The six-part series, which is slated to tentatively premiere in the fall, will feature Cole as she juggles being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, businesswoman and songstress who is working on another album.  The trailblazing 30-year-old platinum selling recording artist is credited as being one of the first Black female celebrities to take part in a reality show.

Cole’s 2006 hit reality show “The Way It Is” featured the zany and boisterous members of her clan.  Cole’s mother, Frankie, a former drug addict who is by no means a poster child for motherhood, became one of the series breakout stars with her loud, boorish manner. Cole’s around-the-way girl sister Neffe also kept the laughs coming.  The comedy team of louder and loudest got their own spinoff show in 2009 called “Frankie and Neffe” which only lasted one season.

Cole’s show ended in 2008 and since then, she married Cleveland Cavaliers guard Gibson and gave birth to a baby boy.  Professionally, her light has dimmed with a 2010 album “Calling All Hearts” producing no hits.  So the time is just right for Cole to get herself back into the public eye before her next album project premieres.

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The video’s antics include Minaj in a thong gyrating in a cage, making any non-prude blush.  The video’s lyrics are outright raunchy and the constant repetition of the phrase “stupid h*e” may be considered off-putting by some of the station’s viewers:

Ice my wrists-is, then I piss on b*tches,
You can suck my diznik, if you take this jizz-is,
You don’t like them disses, give my ass some kisses
Yeah they know what this is, givin’ this the business

BET has not released a statement explaining why they made the decision to not air Minaj’s video.  Apparently, the station ban has not impacted the popularity of the video, because as of press time, there were 20,614,652 hits. Watch it here.

Minaj is not the first artist to have their video not air on the programming station.  In 2010, BET didn’t air singer Ciara’s “Ride” video, which is chock-full of naughty hip-swiveling gyrations, because they asked her to edit the clip and  never received a response.  The Game’s 2011 “Red Nation” video also never received airplay on the station allegedly because of its portrayal of gang culture.

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Johnson’s suggestion was inspired by the NFL’s so-called “Rooney Rule,” a rule that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operations positions.

“The RLJ Rule is principally designed to encourage companies to voluntarily establish a ‘best practices’ policy to identify and interview the tremendous talent pool of African-American managers and African-American companies that are often overlooked because of traditional hiring or procurement practices,” said Johnson in a statement.

Read more at BET.com

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Blogger Jay Smooth posted a satirical video on his blog “Ill Doctrine,” surrounding newly famed Tiffany Green, who has been in headlines for her announcement mix up at the 2011 BET Awards, and a viral picture of Green’s facial expression that is worth a thousand words.

Smooth writes “Giving thanks to Tiffany Green and BET, for the picture that captures everything I would’ve said in all the videos I never made this past year.”

“I usually like to avoid taking shots at BET since they’re such an easy target, and they have done some good things over the years; but at times like this they just make it impossible!”

In the video, a whimsical Smooth provides commentary on the picture and its impact on American culture.

An excerpt from the video reads:

I think this photo is an important work of art. Not since, maybe Picasso’s Guernica has a single image spoken so powerful to these times we live in.

I give thanks to the poetically elastic face of Tiffany Green and to the perennial incompetence of BET for giving us the perfect image to represent this post-absurdity age we live in today.

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Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber Innuendo: BET Has Gone Too Far

Most talk about Sunday’s BET Awards centered on the Chris Brown-Rihanna screw-up, however, I heard little to nothing regarding the skit involving rapper Nicki Minaj and teen heartthrob, Justin Bieber.

During the segment in which both artists rambled about who had the strongest fan base, Bieber began to flirt with the female MC. Minaj, 26, responded by asking the 17-year-old if he could drive, implicitly suggesting he is too young for her. While it rendered as a harmless crush — as would a student have for his older, attractive teacher—things got a little inappropriate when Minaj posed the question to Bieber, “Can you handle curves?” The comment was an apparent sexual innuendo and reference to her infamous rear end. Bieber replied with a resolute “Yes I can.”

Though I understand the skit had no intention to be inappropriate or offensive, it unfortunately turned out to be just that.

Since when was it OK for a minor to be implicated in such sexualized language?

17-years-old or not, Bieber is still underage, not to mention most of his fan base (most of whom stood with him on the stage) are preteen and teenage girls. The blame could be placed on Minaj and Bieber, but truthfully BET is the ultimate culprit. The network’s attempt to be provocative fell flat into a dangerous and highly sensitive locale.

But where is the public scorn?

There’s no way this would have passed if the circumstances were different. If the skit featured a male hip-hop artist and an underage girl (God forbid even white), the media would have thrown pebbles at BET and the artist himself. I guess it’s excusable if it’s a female rapper and an underage Canadian.

This isn’t the first time Justin was involved with inappropriateness regarding older women. Bieber raised eyebrows when he and Kim Kardashian, 30, befriended one another in what seemed a bit improper. Personally, I feel Bieber is growing up too fast and it’s much too soon to be involved in such raciness. While this is purely entertainment, in the real word it reaps punitive implications.

I suggest BET, Bieber and Minaj be a little more careful the next time they decide to partake in an immodest “joke.”

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Cali Swag District were joined by Doug E. Fresh to remember M-Bone.

“We love you, bro,” they said.

Queen Latifah honored Gil-Scott with his infamous “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” poem. And Teena Marie was remembered as “one of the greatest soul singers.”

Read more at AceShowBiz.com

Both The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor and Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Carter have a long history of wearing blood colors, using blood slang and bragging about their gang affiliations. Both BET and MTV have previously given a lot of airplay to these artists despite their well known gang affiliations. BET’s 106th and Park program, which has a demographic of 12-16, has promoted videos by the artists and had both artists on as guests.

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Def Jam Rapstar, BET Networks, and the Get Schooled Foundation have collaborated to unveil a nationwide video contest for high school students.

ALSO READ: WBW Honors: The Hitmaker

Students between the ages of 13 and 19 are invited to submit a 60-second rap or spoken word video about how education influences their life.

The top five finalists will be determined by popular vote.  A panel comprised of executives from Def Jam Enterprises, BET Networks and the Get Schooled Foundation will then select the winning video.  The winner will win a trip to New York City to meet Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles, and the student will be invited to perform his/her winning rhyme on BET’s hit music countdown show, “106 & Park.”

Graduation rates in the U.S. are staggering and the country’s academic performance continues to fall behind that of students overseas. One third of students,more than half of which are African-American males,  fail to graduate from high school. The video contest seeks to draw attention to these very troublesome statistics.

From February 21st through March 18th, students can submit videos to www.GetSchooled.com.

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According to Camille, Kelsey is not gay, but he appeared in the cross-dressing La Cage aux Folles because he likes women’s clothes.

Sources close to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills say that Camille has made similar claims to the cast.

Kelsey’s rep, Stan Rosenfield, said he’s not sure “why Camille Grammer continues making public statements about her marriage to Kelsey, it is crystal clear that Kelsey will continue not responding, regardless of content.”

In an interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, Johnson stated “The only advice that I say, let’s open up your circle a little bit more. You know, we love the Dr. Phils. We love the Suze Ormans. Let’s open up. There are other people. And there’s also African-American experts out there that I think she should start bringing on her show that can reach even a wider audience.” Johnson offered this after Martin commented on the lack of diversity in the programming of the network.

Read more at TheRoot.com

Robert L. Johnson sent a letter to the House leadership and the Congressional Black Caucus underscoring why Clyburn should be whip over House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

To be clear, Johnson has no vote, and this leadership position will be determined by private ballot in a closed Democratic caucus meeting. But the Johnson letter seems to be more of a public relations effort on Clyburn’s behalf.

“He is a steadfast advocate for issues that have a direct impact on the African-American community, and his voice must remain at the forefront of the 112th Congress,” Johnson wrote. “To diminish his leadership role in Congress would run the risk of losing a significant part of the black vote, a decision the Democratic Party cannot afford at this most critical time in history.”

The letter from the country’s first black billionaire reminds Democrats that blacks have continuously backed them at the polls.

“Black voters are the strongest voting bloc and have continuously shown their dedication to the Democratic Party. As a constituency, African-Americans are engaged in our country’s political process now more than ever and Congressman Clyburn is the voice and face that we need to lead the Democratic Party in the Congress.”

Read entire article at Politico.com

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Kanye West surprises Delta passengers with an impromptu
performance [from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Kat Stacks has a
90% chance of being deported [from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Ray J falls on stage! [from
HelloBeautiful.com]

5th Annual Black
Girls Rock Awards in NYC [from HelloBeautiful.com]

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Rev Run (w/ Diggy x JoJo) x Ice Cube (w/ OMG x Doughboy):

G.O.O.D Music Cypher – Kanye West x Pusha T x Big Sean x CyHi Da Prynce x Common:




Bones Brigante x Wiz Khalifa x Yelawolf x Raekwon:




Tyga x Kuniva x Diamond x Royce Da 5’9:

Reek Da Villain x Zawcain x Mickey Factz – Cypher:

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Woman Let The Doorknob Hit Her Where The Good Lord Split Her [from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Nas blasts Def Jam in email: “I’m not your slave”[from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Toni Braxton files for bankruptcy; Owes $50 Million [from HelloBeautiful.com]

Chelsea Handler says she’s not dating 50 Cent [from HelloBeautiful.com]

MTV and BET are producing the program.

The one-hour program will air live at 4 p.m. Eastern time. It also will be seen on the MTVu, Centric, TR3s and CMT networks. It will be online at MTV.com, BET.com and CMT.com.

MTV and BET said Tuesday that Obama will take questions from an audience of about 250 young people and from viewers who submit questions via Twitter.

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Breast Cancer Awareness In Hip-Hop[from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Cassie shows off her babycakes on Miami beach [from TheUrbanDaily.com]

Diddy says there’s a whole lot of “swagger-jacking” going on [from Theurbandaily.com]

Lil Kim Hits Up La Scala Boutique Opening In Harlem [PHOTOS] [from HelloBeautiful.com]

Amber Rose May Be Pregnant With Fabolous’ Baby [RUMOR] [from HelloBeautiful.com]

Nicki Minaj collected enough hardware for herself and a few of her alter egos on Saturday (October 2) as the female lyricist was one of the big winners at the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards.

The Lil Wayne protégé scored three trophies overall: Rookie of the Year, People’s Champ and the Made You Look award, which was awarded in recognition of her fashion flair.

Decked out in a black dominatrix-like outfit, blond bob hairdo, pink nails and lipstick, Minaj took to the stage to accept her first award and was overcome by the recognition.

VIDEO:

“Last year, I was here in anticipation of the cypher,” she told the crowd, referring to the artist rap freestyles that run in between the award presentations and performances. “Now I’m here in anticipation of my debut. [Pink Friday, set for release November 23.]

“I’m paving the way for girls,” she continued. “I wanna thank all the girls of hip-hop.”

Jay-Z, who didn’t attend the festivities, also earned three awards. Hov won Perfect Combo (for his Alicia Keys-assisted “Empire State of Mind”), CD of the Year (The Blueprint 3) and Best Live Performer.

Read entire article at MTV.com

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Delonte West denies having sex with Lebron’s mom [from HelloBeautiful.com]

Trey Songz denies dating Lauren London and introducing her to his mom [from Hellobeautiful.com]

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Kat Stacks allegedly infected with Hepatitis C [from Theurbandaily.com]

LL Cool J nominated again for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [from Theurbandaily.com]

A few clicks on the Web site of Black Entertainment Television leads viewers to a short Nascar tutorial filled with information about popular drivers, racetracks and salaries.

It may seem odd to find a sport so closely tied to white Southern men featured on a Web site devoted to African-American entertainment, but it represents Nascar’s latest attempt to build a following for minority drivers it hopes to develop into stars.

Nascar is behind a new reality television series on BET, “Changing Lanes,” that will make its debut at 8 on Wednesday night. A field of 30 minority drivers will be narrowed to 10, who will live together for a month as they compete on the track and prepare in the classroom for the chance to race in a high-profile event and ultimately succeed in Nascar.

Read more at NYTimes

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From CNN.com:

Billionaire businessman Bob Johnson has chosen Liberia for his latest venture, the country’s first top class hotel.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, was the first African American to control a company on the New York Stock Exchange and the first black owner of a major U.S. professional sports team.

He told CNN why he chose a country blighted by a long-running civil war for his 78-room beach-side spa resort.

“When you go into a post-conflict country, you are going to have to be willing to take risks, but with risks there are also rewards,” said Johnson.

Click here to read more.

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20 Richest African-Americans

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OPINION: The 2010 BET Awards (In Case You Missed It)

It’s around this time every year that I make my annual Smokey Fontaine joke, but being that this year Smokey donned a pencil-thin mustache and appeared onstage as El Debarge, I’ve decided to cut him some slack.

Nice try Smoke, but everybody knows that El Debarge died horribly in a do-rag factory explosion over 25 years ago.

If he hadn’t, it would be the perfect time for him, a la Maxwell, to make a BET Awards Show inspired comeback that would return him to the top of the charts and make grown folks music a premium again.

Wishful thinking, I know.

Latifah was a good host, wasn’t she? She poked fun at all of previous incarnations from both stage and screen and even had a little fun with the notion that she’s (hint, hint) a hint, hint—if you know what I mean.

I couldn’t understand a word from Drake or Eminem and wanted them both off the stage.

I’ve hated that song by Monica right up until the moment that she brought Denise Williams up onto the stage.

Now I love it.

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Is Alicia Keys pregnant or do none of her dresses fit?

What exactly is “Dirty Money” and why must anybody watch it televised?

Trey Songz’s mom is a good-looking woman and Nicki Minaj is a bona fide superstar—haters!

How does DJ Khaled keep getting the cream of Hip Hop’s crop to perform on his weird, self-aggrandizing songs?

I wanted to feel for Chris Brown, but the last time I witnessed somebody crying through a performance of any kind it was Oliver McCall as he got beat senseless by Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight title.

Somebody needs to tell John Legend that a true humanitarian wouldn’t force us listen to hour-long acceptance speeches.

I’m glad that Prince is Black. I’ve always suspected that he was, but now I’m sure.

All in all, it’s great (to me at least) that a network—which admittedly has its flaws—consistently outshines the Oscars, Grammys, MTV and everybody else when it comes to putting on award shows.

Outstanding job, BET.

Anybody beg to differ?

NEW YORK — This month’s BET Awards will be a royal affair: Prince is getting a lifetime achievement honor.

The 51-year-old joins the likes of James Brown, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Al Green in being honored by the BET Awards, which will celebrate its 10th year in Los Angeles on June 27.

BET says the Prince tribute will stand out. Stephen G. Hill, president of programming, music and specials for the network, said BET will celebrate the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s “unique style.”

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“Prince is dynamic. Prince is genius. Prince is music,” Hill said of the performer, who has 10 platinum albums and 30 Top 40 singles to his name.

The BET show will be hosted by Queen Latifah and include performances by Kanye West.

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BET, George Foreman Grills and Dark & Lovely No Lye Relaxer have a commonality: They’re not as black as you think. For the confused, theBVX ( which like Black Voices is NOT black-owned) has compiled a shocking list of 10 things you thought were black owned but actually aren’t.

10. Black Entertainment Television

If black is in the name, it must be black owned, right? The network was founded by an African American, Robert Johnson, in the ’80s, but in 2003, BET was sold to Viacom, which also owns MTV and VH1. The sale made Johnson one of the first black billionaires. Ballin’!

9. Def Jam Records

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The label, born out of a college dorm room and built on MCs like Run-DMC, Jay-Z and Kanye West, is commonly associated with its co-founder, Russell Simmons, who escaped a financial mishap by selling 50 percent of the label to Polygram in 1994. In 1999, Russell sold his stake in the business to Universal Musical Group for $100 million. No wonder the label’s more Rihanna than raps these days.

8. Marc Ecko

If you’re into urban wear, then you may already know that Marc Ecko is a thirtysomething New Jersey native who never tried to pass for black. Instead the man whose line was once considered “too white” or “too black” for some retailers has attracted multiethnic consumers by cleverly targeting urban markets. But where does the rhino fit?

7. Jimmy Jazz

The 20-year-old company, which has more than 120 stores throughout the United States, housing lines like Baby Phat, Rocawear and Coogi, was founded by James Kherzie. The young Brooklynite opened the store as an alternative outlet for hard-to-find urban brands. Despite hip-hop’s lyrical mentions of the brand, the name is based on the song ‘Jimmy Jazz‘ by punk rockers The Clash. London calling?

Click here to read the full list.

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From TheLoop21.com:

Last year, BET Networks and Johnson & Johnson made a commitment to support emerging African-American filmmakers through the BET original series and short film competition Lens on Talent.

In a continued effort to empower up-and-coming filmmakers, they are hosting a special film symposium at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU on May 26 from 6 – 9 p.m.

Click here to read more.

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Is Ciara’s Video Too Sexy For BET?

Founder Of BET Sheila Johnson “Ashamed” Of Network

From TheGrio.com:

According to the blogs, BET has been busy in the last two months banning videos about by Teiarra Mari and Ciara and, this time, Ciara’s fans are fuming mad.

At the center of the current controversy is the video for Ciara’s current single “Ride” featuring Ludacris. Captured at various points in a revealing one piece swimsuit and a mink coat with heels on as well as on top of a mechanical bull in a wet t-shirt and super short jean shorts, Ciara looks far more sexually charged in “Ride” than at any point in her debut video “Goodies.” Back in 2004, she was crooning “lookin for the goodies/keep on lookin’ ’cause they stay in the jar.” Now, she’s proclaiming “he love the way I ride it.”

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But artistic evolution or devolution, depending on your perspective, is not the primary issue. Instead, Ciara fans are asking about BET’s double standard, going as far as launching a “twitition”. “We have been recently notified that Ciara’s new Music Video ‘Ride’ is not being showed on B.E.T because it’s too sexual,” it reads. “Note that they play Trey Songz ‘Invented Sex’ [where he is having sex with a woman in the video] and Trey Songz ‘Neighbors Know My Name’ [Having sex with DIFFERENT woman]. I think that B.E.T is over analyzing this, or is just being disrespectful to Ciara. MTV and VH1 is playing ‘Ride’ and so are other stations. What are you B.E.T going to do about this because as a fan and Representative of Ciara you are being UNFAIR!” [sic]

Click here to read more.

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Founder Of BET Sheila Johnson “Ashamed” Of Channel

Queen Latifah To Host 10th BET Awards Show

]]> http://newsone.com/528845/is-ciaras-video-too-sexy-for-bet/feed/ 8 Is Ciara's Video Too Sexy For BET? (thumbnail) ionesfontaine CiaraRide-thumb-400xauto-9533 http://newsone.com/526225/queen-latifah-to-host-10th-bet-awards-show/ http://newsone.com/526225/queen-latifah-to-host-10th-bet-awards-show/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 14:30:48 +0000 Smokey D. Fontaine http://newsone.com/?p=526225 ]]>

From UPI.com:

NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) — Singer and actress Queen Latifah has signed on as host of the 10th BET Awards show in Los Angeles next month, BET Networks said Tuesday.

The event honoring stars of the sports and entertainment industries is to take place at the Shrine Auditorium June 27.

Performances by Diddy-Dirty Money, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and Drake have already been scheduled.

Click here to read more.

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Diddy & Queen Latifah To Host BET Concert For Haiti

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From TheDailyBeast.com:

Black Entertainment Television, which Sheila Crump Johnson and her husband Bob started three decades ago with $15,000 in seed money and a $500,000 investment from media mogul John Malone, made her one of wealthiest women in America.

When Viacom bought them out in 2000, Sheila and Bob pocketed $1.3 billion—making them, pre-Oprah, the nation’s first African-American billionaires.

So today she must be extremely proud of her baby, right?

“Don’t even get me started,” says the 60-year-old Johnson, who has since divorced and remarried (charmingly enough, to the Virginia circuit court judge who presided over her divorce). “I don’t watch it. I suggest to my kids [a 20-something daughter and a college-age son] that they don’t watch it… I’m ashamed of it, if you want to know the truth.”

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Johnson—who was at the Tribeca Film Festival this week for the premiere of The Other City, a searing, but ultimately hopeful documentary she produced about the AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C.—says BET is making matters worse, and potentially contributing to the spread of AIDS, by promoting promiscuous, unprotected sex in raunchy late-night rap videos.

Click here to read more.

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BET Founder Makes Fun Of Candidate’s Stutter At Campaign Event

In keeping up with the news every day, you’re bound to come across some pretty crazy headlines. But every once and a while here at NewsOne, we stumble upon a story that sounds so absurd, so completely contrary to our understanding of reality in the universe, that we pause and say, “Wait, you’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way that actually happened.”

To celebrate April Fool’s Day, here are the top ten 100% true stories that sound like they have to be jokes:

Michael Steele Does Hip-Hop Poses With GOP Interns

At this point, pretty much anything RNC Chairman Michael Steel does or says sounds like some sort of joke. But this epic display of coonery at the most high-profile level of politics seemed too ridiculous to be true … until we saw the photographic evidence.

BET President Hosts Event To Improve Black Women’s Image

In today’s other headlines from Opposite World, Popeye’s Chicken Releases A Guide To Healthy Eating, Lil Wayne Holds Summit On Effective Contraceptive Use, and Up Is Down.

GALLERY: Top Newsmakers

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11-Year-Old Becomes World’s Youngest Mother

Part of what makes this story sound like it can’t be true is plain old wishful thinking: The world would be a better place if this sort of thing just didn’t happen.

Man Charged $23 Quadrillion For Cigarettes

Either those “sin taxes” on vices like cigarettes and alcohol have gotten way out of hand, or this story is a serious reminder to watch out for faulty credit card machines.

Teens Arrested For Rapping McDonald’s Order

What does this 911 call even sound like? “Hello, police? I’d like to report a crime in progress. I asked these kids repeatedly if they’d like to Super-Size their meals for $.50 extra, and they just kept saying ‘I’m about a dollar menu/what the f#&% is 50 cents?’ Please send a squad car right away.”

Black Woman Faces 15 Years In Prison For Cutting Line At Wal-Mart

We know the justice system can be harsh on Black criminals, but doesn’t an actual crime have to be committed before you disproportionately punish someone?

Colonel Sanders Bypasses Security, Enters United Nations

There’s no reason to think this story is anything but a joke. Why would this ever happen in someone’s imagination, let alone in reality?

29-Year-Old Has 21 Kids With 11 Women

Of course this sounds like a joke, at least for those of us who were still holding on to some faith in humanity. No one wants to believe that 12 people (the one man and his 11 baby-mamas) could possibly be that stupid that many times.

Black Singer Calls Rush Limbaugh His “Hero”

Since everyone knows that Rush is a well-documented racist, no remotely sane Black person can seriously be calling him a hero, right? Right!?

Leprechaun Robs Bank On St. Patrick’s Day

Witnesses described the thief as having shouted, “They’re after me lucky charms!” as he fled the scene with police in pursuit.

Someone alert the Irony Police, please. I’m sure BET President and CEO Debra Lee has the best of intentions in hosting this event – or at least wants to appear as though she does – but the entire concept warrants a major side-eye. Here’s a crazy idea: Maybe if BET stopped enthusiastically airing and promoting things like Frankie & Neffe or the “Tip Drill” video, these “leadership talks” wouldn’t be necessary! But why would BET disrupt their profit margins and viewership numbers when they can just throw together events like this and use them to talk out both sides of their mouth? For more on NewsOne’s thoughts about BET, click here. – NewsOne Staff

From the Washington Post:

Bonnie McDaniel refused to let her now 24-year-old daughter watch Black Entertainment Television growing up.

She hated the oversexed, booty-shaking music videos. She thought the programming objectified black women. She would bad-mouth the network with her girlfriends.

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This week, the author and entrepreneur joined 130 other successful black women — influential in politics, entertainment and nonprofits — at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to talk about portrayals of black women in the media, the problems facing black girls in urban schools, the state of the black family and other weighty issues.

The sponsor of this gathering of African American alpha women: BET.

“I’ve been invited to many events by BET, but this is the first one I have attended,” McDaniel, who lives in Fairfax, said to the cable network’s chief executive Debra Lee at one of the event’s workshops. “I didn’t like a lot of the messages and images that were coming out. But we have the power to change that.”

Lee listened and nodded.

Click here to read more.

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RICHMOND, Va. – The billionaire co-founder of Black Entertainment Television apologized Monday for pretending to stutter at a campaign event as she mimicked the Democratic candidate for governor.

BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, for years a major donor to President Barack Obama, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and other Democrats, stunned Virginia political observers in July by endorsing Republican Bob McDonnell in the governor’s race.

He is running against Democrat Creigh Deeds to replace Kaine, who is barred by state law from running for a second straight term.

Virginia and New Jersey are the only states electing governors this fall, making the races an early barometer for next year’s congressional contests.

In a YouTube video posted by Democratic blogger Ben Tribbett from a Sept. 25 McDonnell reception, Johnson tells a small crowd that Virginia needs a governor “who can really communicate, and Bob McDonnell can communicate.”

Watch The Video

“The other people I talk to, especially his op-op-op-o-opponent, di-di-did this all through my interview with him,” she said to muted laughter. Then she added, “He could not articulate what needed to be done.”

In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, Johnson said she sought to highlight Creigh Deeds’ inability to “clearly communicate effective solutions” on important issues.

“I shouldn’t have done it in the manner in which I did and for that I apologize for any offense he, or others, may have taken,” Johnson said.

Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, occasionally hesitates and stumbles over words in ordinary conversation, speeches and media interviews. He sometimes jokes about his unpolished speaking style.

Deeds was campaigning Monday with U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and was not immediately available for comment. Senior campaign adviser Mo Elleithee said Deeds never thought the problem warranted speech therapy.

“Creigh is the first to tell you he’s not the smoothest talker, but when he says something, you know it’s personal and it’s honest,” Elleithee said.

Advocates for people with speech problems were outraged at Johnson’s characterization of Deeds.

“It’s never acceptable to mock stuttering any more than it would be to laugh at someone in a wheelchair,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Memphis, Tenn.-based Stuttering Foundation of America.

Dr. Ronald Webster, founder and president of the Hollins Communications Research Institute in Roanoke, Va., said stutterers are used to such jokes.

“What Ms. Johnson did was pretty much what a lot of people who are not mean or nasty or hostile do almost by accident. It’s primarily due to a lack of knowledge about stuttering,” he said.

Both national parties are pouring millions of dollars into this year’s two contests for governor, particularly in Virginia, a 2008 battleground where Obama became the first Democrat to carry the state in a presidential race in 44 years.

The Democratic National Committee, headed by Kaine, put another $1 million behind Deeds over the weekend in addition to $5 million already pledged to the Virginia governor’s race and to Democrats in two other statewide and legislative races.

In a contest grown markedly meaner and more personal in recent weeks, candidates for governor and their proxies can attack with impunity on policy issues, but turning a speech impediment into a punch line appears cruel and risks the wrath of voters, said Mark Rozell, a George Mason University political science professor.

“She would have been fine if she noted the fact that (Deeds) had not made a good case for his transportation proposals and left it at that, but making fun of his way of speaking, that’s way out of line,” Rozell said.

BET and MTV Networks very quietly soft-launched Centric, a new basic-cable network aimed at African-American adults, on Monday.

BET is rebranding its nearly 32 million subscriber BET J network under the Centric moniker, which will target African-American viewers with music and lifestyle programming, according to Centric general manager Paxton Baker.

RELATED: BET Launches Channel For Grown-Ups

The BET and MTV Networks venture was first announced this past April during BET’s upfront presentation to advertisers. Both programmers are owned by Viacom.

BET J (formerly BET on Jazz) has deals with such key distributors as DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems.

During the upfront, BET executives projected the network would have 45 million viewers at launch. At the time, sources close to network said that Centric would also inherit the lion’s share of subscribers from MTV digital channel VH1 Soul to meet its announced distribution goals.

RELATED: OPINION: An Open Letter To BET

But BET Networks president and chief operating officer Scott Mills told Multichannel News that Centric — handled by MTV Networks’ affiliate-sales team, but otherwise run by BET — would instead work with affiliates to reach 45 million subscribers by 2010.

“We’re pretty confident that as long as the product does well and we work closely with our affiliate partners, people will be optimistic about the network,” Mills said. “We don’t think our distribution will have to come from another place.”

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]]> http://newsone.com/315497/bet-and-mtvn-unveil-new-lifestyle-and-music-network/feed/ 8 BET And MTVN Unveil New Lifestyle And Music Network (thumbnail) ionesfontaine betlaunchescentric http://newsone.com/235207/opinion-diss-songs-can-cause-the-chickens-to-come-home-to-roost/ http://newsone.com/235207/opinion-diss-songs-can-cause-the-chickens-to-come-home-to-roost/#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:50:39 +0000 NewsOne Staff http://newsone.com/?p=235207 ]]>

Diss songs have been around for as long as there’s been recorded music so it’s wrong to think that it’s something that rappers started. Jazz, blues and country stars all took subliminal shots at each other. The Beatles took shots at the Rolling Stones and once they broke up, dissed each other.

Of course hip hop, giving you more words per bar than any other musical form, elevated the diss song to an art all its own. Before the actual diss song however, there were battle raps. Rappers would face off against each other, spit their best lyrics then wait for another rapper to spit his own in self-defense. Grandmaster Flash does a good job of chronicling these heady days in his autobiography and I’m old enough to remember attending some in person. BET even took to airing a segment called “Freestyle Friday” just to capture the rap battle phenomenon.

Established rappers however, are like nuclear capable countries; nobody’s gonna risk going it hand-to-hand. They all prefer to bomb from a distance.

The modern era of diss records owns its existence to Boogie Down Productions and the 1986 song “South Bronx“. Making an effort to claim the birthright of hip hop after what he’d viewed as a similar attempt by Queens rapper MC Shan, head BDP rapper KRS-One turned the song “South Bronx” into a shot-filled attempt to do just that. And just in case anybody didn’t feel insulted enough, KRS then recorded “The Bridge is Over” which left no doubt as to how he felt about Queensbridge and all its denizens.

Of course, since these recordings and their poorly received responses by MC Shan, there’s been literally thousands of diss records and responses. Some MCs (like 50 Cent) have even made diss songs their staple.

Some of the great diss songs in history have been LL Cool J’s “To Da Break of Dawn“, Tupac’s “Against All Odds” and Nas’ “Ether“-a song so scorching, that its title became a verb synonymous with destruction; as in “you just got ‘Ethered’”.

Friday I watched a clip of rapper The Game dissing Jay-Z and Jay’s wife Beyonce. I remember thinking how going after a wife should be considered “out of bounds” but since Jay himself had gone after Nas through the mother of Nas’ child, nothing was out of bounds. Then I thought of Tupac and Biggie and how it can be argued that each ultimately died because of diss records.

The question becomes then; in making diss records, is there a line you shouldn’t cross?

Steve McNair was absolutely my favorite quarterback of all-time. Me and the great BumpCity were watching BET late one night when I saw McNair, then of Alcorn State, do things that I didn’t think were possible on the football field. I rooted for him as much as possible (being that I am a Jets fan) and I was broken-hearted when his Tennessee Titans came 1 yard short of tying the Super Bowl in 2000 and lost to the St. Louis Rams.

Then I heard over the weekend that McNair and a woman that was not his wife were shot and killed in his condo (despite the fact that Steve was married with 4 kids) and all I could think of was Sam Cooke.

Sam Cooke had the single most beautiful voice of any male singer in recorded history. Switching back and forth being gospel and rhythm and blues like an ambidextrous NBA point guard, Cooke was on top of both games simultaneously. He also, legendarily, had the Lil Wayne disease of wanting to, ahem, know every girl in the world.

Also a married father, Cooke checked into LA’s Hacienda Motel on December 11, 1964 for a little action with a woman named Lisa Boyer who apparently robbed him. Furious, Cooke demanded that hotel clerk Bertha Franklin tell him the whereabouts of Boyer-and his pants and underwear. Things got ugly. Sam’s last words ever were “Lady, you shot me!”

Al Green’s still alive, thank God-literally. The “other” Reverend Al wasn’t cheating on his own wife with Mary Woodson back in 1974; they were both cheating on Woodson’s husband.

When the “Love and Happiness“, “Let’s Stay Together” singer refused to marry Woodson, she threw a pan of boiling hot grits on him while he was in the shower causing third degree burns on his back, stomach and arms. Woodson then reportedly shot herself with Al’s gun, committing suicide, and Al Green became an ordained minister.

Since Steve McNair was shot multiple times and the woman he was with was shot only once and there was a gun found nearby, the case is being treated as a murder-suicide.

This is one of those instances when the moral of the story is the story itself.

June 29, 2009

Dear Debra Lee,

Sunday night’s BET Awards show was a disgrace. It’s sad and unfortunate that your network, owned by Viacom, continues to crank out mediocrity and perpetuate negative stereotypes of black men, women, and children. Although you likely received high ratings for the awards show, there is no honor in reinforcing the status quo’s opinion of black people. Your tribute to Michael Jackson and the overall show had its great moments, however, BET failed to deliver a solid, quality show. Rather than “raising the bar” and presenting African-Americans as a creative, proud, dignified people, BET lowered the bar for the entire world to see. The BET Awards drew a huge audience to watch a tribute to Michael Jackson, but left millions of viewers feeling disappointed, embarrassed, and reduced to classic stereotypes.

During the most blatantly sexist performances of the night, the executives at BET failed to act and display intelligence, courage, and leadership. Show executives watched, approved, and applauded as artists Lil’ Wayne, Drake, and Cash Money brought young, under-aged girls onto the stage to dance and serve as window dressing while they performed “Every Girl,” a song that reduces girls and women to sex objects. In a culture where one out of four girls and women are either raped or sexually assaulted – and where manipulative men routinely traffic vulnerable women into the sex industry – it is not okay that BET allowed this to happen. BET owes its entire audience – particularly girls and women around the world – an apology for its failure to intervene. BET should also take immediate steps to ensure that this kind of sexist performance does not happen again. Sunday night’s show epitomizes why so many black people worldwide are fed up with BET and feel strongly that your network inaccurately represents black men and women.

Please take my letter and criticism as one that represents millions.

Sincerely,
Byron Hurt
www.bhurt.com