CIARA LAUNCHES NEW CLOTHING LINE; SIGNS ON WITH MODELING AGENCY WILHELMINA.

R&B singer Ciara has signed with modeling agency Wilhelmina and is in talks to launch her own clothing line. Wilhelmina will now focus on casting Ciara, who’s currently ending a print modeling run for Jay-Z's Rocawear line, in both clothing and fragrance campaigns, according to the singer. "Modeling has always been one of my aspirations," says Ciara. "But I was insecure about my height. I thought I was 5'7" but I just found out that I'm 5'8" so I'm really excited about that." Ciara’s also in talks with the budget-friendly department store, Steve & Barry's, to create a reasonably priced clothing line that bridges her personal style with affordable price points. Steve & Barry's also carries Sarah Jessica Parker's Bitten line as well as the New York Knicks' Stephon Marbury's Starbury collection. "I have a couple of cool things that I'm working on," says Ciara. "The coolest thing about Steve & Barry's is they cater to everyday people. I won't say that my line will be like theirs, I want to stay true to who I am, but most importantly it has to be affordable."

Ciara is also in the midst of prepping her third album, Fantasy Ride, set for September via Jive. Her last album, 2006's Evolution, has sold 1.3 million copies to-date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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TLC, SWV & EN VOGUE WITH ALICIA KEYS AT 2008 B.E.T. AWARDS.

Alicia Keys served up a girl power treat at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (6.24.2008) when she performed with SWV, En Vogue and the remaining members of the history-making, multi-platinum girl-band of all girl-bands TLC. Keys had arguably the greatest performance of the night and one of the best in the history of the BET Awards.

To reiterate my last post informing you guys of the 'surprise performance': Keys began her set with her hit song Teenage Love Affair, then segued into classics by top female R&B acts of the 1990s. Members of SWV, Taj, Lelee and Coco (humph...that's funny--if you used each girl's first initial of her name, you'd have TLC! LOL! Too bad the real TLC nabbed it first!) were the first group out the gate as the three women came out performing Weak; The Funky Divas a.k.a. En Vogue including Dawn—— stepped onstage for Hold On; and before Alicia could get the letters TLC out of her mouth good, the audience was already up on their feet awaiting the arrival of TLC's remaining members T-Boz and Chilli while singing along to the first verse of TLC's Waterfalls--cue Kanye West and Melody of the Pussycat Dolls. Emotional to the say the least. I, for one, got goosebumps at seeing the girls on stage again...and I damn near cried when I realized Lisa's rap verse wasn't incorporated into the set...then again, maybe that was a good thing because there's no telling how many folks would've been wiping tears and just all-out crying at watching Lisa 'perform' alongside her bandmates/sisters. But then again me and my baby sister had no problem rapping Lisa's part for her! LOL! She's is truly, truly missed. However, thanks to a Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes fan, Lopes was indeed there with her girls both in spirit (and image)....just check out the photo up above

In all, the reunions of SWV, En Vogue and TLC were the first for the respective groups in years. And it was the one and only time that all three groups have performed on stage together. I have always loved me some Alicia Keys. Always. But after last night, I will forever love me some Alicia Keys! Whether folks think the ladies' performances could have been better or if one group looked better than the other isn't even up for debate (although you can't deny the fact that after all of these years, Tionne and Chilli...as well as the ladies of En Vogue--Dawn included...and even Maxine with her preggy belly--still look as good today as they did back in the day!)..the fact that Alicia thought enough of them and in her eyes, deemed them each worthy enough to pay homage to them----especially TLC--is better than any performance--good or bad--that night. So, thank you, thank you, thank you Alicia, for taking us back down memory lane...the trip was nostalgically bittersweet.

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MORE PICTURES OF TLC, EN VOGUE & SWV PERFORMING WITH ALICIA AFTER THE JUMP! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE PICTURES.

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*UPDATED* CHILLI & T-BOZ TO PERFORM @ BET AWARDS TONIGHT! + PICS OF CHILLI & CELEB BLOGGER NECOLE BITCHIE @ ROLLING OUT MAGAZINE'S SEMINAR FOR WOMEN.

Fans of TLC can expect a surprise (well, I guess it really isn't a surprise if I'm telling yall about it--or if you all have already heard about it, right?) performance from the group's remaining members T-Boz and Chilli at tonight's live taping of the BET Awards. T-Boz confirmed her appearance and performance for tonight's show via her official Myspace page. Word around the web is that the ladies will perform at the awards ceremony during a tribute to the most successful girl groups of the 90s. And we all know it was the ladies of TLC who held it down and carried the torch for every girl band who has come along after them. Am I lying? I think not. LOL! Anywho, from what I hear, this performance is not to be missed! Now, I'm all excited and whatnot! LOL! First off, Alicia will begin her set by performing Superwoman before moving on to Teenage Love Affair. The next group of voices we'll hear will be from SWV who will perform their one and only biggest hit ever, Weak; then the original members of En Vogue, Dawn included, will belt out Hold On, the first hit single of their career as the Original Divas before assisting Alicia Keys in performing the second single from her multi-platinum album As I Am album, Like You'll Never See Me Again. And last but not least, for the first time in nearly three years, we'll see the remaining members of TLC, T-Boz and Chilli as they perform their mega-hit Waterfalls (prepare to catch goosebumps and have a couple of Kleenex nearby during Left Eye's rap verse). I don't know about yall, but my DVR is set like a mug!

T-Boz and Chilli's appearance/performance on the show--which is their first--further solidifies the fact that these ladies are dead-ass serious about releasing (and promoting) their lonnnnnnnnnnng-awaited solo musical projects...as well as other projects that they are working on collectively. And am I the only person wondering what it's going to be like to have Usher, Chilli and Usher's man/wife Tameka in the same venue on the same night? LOL!

In the meantime, check out pics of Chilli and celebrity blogger (and creator of The Urbanblogger.com--girl, we gon have to go out for margaritas so you can tell me how you came up! Oh, and I have to make a shout out to my fellow UBers!) Necole Bitchie (in the green blouse) at Rolling Out magazine's seminar for women in conjunction with The Covergirl Queen Collection at BAM in New York City last Saturday night (6.21.2088)

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Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and celebrity blogger Necole Bitchie at Cover Girl/Rolling Out Panel Discussion for Women at Favely Hall in Baltimore, Maryland last week.

MORE PICS OF CHILLI FROM THIS EVENT AFTER THE JUMP!

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JILL SCOTT TO MARRY HER MR. 'CROWN ROYAL ON ICE.'

Congratulations are in order for R&B singer/actress Jill Scott. According to ParlourMagazine.com, the songstress is preparing for marriage number two after announcing her engagement to Jon Roberts, the drummer in her band. According to Parlour, Scott had performed several encore songs when Roberts presented her with a bouquet of flowers and a kiss. he told the crowd about their engagement and was met with wild cheers and applause. Afterward, she gave the audience another encore. This time last year, Scott was in the midst of divorce proceedings with her husband of five years, Lyzel Williams, a DJ and graphic artist. They dated for seven years before exchanging vows in the fall of 2001 in Hawaii. Williams was the source of inspiration for many of Scott’s songs, including He Loves Me.

I told yall back in February that Jill had began dating Roberts who she dubbed as her Mr. 'Crown Royal On Ice' at her 2008 Valentine's Day concert in Universal City, California. According to several fans who attended the show, Scott acknowledged her Drummer Boy as her 'Valentine' by giving him a gift and a big kiss on the lips. He in return, gave her a 'loving wink' after they kissed.

Congratulations again to Jill!

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JUST A SHORT HIATUS! I'LL BE BACK IN FULL FORCE TOMORROW.

HEY EVERYBODY!

I'VE RECEIVED SEVERAL EMAILS FROM REAL GOSSIP 101 READERS. THANKS FOR THE THOUGHTFUL EMAILS FROM THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT ME AND MY ABSENCE FROM THE BLOG. YALL MADE A SISTA FEEL LOVED! I'VE BEEN MAD BUSY WITH OTHER PROJECTS RELATED TO REAL GOSSIP 101 LATELY, WHICH IS WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE THE SITE AS MUCH AS I USUALLY DO. I'LL BE BACK IN FULL FORCE TOMORROW! THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT WITH ME! I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH. I'M JUST A BLOGGING-ASS BLOGGER TRYING TO COME UP IN THE BLOGGING GAME! LOL!

BUT I'LL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YALL, TIME-MANAGEMENT IS LIKE A BICYCLE WITHOUT A SEAT....IT'LL GET UP IN YOUR ASS SOMETHING PROPER-LIKE IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL!

--SOUTHERNGURL

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THE ANGRY-ASS BLACK MAN WHO MARRED TUPAC'S STATUE EXPLAINS WHY HE DID IT...WITH HIS MAD ASS.

Kenneth Anthony Wilson, the African-American man who defaced a statue of Tupac Shakur at a center bearing his name in Stone Mountain, GA, has released a statement detailing the reason behind his actions. “Yes I defaced that statue of Tupac Shakur because the center is a cancer on the community,” said Wilson, according to Allhiphop.com. “For we reap what we sow…Tupac Shakur is no messiah, that’s why when he stuck his dumbass on his album cover and claimed he was not disrespecting Jesus Christ, God crucified his evil ass before the album came out.”Wilson says he believes Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, are misleading the youth through the late rapper's image and message.“Tupac Shakur is not only a rapist and murderer of his own people, his center of the arts is in the business of molesting the young minds of our youths into believing that Thug Life is the American Dream,” Wilson continued in the statement.“Since Afeni Shakur insists on lying to the youth at her center that her son is the Messiah and he died for the sake of them…So she resurrects a statue of Tupac Shakur dressed as a reverend with the Holy Bible in his right hand… Death Row Records did not destroy Tupac Shakur; smoking crack when he was in her womb did! Tupac Shakur was not only weak he was a complete fool who never for one minute practiced what he preached. I have every intention of proving in a court of law not only the hypocrisy of the Tupac Shakur center, but also its immorality, injustice, and illegality,” Wilson said.

The 43-year-old was arrested on Oct. 22 for defacing Tupac’s statue with handbills of threats against the center, other rappers, and record labels. Initial hate crime charges were dropped due to Wilson being black and there being no racial motivation in the threats. His trial date has not yet been scheduled.

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JANET JACKSON TO STAR IN NEW REALITY SHOW ON MTV.

Singer Janet Jackson is set to mentor aspiring singers and dancers in a new reality show. Jackson is joining 25/7 Productions to develop an as-yet-untitled music competition series for MTV, reports Variety. The show, which has already begun casting, will feature Jackson mentoring a group of aspiring singers and dancers in the months leading up to her world tour, which launches on Sept. 10. "It's really about finding who's the next Janet Jackson or Justin Timberlake or Usher," executive producer Dave Broome tells Variety. "And we'll find it from a pool of people who you wouldn't typically find it from. We'll go to YMCAs, church groups, local community centers and try to cast the show." The program will be shot in various street locales, rather than on a studio soundstage. Producers are still ironing out the prize - but it could potentially relate to Jackson's tour.

In other Janet news, the singer has also reportedly been asked to entertain guests at Nicole Richie's wedding to Joel Madden. Sources claim Lionel Richie's daughter approached the singer, 42, at a private party in LA recently and asked her to perform on her big day. Richie's fiancé Joel, 29, will also perform with his band Good Charlotte. Nicole, 26, is yet to set a date to tie the knot. She and Joel welcomed their first child, daughter Harlow Winter, in January.

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JUANITA BYUM & BISHOP THOMAS WEEKS MARRIAGE IS OFFICIALLY OVER; BYNUM SIGNS ON AS A 'MARRIAGE ADVISER' ON 'DIVORCE COURT.'

The six-year marriage of prophetess Juanita Bynum and Bishop Thomas Weeks is now officially over. The proceedings were stopped at one point when Bynum revealed the two had sex after their separation. What's not known is if the couple had sex after the now infamous assault by Weeks on Bymum. The judge in the case, Debra Turner, left the courtroom to research whether the divorce could be granted under Georgia law, which, in part, sees sex by separated couples as a act of reconciliation. "My understanding is you can no longer have marital relations based on the date of separation that you file," Turner said. However, Randy Kessler, Weeks' attorney, said that the couple had been living in separation and that Bynum filed for divorce after the sexual encounter. "The fact that they had sex before she filed for divorce is an amendable defect," said Kessler, meaning the conjugal coupling should not void the divorce. Later, after a recess, Judge Turner agreed to push the date of separation up to September to circumvent the reconciliation issue. Both Bynum and Weeks expressed relief and a measure of joy that their marriage, marked by an elaborate televised wedding, a high-profile ministry and a parking lot beat down, was over. Bynum filed for divorce in September. On Friday, about a month shy of her sixth wedding anniversary to Weeks, Bynum said she was at peace with the divorce. "It's not a sad thing," she said. "It has been a long awaited moment."

"I feel like it's a new day, a brand new life, a brand new time," Weeks said.

According to a 14-page settlement agreement, neither party will receive alimony. They have divided all bank accounts and will retain ownership of the debt and individual assets they had before marriage. Bynum also asked for some sentimental antiques she collected seven years ago, including a harp and a sculpture of a woman. Weeks gets the couple's 2004 Land Rover, his international ministry and the church the couple started together in Duluth, Global Destiny. Bynum agreed to pay $40,000 in attorney fees for Weeks. Bynum said doesn't have time to waste on moping. She said she has been hired as a regular adviser on "Divorce Court," and two weeks ago, was permanently added to the cast of "Lincoln Heights," an ABC network series She still continues herministry. Weeks said he will focus on building his church and "healing" his broken heart. "You have to deal with the trauma," he said. "I didn't marry her to be here today."

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