Paris Hilton to Save Rwanda...and the World???

Paris Hilton plans to visit Rwanda as part of her post-jail commitment to use her celebrity status to bring attention to social causes. She feels that with her popularity in America, she can use that as a tool to shed light on pressing issues in the world. I guess she finally realized that what nail color she has on today should NOT be breaking news...

"I'll be going in November, after I get back from filming my movie," she tells E! Online on Tuesday. "There's so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help," Hilton says.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress-actress vowed to use her fame to bring attention to social causes after serving a 23-day jail sentence earlier this year for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
"I want to visit more countries where poverty and children's issues are a big concern," she says. "I know there's a lot of good I can do just by getting involved and bringing attention to these issues."

And you know what? She's absolutely right. Unfortunately she is a HUGE star... For what? I don't even know, but at least she's trying to do some good with her celebrity these days. I hope it's not a phase... But something tells me it just might be. I think that it's funny how chic it's become for Hollweird A-listers to go abroad to do good deeds. There are thousands of children being raped and abused in this country. Thousands of children (right now in this country) are living below the poverty level. It's cool to want to help change the world, but you don't have to travel 5,000 miles to do so. There are problems right here in the U.S that celebs like Paris can give attention to. What about inner-city youths? What about crack-babies? What about the kids out here who see no future. Maybe more celebs should start working on home, because contrary to what they believe, we DON'T have it all figured out yet.

TEAM Lohan: Get on it!

Lindsay is out! People Magazine confirms that Lindsay checked out of Cirque Lodge in Utah on Friday. She's been there since August. Earlier this week Michael Lohan came to visit her and has been there ever since. No word on where Lohan went.
Dina Lohan told People: : "I'm proud of her. She's moving ahead with her life. Things were getting out of control. She took action. She took responsibility. She really needed to heal." Lindsay will be back to work on her new tango movie Dare to Love Me on October 15th in Los Angeles.

Honestly, this girl has been getting a lot of flack lately, and understandably so. For some reason, 2007 was the year that all blond-ambition, pop-tart, rich bitches got CANNED! If you were rich, famous, young and blond it was a wrap for you. Lohan was not able to get under that radar with the coke still on her nose.... smh. But you know what? I don't care, I still dig her. She's young, made some foolish mistakes and has made an effort to redeem herself... You can't really be mad at that. I don't totally blame her either. Her weirdo mother and alcoholic father probably didn't help her form strong moral judgement... Mix all that in with the craziness of hollyweird and the insanity of blowing up in the fast lane at such a young age and.... Lohan was pretty much on target. It was almost inevitable. Drew Barrymore, Nicole Richie, Britney... They can all relate.

There is no denying this girl has talent and potential (maybe not with making albums, but she can definitely act when she wants to). I fell in love with her (not literally you perverts!) when I first saw Freaky Friday (starring Lindsay and Jamie Lee Curtis). Then she wowed me with Mean Girls -- the surprisingly entertaining teen-queen flick. She's been in the game since she was 4 when she did a Welch's Grape Juice commercial. She's been going ever since... It would be a shame for her to end up a cracked-out, washed-up, hopelessly whorish, talentless wreck. LOL! It really would be a shame...

And-- as pointless and worthless as it as, I'm on Team Lohan. Hate it or love it but I'm rooting for her!

Squirt McGirt Lives On! (trial delayed 'til 2008)

So exactly what is it? Is it a glich in the matrix? Are there some sort of omnipotent R&B Gods in the sky that just won't let this man get his day in court? R. Kelly is an enigma, yes. He is INCREDIBLY talented, yes--and it's almost scary... But why, oh, why must we relate all of that when it comes to his actions and the consequences of these actions? People will actually say things like, "R. Kelly can't be bad... He made I believe I can Fly"! LOL... Come on, we must do better people. Mind you, sleeping with a 16-year-old is WAY different than sleeping with a 6-year old, but when you're a man who's30 plus in age, that's still pretty nasty....

(photo courtesy of South Park)

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on their website (http://www.suntimes.com/) that the trial has been postponed. However, when it came time to give the people some real answers as to why the trial was delayed much was left to be desired:

Kelly, 40, had been scheduled to go on trial Sept. 17 on child pornography charges. But Judge Vincent Gaughan said in court Tuesday it would be postponed.
"We are not going to be going to trial the 17th of September," Gaughan said, without explaining why not.
Shauna Boliker, the lead prosecutor on the case, gave birth to a son last week. In an e-mail to reporters, Gaughan's media liaison Terry Sullivan said Boliker "is not able to proceed at this time" because of "doctor's orders."
But other sources attributed the latest delay to lawyers' wrangling over expert witnesses the prosecutors want to call. Prosecutors charged Kelly in 2002 with making a 26-minute videotape in which he appears to be having sex with an underage girl. Kelly pleaded not guilty. The girl, allegedly 14 on the tape, is now 22 and has denied she is the one who appears.
The case has been plagued by delays from the beginning, with the defense and prosecution blaming each other. Then, in July 2006, Gaughan suffered injuries after falling from a ladder at his Chicago home. When he returned, Gaughan presided over the trial of now-convicted Brown's Chicken killer Juan Luna.
A law enforcement source said the R. Kelly case will not go to trial until the spring of 2008 -- after the trial of accused Brown's Chicken killer James Degorski, Luna's alleged accomplice. On Tuesday, Gaughan set a Feb. 13, 2008, trial date for Degorski.
Gaughan is expected to announce a new trial date for Kelly on Sept. 10.

Woooooow. R.Kelly is now in talks to start a new tour with Ne-Yo and J. Holiday headlining. And you know what? I bet it'll be sold out in the first 30 minutes... This controversy has been shuffled back and forth for over 5 years. So far no justice has been done. What do you all think? Is it unfair that Kelly has not been brought to trial? Or do you feel he is innocent? Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm.

Lil' Wayne ARRESTED!

Let me preface by saying this: I DID NOT want to like Lil' Wayne. When he first came on the scene in the late nineties with the Cash Money Clique they came out with a song called "bling bling".... Wayne was actually the one who coined this famous term. IN the song they were talking about how they come to different cities and basically roll on Ni**as-- for lack of a better term. I was offended because they were attacking NYC... Big no-no. However, his talent is undeniable. And I was sold in 1999 when he came out with the Best of Me freestyle to that Mya beat. Wayne is a young talent, with an old soul and witty punchlines. He was accidentally shot when he was 12, and came close to death so for that, I feel he is touched by some kind of mystic. It shows in his art (in my humble opinion). Today, he is now one of my favorites... That's why anytime I hear something like this it makes me sigh and shake my head...

(mugshot courtesy of concreteloop.com)

Exclusively from idahostatesman.com there was news that Lil' Wayne got into some trouble.He was arrested on a felony warrant after performing in Boise, ID the Ada County Sheriff's office said last Saturday.
Lil Wayne ( Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.), was arrested after his Friday concert at Qwest Arena and booked into the Ada County Jail on a felony fugitive to Idaho charge. Carter is wanted on a felony warrant from Fulton County, Georgia, to face a charge of possession of a controlled substance, Ada County jail officials said.

After his arrest, the jail was bombarded with dozens of angry phone calls from fans, concert promoters and others, said a jail deputy who didn't want her name to be used. Because he was arrested on a felony fugitive warrant, he was not eligible for bond. Carter was charged in court on Tuesday, the deputy said, and will be asked then if he plans to waive his extradition to Georgia.

An e-mail to Carter's publicist at Universal Music Group was not immediately returned. Carter has had previous brushes with the law, including a 2005 drug arrest in Atlanta. Carter's "Tha Carter II" album released in 2005 has sold about 2 million copies worldwide. He recently was voted "Hottest MC in the Game" by a panel at MTV.

Free Foxy? Fugetaboutit!

Today at Foxybrown.com there was an exclusive update on the troubled rap star. Apparently, Foxy has launched a new Web site: FreeFoxyBrown.com. The site was built by her Koch Records management team in an attempt to keep fans updated with her latest news, as well as a forum to allow fans to communicate with the incarcerated rapper...

When asked about the development of the site, Foxy had this to say:
“I devoted my career to building an affinity with my fans who have supported me unflinchingly and no barbed wire fence or prison wall will stop that,” Brown said in a statement. “I am in great spirits and very focused, and needed a forum to communicate to the people.”

I am personally very saddened by the latest issues plaguing this young and talented girl. I was a VERY big Foxy fan, and very devoted to seeing her regain success, but she is just TRIPPIN now. The acting out in public, the assault, and other careless behavior makes her seem like she lacks class and sense! I never thought this about her. Although she was always hood, I thought that there was a touch of class... Guess I was wrong. I think someone advised her that no publicity is bad publicity, and she just ran with it... Free Foxy? Maybe not. I think homegirl needs to sit for a while and think about what she's done, and how she can un-do it, because her image in the media is less than stellar. What do you all think?

Style File Icon: *Kanye West*

When Kanye first burst on the scene with College Dropout back in 2004, I was elated, surprised (pleasantly), intrigued, and relieved. Relieved for the fact that FINALLY there was a brother out there in the mainstream spotlight that could relate to the youth of the ghetto without wearing pants and shirts 5x too large. I LOVED the fact that he was up on Karl Largerfeld, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Oswald Boateng, etc.
Before his album came out, and he was the new and exciting fresh-blood producer at Roc-a-Fella Records, I had seen a segment on him. MTV had done a "you hear it first" on him, and showed him in the studio working on Jay Z's Blueprint album. I couldn't help but think to myself: "Damn, ol' boy has flavor!" I was peeping his Ed Hardy hoodie HAAAARD (and this was YEARS before the trend caught on). I think he was wearing James jeans-- destroyed denim. They were fit, but not tight-- and the whole look was clean. He looked educated like he had something to say besides "'nah mean"? It titillated me....

Now that Kanye has been in the game for a few years, he has really started to have an impact on our culture. His fashion sense has revived the days of the back-pack wearing, medallion-rockin, b-boys that used to chill in their stance with their jordan III's lookin wicked and fre$h. Kudos to you Kanye! Kudos to you!

Not YOU too Marion Jones????

As I sipped my morning coffee I had to ask myself: HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE MAD????? Apparently it has, because Marion Jones (world renowned US track superstar) is going to trial today for perjury and illegal steroid use..... Back in 2000, Jones received five medals of championship at the Sydney Olympics ceremonies. She was representing for the U.S in a big way, and we were all proud-- no one as proud as the black community. Which makes me think, "Damn, why we always gotta f$%* up"??? LOL....







After 5 years of staunch denials, Marion has finally threw in the towel, and has plead guilty to illegal drug use and perjury. She lied to federal agents about this issue for years. I guess the jig is finally up for Jones. She faces trial in a New York court today. It is reported that Jones might be stripped of all her medals as a consequence of the verdict.... Damn, another one bites the dust....

The Jig is Up, Isiah!

For the past few weeks, America has been watching the controversy of this sexual harassment lawsuit that Anucha Browne Sanders filed against former-boss Isiah Thomas(Knick's coach). This was not exactly an open-and-shut case, but I find Thomas to be very foolish for his cockiness and confidence during the beginning of the trial. Early on, he was noted to be very calm, cool and collected going into trial. Even smiling and schmoozing for the cameras! I guess no one in his camp is laughing anymore....


Browne-Sanders claimed that she endured emotional abuse during her stint with Thomas. She claimed that he called her "bitch" and got in her face and no one did anything. In fact, during this trial, a lot of information about the tomfoolery of the Knick's came out. According to plaintiff's lawyers, in the Knicks' world Thomas could address Browne Sanders as "bitch" and "ho" and get away with it; star guard Stephon Marbury could bed an intern and still be coddled by Thomas; upper management could draw up rules against sexual harassment and fail to enforce them. In the end, Anucha is laughing all the way to the bank... Ok????!




The defense didn't seem to be doing a very good job. One of their angles was that Browne-Sanders was totally capable of enduring the "sports" type of male-driven environment. They tried to paint a picture of a physically-imposing woman who most likely provoked any conflict or confrontation. One defense attorney went as far as to say: "I mean look at her, she's a tall woman. With heels on she is clearly larger than Isiah". Hmmmmmm. Wow.... Go back to law school my dude. Geez! Anyway, if that wasn't bad enough, Garden CEO James Dolan took the witness stand and repped MSG like only a true buffoon could. Jurors were shown a videotaped deposition in which Dolan, wearing a black T-shirt and slouched in his chair, portrayed Browne Sanders (once a rising star in the organization)as an incompetent malcontent who offended him by demanding a $6 million severance package. He personally made the decision to can her from her $260,000-a-year job without consulting a lawyer, he said.
On the witness stand, Dolan's testimony could have left the impression he had a lax attitude about vulgarities: Asked if he had ever heard Thomas curse, he replied, "I'm sure I have." Asked if he would admonish Thomas if he heard him call the plantiff "bitch," he responded, "Possibly." Wooooow people. We've GOT to do better....

Let's Go GREEN! Go to Ideal Bite Today!

Wassup my faithful flock? I'm here to drop some jewels on you right quick... I was watching the morning show on CW 11 this morning, and they had a great feature on a new website. Its called: Ideal Bite (http://www.idealbite.com/). This website is a one-stop spot for advice on living GREEN... Did you ever see an Inconvenient Truth? Did you ever wish that there was more you could do for the environment? Did you ever worry about our world's health and future? Americans spend over 1 million dollars a minute with our electricity use. WE also emit the highest amount of carbon dioxides into the atmosphere. I have always wanted to help make a change. That's why I recycle, use cloth grocery bags, recycled paper and I plan to get a hybrid car once I have the funds. Ideal Bite gives daily tips on what you can do everyday to help save the environment. They give you a resource of eco-friendly stores that sell 100% natural cleaning & paint products. They advise on things like unsubscribing to junk mail-- that contributes a large sum of paper waste annually. One of these days when your bored-- check it out! If not for you, then for your kids and their kids.... Get down with the mean, lean, GREEN team!

Style File Icon: Jennifer Lopez

Even when Jennifer Lopez first blew up on the pop music and fashion scene, she was setting trends that people remember 'til this day...



The floppy hats, big hair and sunglasses set the tone for millenium-style. Jennifer generated the biggest fashion-buzz of all when she wore the infamous Versace mermaid dress to the 2000 Grammy awards...

Jennifer's fashion statements meant a lot at a time when curvier women in Hollywood were not as well-received as the "crack-skinny" ones. Jennifer was never afraid to show of her "assets" proudly and tastefully. Her pieces always accentuate her positives and that is what great fashion should do....




Jennifer came out with her own line called: J.Lo. This was an afforable line that catered to all women with real curves. She later went on to design Sweetface: a more haute-couture line with sleek, bold, chic and modern designs. This year she premiered: Just Sweet at fall fashion week. Whether it's jeans and tees or couture gowns, Ms. Lopez knows how it rock it, and DO IT WELL!

First Utah.... now SOUTH AFRICA

Breaking news from CNN.COM: Power has been restored to a mine in Carletonville, South Africa after over 3,200 miners were stuck down there for nearly a full day (government officials claim). Current reports indicate that there were no deaths and very minor injury. The men will have to be removed by a special rescue method that only allows 73 men at a time. This whole process will clearly take another day...

Is it just me-- or did they kinda brush that whole Utah-mine-collapse thing under the rug the same way they pushed those infamous Florida ballots under the rug all those years ago? Yep, things that make you go HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.


(Photo Courtesy of AP photo)

There were further reports today on CNN.COM about the Utah Crisis....Relatives of six men killed in a Utah mine collapse told lawmakers Wednesday that their loved ones voiced safety concerns before the tragedy. Sheila Phillips (pictured above) is the mother of a miner who passed. She attended the hearing with her grandson. "It's just hard to have hope and have your heart broke everyday and to watch your grandson grow up without a dad," she said. The sentiment was sad at the house committee meeting. Another relative of a miner claimed that the company who handled this mine job, "valued production over safety". Isn't that sad? Unfortunately that's the way of our cruel world....

Britney Might Have WANTED this?

As MSN music reports, Britney Spears might have actually wanted to lose her kids. This deduction came after further investigation of this case was noted, which showed that Britney purposely disobeyed every rule and order handed down by Commissioner Scott Gordon.

Britney was supposed to sign a release for a psychiatric evaluation for both her and Kevin during the custody trial... She did not. The commissioner ordered proof that both parents had valid California State licenses and insurance. If not, neither parent was allowed to drive the children anywhere. Over this past weekend, Britney was seen driving her kids without a valid California State license. The biggest "f -you" to the courts was last Thursday night. TMZ.com has footage of Britney at club Sutra in Costa Mesa. Neither parent is supposed to consume alcohol within 12 hours of having the children. That night, Britney broke that rule as well...

So basically my deduction is... She is either throwing in the towel on this whole mother thing, foolishly rebelling against the justice system because she feels a victim, OR she's just PLAIN LOONEY!!! I dunno. But it has to be one of the three. What do you all think?

KELIS goes International!

One word... FIERCE! My girl Kelis is gracing this months cover of the Swedish magazine Bon International. Europe has always embraced Kelis with open arms since her 1999 debut... It boggles the mind that America could not see or appreciate what they saw overseas. But, I guess her lack of ubiquity is part of what makes her unique and cool, so its all good!

No homo, but damn! Don't y'all think this girl coulda been a model??? Look how fierce she poses? Very intense. Ahhhhhh Leo pride.