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Philadelphia Tribune - Entertainment Now - Friday, March 14, 2008 - Index

Friday, March 14, 2008 Philadelphia Tribune
Page 31-E
Bishop Thomas Weeks
finally fesses up! Weeks
pleaded guilty to one count
of aggravated assault for
beating Prophetess Juanita
Bynum. Weeks apologized
to his wife in court for beating
her up in an Atlanta parking
lot last August. Weeks stated
he grabbed Bynum, threw
her to the ground and kicked
her. Weeks has been sentenced
to three years probation,
and he must undergo
violence and anger counseling.
He must also do 200
hours of community service,
and it can’t be church related.
•••
Reps for Star Jones are
denying reports that she has
kicked her hubby to the curb.
Where’s Al Reynolds? Over
the past few weeks, he has
been out of sight. Sources
say he is in Miami. Late last
year, Jones lost her Court TV
show, and she has been trying
to find steady work. In the
meantime, her hubby has yet
to find a job because he
stopped working when he
met her. There has been a
lot of tension in the Jones-
Reynolds household
because someone has to get
a job, and Jones feels it’s
about time Reynolds started
pulling his weight. Has
Reynolds been using Jones?
Has she finally seen the
light, or is she still paying the
bills and standing by her
man?
•••
Congratulations to Kenny
Gamble and Leon Huff. The
songwriting and producing
team were recently inducted
into The Rock and Roll Hall
Of Fame. Gamble and Huff
were the architects of The
Sound Of Philadelphia, and
they talk about their incredible
career on our web site. I
had a chance to talk to them
along with Butter, and you
can watch our videotaped
interview on our web site at
WDASFM.COM. You can
find it on the homepage.
•••
The soundtrack for Tyler
Perry’s “Meet The Browns”
comes out on March 18. The
soundtrack will feature the
music of Jill Scott, Musiq,
Kelly Rowland, Brandy and
Chaka Khan. The movie,
starring Angela Bassett and
Rick Fox, opens in theatres
March 21.
•••
Speaking of Bassett, she’s
on a roll. In addition to starring
in “Meet
The Browns,”
she has
signed on for
the new biopic
about the late
rap icon The
Notorious
B.I.G.. Bassett
will play
Biggie’s mom,
Angela
Bassett
Voletta Wallace, in the
movie about Biggie.
Brooklyn rapper Jamal
Woolard will play Biggie,
and Derek Luke will play
Sean “Diddy” Combs.
•••
Regina Belle will be
releasing her first gospel
album this spring. The
album, “Love Forever
Shines,” features the lead
single “God Is Good.” Belle
is due in Philadelphia on
May 13. She’s doing two
appearances, one at Enon
Tabernacle Baptist Church
and the other at Sharon
Baptist Church.
•••
Beyoncé is taking a break
from recording to concentrate
on her acting career.
Filming has already started
on “Cadillac Records.”
Beyoncé is playing the legendary
Etta James in the
movie about the start of
Chess Records. Beyoncé
has also signed on for the
movie “Obsessed.” Beyoncé
will star along with actor
Idris Elba in a movie about a
married man who is dealing
with a female stalker.
Beyoncé will play Elba’s
wife.
•••
Singer India.Arie is head-
ed to Broadway. Arie will be
starring in the Ntozake
Shange classic “For Colored
Girls Who Have Considered
Suicide When The Rainbow
Is Enough.” The production
originally debuted in 1977.
Previews start in July, and it
officially opens on Broadway
on August 2. The stage play
looks at the experience of
being a Black woman in
America through the eyes of
seven characters.
•••
Kelly Rowland opens up
about her bigger boobs in
the latest issue of People
magazine. Rowland admits
she has wanted bigger
breasts since she was 17
years old.
•••
The I.R.S. is investigating
gospel great Yolanda
Adams. Adams, 46, failed to
show up at a Houston court
to answer questions about
her finances over the past
six years.
•••
Jill Scott is coming to HBO
with a new series. Scott will
be starring in the TV series
“The Number 1 Ladies
Detective Agency.” Scott
filmed the pilot in Africa with
actor Idris Elba. Thirteen
episodes have been
ordered. Anika Noni Rose
will co-star with Scott. Rose
is currently starring with
Terrence Howard in the
Broadway revival of “Cat On
A Hot Tin Roof.” She’s best
known for her work in the
movie “Dreamgirls.”
•••
“That’s So Raven” star
Raven-Symone is gearing
up for a 55-city tour. Raven is
planning a pajama themed
party where concert-goers
can bring their pj’s. She will
be at the Liacouras Center
this spring.
•••
Janet Jackson is currently
planning her upcoming
tour. In addition to dates in
the states, Jackson is planning
on touring the world
including Africa, Asia,
Australia and Europe.
Jackson is also planning on
releasing a book about her
weight struggles.
•••
Oprah Winfrey is in talks
with Steven Spielberg to
recreate “The Color Purple”
movie. The 1985 version
starred Winfrey and Whoopi
Goldberg, and Oprah wants
the new movie to star
Fantasia, who played the
role of Celie on Broadway.
•••
Lionel Richie will be honored
at ASCAP’s annual
awards. Richie is getting the
Golden Note Award on April
9. This award is given to
songwriters, composers and
artists who have achieved
great career milestones.
Past winners include Stevie
Wonder, Quincy Jones and
Jermaine Dupri.
•••
Basketball star LeBron
James will be on the cover
of an upcoming edition of
Vogue magazine’s shape
issue.
•••
Now that the writers’ strike
is over, get ready for the
“24’”TV movie. The two-hour
movie will be a prequel to the
seventh season, which kicks
off in January 2009. The
2007-2008 season was
deep-sixed due to the writers’
strike, and Kiefer
Sutherland’s 48-day jail
sentence. Sutherland plays
the show’s star Jack Bauer.
•••
Former Olympic darling
Marion Jones has started
her six-month jail term.
Jones is serving jail time for
lying to investigators about
using steroids and her role in
a check fraud scam. Jones is
in a Texas facility. During the
2000 Olympic games, Jones
was the most famous female
athlete in the world.
•••
When will Kimora Lee
Simmons reveal all?
Sources say Simmons is
expecting a baby with
boyfriend Dijmon Hounsou.
Simmons has two daughters
with ex-husband, record
mogul Russell Simmons.
•••
Erykah Badu is the April
cover girl for Essence magazine.
Badu talks about her
new album “Amerykah” and
her children. Badu also
reflects on past loves “Andre
3000,” rapper Common and
rapper The D.O.C. When
asked about the new man in
her life, Badu clams up saying
she doesn’t want to talk
about her new love, but she
is very happy.
•••
Alicia Keys recently
wrapped up work on her new
movie with Queen Latifah
and Jennifer Hudson. The
movie, “The Secret Life Of
Bees,” may be released this
year. In the meantime, Keys
is about to go on tour with
Ne-Yo and “American Idol”
winner Jordin Sparks.
•••
Hot new couples: Actress
Nia Long, 37, is dating actor
Kevin Philips, 24. Friends
of Long say this is the happiest
she has been in years.
•••
Singer Michelle Williams
of Destiny’s Child has been
spending a lot of quality time
with actor Henry Simmons
of “NYPD Blue.”
•••
Look for a new album from
singer John Legend this
summer.
•••
MTV is gearing up for a
new reality show featuring
the kids of celebrities. Some
of the offspring include Al B.
Sure Jr., Bobby Brown’s
oldest son and MC
Hammer’s daughter. The
show, “Rock The Cradle,”
debuts April 3.
Patty Jackson is a radio
personality on WDAS-FM.
The views expressed in this
column are not necessarily
those of The Philadelphia Tribune.