline.com, which specializes in women's tennis news, said Williams should probably have skipped the news conference.

"Serena's public relations department would have done better to pay the fine themselves than to allow their charge to disgrace herself as she did last night," it said.

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