IN REMEMBRANCE OF AALIYAH D. HAUGHTON ON THE 7th ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH.

IN REMEMBRANCE OF AALIYAH DANA HAUGHTON
JANUARY 16, 1979--AUGUST 25, 2001
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KIM KARDASHIAN, TONI BRAXTON, WARREN SAPP TAPPED TO COMPETE ON NEW SEASON OF 'DANCING WITH THE STARS.'

Celebrity contestants for season 7 of Dancing with the Stars has been announced. The show, which premieres on September 22 will include NFL champ Warren Sapp, R&B singer Toni Braxton, Cloris Leachman, Kim Kardashian, Ted McGinley, Brooke Burns and two Olympic athletes: Misty May-Treanor and Maurice Greene. Rounding out the cast are chef Rocco DiSpirito, comedian Jeffery Ross and Cody Linley of Hannah Montana...making him the youngest celebrity ever to compete on the series. At 82 years old, Leachman is the oldest celebrity to dance on the competitive reality show. The names were announced Monday on ABC News' Good Morning America.

Kardashian, who co-stars with her family on the E! reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, checked into a New York City hospital Sunday after cutting her foot on a glass table in her hotel room. "I cut my foot pretty bad. ... It looked like a murder scene with all the blood everywhere...I will be able to dance. I went to the hospital. I'll be fine," she said

Oh, happy, happy. Joy, joy.
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NEW PICS: MYA AT HER FUN DAY FINALE FOR HER FOUNDATION'S SUMMER CAMP.

Aww look at Mya looking all naturale! The Grammy award winning singer/actress held her foundations fun day finale at the Howard Academy and Public Charter school in North East DC for the Mya Arts Foundation on Saturday afternoon. The children demonstrated their dance and technical skills they learned in their 6 weeks at summer camp. Ms. Mya luv da kids!

MORE PICS OF MYA AT HER FUN DAY FINALE AFTER THE JUMP!

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PICS: CHRISTINA MILIAN, TAMERA MOWRY ATTEND THE RED, WHITE & BLUE SUMMER OASIS IN HOLLYWOOD.

Christina Milian, Tamera Mowry and Omarosa attended the Red, White & Blue Summer Oasis in West Hollywood on Saturday (8.23.3008). Click pics to see their full image.

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ATLANTA WOMAN FILES RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST NBA PLAYER SHAQUILLE O'NEAL.

Last week Shaquille O'Neal's wife Shaunie publicly announced that she and her husband, who were on the verge of divorce, had decided to nix their divorce proceedings and continue their marriage. I wonder what was Shaunie's reaction when she learned that a Alexis Miller, an Atlanta-based rapper who goes by the stage name MaryJane, filed a restraining order against Shaq for allegedly stalking her after she ended their romantic relationship last month. According to court documents Alexis claimed that Shaq 'threatened to hurt her' and 'harassed' her over the phone with his heavy-ass breathing. For some reason, I can believe it. Dude looks like he snores even when he's wide awake. Anyhoo, court papers also claim that Shaq 'threatened to blackball her from the recording industry by paying established artists....$50,000 each for their agreement to refuse to perform or record with her in the future..." and that Shaq sent her "an unsolicited vulgar and offensive illustration of a man physically restraining a woman while forcing her to engage in sexual intercourse with him."

Now, for me, what really puts the hole in the boat is an email including in the court documents. If I'm not mistaken, Shaq did receive a formal education, right? If so, then why did an email he sent to her read like this: "I dnt no who the fuk u think u dealin wit u will neva be heard from one phone call is all I gotta make no try me. Sho me." That's a damn shame.

In the meantime, under terms of the restraining order, O'Neal, who has known Miller for the last 18 months, is prohibited from having any contact or even coming within 200 yards of Miller or her 19-month-old son. He's also scheduled to appear before a judge on Sept. 4.

Photo courtesy of TMZ.com
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RUMORS CONFIRMED: DA BRAT TO SPEND 3 YEARS IN PRISON ON ASSAULT CHARGE.

Earlier this month I posted a 'real or rumor' blog post about Da Brat being sent to the slammer for slamming a rum bottle upside the head of Shayla Stevens, a Atlanta Falcons cheerleader and waitress at Jermaine Dupri's Studio 72 nightclub last Halloween which resulted in the waitress suffering permanent facial scarring. Well, the rumors are true. Last week an Atlanta judge sentenced the 34-year-old Funkdafied rapper, real name Shawntae Harris, to three years in jail, followed by seven years probation and 200 hours of community service after Harris entered a guilty pleas to aggravated assault in the case. According to reports, about six members of Harris’s family wept when a sheriff’s deputy took her into custody. “I love y’all,” Harris, said as she was led out of the courtroom. “We love you too” the relatives replied in unison.

Three years behind bars. That means no more yachting with Mariah and Nick on the beaches of St. Tropez. But don't feel too sorry for Shawntae, who was previously convicted in 2000 for reckless conduct. I'm pretty sure she'll adapt to her environment very well. *wink* This female rappers gonna get enough of putting their hands on and/or shooting other people as well as mushing Blackberrys and cellphones in folks faces.
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'WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...' THE 1st 'AUNT VIVIAN' FROM 'THE FRESH PRINCE...'? ACTRESS DISHES ON WILL SMITH, HER EXIT, HER REPLACEMENT & NEW VENTURES.

Some of you may remember actress Janet Hubert as Will Smith's beautiful and feisty Aunt Vivian Banks on the the hit NBC comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. And some of you may also remember her exit from the show after only three seasons due to rumored on-set disagreements which resulted in a bitter public feud with Will as well as a failure to fairly negotiate her contract with the show's producers. Just months after that debacle, Janet unsuccessfully sued Will in a slander and defamation lawsuit. It's been 15 years and since then the actress has gone on to appear on other sitcoms as well as appearing on Broadway and in films, but these days she spends her time launching her new children's merchandise line called J.G. and the B.C. Kids, which includes school bags, books and an animated series to be released on DVD and online....which she created in an effort to shape the young minds of our Black children. Janet is also working on another book called Murder of a Sitcom Mother. For those of you who never got the chance to hear (or read) Janet's side of what went down, keep reading below as she discusses how she currently feels about Will Smith, how she felt about being replaced by fellow actress Daphne Maxwell-Reid--or Miss Thing, as she calls her...and why, even with a failed marriage under her belt, she's finally at peace with herself.

JANET TO ESSENCE.COM ON REPORTS OF SHE & WILL NOT GETTING ALONG: "We got along fine. We had so much fun on that set. That's why I was so shocked. But there was something about Will at that time that I hope has changed. He always had to win. He has an unbelievable competitive spirit."

JANET IN ANOTHER RECENT INTERVIEW COMMENTING ON REPORTS OF SHE & WILL NOT GETTING ALONG & HOW SHE FELT ABOUT BEING REPLACED: "When Smith did what he did by going to major markets and telling people what a difficult bitch I was and how I wanted to the show, it didn't just affect me, it affected everything in my life. [My lawsuit] had no chance against the NBC machine Will had behind him. There was always tension between [me] and Will after I repeatedly voiced concerns about the limited portrayal of the parents on the show, but it wasn't until after [my] pregnancy that producers dramatically lessened my role on the show and reduced my pay. I was let go under the notion that the producers were eliminating my role altogether. I had no idea they were going to replace me. And Miss Thing who took over needed to go somewhere and shut up."

JANET TO ESSENCE.COM ON HOW HER EXIT AFFECTED HER CAREER & WHY SHE'S AT PEACE WITH HERSELF: "I actually wrote a book, Murder of a Sitcom Mother. I needed to set the record straight for my son. [But I'm not] going to publish the book because my soul is healed. I'm getting a chance to talk to you, to talk to the public and to let people hear my side, finally, 15 years later. It was devastating what happened to me afterwards. Unbelievable things happened. It was horrible. My husband left. (three years ago, she got married for the second time) We lost our house. I lost my health. I almost lost my mind. I was blacklisted in Hollywood. I couldn't get a job....These days, I want to be remembered as a plain, ordinary, everyday person. I don't live a glamorous life, but I live a fabulous life. I don't need gobs of money to be happy. Happiness is within and Janet Hubert is finally at peace."

AFTER THE JUMP, FIND OUT WHAT JANET THOUGHT OF HER 'AUNT VIVIAN' CHARACTER, HOW SHE CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT FOR HER CHILDREN'S BOOK & THE THINGS SHE HAD TO DO TO PAY HER BILLS WHEN HOLLYWOOD SLAMMED ITS DOORS IN HER FACE.

JANET ON HER 'AUNT VIVIAN' CHARACTER:"They (the fans) loved what I did with her. They really loved to have this dark-skinned sister playing this upscale woman. The ideal woman in the eyes of many of our men is light and bright. Dark-skinned sisters, we have a hard time. Part of my beauty to me was my dark skin. I love my dark skin. I feel it's so much a part of my beauty."

JANET ON HER NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK AND ANIMATED SERIES & HOW SHE CAME UP WITH THE BOOK'S CONCEPT:"Our first book is called The Swiss Adventure. It's about a little Black boy named Vinnie Williams who dares to be different. He doesn't want to fit in. B.C. stands for 'bright children, bold and confident, beautiful and caring.' Vinnie solves a mathematical equation on something called a time writer. Writing can take you places. His mission is to find B.C. kids everywhere and take back their [stolen] minds. It's a very political statement. I've always been a fightin' kind of momma. I don't care how big you are, if you're wrong, you're wrong. I will fight you for the babies.....A dear friend of mind gave me a CD. It was called Rock and Roar Dinosaur, and my son loves dinosaurs. I redid two of those songs and created the character Janet Granite [a beautiful archaeologist]. I actually dressed up like this character; I didn't look as good as she does. I went to bookstores and sang the songs to these kids with my little tool belt and my little boots. You gotta do what you gotta do when Hollywood tells you you're poison and you feel like nobody wants you anymore."

The items from the J.G. and B.C. Kids merchandise line will be available in select Wal-Mart stores this fall...just in time for back to school. Or check out its official website jgandthebckids.com for more information.

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VIDEO: JOJO FALLS OUT AT JODECI 'REUNION' TOUR STOP IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

Watching the following video will most likely make you do one of two things: literally laugh at loud or feel nothing but sympathy for these two brothers/has-beens. Last Saturday, in Sydney, Australia, the 90s R&B group Jodeci came together for a show which was billed as a Jodeci reunion tour...however, only two members of the four member band 'performed.' Let me rephrase that: only two members of the four member band showed up. In the video posted on youtube, we see a bare chest K-Ci onstage alone lip syncing to All My Life which is not a Jodeci hit, but a K-Ci and JoJo hit. Seconds later, JoJo emerges onto the stage and hits a few notes and even Bankhead Bounce before falling out on the floor and rolling over. I ain't gon lie: JoJo falling out was so sad, I thought dude was truly ill so I couldn't even laugh at him....well, not until after their bodyguard disregarded ol dude as if this sort of thing happens at every K-Ci and JoJo performance. Then I laughed my ass off. What was even more bizarre is that the bodyguard looked down at JoJo as if to say, 'This n!ggah, here! before choosing to pick up JoJo's microphone off the floor instead of JoJo himself! And while all of this was going on K-Ci kept singing! Whatver happened to being your brother's keeper? So what was the catalyst of JoJo's temporary downtime? According to K-Ci, the two brothers were jetlagged from their 24-hour flight. Mmmm-hmmm. Well one thing's for certain and two thing's for sure: Mary J. Blige is somewhere thanking the Lord for giving her enough sense to get away from that clown called K-Ci.

All jokes aside, that dude needs to be checked for epilepsy. From what I hear, this isn't the first time JoJo has reintroduced himself to a floor or a stage. In the meantime I'll just pray that Jesus keeps him near thy cross.

Anyhoo, how they could they have a Jodeci reunion with only two of the four members? That's like having a New Edition reunion without Ricky and Ronnie. Word to life? That's why I will heart N.E. something proper-like until the day I die. Them dudes come together as one or they don't come together at all....with or without Bobby.

Youtube clip spotted at LSA.com.
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PICS: BRANDY IN NEW YORK CITY; ON SET OF NEW MUSIC VIDEO, 'RIGHT HERE (DEPARTED).'

Before we lost our electricity due to the recent and unmerciful downpour of Tropical Storm Faye, I'd promised my baby sister, who has been a diehard Brandy fan since forever, that I'd post these pictures of the singer, who is back on the scene with a new album, as soon as I could. Below are candid pics or staged pics, depending on who you ask, of Brandy in New York City last week with her mama/manager Sonia as she shopped for 'fits, baby dolls for her daughter Sy'rai, read tabloids at a magazine stand and chomped on slices of pizza.

PICS COURTESY OF BRANDYDAILY.COM
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B-Rock was also lensed while on the set of her new video Right Here (Departed). Check out the photos below. Tia Mowry's new husband Corey Hardrict plays Brandy's love interest in the video. You can listen to the single by clicking HERE.

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