Coolio Arrested: Allegedly With Crack!

Rapper Coolio was arrested yesterday at Los Angeles International Airport after he got into an altercation with an airport screener. According to TMZ.com, Coolio had crack in his possession. I guess crack is a hell of a drug!

The Return Of Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson was in full effect yesterday in London as he announced plans to perform there this summer. It's hard to believe that he's 50 years old, and the hair looks simply amazing. I wonder if it's real.

Rihanna Doesn't Want A Restraining Order Against Chris Brown!

Chris Brown was charged with 2 felonies yesterday that may require jail time, and while ultimately he may simply get probation, as details emerge regarding his alleged beating of Rihanna, Brown appears to be a very troubled young man. Below are a few of the details:

He was arrested the day of the Grammy Awards after LAPD officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault on a quiet, tree-lined street near Beverly Boulevard. When officers arrived, they found an injured Rihanna and Brown’s rented Lamborghini, but no sign of the R&B singer.

According to a search warrant written by Police Det. Deshon Andrews, the assault began when Rihanna picked up Brown’s phone as the couple drove away from a pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills. The singer saw a long text message on Brown’s phone detailing a sexual encounter between him and another woman, the warrant said.

The pair began arguing, and Brown pulled the rented Lamborghini to the side of the road and tried to make Rihanna get out of the car, according to the warrant. When her seat belt got in the way, he began punching her in the face.

“The assault caused Robyn F.’s mouth to fill with blood and blood to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the car,” the detective wrote in the warrant filed Feb. 20.During the alleged assault, the detective wrote, Brown told Rihanna, “I’m going to beat the [expletive] out of you when we get home. You wait and see.”

After Rihanna feigned a call to her personal assistant -- pretending to ask the woman to have police waiting at her home -- Brown became enraged, telling her, “Now I am going to kill you,” according to the warrant.

The assault escalated with Brown biting Rihanna on the ear and putting her in a headlock until she lost consciousness, according to the warrant. When she tried to free herself by “gouging his eyes out,” the detective wrote, he bit her finger. Her screams for help were heard by a neighbor, the warrant says.

Brown did appear in court yesterday, and his arraignment was postponed until April 6th. Rihanna's was also represented, and her attorney Donald Etra stated that she will not require a restraining order. I hope that she doesn't regret that decision. As for Chris Brown, the career is probably a wrap at this point. Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for the article.

Just When I Thought I Was Done!

I really thought I was done with the Kwame Kilpatrick/Christine Beatty posts, but now the Detroit Free Press reports that as early as Monday, an additional 1,400 text messages may be released as they are now deemed a matter of public record. This should be very interesting, and no one deserves this more than Kwame.

Say It Ain't So Michael Strahan!

In the I guess rich people don't have anything better to do with their money department, the New York Post is reporting that former New York Giants football player Michael Strahan planted a tracking device on Nicole Murphy's car after he suspected her of cheating. The device was discovered after Murphy took her car to the repair shop for servicing. Strahan is not a novice in the amateur detective category, as his now ex-wife accused Strahan of planting devices in their former home.

The Post is also reporting that Murphy, the former wife of Eddie Murphy, is rumored to now have a relationship with record executive Demetrius Spencer. Strahan, who now works as an analyst for Fox Sports, may want to open a detective agency.

Terrell Owens Released!

NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens has made a habit of throwing his teammates, specifically quarterbacks under the bus. Now, he's the beneficiary of being thrown under the bus by his now former team, the Dallas Cowboys. Often a lightening rod for controversy, it wasn't uncommon to see Owens on the sidelines berating coaches and teammates when he felt things didn't go his way. Here's hoping that he goes to the purgatory that is the worst team in the league, and further stains his legacy. T.O. may have Hall of Fame stats, but he's never been a Hall of Fame teammate.

Praying For Jasmina!

Jasmina Anema turns 6 today, but is in the fight of her life suffering from a very rare form of leukemia that is spreading too fast for the chemotherapy to fight it. Celebrities such as Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, and Paul Pierce have reached out on Jasmina's behalf in an effort to spread the word that she's in need of a bone marrow transplant. Jasmina is adopted, and complicating the donor search is that African American are underrepresented and our DNA is more varied. Jamina's mother indicates that at this point it's "a one in a million shot."

Here's sending out prayers to Jasmina Anema. Thanks to the New York Daily News for bringing further awareness to this heartwarming story.

Molinaro Forces Out Appointee For Forwarding Racist E-Mail!

The New York Post reports that Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro forced out his appointee to an Education Department parent council for forwarding an e-mail containing racist jokes. Salvatore Ballarino defended the e-mail as being a joke, however it contained the following:

In that e-mail were photos of then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain during a presidential debate, with invented dialogue superimposed in writing near their heads. McCain's "jokes" included references to black people hanging from a tree and equating black babies to excrement.

Good move, Mr. Molinaro!

A Tour Of Vick's Home!

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has 25 photographs of Michael Vick's home which is set to go up for auction next week. It's a beautiful home!

Deidra Lane Released Today!

The Charlotte Observer reports that Deidra Lane, wife of former Carolina Panther Fred Lane will be released from prison today after serving 8 years for killing her husband. Lane, now 33, pleaded guilty in 2003 to voluntary manslaughter. Lane claimed to be a battered wife, and shot her husband at close range in their home after he returned from a trip. A summary of what led to the killing is listed below:

In the weeks before the killing, while she was nine months pregnant, Fred Lane rammed her head into a wall, broke open her lip and threw her down a flight of stairs, her lawyers said.

On the day of the killing, Deidra Lane called 911 sobbing and screaming: “He came in and he started choking me and he said this baby's not mine. He started hitting me. He wouldn't leave me alone. I kept telling him to stop.

“I've never been so scared in my life. He just wanted to hurt me and my baby. And I was so scared I just shot again.”

But Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow said Deidra Lane ambushed her husband, killing him for a $5 million life insurance policy.

Lane will be released to her parents custody, and returning to Columbia, SC to care for her 8 year-old daughter.

Vick's Home Going Up For Auction: Minimum Bid: $3.2 Million!

Michael Vick's suburban Atlanta home will go on the auction block next Tuesday with a starting bid of $3.2 million. The home is 20,000 square feet in size. Well we know that material items don't last forever, and I hope Mr. Vick can put all of his losses behind him and become a productive citizen.

Farrakhan Speaks On President Obama!

Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke over the weekend at the Nation of Islam's annual Savior's Day convention in Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Minister told nearly 14,000 followers that "There's an energy among our people that has never been seen before, never produced by any man or organization before," "But we must not allow our people to live in a false world of euphoria. We must accept our responsibility to build our communities."

Farrakhan's words should resonate amongst the entire black community. Feeding off Obama's energy, we will have to make it on our own, as we attempt to keep our communities from falling into further turmoil. We don't have a stimulus package that will rescue us from sure oblivion for our communities. Now is the time to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and make it work any way that we can.

Is Rihanna Being Used?

Chris Brown is a 19 year-old superstar entertainer, 2 time Billboard Artist of the Year, and heir apparent to join Michael Jackson as perhaps the best entertainer of his generation. Brown was arrested last month for allegedly beating up superstar singer and girlfriend, Rihanna. Word surfaced over the weekend that the two had possibly reconciled, and of course everyone has an opinion. I just hope for Rihanna's sake that Mr. Brown is sincere in his actions, but to be 19 years-old, rich and famous and sometimes stupid usually is a recipe for disaster in a relationship. Here's wishing Rihanna well, as she's making grown up decisions at the young age of 21.

Strip Searched In B-More!

Rosemary Munyiri is suing the Maryland run State Booking Agency in Baltimore alleging that she was illegally strip searched as a result of a traffic stop last year. Below is a brief description of what allegedly transpired:

She says it all started because of a misunderstanding. She was on her way home after a 12-hour nursing shift, still wearing her uniform of pink scrubs, and took her regular exit off Interstate 83.

According to the arresting officer, she drove past flares he had placed to block the exit. She says she didn't see them. When the officer pulled up behind her with his lights on, she thought it was for someone else and drove ahead to find a safe place to pull over, out of the way. But the lights were for her, and when she kept going, the officer believed she was fleeing.

He ordered her to throw her keys out the window and lie on the wet ground, where he handcuffed her, then put her in the back of his vehicle and searched hers. He found nothing but arrested her on three misdemeanor charges - negligent driving, failure to pull to the curb upon a signal from a police vehicle and attempt to elude uniformed police by failing to stop - and took her to Central Booking.

There, she says, she was told to remove her clothes, squat and cough (to dislodge anything she might be concealing in a body cavity), then spread her buttocks for visual inspection.

This is one of a few suits pending in Maryland alleging the same treatment. Thanks to the Baltimore Sun for reporting the treatment by police.

Recovering From The Effects Of Iraq!

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports on Iraq veteran Charley Williams Jr., who is still recovering from the effects of injuries sustained while serving in Iraq. A former 13 year veteran, Williams Jr. has lost his marriage, and now takes 9 prescription pills just to keep some semblance of normalcy as a result of his injuries. Still only 36 years-old, Williams Jr. suffered a traumatic brain injury while at war, and now becomes forgetful. He's also deaf in one ear and sufferers from post traumatic stress disorder. Even with all of these ailments, he's just considered to be 80 percent disabled.

Stories like Charley Williams Jr. need to be told more often, because the effects of war have impacted 31,00 other Americans.

"State Of The Black Union 2009"

The 10th Annual "State of the Black Union" symposium, moderated by Tavis Smiley will be held tomorrow in Los Angeles and broadcast live on C-SPAN beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Stephanie Robinson, who now provides commentary on the Tom Joyner Morning Show on Thursdays is expected to be a panelist.

It will be interesting to see how "our folks" think black people are doing in this extreme time of need for all of us. More importantly, does anyone really have any solutions.

R.I.P. Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr

Yesterday was a very rough day for the Chicago Bulls basketball family. Former Bull Norm Van Lier died of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 61, and later in the evening former Bull Johhny "Red" Kerr died after a long battle with prostate cancer at the age of 76.

Van Lier played 7 seasons with the Bulls, was a 3 time All-Star and is considered one of the greatest defensive guards of all time. Van Lier was loved and admired as indicated by this article from the Chicago Sun-Times. Prayers go out to the families of Van Lier and Kerr.

Never Follow The Best!

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech is being panned by conservatives and liberals alike according to the The Times-Picayune. Juan Williams called the response, "simplistic, almost childish." Following one of the best orators of our time is not always a good idea, Governor Jindal.

MJ Moves On!

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has purchased a new home in Miami with new girlfriend, Cuban model Yvette Prieto according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Forgotten World!

A 15 or 16 year-old boy shot 5 rounds from a 9mm pistol shooting his intended victim Jerome Sims as he waited in his mother's car while she was picking up his sister from a learning center in West Philadelphia yesterday according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This is a world that seemingly is getting ignored by our new President. I know that spending over $600 billion over an extending period of time for health care is important, but 15 year-olds with 9mm pistols shooting 12 year-olds in the middle of the day should take on some type of priority for someone.

"NewBos: The Rise Of America's New Black Overclass"

CNBC will telecast "NewBos: "The Rise of America's New Black Overclass" tomorrow at 9 p.m.. The program, hosted by Lee Hawkins (pictured above with Bob Johnson) will profile black men who have already made it in business, sports or entertainment. Bob Johnson, Bryan and Ronald Williams(who founded Cash Money Records), Kirk Franklin, and LeBron James are some of the men being profiled regarding "making it" from a financial standpoint.

The New York Daily News reports on the show's focus on how these men made it, and fight hard to keep what they've earned. LeBron James explains in the show why he hired young black men to handle his marketing, and based on television commercials, it hasn't hurt "King James" at all from a financial standpoint.

State Of The Union!

President of the United States, Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union address last night. The President gave a very convincing speech of optimism during our current storm in the country as expected. Here's hoping that the stimulus package that was recently passed will convince small business owners and major corporations that all is not lost, and that they can begin to put people back to work.

Our President's speech of optimism is fine, but the reality is that businesses are still hemorrhaging jobs and negatively impacting the lives of many workers by changing compensation plans, cutting hours or simply laying people off. I'm just not sure if the recently enacted stimulus package will have a short term impact on this occurrence. The bottom line for any business is profit, and if expenses continue to increase, then employees will continue to be in peril.

I've Had Enough!

Donovan McNabb has spent 10 years in Philadelphia, led them to 5 NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. He's never truly been appreciated, and it appears now that McNabb has had enough, and may be looking for a smooth way out despite still having 2 years remaining on his contract. According to Michael Smith of ESPN.com McNabb has informed the Eagles that unless they upgrade the team, that he's not interested in a contract extension, and may request a trade.

I applaud McNabb for using the little leverage that he has as arguably the most important player on the team. He's been lambasted in the "City of Brotherly Love" for not coming up big in tight situations, but the one season that he had a Pro Bowl caliber receiver, he took the team to the Super Bowl.

Bad Daddy!

Willie Scott Jr. shot his 4 year-old daughter Sania's mother 10 times while she watched in horror in a North Philadelphia parking lot on Saturday night. Scott Jr. shot LaRosa Gonzalez, while she was sitting in her vehicle with Sania and the 16 year-old daughter of a friend according to the Philadelphia Daily News. He had been stalking Gonzalez since she had left him about 10 days ago.

A 4 year-old child loses 2 parents with one fatal decision. When will the madness stop!

Madea Does $41.1 Million!

Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes To Jail" set the box office ablaze this weekend, raking in an estimated $41.1 million dollars according to Box Office Mojo. Tyler still has the magic touch.