WATCH VIDEO HERE.

FULL COVERAGE OF WHITNEY’S LAST MOMENTS:
Whitney Houston’s Last 24 Hours [PHOTOS]

Whitney Houston’s Last Red Carpet Interview [VIDEO]

Whitney Houston’s Last Red Carpet Interview [VIDEO]

Whitney Houston Dead At 48

But, in the interim, NewsOne has put together some of Whitney’s best and worst moments. Let’s kick it off with some of her better times!

Super Bowl XXV National Anthem 1991
Perhaps the best rendition of the National Anthem ever. Nuff said!

The Bodyguard (1990s Interracial Romance)
Interracial relationships depicted on the big screen are either so hyper-exaggerated or poorly performed that the essence of how two people from different races can see past societal ignorance to find love in each other is often missed. But Whitney’s performance in “The Bodyguard” was right on point and paved the way for more sophisticated films on interracial romance to follow. Though few have yet to match it, here is a scene from the film below.

And here is Whitney during her not-so-best moments….

Diane Sawyer Interview
“Crack is whack!” Need we say more?

Australian 2010 Performance
When you pay more than $150 to see someone sing, you want a show! But when Whitney sang in Australia in 2010, she was a disaster! And the folks who paid top dollar to see her said as much….

Check out the video here. Courtesy of KissRichmond.com

MORE WHITNEY:

Whitney Houston Dead At 48

Whitney Houston’s Final Performance [VIDEO]

In the case of Whitney, there are countless songs we can go to when we think of her. (And, thanks to YouTube, videos)

So the NewsOne team has put together a list of Whitney Houston’s top songs. Let’s all take joy in this beautiful woman’s greatness!

1) I Will Always Love You

2) I’m Your Baby Tonight

3) Greatest Love Of All

4) My Love Is Your Love

5) Exhale (Shoop)

6) All The Man I Need

7) I’m Every Woman

8) I Wanna Dance With Somebody

9) It’s Not Right But It’s OK

10) I Have Nothing

11) You Give Good Love

View video here.

View footage and photos of Whitney Houston and others at Kelly Price & Friends Unplugged: For the Love of R&B Red Carpet here.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the  cause and the location of her death were unclear. She was 48.

Read also: Whitney Houston Dead At 48

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Why would our cool prez, who has in the past admitted to listening to rap artists like Lil’ Wayne and Jay-Z, not include Hip-Hop music on his campaign trail playlist?

Obama’s playlist seems to cover every genre of music — Sugarland, U2, Aretha Franklin, Florence and the Machine and even the English indie folk band Noah and the Whale.  But there is not one sign of an MC anywhere to be found on the culturally diverse list of performers.

Waz up?

In the past, Obama has been quoted as saying that one of his favorite groups are The Fugees; this fact is also mentioned on his Facebook page. They’re Hip-Hop performers, so why isn’t their music good enough to make the campaign trail?

Hip-Hop poet Common, who has slammed former president George W. Bush and egged on violence against the police in his poetry, was invited last May by the First Lady to perform at the White House Music Series.  The move enraged right-wings pundits like Sarah Palin, who was very clear in her criticism of the Obamas:

The judgment is just so lacking of class and decency and all that’s good about America with an invite like this. They’re just inviting someone like me or someone else to ask, ‘C’mon Barack Obama who are you palling around with now?’”

If Common was good enough to secure an invite to perform at the presidential digs, why isn’t one of his songs on the list?

Jay-Z, who — along with wife Beyonce — has been invited to the White House, actually tweeted a picture of the couple as they sat around a conference table pow-wowing with the president.

Where aren’t any of Jigga’s cuts on the presidential playlist?

On Spotify, a music streaming service, the presidential mix has the following subtitle: “The official 2012 playlist features picks by the campaign staff, including a few of President Obama’s favorites.” The Washington Post reports that a spokesperson for the Obama campaign clarified in an e-mail that the president didn’t choose the songs; they were suggested by staff members and volunteers.

Hmmm, really?

Didn’t the Hip-Hop community rally around our president during his campaign?  Rappers seemed to collaboratively go the extra mile to ensure Obama’s election. Nas, LL Cool J, OutKast, Young Jeezy, as a matter of fact the “Queen of Hip-Hop” Mary J. Blige even worked at a campaign office.

The Hip-Hop community has wholeheartedly embraced Obama from jump, but it is quite evident that there is a lack of overt reciprocation for the Hip-Hop community’s affections by our president.

Obama Campaign Playlist:

Different People – No Doubt
Got to Get You Into My Life – Earth, Wind & Fire
Green Onions – Booker T & The MG’s
I Got You – Wilco
Keep on Pushing – The Impressions
Keep Reachin’ Up – Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators
Love You I Do? – Jennifer Hudson
No Nostalgia – AgesAndAges
Raise Up – Ledisi
Stand Up – Sugarland
This – Darius Rucker
We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire
You’ve Got the Love – Florence and the Machine
Your Smiling Face – James Taylor
Roll with the Changes – REO Speedwagon
Everyday America – Sugarland
Learn to Live – Darius Rucker
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
My Town – Montgomery Gentry
The Best Thing about Me Is You – Ricky Martin, featuring Joss Stone
You are the Best Thing – Ray Lamontagne
Keep Marchin’ – Raphael Saadiq
Tonight’s The Kind of Night – Noah and the Whale
We Take Care of Our Own – Bruce Springsteen
Keep Me In Mind – Zac Brown Band
The Weight – Aretha Franklin
Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2
Home – Dierks Bentley

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The  children will not be living with Shaw in the United States, but she will be paying for their costs for an entire year, which equals to a $20,000 commitment. When the calculations are complete, the care for the 48 children will cost $30 a month and equal to $17,280 per year.

Shaw was asked by Football Wives celebreality star Chanita Foster, founder of the charity called Beyond the Game which provides children in Swaziland with food, clothes, and education, to donate to her cause. After Shaw saw the children in the charity’s brochure, she “fell in love” with them, reports TMZ.

Neyo and Monyetta are the proud parents are daughter, Madilyn Grace, 1, and son, Mason Evan.

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Already a Billboard chart-topper, featured on her father’s emotional song, “Glory,” in honor of her “magic” birth after Beyonce suffered a miscarriage, her parents are eager to share their gift with the world:

“We welcome you to share in our joy,” read a hand-written note on HelloBlueIvyCarter.tumblr.com. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives.” — The Carter Family

See below for pictures of Blue Ivy!

He hosted an event that features performances from Stevie Wonder and Ne-Yo at the Hollywood Palladium for his i.am angel foundation, established in 2009.

The Black Eyed Peas leader said he was inspired by the 2010 documentary “Waiting for Superman,” about U.S. public education. He said that “Superman is not coming to save no neighborhood or no education system.”

“They might as well call that movie ‘Waiting for William.’ That’s the reason why I’m doing what I am doing because that movie hits straight to heart because my mom went to one of those schools,” he said.

Will.i.am also talked politics: He said President Barack Obama is not a “magic man,” and that people shouldn’t expect him to solve the country’s problems with “some freakin’ plan.”

“We can sit and point fingers and say Obama’s not doing his job, but you’re supposed to do your job,” said will.i.am , who has supported Obama in the past.

Thursday night’s event, dubbed “TRANS4MATION EXPERIENCE,” was the first annual celebration for will.i.am’s foundation. Videos played in the background highlighted students struggling to get an education from various neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights, where will.i.am grew up. One message on the screen read: “It’s time to bring good to the hood.”

Will.i.am performed with the Black Eyed Peas, though Fergie was absent. The night’s top guest was Wonder, who played the harmonica and the keys and sang classics like “My Cherie Amor” and “Superstition.” The veteran singer said he was delighted to support will.i.am.

“How do you show your true friendship?” Wonder asked. “You put actions behind your words.”

Ne-Yo followed after Wonder, saying loudly to laughs from the crowd: “I want to know who wants to put me after Stevie Wonder. What the (expletive)?”

Other performers included K’Naan and Flo Rida.

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The Grammy Award-nominated performer did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer requested that his supervised probation be ended based on his exemplary behavior over the last two years.

Despite the lawyer’s plea, Superior Court Judge George Lomeli decided that although Brown is complying with his terms of his sentence, he should still continue to report to his probation officer, who is based in his hometown of Virginia.

Reportedly, Brown’s probation officer has been giving him high marks across the board and has commended him for being forthright, dependable, and passing all of the required drug testing.  The 22-year-old songwriter and actor even made an impressive comeback, winning favor among his fans with a chart-topping album release, “F.A.M.E.,” last year.

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The star player who bowed out of baseball at the young age of 31 is currently promoting his forthcoming autobiography, “They Call Me Oil Can:  My Life in Baseball.”  Boyd, who pitched in the majors during the ’80s and spent eight seasons with the Boston Red Sox, revealed that his teammates knew about his rampant drug use.

All of them knew and the ones that cared came to me — the Dwight Evanses and Bill Buckners. It was the veteran ballplayers. Some guys lived it. They knew what you were doing, and the only way they knew was they had to have tried it, too.

Boyd admitted to using cocaine at “every ballpark” during his 10-year career:

There wasn’t one ballpark that I probably didn’t stay up all night, until 4 or 5 in the morning, and the same thing is in your system,” Boyd said in an interview with Jon Miller of WBZ radio in Boston. “It ain’t like you had time to go and do it while you were in the game. I have (done) that.

During his ball playing career, Boyd, 52, who also played with the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers after leaving Boston, was known for having a standout personality that endeared him to fans.  Boyd’s nickname “Oil Can” originated from his beer-drinking days, when he was a youth in Meridian, Miss.  The southern town refers to beer as “oil.”

In a 10-season career, Boyd collected a 78-77 record with 799 strikeouts.  From 1983-85 Boyd won 31 games for Boston, with 15 victories in 1985.  Soon after these career highs, Boyd had three disappointing years with the Red Sox and became a free agent and left the team.

Boyd attributes his rather short-lived baseball career to not only drugs but bigotry in the league:

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The main reason why the recent Super Bowl XLVI player wants the name change is because he is marrying VH1′s Basketball Wives villainess, Evelyn Lozada.  Chad has stated that he does not want his wife-to-be to have a made up name, so he is switching back to his birth name by July 4 of this year.

The Ochocinco name is a combination of two numbers in Spanish, ocho, which means eight, and cinco, which means five.  Chad changed his name in the attention grabbing move in order to brand himself as a star player.

Although the 33-year-old had already made a name for himself as Chad Johnson when he signed on for the mega hit show Dancing With the Stars his popularity skyrocketed. Chad won the hearts of swarms of women across America before being eliminated from the top four competitors in the final round.

Chad has been criticized recently for his absolute worst NFL season ever, with 15 catches, 276 yards and only one touchdown.

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The former Death Row Records executive, 46, was stopped driving a black Bentley with California license plates about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on a street just off Flamingo Road west of the Las Vegas Strip, Officer Laura Meltzer said.

Knight was issued an unsafe lane change summons and arrested on a warrant stemming from previous traffic infractions. He also was charged with possession of less than one ounce of a controlled substance and released from jail without bail.

Celebrity website TMZ first reported the arrest. It said Knight had marijuana with him in the car.

Knight is due March 12 in Las Vegas Municipal Court, where court spokeswoman Jill Christensen said he was sought on a March 2009 warrant for failure to appear on three traffic violations — following too closely, failure to surrender a suspended license plate and being a non-resident driving on a suspended or revoked driver’s license. The original charges stemmed from a traffic stop in November 2008.

No charge was immediately filed on the misdemeanor drug charge, which would be handled separately in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Attorney David Chesnoff, who has represented Knight in previous Las Vegas cases, was traveling Thursday and unavailable for immediate comment.

Chesnoff represented Knight when felony drug and battery charges were dropped in December 2008 following an incident in which Knight was accused of beating a woman while holding a knife in a parking lot near the Strip. Knight also was charged with felony possession of the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone.

Chesnoff said at the time that prosecutors had problems collecting evidence and witness accounts.

Knight, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, once played football for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He went on to co-found Death Row Records, which helped make stars of rappers such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.

Knight was at the wheel of a car in which Shakur was shot and killed in 1996 in Las Vegas. The debt-ridden record label later went bankrupt and was sold.

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Bruce Springsteen announced Thursday that two musicians – Jersey Shore sidekick Eddie Manion and Clarence Clemons’ nephew Jake – will “share the saxophone role” during the E Street Band’s “Wrecking Ball” world tour, which begins March 18 in Atlanta.

The new “Wrecking Ball” album, which will be released March 6, is Springsteen’s 17th, and the first since the sudden death of the E Street Band’s saxophonist last summer.

The long-awaited, and much-speculated-upon, sax decision also included news that singers Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King, trombonist Clark Gayton and trumpeter Curt Ramm will tour with E Street, along with newcomer Barry Danielian on trumpet.

Jake Clemons, son of a former Marine Corps band director, began performing with his family as a child, and his career was championed by his famous uncle.

Eddie “Kingfish” Manion is a longtime saxophonist with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, a group that has cross-pollinated for decades with Springsteen and E Street. He was with the horn section during Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love tour in 1988, and also played with the Seeger Sessions Band, along with Ramm and Gayton.

Manion recently told New Jersey’s Star-Ledger that he had sometimes been urged to “just sound like Clarence Clemons. … But you couldn’t. Nobody could sound like that. He had a sound of his own, and that’s what made him great.”

The decision on how to fill the Big Man’s larger-than-life role in the E Street Band was not an easy one. The personal and professional aftershocks from the devastating June 18 loss have not subsided. His sax was a pillar of the E Street sound; Clemons also was the band’s spiritual center.

His comrades have struggled through the healing process, offstage and on.

Last July, E Street’s Steven Van Zandt joined Southside Johnny Lyon and his Jukes for an outdoor musical tribute to Clemons in Asbury Park, N.J. Instead of a moment of silence, the mayor led the crowd in a moment of noise in the Big Man’s memory. Manion poured his heart into Clemons’ most famous solo, “Jungleland.”

E Street’s equally broken-hearted Nils Lofgren dedicated his album “Old School” to Clemons, and has included references to him in live performances of “Miss You Ray,” a song originally written about Ray Charles.

The selection of a Southside stalwart for the tour doesn’t come as a total surprise. Lyon recently let it slip to an interviewer that Springsteen was “stealing” some of his famously big brass section. But in interviews that followed, Van Zandt sidestepped the subject, suggesting there was no done deal yet.

In the interim, various solutions were employed to make music without the Big Man.

On July 16, making his first public performance since the loss, Springsteen appeared at an Asbury Park tribute with Clemons crony J.T. Bowen and the Sensational Soul Cruisers, singing an old E Street song “Action in the Streets” with a band that included sax players Steve Barlotta and Joey Stann.

In November, Springsteen did a concert in Pittsburgh with longtime collaborator Joe Grushecky and his Houserockers band. “We don’t have horns, but we’ll give this one a shot,” he said before launching into an E Street show standard “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day.”

During Springsteen’s glorious Jan. 14 Light of Day benefit performance in Asbury Park, guitars – including those of Grushecky and Houserocker Danny Gochnour – bridged what would have been Clemons’ solo during the E Street standard “The Promised Land.”

Houserocker Joffo Simmons, who had just given up his drums to E Street’s Max Weinberg, pointed heavenward. Springsteen smiled and offered a shout-out: “Big Man!”

It seemed no coincidence to some when Southside showed up at that show with his new band, the Poor Fools. Springsteen joked that it was hard getting used to seeing his old friend in the new role. In yet another cross-pollination, Soozie Tyrell, a violinist, guitarist and singer who performs with E Street, played with the Poor Fools that night.

A week earlier, several sax players – including Jake Clemons – were featured at a touching memorial benefit in Norfolk, Va. The show was buoyed by E Street bassist Garry Tallent, Bon Jovi’s Bobby Bandiera, Southside and a band fronted by the Big Man’s son, Clarence Clemons III, who’s known as Nick.

Jake Clemons showcased some impressive singer-songwriter skills that night. But mostly, the soon-to-be co-successor to the throne – playing solo and amid a solid sax trio with Stann and Michael Antunes – was awash in the moment as his horn wailed in honor of the Big Man.

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TMZ reports:

Sources tell us Gabriel is livid because he believes the move is punitive and designed to strip him of any contact with his daughter. And Gabriel is particularly upset because Halle’s longtime boyfriend Olivier Martinez will be living with Halle and Nahla if the move is approved.

After Aubry and Berry split up in April of 2010, the custody battle began by the end of that year. Initially, Aubry filed for joint physical and legal custody of the child, but then Berry’s rep told People magazine that she had “serious concerns for her daughter’s well-being while in the care of her father for any extended period of time and is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect her.”

Aubry quickly answered back with a statement through his representative:

The fact is that Gabriel is a caring father who shares custody of Nahla. Gabriel fully believes that a consistent and balanced living situation and two loving parents are crucial for their child even if Ms. Berry feels otherwise,” the statement continues. “He will always defend his rights as a father and will always consider Nahla’s best interest. Halle’s continuing allegations in the press are untrue and irresponsible.

And this was just the start of accusations. Soon, it came out that Aubry allegedly called Berry the N-word and a “f*cking b*tch” during their relationship. The latest spat, though, came last month, when Aubry allegedly shoved the nanny after she showed up at his residence inquiring why the girl wasn’t at school.The nanny filed a report and Aubry later agreed to anger management classes.

Time will tell whether Berry will be allowed to move to France, but if Aubry has any say in the matter, it is likely she will not be allowed to.

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The movie tells the story of a gang leader in Jamaica with ties to a political party and his struggle raising a child. It stars American actor Roger Guenveur Smith (“Malcolm X”, “Do The Right Thing)” and Jamaican newcomers Sheldon Sheperd and Nicole ‘Sky’ Grey.

Long time Caribbean radio host from WBLS, Dahved Levy will host and there will be a Q&A with director, Storm Saulter following the movie.

Buy Tickets Here

Watch The Trailer

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When the G-funk stylist suffered a second stroke in 2008, he was placed at CareMeridien, a post-acute care facility for patients suffering from traumatic brain, spinal cord and medically complex injuries, for nearly two years.

Nate, whose real name was Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, had suffered a previous stroke nearly a year earlier that paralyzed the left side of his body.  By the time he entered the Orange County, Calif., medical facility, he had suffered a second stroke, which forced him to rely upon a breathing-assisted tube.

One of Nate’s managers, David Machery, allegedly promised to make good on the exorbitant bill, but the lawsuit states that it never came to pass. The nonpayment of services has resulted in a default judgement against Nate’s estate.

Nate broke into the hip-hop industry alongside his childhood road dawgs Snoop Dogg and Warren G.  He died at age 41 from multiple stroke complications in March of last year.

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Last week, the Washington Post hinted that the stars might have received preferential treatment with their trademark application, although the Trademark Office shot down any wrongdoing. An administrator from the office reportedly told the Post that some names that are filed are typically anticipated, which arms the agency against imposters looking to cash in on quick bucks.

Further, the Post report stated that Beyoncé’s company, BGK Holdings, would hold the rights to the name. The trademark is reportedly being reserved for a series of baby-related items, such as carriages, cosmetics, accessories, and a possible fashion line. Still, the name isn’t unique to the world of business, as a Wisconsin clothing store is also named “Blue Ivy.” A pure coincidence, the store opened in early 2011.

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Rihanna and Chris Brown are both scheduled to perform on the 54th annual Grammy Awards this Sunday.

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This will be the first time the pop stars attend the prestigious award ceremony together since Brown violently assaulted Rihanna three years ago today. Over the past few months there have been rumors that the pop stars have been secretly seeing each other, which might lead some people to ask, what if Rihanna and Chris Brown got back together? Would it kill their careers?

After the February 8, 2009 incident, Brown was charged with two felonies and sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service.

During an exclusive interview in November 2009 for 20/20 with Diane Sawyer, Rihanna was candid about her turbulent romance with Brown. “He was definitely my first big love,” she told Sawyer. “The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for each other.The thing that men don’t realize, when they hit a woman, it’s…the face, the broken arm, the black eye, it’s going to heal. That’s not…the problem. It’s the scar inside.”

Go to theGrio for more on this story!

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[Songza Playlist=what-it-feels-like-to-be-black-NewsOne]

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Johnson, who will be starring in the upcoming summer blockbuster “G.I. Joe:  Retaliation” told Moviefone.com:

Right now the best way that I can impact the world is through entertainment. One day, and that day will come, I can impact the world through politics. The great news is that I am American, therefore I can become President. But don’t forget, I am G.I. Joe.

If Johnson does decide to throw in his hat for a political bid at some future point, he will join the ranks of former President Ronald Reagan, a Hollywood film star; U.S. Representative Fred Grandy, who played “Gopher” on the TV series “The Love Boat;” and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, a film action hero.

The third-generation former WWE superstar seems to be taking the same career path that Jesse “The Body” Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota, embarked upon.  After a long wrestling career, Ventura switched to acting before venturing in to politics.

Johnson ironically got a small nibble of presidential life, when he played “The Rock Obama” two years ago during a comedy sketch on the NBC-TV long-running show “Saturday Night Live.”  The actor was praised for doing a spot-on (albeit monosyllabic) Obama impression.

Until then, Johnson will be training for a WrestleMania main event, where he says he is looking forward to opponent John Cena “removing my size 15 boot from his lady parts.”

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Proceeds from both concerts benefit the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation of which his mother, Gloria Carter, is president and CEO. Ticket prices ranged from approximately $300 – $1000. Jay-Z first announced the concert series in December of last year.

Beginning the evening in a white Tom Ford dinner jacket and diamond Cartier pin sparkling on his lapel, he changed the line of one of his most recited rhymes, “Public Service Announcement,” in honor of the occasion, replacing “hat” with “tux”:

“Check out my tux, yo/Peep the way I wear it,” he rhymed as the well-heeled crowd adorned in tuxedos and strapless gowns nodded along to the music of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra — conducted by Jeri Lynne Johnson — which served as Jay-Z’s house band, along with the Illadelphonics, an ensemble featuring Questlove of the Roots and soul singer Bilal, reports the Times.

Hova went through his greatest commercial hits, such as “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” to the Rick Rubin produced “99 Problems,” laying to rest the speculation that he had given up the “b-word” in honor of his daughter with wife and former Destiny Child front-woman, Beyonce Knowles.

Jay-Z gave his daughter a shout-out during the evening’s festivities, “Put one hand in the air for Blue! If there are any proud parents in the house tonight, make some noise for me,” while performing “Glory,” his emotional tribute to baby girl Blue Ivy Carter:

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it through that one,” he said at the song’s conclusion.

Alicia Keys joined Jay-Z to perform their NYC anthem, “Empire State of Mind,” which came after an interlude during which the orchestra and band played Gil Scott-Heron’s “New York Is Killing Me.”

Former arch-nemesis, Nas, joined him on stage to perform “N.Y. State of Mind.” Jay-Z let his guest shine alone on “If I Ruled the World,” accompanied by Keys.

Even with all of the pomp and circumstance, Hova kept it so BK. After changing into a black T-shirt and gold chain, he paid homage to his fallen friend, Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G. by performing the ’90′s hit, “Gettin’ Money .”  He then segued into a medley of classics from his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, making good on the promise he made the crowd early in the evening:

“All those lines that divide us,” he said with confidence, “we gonna step on them.”

Hip-Hop pioneers, Afrika Bambaataa and MC Melly Mel were the first Hip-Hop duo to play Carnegie Hall in 1985. Wyclef Jean performed there in 2004, Mos Def in 2008.

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Miller was reportedly hired in August of last year by Flo Rida, whose real name is Tramar Dillard.  Miller claims that when she confronted Flo Rida, who was arrested last year for drunk driving and a suspended license, about the 65-hour work week she worked and the $3.08 cents she was being paid, the rapper fired her on the spot.

Now Miller is looking for compensation for the “slave labor” that she experienced and is suing for unspecified damages.

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Check out the trailer below to get a sneak peek.

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Mel was a DWTS contestant stateside in 2007.  The former Scary Spice who was a favorite on the widely popular dance show made it to the season finale and wound up taking second place.

In 2010, Mel’s now defunct reality show, Mel B: It’s a Scary World followed her everyday life with daughters Phoenix, Angel and husband Stephen Belafonte.  Angel is the daughter of famed comedian Eddie Murphy.

Murphy began dating Mel just two months after his divorce from ex-wife Nicole Mitchell. Reportedly, he suddenly — and without warning — called off his relationship with Mel five months into her pregnancy and initially denied paternity because of the short-lived nature of their romance. The funny-man chose to totally disassociate himself from Mel throughout the rest of her pregnancy with his child.

It was widely reported that the reason why the father of eight gave Mel the cold-shoulder during her pregnancy was that he was waiting for the birth of the child in order to have a DNA test to prove paternity.  Two months after Angel’s birth, a DNA test proved that Murphy was indeed the father of Mel’s baby and the couple soon became embroiled in an extremely bitter and public war of words over the child.  Murphy, who wound up reimbursing Mel for her pregnancy costs, remained noticeably absent in the child’s life until she was age 3-years-old.  The exes have since mended their relationship.

Mel, who has been quoted as saying that she finds dancing “intoxicating” was also a judge on the Aussie version of The X Factor. After welcoming a third daughter to her family last September, Mel now plans on uprooting her brood from Los Angeles to Australia.

The 36-year-old performer, who hails from Leeds, England says, that she and her family have embraced Australia and think that life is actually better there than in L.A.  “I feel like it’s going to be my Aussie, Sydney year,” she revealed to Female First Magazine.

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Members of the Giants will be showered with a mile of confetti as they travel up Broadway from Battery Place. Then, in a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, the team will be presented with symbolic keys to the city.

“Big Blue gave us a game to remember, and on Tuesday we’re going to give them a parade to remember,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said after Sunday’s triumph in Indianapolis.

The parade for the Super Bowl champions will have an estimated economic impact of up to $38 million for the city, depending on the number of spectators, Bloomberg said. As many as 1 million are expected – about a third of them from outside New York.

This will be the second Super Bowl championship parade for the Giants in four years. They also beat the Patriots in the NFL title game in 2008.

But it’s hard to imagine a victory more exciting than the Giants’ last-minute, 21-17 victory over the Patriots.

The hero of this year’s parade undoubtedly will be Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. The Giants quarterback and Mario Manningham connected on a clutch play, as the receiver made an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline on the opening play of the game-winning drive.

On Monday, 250 fans nabbed pairs of tickets to the festivities at City Hall. About 50,000 people entered sweepstakes for a place at the ceremony.

The parade itself is open to all and promises to draw impenetrable crowds behind police barricades, as it did four years ago.

Three large screens around City Hall will allow members of the public to watch the ceremony. Streets will be closed between Broadway and Church Street from Canal to Pearl streets, as will Brooklyn Bridge access to and from Park Row.

New York has feted its public heroes since 1919, with the first parade for World War I General John Pershing and his victorious troops.

They were followed by more than 200 parades honoring everyone from aviator Charles Lindbergh to scientist Albert Einstein, Pope John Paul, South African leader Nelson Mandela and pianist Van Cliburn. Their names are chiseled into the Broadway sidewalks.

The Giants will be showered with at least 30 tons of manufactured confetti from skyscrapers lining Broadway.

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M.I.A., a British rapper, was given the opportunity of a lifetime to perform in front of some 150-million viewers at Sunday’s big game, and she certainly seized the moment.  She not only flipped off the audience, but it was also reported that the 36-year-old appeared to sing, ”I don’t give a s**t, at one point, though it was barely audible.

M.I.A. who is also a songwriter, record producer, and painter and whose actual name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, began her career as a visual artist, designer, and filmmaker before catapulting herself in to the rap game in 2002.  She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Grammy Awards, and the Mercury Prize.  Esquire magazine also ranked M.I.A. on its list of the 75 most-influential people of the 21st century, and Time Magazine named her one of the world’s most-influential people.  Her albums have generated widespread acclaim and her activism for oppressed people around the world, including the Tamils, Palestinians and African Americans, has been, for the most part, heralded.

Her career has not gone without criticism, though. In 2010, M.I.A. criticized the New York Times, when she tweeted, “F**k the New York Times,” after the paper published controversial articles about M.I.A. and Sri Lanka.  Now, M.I.A. has once again stirred the pot and the media is letting her have it with both barrels.

Since M.I.A.’s bird flip,  while both the NFL and NBC have apologized, both organizations are throwing each other under the bus. The NFL blamed NBC for being not quick enough to censor the gesture, while NBC noted that the NFL is responsible for the content of the half-time show. 

Given the history of those performers who strive for shock value during the huge event, the NFL covered themselves this time.  So M.I.A.’s little expletive might wind up costing the performer plenty.  Apparently TMZ also reports that there was a little stipulation in M.I.A.’s signed contract which states, she agrees to indemnify the NFL for any money it might be forced to pay if the FCC comes gunning for them.  According to TMZ, the football league has no intention of doling out the big bucks and wants to send out a clear message to performers who plan on breaking indecency laws with regards to the airwaves.

Janet Jackson’s 2004 “Nipplegate” incident during the Super Bowl XXXVIII when her right breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake during a performance, resulted in an FCC fine of a record $550,000 against CBS and its affiliates for broadcasting the lewd event.  Many viewed the act as fleeting indecency which raised concerns on the issue of decreasing morality in the national culture.  Now M.I.A. has stirred the pot yet again with her latest display.

On Monday morning, host Gretchen Carlson on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” urged M.I.A. to “get a life,” and celeb hound Perez Hilton tweeted:

PerezHilton Perez Hilton

M.I.A. gives the middle finger during the Super Bowl Halftime Show! http://perez.ly/yJBejv Think she’ll ever be invited on live U.S. TV again?

M.I.A. flipped the bird and mighta-sorta uttered a bad word during Madonna’s rap portion. Knicker-knotting commenced almost immediately. If nothing else, we get to see how far things have come since Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” eight years ago. Have we evolved? Which is to say, have we devolved enough to let it blow over?

The performer is also being criticized by the Parents Television Council over her Super Bowl antics:

NBC fumbled and the NFL lied because a performer known as M.I.A. felt it necessary to flip off millions of families. It is unfortunate that a spectacular sporting event was overshadowed once again by broadcasting the selfish acts of a desperate performer.

Last week the NFL formally told the PTC – and the American public – that the Super Bowl halftime show would be ‘appropriate.’ Most families would agree that the middle finger aimed directly at them is not appropriate, especially during the most-watched television event of the year.

Is M.I.A.’s incident similar to Jackson’s Super Bowl media frenzy which was attributed to a “wardrobe malfunction.”  Now there are reports that M.I.A.’s finger wave might have innocently been caused by “adrenaline, nerves and getting caught up in the moment.”

Can we then blame M.I.A.’s incident on a “middle finger malfunction?”

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Weren’t we here just four years ago, when Jarvis Green, then a New England Patriots defensive end, let Eli Manning’s jersey slip out of his hand?

But Sunday night was different. Manning tarnished Tom Brady‘s majestic armor and made the New York Empire proud.

Super Bowl night didn’t start off well for the Patriots.  Early on, the safety net was taken away as Brady gave up two points in the game, which placed the ball right back into Manning’s hands for the Giant’s first touchdown.

But the tide would change as Brady marched New England into the lead with a field goal. By halftime, Brady and company were ahead 10-9. Afterward, Madonna entertained during halftime, looking like a robot pacing the stage for Valvoline oil — she was pretty impressive for a 53-year-old!

As Brady threw another touchdown strike, the second half of the game started in New England’s favor. The Giants kept their poise, though, and chipped away with a couple of field goals to keep the game close at 17-15.

By the fourth quarter, the game was thrilling as Manning performed another signature comeback in the final period, driving New York down the field for the go-ahead score by Bradshaw. With the Giants ahead 21-17, Brady and company only had less than a minute to pull off a miracle.

But it wasn’t gonna happen.

Ahmad Bradshaw scored the biggest — and strangest — touchdown. Who wasn’t waiting for him to take a cigarette out of his pocket and smoke it? New York proved once again that they are still the coolest state in the world.

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DeBarge, once thought of as a “pretty boy,” was a member of the successful five-family ’80s group DeBarge.  After James and Janet eloped in 1984, they were married less than a year. At the time, all fingers pointed to Jackson patriarch Joe as the one who put the kabosh on the relationship.

Although James and his siblings had a string of successful R&B and pop hits, drugs eventually split the successful family unit up.  Over the years, James has been arrested several times and has battled drug addiction. He was most recently arrested yet again for assault with a deadly weapon and drug charges.

Murray, who was Michael’s personal physician, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter last November in the death of the pop icon and is expected to serve about two years of his four-year sentence.  The cardiologist had been giving Jackson nightly doses of propofol to help him sleep as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts. Propofol is supposed to be used in hospital settings and has never been approved for sleep treatments, yet Murray acknowledged giving it to Jackson then leaving the room on the day the singer died.

Murray is serving out his sentence in a county jail rather than a state prison. Under a recent California policy, those convicted of certain non-violent crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, are not required to serve their time in prison.

Ironically, now the two men have to catch glimpses of each other in a jail that holds approximately 4,000 inmates.  Reportedly, both James and Murray have been placed in Administrative Segregation, the place where famous inmates are housed to keep them from associating with the general prison population.

James, who was only recently seen on “Dr. Drew’s Life Changers” talk show with former DeBarge member siblings Randy and Bunny, according to lawyer Spencer Vodnoy, is ”really upset” he’s so close to Murray.

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Tourette syndrome has plagued the 20-year-old singer for nearly half of her life. But she hasn’t allowed the incurable neurological condition to completely weaken her faith. Grace says she wants to use her first trip to the Grammys as another platform to share her inspirational story of resolve to motivate others.

“I’m not the only person who has something in their life they can’t control,” said Grace, sitting inside her dorm room where the walls are lined with Johnny Cash posters while the record player plays the country legend’s song “I Walk the Line.”

“It’s all about taking control over what I can control and that’s saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got Tourette’s, but I can also play guitar, I can also sing and write songs about it,’” she said. “Hopefully I can encourage other kids who are going through crazy stuff too.”

Grace’s song “Hold Me,” featuring TobyMac, is nominated for best contemporary Christian music song. She wrote the guitar-driven ballad at a time when she felt lonely in her dorm room at Point University — a small Christian college in suburban Atlanta.

“I saw that there was depth there,” said TobyMac, a Grammy-winning Christian rocker who signed Grace to his label Gotee Records in 2010 after he discovered her through YouTube. He took notice of her when he learned that she posted a three-minute medley on the online website that included 12 of his songs.

TobyMac saw potential in Grace’s airy vocals, her ability to play several instruments and her savvy songwriting. Her constant message of hope and perseverance in songs drove him to introduce himself to her through Twitter.

“She really did intrigue me because she’s writing songs that are meaningful,” he said. “Her songs have light to them and sound like they can be around for a long time. Her songs have heart to them, unlike most songs that have a hooky track or melody. She has a beautiful story to tell through her music.”

It has been a tumultuous road for Grace, who was diagnosed with Tourette at the age of 11. When she took medication to combat the repetitive symptoms, she said the medicine caused her to lose her hair and made her feel emotionally inattentive like a “zombie.”

At the time, Grace — known by family and friends as a bubbly character — lost her motivation to sing and thought boys would never find her attractive. She remembered asking God why she had to struggle to walk on her own, couldn’t hold a fork to eat food, or had to wear biker gloves to protect her scared knuckles because she would unconsciously punch things as a result of her Tourette.

Mona Harper, the mother and manager of Grace who also homeschooled her, said her daughter would be sick four times a week from the medication.

“She lost her unction to go out in front of people and sing,” said Harper, who is a co-pastor with Grace’s father at Kingdom City Center in suburban Atlanta. “Things regressed for her but she showed a lot of resilience, and wasn’t dismantled by the things that were happening to her. The beauty of it for me is to see her bounce back and not break down.”

Grace’s breakthrough from her somber state came after she heard a testimony by Christian singer Tammy Trent, and her grandfather bought her a drum set when she was 14. She went on to learn how to play the piano, guitar, banjo and the ukulele.

For Grace, music became a stress reliever from her Tourette. She realized that her recurring twitch did not happen as often the more she beat her drums, strummed her guitar or sang a melody.

“It’s almost like I’m in another world,” she said. “Everything goes silent and it’s so amazing. … I learned how to manage it through music. I can still follow my dreams and I know that God hasn’t forgotten about me. I just had to pray about it.”

Grace said she had to lean on her faith more since she stopped taking her medication about four years ago. She has learned how to cope with her condition and hasn’t allowed it to have a stronghold over her life.

“If I didn’t have Tourette, I don’t think I would be as strong as I am now,” said Grace, who has her own nonprofit mentoring program called GraceTalk. “I wouldn’t have the strength of resilience to speak with the 14-year-old girl who doesn’t feel beautiful.”

In the spring, Grace will graduate with a degree in child and youth development. Along with continuing her musical career, she wants to help families with children who have Tourette and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

TobyMac feels strongly about the longevity of Grace’s music career. With her being a young black singer who has an infatuation with country music, can sing R&B and gospel, and can play the acoustic guitar, he expects her to make more appearances at music’s top showcase in the future.

“She’s full of surprises and has all of these different facets,” he said. “She can really make a mark. For her to earn a Grammy (nomination) this early in her career, I think it’s an amazing sign of things to come for her.”

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It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots’ bid for a perfect season.

This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game’s MVP award – and they took turns being brilliant. Manning became the first QB to open a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. Later, Brady put together a run of 16 completions in a row, breaking another Super Bowl mark.

But in the end, it was Manning – the winner of his second MVP award – who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead.

“It’s been a wild game, a wild season,” Manning said.

Ahmad Bradshaw capped the winning drive with a 6-yard run up the middle. He wanted to stop at the 1-yard line but fell backward into the end zone.

Less than a minute later it came down to one last play, when Brady’s long heave into the end zone fell incomplete among a maze of players.

New England had the ball for all of one play in the first 11 1-2 minutes, and that play was an utter failure, a rare poor decision by Brady. After Steve Weatherford’s punt was downed at the New England 6, Brady dropped to pass in the end zone and had time. With everyone covered and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck finally coming free to provide pressure, Brady heaved the ball downfield while still in the pocket.

Only problem: No Patriots receivers were anywhere near the pass. The Giants were awarded a safety for Brady’s grounding in the end zone.

Manning, meanwhile, couldn’t have been more on target early, hitting six receivers in the first period, completing his first nine throws, a Super Bowl record. He also was aided by Ahmad Bradshaw, who hardly looked like a running back with a bad foot. Bradshaw broke a 24-yard run, and New England made another critical mistake by having 12 men on the field on a third-and-3 on which the Giants fumbled.

Instead, New York got a first down at the 6, and two plays later Victor Cruz beat James Ihedigbo on a slant to make it 9-0, prompting Cruz to break into his signature salsa move.

Manning’s first incompletion didn’t come until 1:19 into the second quarter.

At that point, it was 9-3 after Stephen Gostkowski’s 29-yard field goal. The Patriots got to the Giants’ 11, but All-Pro DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a third-down pass.

Soon after, when the Patriots had a three-and-out and Pierre-Paul blocked another throw, Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien had a quick discussion. Then O’Brien, soon to take over as Penn State coach, went over to the struggling Brady.

The talk must have helped. On the final series of the opening half, Brady was masterful. Starting at his 4, and ignoring the last time the Patriots began a series in the shadow of the end zone, he was vintage Brady.

With New York’s vaunted pass rush disappearing, Brady went 10-for-10 for 98 yards, capping the drive that included two Patriots penalties with Woodhead’s 4-yard TD reception with 8 seconds to go in the half. Hernandez and Woodhead each had four catches on the drive that, stunningly, put New England ahead despite being outplayed for so much of the first 30 minutes.

Brady kept firing – and hitting – in the third quarter, with five more completions. The Giants didn’t come within shouting distance of the record-setting quarterback. He capped a 79-yard drive to open the second half with a 12-yard TD to Hernandez, but then the game turned. Again.

Consecutive field goals by Lawrence Tynes of 38 and 33 yards brought New York within 17-15. Brady then threw deep for his tight end after weaving away from two pass rushers. His throw was short, and Chase Blackburn picked it off early in the fourth quarter.

Although the Giants moved into New England territory again, as they did on every drive to that point, they bogged down and punted.

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This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.

The NFL couldn’t have planned it any better.

“It’s actually been a very fun week here,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring in 11 seasons, and doing it in the city where archrival Peyton Manning has worked for 13 years – if not for much longer, given his health issues and disagreements with Colts management. “It’s a bit surreal to be playing in Indy’s home stadium and to be practicing at their facility.”

It’s been even weirder for Eli Manning to have led the Giants here, only to find his superb season and chase for a second championship overshadowed by big brother.

The most popular storyline this week has been Peyton’s pain in his neck. Or, rather, his status following three neck surgeries in 19 months; whether the Colts will keep him around, at the cost of a $28 million roster bonus due in March; and whether he’s truly feuding with owner Jim Irsay’s rebuilding organization.

Eli, who will surpass his brother for NFL titles with a victory Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium – yes, Peyton’s Place – claims his sibling’s issues are irrelevant to this game, in which New York (12-7) is a 3-point underdog.

“I’m proud of Peyton. I’ve talked to him this week. None of that comes up,” Eli said. “When I talk to Peyton, he does a great job of trying to keep me relaxed. (We) talk a little football and talk about New England some. He’s supported me this week. I know he’s just working hard trying to get healthy and I’m going to support him on that.”

While Eli would own two championships with a victory, to one for Peyton, Brady could tie his childhood quarterbacking hero, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw with four. Coach Bill Belichick would equal Chuck Noll with the same number.

To get it, the Patriots (15-3) must protect their crown jewel. Four years ago, Brady was banged around so much by New York that it turned the Super Bowl in the Giants’ favor.

Yes, they needed David Tyree’s miracle pin-the-ball-against-the-helmet catch, then Plaxico Burress’ touchdown reception to shatter New England’s perfect season. But that victory was built on the relentless pressure applied to Brady.

The formula hasn’t changed.

“We feel that we certainly have a very strong group of men in the front,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “It’s just the way we play and prefer to play. It’s a pressure group, and we have played better in the back end as well, probably as a result of the ball having to come out faster than it has at certain times during the year.”

Brady certainly remembers the pain, physically and emotionally, from the beating he took on the field and the scoreboard.

“Any time you lose, it’s a tough thing,” Brady said. “We’ve lost one Super Bowl. I remember waking up in Arizona the next morning after an hour of sleep thinking, `That was a nightmare, that didn’t happen.’ After time, you learn to move on and get over it.”

The Giants got all over Brady again during their regular season 24-20 win at Foxborough, the last time the Patriots lost. That victory preceded a four-game slide, and New York eventually slipped to 7-7 before turning it around.

Adding to the juicy potential of a down-to-the-wire reprise of 2008, both teams barely made it to Indy. The Patriots needed backup cornerback Sterling Moore stripping the ball from Baltimore receiver Lee Evans in the end zone in the final seconds, then for Billy Cundiff to miss a 32-yard field goal that would have forced overtime.

The Giants went into overtime in San Francisco, using two botched punt returns by the 49ers to advance.

“We feel very fortunate to be here, and I’m pretty sure they do, too,” Patriots Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork. “But we also know we deserve to be here, and they know they deserve it. We are two very good and very confident teams.”

Teams owned by two of the key figures in solving the 4 1/2-month lockout of the players last year. New England’s Robert Kraft shuttled back and forth from the meetings to his dying wife’s bedside late in the negotiating process. Myra Kraft passed away days before the lockout was resolved.

His players wore a patch with her initials MHK on the left side of their jerseys this season.

“The fact that she was so dear to me and all of our players are wearing her initials above their heart is an endearing thing,” Kraft said. “What she represented is important and I hope that special sense of spirit comes through.”

Giants owner John Mara played an equally important role in the labor negotiations, and when both teams reached the Super Bowl, Kraft mentioned “a certain karma” about the matchup.

“I’m not necessarily happy to be playing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, I’ll tell you that,” Mara joked. “But yeah, I’m very happy for Bob because he put his heart and soul into those negotiations during a very difficult time for him and his family, so I think the success they’ve had is well-deserved.”

When they finally kick off Sunday, the two biggest stars will be Brady and Manning – yes, Eli. Not halftime performer Madonna, but the quarterbacks on whose arms, wits and leadership this Super Bowl will turn.

“They are both leaders on the field,” Wilfork said. “I think that position you have to be smart, you have to be intelligent. I think you have to understand what’s going on around you. I think both those guys have that.”

On Sunday, we’ll see which one adds to his championship legacy with another Super Bowl ring.

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Do I go to an Irish Pub and down shots as I watch my favorite team lose?

Do I sip cocktails at my favorite happy hour spot?

Do I go to a friend’s house and hope that they’re not scooping drinks out of a fraternity house garbage pail?

According to New York City mixologist Duane Fernandez, Jr, the solution is simple:

You don’t have to leave your house when [I] show you how to make your own drinks. Plus, you’ll be the coolest kid in the neighborhood with some trend-setting recipes.

Fernandez says that beer cartels are the latest rage; that’s incorporating beer with booze for you uninitiated. This way, all of the different crowds – from the casual happy-hour set to the boozing, upchucking college students — can be in the same room.

Fernandez has 10 years of experience in the industry and his recipes have received accolades from GQ Magazine, Timeout New York, the New York Times, and NBC News. He was also the top finalist in Season 2 of the NBC reality show “The Search for America’s Top Bartender.”

Keenly observant of popular drinking trends, Fernandez says that “Punch Bowl Cartels” are making a comeback. Created in India in 1700, old-school Indian bartenders would incorporate spices and juices into their punch bowls, and thirsty revelers would scoop their drinks — just like at your favorite fraternity party. Fernandez says that he has witnessed a resurgence of this method at cocktail lounges across the country.

While people are talking about beer cartels (wine cartels are already popular), they haven’t officially begun yet — so you will be the first! Here are Fernandez’s three recipes:

All American Punch

Serves 10 to 20 people

1 bottle of Makers Mark Kentucky Bourbon

1 quart of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 quart of Simple syrup

½ quart of boiling hot water

½ quart of super fine sugar boiled down

The boiled down sugar as a part of the ingredients will balance off the fresh squeezed lemon juice and then you can add about 10 dashes of liquid smoke. You can also incorporate three cans of all American Budweiser, which will give it a crisp, elegant flavor.

The Mexican Football

Serves 10 to 20 people

2 oz. Avion Tequila

1 oz. of fresh squeezed lime juice

½ oz. of jalapeno simple syrup

Shake up this drink and then pour it over fresh ice. Then you can top it off with Corona. Serve this drink at halftime.

The Fourth Quarter

Serves 10 to 20 people

1 oz. of Makers Mark 46 (spicy Bourbon)

Back it up with a shot of Guinness

Hopefully your team is winning because this is a celebratory shot.

If you want to ask the mixologist any questions — or want to see him live in action — follow him on Twitter.

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About 100 dancers descended on Times Square in a “flash mob” organized through the Internet. As startled tourists looked on, they recreated one of the show’s “Soul Train lines” in which people would take turns dancing toward a TV camera while showing off their most outrageous moves.

“Don Cornelius was a big influence in my life, and I just wanted to pay tribute,” said disc jockey Jon Quick, as he held up a speaker blasting disco grooves. “He was playing the music that nobody else wanted to play. He was an amazing man.”

Cornelius, 75, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday. He had suffered from health problems, a difficult divorce, and had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor spousal battery charge in 2009.

But on Saturday fans praised Cornelius’ vision in creating, hosting and selling “Soul Train” to television stations that were originally skeptical about programming aimed at blacks. The show aired from 1971 to 2006.

“Don Cornelius brought soul to the whole world,” said Ramona Hamm, 37, who came to Times Square with her 9-year-old daughter, Kayla Charles. The dancers bounced down Broadway for about 45 minutes until police told the party to disperse.

In Harlem, activist Al Sharpton led a tribute to Cornelius as part of the weekly community meeting at the headquarters of his National Action Network. In 1974, a 19-year-old Sharpton appeared on “Soul Train” to present an award to musician James Brown.

Singer Roberta Flack said Cornelius was an inspiration to other black performers and entrepreneurs.

“He didn’t have a great big light telling him, `Go over here, don’t go over there, watch where you step, there’s a hole right there,’” Flack said. “He stepped.”

Former “Soul Train” dancer Tyrone Proctor recalled how he hid in the trunk of a friend’s car to get through the gates of the studio where “Soul Train” was filmed in 1972. Cornelius liked his dance moves and let him stay, dubbing Proctor “The Bone” because he was so skinny.

“He turned us into stars,” Proctor said. Moves that “Soul Train” dancers developed spread nationwide and are now staples of music videos and pop concerts.

“Blocking, popping, ticking, waacking, punking – when Madonna does what she does at the Super Bowl, you’ll see some of these things done there,” Proctor said. “Don Cornelius created all of this. It came out of his mind.”

Fans recalled tuning in to see “Soul Train’s” cartoon train chugging across their television screens. When Flack recalled Cornelius’ stiff-necked delivery, the Harlem crowd of about 300 people laughed knowingly.

William “A.J. Dynamite” Aponte, a keyboard player, said he was ecstatic as a kid when his idol, Elton John, appeared on the show. He says the appearance showed that people of all races could find common ground in music.

“He sang `Benny and the Jets,’ and I thought it was so great because Elton John is not black, he’s white and he’s British,” Aponte said. “It influenced me to want to do music.”

Proctor said Cornelius was also generous. When Proctor won a car on “American Bandstand,” “Soul Train’s” competition, Cornelius paid the $334.25 in taxes so the struggling dancer could receive his award.

“He wrote the check out and that was it, no questions asked. He just said, `Go get the car,’” Proctor said.

Proctor and other speakers said they were shocked when they heard that Cornelius had committed suicide. Author Terrie Williams named other black performers who had killed themselves and said Cornelius’ death should be a warning for victims of depression to seek help.

“One of the things that Don’s death brought us to is that we’ve got to look in the mirror before we end up in this kind of situation,” Sharpton told the crowd.

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The L.A. Recorder’s Office shows that Lil Kim owes from 2002 to 2009. Her most recent tax addition is an amount of $86,347.85 for the final year, bringing her total debt to a whopping $1,026,862.42.

Beginning her rap career with Junior Mafia in 1995, the Brooklyn-born rapper went double-platinum with her “Hard-Core” album. Singles, such as “No Time,” “Not Tonight,” and “Crush On You” were the chart toppers that brought Lil Kim into her own.

Afterward, Kim continued to enjoy moderate success until she was imprisoned for a year for lying to a jury in 2005. In perfect rapper style, though, after being released, Lil Kim appeared on “Dancing With the Stars.”

More recently, Lil Kim has gotten in to a number of public spats with fellow female MC Niki Minaj, and while the jury is out as to which femcee actually wears the crown, Lil Kim is reportedly working with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent on her fifth studio album.

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Cornelius was found dead Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, CA from a self-inflicted cranial gunshot wound.

Chili’s segments will open and close each episode. The former ’90′s girl group member, who recently appeared on VH1′s Single Ladies, says be prepared to see her have a lot of fun with the tribute:

“I put a little of my Chilli sauce on it,” she told the AJC. “I did my best impression of Don Cornelius.  I can’t get my voice that low but I tried!”

Chilli recounts that Cheryl Song, the long-haired Asian American dancer was inspirational to her growing up and that she worked hard to learn her dance moves:

“My hair was long but not that long,” she said. “I’d wrap a towel around my head and it would be down to my butt.”

Kool & the Gang, Gladys Knight & the Pips and En Vogue will all be featured on the show.

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Michael Herklots, executive director of retail and brand development for Nat Sherman, talked with NewsOne.com about how to tailgate in style and choose the right cigar. Nat Sherman, Inc. has been a New York tobacco institution since 1930, working with manufacturers throughout the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

Everyone in the Giants organization smokes Nat Sherman cigars. Announcer Bob Papa, the official Giants announcer, can be heard every time the Giants score, saying, “Give that man a Nat Sherman cigar!”

“You don’t have to look like an idiot to tailgate,” Herklots says. “You can be a little fashion forward hanging out by the grill. Cigars add to your style either for pre-game or post-game celebration, or you can smoke for mourning a loss.”

You shouldn’t be lighting up a big Churchill or a big Double Corona in the winter. In the cold, you’re less able to pick up some of the nuances of milder cigars, so you need something with a little fuller flavor, says Herklots. Tailgating in colder weather takes a particular style, so from a cigar perspective, smaller formats are key.

Here are a few cigars Herklots recommends:

1)  The Nat Sherman Host Hobart

A robusto format (a shorter, fatter shaped cigar). It’s Honduran, medium-bodied, and there’s a sweetness on the cap right when it touches your lips. It’s an easy-to-taste cigar, so you’re not fighting for nuances when you’re in the cold. It’s really smooth and creamy.

Cost: $5. CBuy at NatSherman.com or at local retail tobacco stores.

2) A Metropolitan Maduro Union

A robust format—made in the Dominican Republic. Because of the maduro wrapper it adds a little bit more body and fuller flavor, but it also has a sweetness, but in this case the sweetness is natural because of the fermentation process this wrapper goes through.

Cost: $5

3)  The Nat’s Point Five

It’s like a half a cigar. It’s a little petite Corona and they come packed in five packs. They come in a natural wrapper and a maduro wrapper. But the maduro wrapper is going to be fuller, so it will stand up better to the cold. They’re great if you feel like a little quick something. They come in five packs so you can share with your friends at the tailgate.

Cost: $14 per pack

Lighting the cigars when tailgating is a challenge. We don’t recommend putting your face in the grill to light the cigar.

Here are some stylish lighters:

1) S.T. Dupont—have a lighter called the Maxi Jet—it’s a single flamed torch lighter, single action to ignite. If you want to balance functionality and style Maxi Jet is the best.

Cost: $200 each

2) Xikar, Colibri, and Lotus companies make less expensive torch lighters-$25-$100.

Make sure you bring an extra can of butane gas for your lighter and a travel humidor, so they hold up in cold weather.

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“I think the most important thing for people, regardless of what they will be cooking, is to be prepared and do their meats ahead of time. Get your shopping done on Thursday or Friday. Saturday do your cooking and prepping, so Sunday you’re just heating it up. That’s one of the key things: not stressing yourself out on game day.”

Using Bourbon in the kitchen is a huge trend in the kitchen right now, so here are two of her Bourbon-infused recipes:

Shrimp Cocktail with Maker’s Mark Cocktail Sauce:

1 recipe Maker’s Mark® cocktail sauce (recipe below)
24 pc. shrimp in shell, u-10
12 cups water
1-1/2 cups dry white wine, such as Riesling
2 lemons juiced
2 bay leaves
10 pieces whole black peppercorn
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced thin 1/4″
1 stalk celery, sliced thin crosswise 1/8″
1 whole leek, washed and sliced thin, white and green
3 medium carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/8″ thick rounds
1/4 cup kosher salt
Lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Leaving the shell and tail intact, slice down the back of the shrimp, deveining the shrimp.
2. Bring the water, white wine, lemon juice, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, celery, leek, carrots and kosher salt to a boil in a large pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the brine is flavorful. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a new pot, discarding the solids.
3. Bring the stock back up to a simmer. Add the shrimp in shell and stir to submerge the shrimp. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the shrimp to poach for 10 minutes or until fully cooked.
4. Drain the shrimp and place the shrimp into a large bowl filled with ice. Stir the shrimp with the ice cubes and place the bowl in the freezer until the shrimp have cooled down, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Peel the shell from the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. Discard the shells. Serve the shrimp ice cold alongside the Maker’s Mark® cocktail sauce, with fresh lemon wedges.

Maker’s Mark Cocktail Sauce
Makes 1-1/2 cups

2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark® Bourbon, flamed off
1 cup Heinz® Ketchup
1 tablespoon TABASCO® Sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Keep chilled until needed.

These ribs take on their bourbon brine and an exotic barbecue sauce scented with coriander. Finger lickin’ good, for real.

Prep Time: 24 hours/day beforehand
Cook Time: 5 hours
Level: Easy.

Serves 4–6

Recipe:

2 cups Makers Mark® Bourbon
1 bunch cilantro – cleaned and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 rack of peeled pork spare ribs
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 white onion, peeled and diced 1/2″
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Fresh red radish, for garnish

1. In a large bowl, mix the Maker’s Mark®, cilantro, garlic, ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne, curry, mustard seeds, Dijon and brown sugar and salt until well-combined. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Submerge the full rack of ribs in the marinade and refrigerate over night.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. After 24 hours, remove the ribs, brushing off any excess marinade and spices (reserve the marinade for the barbecue sauce), and place on baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the rack from the oven, wrap the ribs tightly in foil and cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
3. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the marinade liquid and all of its components, the pineapple and tomato juice, ketchup, and water. Cook this mixture for 45 minutes on a medium simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. When the ribs have cooled down, slice them in between each bone to separate them from the rack and place in a large mixing bowl. Strain the barbecue sauce through a fine mesh sieve and pour over the ribs, tossing to thoroughly coat them.
5. Place the individual ribs in a single layer in an ample-sized baking dish, pouring the excess barbecue sauce over the ribs, and return to the oven. Lower the heat on the oven to 350°F and bake for an additional hour, turning the ribs occasionally to ensure sauce coverage.
6. The ribs will be tender and the sauce should glaze the ribs during the baking process. Serve hot with picked cilantro leaves, thinly sliced radishes and Maker’s Mark® Bourbon “chilled neat.”

Bourbon is a great mixer. It’s always good to have a hot drink if it’s going to be cold out. Hot toddies or cider are good to go with the food.

All in all, keep it simple, says Wong, because at the end of the day, “the Super Bowl is about great food, but really it’s about the Giants kicking Tom Brady’s *ss!”

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The proud recipient of countless coveted awards, such as the 2009 Urban X Award for “Best Anal Performer,” Fire began her porn career in 1998 at 22 years young.  Fire, who has appeared in hundreds of adult films, actually made the cut and had a legit cameo in the TNT police drama ”Southland,” where she played the girlfriend of a gang member.

Fire actually gave her breaking news item to her adoring fans via her Twitter account:

the_jada_fire $★jada fire★$

the_jada_fire $★jada fire★$

I WANNA SAY THANKS TO ALL MY FANS,I LOVE YALL SO MUCH…IM JUST DONE SHOOTINGS SCENES THAT’S ALL,ITS OK :) :)

So why is the Black queen of raunchy giving up her glorious crown? Fire tweeted that she is tired of the game:

the_jada_fire $★jada fire★$

People asking WHY? I’m just tired of having sex on camera that’s all, but I will continue to webcam, I don’t have 2 f**k nobody but me LMAO

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It takes being a student of history or simply being alive in 1971, the year Cornelius introduced “Soul Train” to the American television audience, to fully appreciate how he turned the perception that Black culture could not survive mainstream market on its head. And the times were not in his favor.

Malcolm X was shot and killed in 1965. Five months later, the Watts Riots erupted due to suppressed anger from African Americans toward law enforcement. In 1967, five days of rioting claimed the lives of 43 people in Detroit, accelerating an already white exodus from the predominately Black city. That same year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. (Cornelius’ second  ex-wife is white.) And let’s not forget that Dr. Martin L. King Jr. was killed in 1968.

Throughout the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement forced America to recognize that Blacks were not treated as equal citizens under the law, and they demanded sweeping federal legislation to correct it.

Now enters this dark-skin, baritone-voiced Negro telling white executives that they should invest in a Black music television show. Dick Clarke‘s “American Bandstand” was the television dance show that most Americans wiggled their hips to prior to “Soul Train.” And as Kenneth Gamble of the once-renowned Philadelphia International Records label told the L.A. Times recently, there certainly weren’t many Black folks on Clarke’s show leading any of the wiggling.

“‘Bandstand’ was a dance show, but it basically concentrated on Caucasian people. While they had a few Black artists on from time to time, “Soul Train” was something that the African-American community embraced first — and it’s always good to see African-American people on TV — but then it became a national and an international phenomenon.”

NPR correspondent Karen Grigsby recalls an interview she had with Cornelius, where he discussed advertisers’ initial trepidation.

“[Cornelius] told me that when I interviewed him on the celebration of the 40th anniversary, people said, ‘Oh, nobody’s going to buy this,’” Grigsby said. ‘There’s not going to be any advertisers.’ So he lined up the advertisers and, after the first couple of shows, people were like, ‘Wow.’”

Eventually, Cornelius convinced enough power players to invest in “Soul Train” and started the show in Chicago. It moved to Los Angeles soon after. Sears and Chicago-based cosmetic company Johnson Products were Soul Train’s first major advertisers.

Cornelius, in his own way, was an activist. But not in the traditional sense. He didn’t picket or march out his frustration toward the system. He relied on his silky voice, impeccably tailored attire, and laid-back disposition to work within it instead.

Like the Black cultural ambassadors before him who successful gained acceptance from White mainstream audiences (Sidney Poitier, Jackie Robinson, Bill Cosby), Cornelius could not appear as an “angry, Black man” down-trodden by “the White man.”

Shayne Lee, a sociologist, told CNN that Cornelius’ style allowed “Soul Train” to slowly make its way into American mainstream pop culture.

“He was an ambassador, the pope of soul,” Lee said. “For a lot of suburban Whites living in segregated America, this was their first exposure to this exciting new world of movement and energy. He made Black culture more accessible.”

In other words, Cornelius made Black culture “less threatening.”

His efforts to achieve this clean-cut identity eventually clashed with his changing audience and their evolving musical tastes. Cornelius did not like hip-hop at first and was very reluctant to welcome rappers on his program, but his business acumen convinced his ideological bias to open his doors to the likes of Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and Eric B and Rakim.

(These acts were not exactly “hard-core”)

But what is uniquely special about “Soul Train” is that while Cornelius catered to Black audiences, White dancers regularly appeared on his show. Even Elton John and David Bowie (you can’t get any whiter than these two) performed on his shows to expand their reach to Black audiences. If there ever was a musical integrationist, Cornelius was it. Not only did he make Black hip to mainstream White America, he convinced the business world that it was profitable to invest in it.

Black people have always known that we have that God-given gift known as “soul.” Don Cornelius simply made sure the rest of America (and the world) knew it too.

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