Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Jami Floyd IN SESSION: Does she think OJ Shouldn't have been Charged???
September 30, 2008
What Have We Learned?
Posted: 01:40 PM ET
NEW YORK–The prosecution has rested its case-in-chief and what have we learned?
Well, we’ve learned that O.J. Simpson keeps lousy company. We’ve learned that the sports memorabilia business attracts some sketchy characters. And we’ve learned that O.J. Simpson sure has some good lawyers.
But here’s what we haven’t learned: Whether O.J. Simpson knew there would be guns there that night. Oh sure, some of these characters have said he knew. But they’re hardly going to win any credibility contests. And now, McClinton admitted on cross that Simpson never even said the word “gun.”
And that matters. The guns matter, because this is an armed robbery case, not a simple robbery case. And without a single credible witness who can put a gun in O.J.’s hand, or on his mind, the proof just isn’t there.
And that’s the Last Word.
–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor
MY POST ON "THAT" LAST WORD:
Jami, what’s the deal? Do you have OJ envy? Your usual, go-get-em style has been lost on this THUG!
You have, time-after-time now, in your Last Word, left us to believe that you think NO CHARGES should have been filed. Even though the lesser players have gotten deals, that’s the way it goes. He planned it. TOO BAD! Nicole or not, this was a robbery. He did it the WRONG WAY, and he is the MAIN CONSPIRITOR!!!!!
I don’t care about the NOT GUILTY verdict, I believe that he WAS guilty of killing Nicole and Ron, BUT I also believe that jury came to the correct verdict given what they had put before them. Mark Firman, YUK!
This is a DIFFERENT case, and the prosecutors have filed the CORRECT CHARGES… I hope they CONVICT him this time.
What Have We Learned?
Posted: 01:40 PM ET
NEW YORK–The prosecution has rested its case-in-chief and what have we learned?
Well, we’ve learned that O.J. Simpson keeps lousy company. We’ve learned that the sports memorabilia business attracts some sketchy characters. And we’ve learned that O.J. Simpson sure has some good lawyers.
But here’s what we haven’t learned: Whether O.J. Simpson knew there would be guns there that night. Oh sure, some of these characters have said he knew. But they’re hardly going to win any credibility contests. And now, McClinton admitted on cross that Simpson never even said the word “gun.”
And that matters. The guns matter, because this is an armed robbery case, not a simple robbery case. And without a single credible witness who can put a gun in O.J.’s hand, or on his mind, the proof just isn’t there.
And that’s the Last Word.
–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor
MY POST ON "THAT" LAST WORD:
Jami, what’s the deal? Do you have OJ envy? Your usual, go-get-em style has been lost on this THUG!
You have, time-after-time now, in your Last Word, left us to believe that you think NO CHARGES should have been filed. Even though the lesser players have gotten deals, that’s the way it goes. He planned it. TOO BAD! Nicole or not, this was a robbery. He did it the WRONG WAY, and he is the MAIN CONSPIRITOR!!!!!
I don’t care about the NOT GUILTY verdict, I believe that he WAS guilty of killing Nicole and Ron, BUT I also believe that jury came to the correct verdict given what they had put before them. Mark Firman, YUK!
This is a DIFFERENT case, and the prosecutors have filed the CORRECT CHARGES… I hope they CONVICT him this time.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Jaguars' Collier Paralyzed and had Leg Amputated (Shot 14 times in early Sept)
Posted: Monday September 29, 2008 4:19PM; Updated: Monday September 29, 2008 5:22PM
Doctors: Jaguars tackle Collier is paralyzed and had leg amputated
Story Highlights
Richard Collier was shot 14 times earlier this month Collier is paralyzed below the waist and had left leg amputated Police believe Collier was targeted in the attack
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and had his left leg amputated.
Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital, said Collier, who had 14 bullet wounds, is now in good condition after being previously listed in critical condition.
Kerwin said Collier had bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, which had blood clots.
The 26-year-old Collier had five bullets removed from his urinary bladder and suffered bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.
The player will undergo physical therapy to learn to get from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.
Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, Kerwin said.
"His overall condition has improved greatly," Kerwin said. "We expect him to be discharged soon."
Collier's agent Jeff Jankovich said the player's family wanted to make sure Collier understood what had happened to him before releasing it to the public. He said they even kept the Jaguars in the dark.
"He has extreme grief for a lifetime of dreams he won't be able to fulfill," the agent said.
Jankovich refused to say when Collier would be released, citing security concerns.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and several players attended the news conference.
"It's a tragedy this young man was caught up in this violence," Del Rio said. "It's a great tragedy for a young man who had such a promising future."
Offensive tackle Tony Pashos said, "It has been difficult. I think about him a lot."
Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Sept. 2 when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Pettway was not injured.
The motive behind the attack on Collier is unknown, but investigators said earlier he appeared to be targeted. Police have made no arrests in the shooting.
Collier was in his third year with the NFL after graduating from Valdosta State.
Collier was the third NFL player shot in the past 18 months. Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor was fatally shot during what police said was a botched burglary attempt at his Miami-area home in November. Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed when his rented limousine was sprayed with bullets minutes after leaving a New Year's party at a club in 2007.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: SI
Doctors: Jaguars tackle Collier is paralyzed and had leg amputated
Story Highlights
Richard Collier was shot 14 times earlier this month Collier is paralyzed below the waist and had left leg amputated Police believe Collier was targeted in the attack
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and had his left leg amputated.
Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital, said Collier, who had 14 bullet wounds, is now in good condition after being previously listed in critical condition.
Kerwin said Collier had bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, which had blood clots.
The 26-year-old Collier had five bullets removed from his urinary bladder and suffered bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.
The player will undergo physical therapy to learn to get from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.
Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, Kerwin said.
"His overall condition has improved greatly," Kerwin said. "We expect him to be discharged soon."
Collier's agent Jeff Jankovich said the player's family wanted to make sure Collier understood what had happened to him before releasing it to the public. He said they even kept the Jaguars in the dark.
"He has extreme grief for a lifetime of dreams he won't be able to fulfill," the agent said.
Jankovich refused to say when Collier would be released, citing security concerns.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and several players attended the news conference.
"It's a tragedy this young man was caught up in this violence," Del Rio said. "It's a great tragedy for a young man who had such a promising future."
Offensive tackle Tony Pashos said, "It has been difficult. I think about him a lot."
Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Sept. 2 when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Pettway was not injured.
The motive behind the attack on Collier is unknown, but investigators said earlier he appeared to be targeted. Police have made no arrests in the shooting.
Collier was in his third year with the NFL after graduating from Valdosta State.
Collier was the third NFL player shot in the past 18 months. Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor was fatally shot during what police said was a botched burglary attempt at his Miami-area home in November. Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed when his rented limousine was sprayed with bullets minutes after leaving a New Year's party at a club in 2007.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: SI
Saturday, September 20, 2008
LOVE LOCKDOWN Goes NUMBER 1 on iTunes
Kanye posts on his BLOG that LL went number one at 7:45 EST Sept 19, 2008.
Top Songs of the Week:
Top Songs of the Week:
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Kanye Posts Underground Advertising.... Way to go guys!
So, here it is:
GO GET IT on iTUNES it's R or maybe X rated!
Kanye Posts New Version of Love Lockdown on his UniverseCity BLOG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gofJgoNQhZE
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Besides Keeping up on Hurricane IKE I'm weighin' in on the KANYE issue and PAPS Legislation
I just wanted to AGAIN post about Kanye's MTV VMA Performance.
I have it recorded on my DVR, THANK GOODNESS! I played it OVER-and-OVER on Monday, and at least once per day through-out the week. BUSY, you know.
NEW GREAT NEWS, !!!!! WE CANNOT BE HAPPIER!!!
my son, his dad, who was killed in 2004, by a drunk driver. More on this issue later.) Grandson, Ernie Ivery the 4th, age 3 yrs 11 months, who is SO....... cute & SWEET and just LOVES me & my youngest son, UNCLE NELS, and looks JUST LIKE
But, along with Kanye, who's week was busy getting back with his ex (fiance), Alexis, then on Wed, getting arrested for felony vandalism at LAX for SMASHING *and he did do that, I saw it on the TMZ tape* a paps camera, that's after he WRESTLED IT AWAY from him at the American Airlines customer counter waiting line. Yes, and on SEPTEMBER 11, to make matters worse!
EVEN ME, one of his BIGGEST FANS and SUPPORTERS say, that was not one of his best moments.
Now, in defense of Kanye, I believe that guy probably SAID something to set him off, and was WAY to CLOSE in the first place. There needs to be LEGISLATION to set across-the-board standards on HOW CLOSE the paps can get to OUR STARS & HEROS. I mean, they should be able to have a life; board a plane, buy groceries, etc., without having a camera shoved in their face. Say, within 25 feet. That's just a guess on my part. They have telephoto lenses, for gosh sake, they DO NOT NEED TO BE all up in their faces, talking to them, upsetting their days.
I say, the Red Carpet is when they put themselves out there TO BE LOOKED AT, and if they get a DUI, well WE CAN HAVE AT THEM!!! But, to follow them down the "pregnancy test isle", and all up CLOSE AND PERSONAL at the airport, ETC., THAT'S GOING TOO FAR, in my mind, and in MY OPINION.
What do you think? Should the USA adopt legislation to stop the paparazzi from getting all "UP CLOSE & PERSONAL" with our HERO & STARS outside of the RED CARPET.
Paris or FRANCE has some pretty strict paps laws, and I'm going to look into what they/the laws are.
I have it recorded on my DVR, THANK GOODNESS! I played it OVER-and-OVER on Monday, and at least once per day through-out the week. BUSY, you know.
NEW GREAT NEWS, !!!!! WE CANNOT BE HAPPIER!!!
my son, his dad, who was killed in 2004, by a drunk driver. More on this issue later.) Grandson, Ernie Ivery the 4th, age 3 yrs 11 months, who is SO....... cute & SWEET and just LOVES me & my youngest son, UNCLE NELS, and looks JUST LIKE
But, along with Kanye, who's week was busy getting back with his ex (fiance), Alexis, then on Wed, getting arrested for felony vandalism at LAX for SMASHING *and he did do that, I saw it on the TMZ tape* a paps camera, that's after he WRESTLED IT AWAY from him at the American Airlines customer counter waiting line. Yes, and on SEPTEMBER 11, to make matters worse!
EVEN ME, one of his BIGGEST FANS and SUPPORTERS say, that was not one of his best moments.
Now, in defense of Kanye, I believe that guy probably SAID something to set him off, and was WAY to CLOSE in the first place. There needs to be LEGISLATION to set across-the-board standards on HOW CLOSE the paps can get to OUR STARS & HEROS. I mean, they should be able to have a life; board a plane, buy groceries, etc., without having a camera shoved in their face. Say, within 25 feet. That's just a guess on my part. They have telephoto lenses, for gosh sake, they DO NOT NEED TO BE all up in their faces, talking to them, upsetting their days.
I say, the Red Carpet is when they put themselves out there TO BE LOOKED AT, and if they get a DUI, well WE CAN HAVE AT THEM!!! But, to follow them down the "pregnancy test isle", and all up CLOSE AND PERSONAL at the airport, ETC., THAT'S GOING TOO FAR, in my mind, and in MY OPINION.
What do you think? Should the USA adopt legislation to stop the paparazzi from getting all "UP CLOSE & PERSONAL" with our HERO & STARS outside of the RED CARPET.
Paris or FRANCE has some pretty strict paps laws, and I'm going to look into what they/the laws are.
Broken Windows in Houston DownTown HighRise & Distruction in Historic Galveston IKE has HIT
I watched almost all day yesterday, CNN OF COURSE. I even put a DVD in the recorder to record it for historic purposes. You know, show your grandchildren in a few years.
A few weeks ago when Gustav was coming Victor saw the wind almost blowing over one of the reporters, as I was trying to show him and his sister how important these sorts of things are to the people in the storms path is, and he said, "OH MY GOSH!" Just like I did with Ernie & Nels when they were little. WE WATCHED THE NEWS EVERY DAY!
I remember when the earthquake in Mexico City occurred, must have been in the late 80's, and we didn't have cable for 3 weeks, waiting them them to hook it up after we moved on Littlerock Rd, down by Isreal Rd. We didn't find out for four days, and the boys wanted to collect cans of food for the people there.
We were ALWAYS a news oriented family. I remember watching the news and weather with my Grandpa Peter when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I'd also watch boxing with him, and my parents were Univ of Washington alumni and had season tickets to the Husky football games. My mom was sick A LOT so "I" got to go with my dad!!!!
Back to storms & hurricanes. My parents went to a Husky game in Portland with their friends Jerry Farrell, a Seattle Police Lt, and Veretta in their convertible when I was about 3rd grade, I'd say, and they kept calling my Grandpa Peter & Grandma Edith's were we were; Mark, my 2 1/2 yr younger brother, and me & Grandma & Grandpa and m y mom kept telling us to stay in the basement away from the windows. YEAH, and she's driving to a football game in a convertible! I remember HUGE HUGE trees along Lake Washington Boulevard blown down. I know one of the BIG hurricanes I lived threw was referred to as the Columbus Day Storm. I don't think this was that one though, cause this one was in Nov., and Columbus Day is in April, or Spring at least, I think.
I'm still praying for EVERYONE in the storm's path. Having lost my son four years ago, I KNOW that grieving for someone THAT CLOSE goes on forever.
"Please God, give strength to those in harm's way, put your arms around them and get them through this. Please God, give strength to those giving assistance to those in harm's way and keep them safe. ERNIE you are a STRONG PERSON/ANGEL help them all for mom!
In God's name I pray, AMEN."
Friday, September 12, 2008
Hurricane IKE
OMGosh! This is a HUGE storm, 900 miles across! Everyone in Galvaston Texas, a long spit of an island, before the storm roars into Houston, will probably be completely covered with water.
A 20-foot "WALL" of water is being predicted.
"MONSTER" is what IKE is being referred to.
GET OUT! Death is what is "assured" if you don't GET OUT!
"MONSTER" is what IKE is being referred to.
GET OUT! Death is what is "assured" if you don't GET OUT!
They are predicting 12 HOURS of 100 MPH winds. OMG! If you are not OUT!
PLEASE GET OUT!
A night-time land-fall, to boot... not good...
God BLESSand PRAYERS to Everyone in IKE's Path...
God BLESS
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Posts on Kanye's MESSAGE BOARDS TODAY after his ARREST at LAX (smashed PAP's camera) OH WELL THEM & their "In Your Face" and SPACE MO...
DeeWA2007
**Fan Club Member**
Group: Street Teamer
Joined: 09/12/2007
Posts: 6
I've heard there's NEW LEGISLATION in the works. I am hoping with Kanye's EARLY MORNING ordeal, and his stature in the INDUSTRY, and CLOUT, MAYBE - JUST MAYBE we can now get something done to put a stop to IN YOUR FACE PAPs.
To not be able to catch a flight, go to the store, etc., without having a boundry or as I put it, "You are in my PERSONAL SPACE," guidelines for them/the paps, there will soon be a DEATH!
Brit Brit running over feet, to smashed camera, JT, Ye, Tommy, NOW, maybe the US will follow suit with France and their PAP laws.
Help me help Kanye and our other HEROS - sports, music, et al be able to live their lives outside the RED CARPET!
FREE KANYE.... (Actually, I'm sure he's already FREE - My thing now is that they DROP THE CHARGES!)
Won/One
D
report post
Posted: Sep 11 2008, 12:38 PM
bully
Group: Message Boarder
Joined: 07/08/2008
Posts: 139
i agree m'am : Free Kanye, drop the charges.
report post
**Fan Club Member**
Group: Street Teamer
Joined: 09/12/2007
Posts: 6
I've heard there's NEW LEGISLATION in the works. I am hoping with Kanye's EARLY MORNING ordeal, and his stature in the INDUSTRY, and CLOUT, MAYBE - JUST MAYBE we can now get something done to put a stop to IN YOUR FACE PAPs.
To not be able to catch a flight, go to the store, etc., without having a boundry or as I put it, "You are in my PERSONAL SPACE," guidelines for them/the paps, there will soon be a DEATH!
Brit Brit running over feet, to smashed camera, JT, Ye, Tommy, NOW, maybe the US will follow suit with France and their PAP laws.
Help me help Kanye and our other HEROS - sports, music, et al be able to live their lives outside the RED CARPET!
FREE KANYE.... (Actually, I'm sure he's already FREE - My thing now is that they DROP THE CHARGES!)
Won/One
D
report post
Posted: Sep 11 2008, 12:38 PM
bully
Group: Message Boarder
Joined: 07/08/2008
Posts: 139
i agree m'am : Free Kanye, drop the charges.
report post
Monday, September 8, 2008
LOVE LOCKDOWN
OMGosh! Kanye was INCREDIBLE last night at the 25th Annual MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's).
I got in late, my next entry gets into my GREAT NEWS! My Grandson, Ernest Lee Ivery IV, Ernie's son, born 3 months after the crash, and I MET last Wednesday at my youngest son's work for dinner and on Saturday he came over around noon. He ended up spending the night. We went to Church on Sunday, and everyone was like, "He looks just like one of your boys," "Yes, he's Ernie's son," or, "Well, you can tell you're related."
We hadn't seen him since he was 8 months old. LONG messy story that I am glad is OVER!!! YEAH! He is SO........... cute and SWEET. BUT, right now is KANYE's post.
Kanye was the last performance of the night. I wasn't into the host, some nut who told "ME" I should vote for Obama. Some NUT from the British Isles. I may, but it surely won't be because he tells me to. SO.. I turned off the taped one and went straight to the MTV channel and got there just in time to see Kanye live.
He was FABULOUS! INSPIRATIONAL! OUTSTANDING! You name it, he was it. The production couldn't of been thought out and put together any better, from the clean cut grey suit, 4" flashing-beating heart over his heart with the lights all out so it would stand out perfectly, then the smoky effect from the side, the HUGE sky in the background changing colors throughout, him standing all alone up with the BIG SKY background, front lighting with 20 ft shadow effect of Ye, the African type drummers across the stage, ON-AND-ON! AND, the SONG - STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART ... I'll bet that one too. It was so good, I'll bet that song is going straight to #1. Another HIT for Kanye. BIG TIME!!!!
That whole storyboard was probably put together for the camera crew BY KANYE. I'd be willing to bet. It was just breath-taking. I cannot say enough.
I am putting the MTV link: I hope it continues to work for you.. Here's how to get to the MTV page where it's at.
If the link doesn't work *Pink's video keeps pasting in, instead of LOVE LOCKDOWN's performance. On Purpose MTV???? ~GO to the page on your own: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1518072&vid=272698
Pictures of the performance are on Kanye's Kanye UniverseCITY BLOG at:
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=205666_-1__0_~0_-1_9_2008_0_0&em3281=&em3161=
I got in late, my next entry gets into my GREAT NEWS! My Grandson, Ernest Lee Ivery IV, Ernie's son, born 3 months after the crash, and I MET last Wednesday at my youngest son's work for dinner and on Saturday he came over around noon. He ended up spending the night. We went to Church on Sunday, and everyone was like, "He looks just like one of your boys," "Yes, he's Ernie's son," or, "Well, you can tell you're related."
We hadn't seen him since he was 8 months old. LONG messy story that I am glad is OVER!!! YEAH! He is SO........... cute and SWEET. BUT, right now is KANYE's post.
Kanye was the last performance of the night. I wasn't into the host, some nut who told "ME" I should vote for Obama. Some NUT from the British Isles. I may, but it surely won't be because he tells me to. SO.. I turned off the taped one and went straight to the MTV channel and got there just in time to see Kanye live.
He was FABULOUS! INSPIRATIONAL! OUTSTANDING! You name it, he was it. The production couldn't of been thought out and put together any better, from the clean cut grey suit, 4" flashing-beating heart over his heart with the lights all out so it would stand out perfectly, then the smoky effect from the side, the HUGE sky in the background changing colors throughout, him standing all alone up with the BIG SKY background, front lighting with 20 ft shadow effect of Ye, the African type drummers across the stage, ON-AND-ON! AND, the SONG - STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART ... I'll bet that one too. It was so good, I'll bet that song is going straight to #1. Another HIT for Kanye. BIG TIME!!!!
That whole storyboard was probably put together for the camera crew BY KANYE. I'd be willing to bet. It was just breath-taking. I cannot say enough.
I am putting the MTV link: I hope it continues to work for you.. Here's how to get to the MTV page where it's at.
If the link doesn't work *Pink's video keeps pasting in, instead of LOVE LOCKDOWN's performance. On Purpose MTV???? ~GO to the page on your own: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1518072&vid=272698
http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/" width="423" height="318" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" FlashVars="CONFIG_URL=http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/configuration.jhtml%3Fid%3D1518072%26vid%3D266933&allowFullScreen=true" allowFullScreen="true" base="." allowScriptAccess="always" >
- http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/images/u/arrow-links.gif) 2px 2px no-repeat;" href="http://www.mtv.com/" onmouseover="this.style.textDecoration='underline'"onmouseout="this.style.textDecoration='none'" target="_blank">MTV
- http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/images/u/arrow-links.gif) 2px 2px no-repeat;" href="http://www.mtv.com/music/video/index.jhtml" onmouseover="this.style.textDecoration='underline'"onmouseout="this.style.textDecoration='none'" target="_blank">Music Videos
- http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/images/u/arrow-links.gif) 2px 2px no-repeat;" href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/" onmouseover="this.style.textDecoration='underline'"onmouseout="this.style.textDecoration='none'" target="_blank">MTV Shows
- http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/images/u/arrow-links.gif) 2px 2px no-repeat;" href="http://www.mtv.com/news/" onmouseover="this.style.textDecoration='underline'"onmouseout="this.style.textDecoration='none'" target="_blank">Entertainment News
Pictures of the performance are on Kanye's Kanye UniverseCITY BLOG at:
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=205666_-1__0_~0_-1_9_2008_0_0&em3281=&em3161=
Kanye West's LOVE LOCKDOWN at MTV's VMA's
OMGosh!!! That SONG WAS AMAZING ~ FABULOUS ~ You name, it was it!!! I am 54, my son turned me onto Ye just before he was killed by a drunk driver in 2004. We played Jesus Walks over-and-over while his friends passed the casket (it took over an hour). Of course, Kanye has been a fav of mine ever since. I’m pretty hip anyway, having founded a program for high-risk youth, providing positive activities & educational assistance and housing to teen moms too.
I went to Glow in the Dark TWICE, once in the 6th row! AMAZING….. Since my son was a rapper & producer and told me BEFORE Jesus Walks was released, “This Kanye is going places Mom!” and MADE us all go upstairs to the office to listen to EVERY WORD of Jesus Walks and put it on his cell the DAY B4 THE CRASH!
I was tired as heck and sat down to watch the VMA’s and wasn’t so into the host so I fast-forwarded to the end to see YE. My mouth was hanging open. It was an awe-inspiring performance! Out of the BOX. His SUIT, the Beating Heart, the stunning background, DRUMS, it was ALL just an amazing production and I was SHOCKED and dang near brought to tears.
Kanye has another #1 HIT on his hands if you ask me!!!
I went to Glow in the Dark TWICE, once in the 6th row! AMAZING….. Since my son was a rapper & producer and told me BEFORE Jesus Walks was released, “This Kanye is going places Mom!” and MADE us all go upstairs to the office to listen to EVERY WORD of Jesus Walks and put it on his cell the DAY B4 THE CRASH!
I was tired as heck and sat down to watch the VMA’s and wasn’t so into the host so I fast-forwarded to the end to see YE. My mouth was hanging open. It was an awe-inspiring performance! Out of the BOX. His SUIT, the Beating Heart, the stunning background, DRUMS, it was ALL just an amazing production and I was SHOCKED and dang near brought to tears.
Kanye has another #1 HIT on his hands if you ask me!!!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I'm sure letting EVERY kid I know see this one!
Puyallup Girl Sentenced In Drug Overdose Death
POSTED: 11:54 am PDT August 26, 2008
EVERETT, Wash. -- A 19-year-old Puyallup woman was sentenced to nearly two years in juvenile detention for providing the drug Ecstasy to a 16-year-old friend who died of an overdose.
The woman, Donalydia Huertas, was 17 years old when she gave the drug to Danielle McCarthy of Puyallup during a New Year's Eve party.
Huertas failed to seek medical attention after McCarthy became ill.
She was eventually taken to Stevens Hospital in Edmonds where she was pronounced dead on Jan. 1, 2007.
Huertas was found guilty last June of controlled substance homicide and second-degree manslaughter. She was sentenced Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court to remain in custody until she is 21.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (I hope I'm not in trouble for re-publishing this, or whatever it is I've done....:) I'm only trying to help.. OK?
SOURCE: KIROTV.com
POSTED: 11:54 am PDT August 26, 2008
EVERETT, Wash. -- A 19-year-old Puyallup woman was sentenced to nearly two years in juvenile detention for providing the drug Ecstasy to a 16-year-old friend who died of an overdose.
The woman, Donalydia Huertas, was 17 years old when she gave the drug to Danielle McCarthy of Puyallup during a New Year's Eve party.
Huertas failed to seek medical attention after McCarthy became ill.
She was eventually taken to Stevens Hospital in Edmonds where she was pronounced dead on Jan. 1, 2007.
Huertas was found guilty last June of controlled substance homicide and second-degree manslaughter. She was sentenced Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court to remain in custody until she is 21.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (I hope I'm not in trouble for re-publishing this, or whatever it is I've done....:) I'm only trying to help.. OK?
SOURCE: KIROTV.com
Hillary Speech a GRAND SLAM at Convention
I wasn't feeling well the past couple of days and ended up SLEEPING through the speech, darn it! And, although I haven't been able to hear it in it's entirety YET, based on the pundits, CNN.com, etc., it seems she hit a HOME RUN!
I knew she would...............
Friday, August 8, 2008
TaRon & Grandma's Summer Vacation ~ WHEW!!
Catching up on my zzz....'s since my 9 yr old Grandson left for home/Oklahoma City last Saturday at 5:40 am. He was here for SIX-WEEKS!!! Yeah...........
We did SO........ much stuff. First we had the July 3 & 4, activities, then the planning and packing all the stuff for the 4th annual Ernie BBQ, that was going to be down at the beach this year. We rented a U-Haul so we wouldn't have to bother people about haul this, haul that. One trip there and one trip back and it's all done.
Then we had Lakefair week and going downtown everyday for Demo Burgers. Friday he and I dropped off Uncle Nels and he got a $22 wristband to ride as many rides as he wanted for 3 hours. He had a BLAST. Then Olie and Alex came over and we had a bonfire in the backyard for hotdogs & smores.
Saturday we went downtown at 1:30pm and roped put out our chairs for the Lakefair Parade at 5pm, a great spot right by a speaker, a couple blocks past Union with the sun behind us.
Then on Sunday, the 19th, Olie, Alex, TaRon & I went downtown across from Hannah's with our chairs in a parking lot to watch the fireworks . (I thought the Lacey fireworks on July 3, were MUCH BETTER! )
They went home Monday afternoon and he had a couple days of quite, then Lucinda and Victor came back over to go to the SeaFair TorchLight Parade in Seattle on Sat. July 26. They had a GREAT time, PIRATES!, CLOWNS!, Lots of Floats, Bands, Horses, etc. Lucinda waved at EVERY thing in that parade. Her arm MUST have been tired!
Wed Dark Knight/Batman a surprise with me and Uncle Nels
Thurs - Lucinda & Victor spend night to leave in the morning
Friday - Seattle to see Blue Angles (got stuck in traffic for two plus hours coming home) had goodbye party planned at 5:30 with all TaRon's neighborhood Friends. We got here at 5:30. It all worked out, his friends got here around 6, and it turned out perfect. They all stayed until 10:30. I cut out the NOISY running around the yard at 8:30 and said if they wanted to stay we'd have quiet time and watch a movie. 'Call your parents and see if you can stay till the end. I'll drive or follow you home on your bike when the movie's over.' They watched Mark Walberg in Planet of the Apes. Must be from about 2000.
TaRon and I only had 3 hours to rest before we had to get up. We got home at 11:00pm and had to be up by 2:00 am to get to SeaTac for his 5:40 am departure for home. You have to get to the airport 90 minutes before your flight leaves to check in, and get through security. Plus, we had the one hour (at least) drive to Sea Tac to begin with.
Needless to say, THAT was a week that I KNEW was going to be TOO much for me especially that last day, and getting stuck on the freeway, leaving me NO TIME to prepare for the SURPRISE PARTY (it wasn't as much of a surprise as I had hoped), plus just the stress of stop and go, stop and go for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS -- STRESSFUL!!!
But, he got off and home in one piece with a GREAT summer under his belt.
No alcoholic issues, no drug issues, no drama or fights, just fun, fun, fun. Parades (3), He was in the Beach Crest (our neighborhood) 4th of July Parade, Lakefair/Olympia, Seafair Torchlight/Seattle, Blue Angels, Hydroplanes, swimming pool, slip-and-slide, bike riding, skate-boarding, Memorial Gathering Beach BBQ for Ernie, playing on the beach, going to his neighborhood friends' houses. Just a very stress-free summer!
He also helped me with my garden and can tell you the name of almost every one of my plants.
NOW, I'm resting. For the past week I have worked around the house and garden in the morning, then napped in the afternoons and evenings.
We did SO........ much stuff. First we had the July 3 & 4, activities, then the planning and packing all the stuff for the 4th annual Ernie BBQ, that was going to be down at the beach this year. We rented a U-Haul so we wouldn't have to bother people about haul this, haul that. One trip there and one trip back and it's all done.
Then we had Lakefair week and going downtown everyday for Demo Burgers. Friday he and I dropped off Uncle Nels and he got a $22 wristband to ride as many rides as he wanted for 3 hours. He had a BLAST. Then Olie and Alex came over and we had a bonfire in the backyard for hotdogs & smores.
Saturday we went downtown at 1:30pm and roped put out our chairs for the Lakefair Parade at 5pm, a great spot right by a speaker, a couple blocks past Union with the sun behind us.
Then on Sunday, the 19th, Olie, Alex, TaRon & I went downtown across from Hannah's with our chairs in a parking lot to watch the fireworks . (I thought the Lacey fireworks on July 3, were MUCH BETTER! )
They went home Monday afternoon and he had a couple days of quite, then Lucinda and Victor came back over to go to the SeaFair TorchLight Parade in Seattle on Sat. July 26. They had a GREAT time, PIRATES!, CLOWNS!, Lots of Floats, Bands, Horses, etc. Lucinda waved at EVERY thing in that parade. Her arm MUST have been tired!
Wed Dark Knight/Batman a surprise with me and Uncle Nels
Thurs - Lucinda & Victor spend night to leave in the morning
Friday - Seattle to see Blue Angles (got stuck in traffic for two plus hours coming home) had goodbye party planned at 5:30 with all TaRon's neighborhood Friends. We got here at 5:30. It all worked out, his friends got here around 6, and it turned out perfect. They all stayed until 10:30. I cut out the NOISY running around the yard at 8:30 and said if they wanted to stay we'd have quiet time and watch a movie. 'Call your parents and see if you can stay till the end. I'll drive or follow you home on your bike when the movie's over.' They watched Mark Walberg in Planet of the Apes. Must be from about 2000.
TaRon and I only had 3 hours to rest before we had to get up. We got home at 11:00pm and had to be up by 2:00 am to get to SeaTac for his 5:40 am departure for home. You have to get to the airport 90 minutes before your flight leaves to check in, and get through security. Plus, we had the one hour (at least) drive to Sea Tac to begin with.
Needless to say, THAT was a week that I KNEW was going to be TOO much for me especially that last day, and getting stuck on the freeway, leaving me NO TIME to prepare for the SURPRISE PARTY (it wasn't as much of a surprise as I had hoped), plus just the stress of stop and go, stop and go for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS -- STRESSFUL!!!
But, he got off and home in one piece with a GREAT summer under his belt.
No alcoholic issues, no drug issues, no drama or fights, just fun, fun, fun. Parades (3), He was in the Beach Crest (our neighborhood) 4th of July Parade, Lakefair/Olympia, Seafair Torchlight/Seattle, Blue Angels, Hydroplanes, swimming pool, slip-and-slide, bike riding, skate-boarding, Memorial Gathering Beach BBQ for Ernie, playing on the beach, going to his neighborhood friends' houses. Just a very stress-free summer!
He also helped me with my garden and can tell you the name of almost every one of my plants.
NOW, I'm resting. For the past week I have worked around the house and garden in the morning, then napped in the afternoons and evenings.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
OH MY GOSH, Brett's a Jet....
Well... That is going to be the STRANGEST thing ever. Green Bay with no Brett. NYJ with! It's been an ugly mess this Farve retire/unretire thing. McCarthy must have really insulted Brett cause he just was NOT going back there, even when it was pretty much a given he'd get his job back. Next thing you know, he's a JET. At least he gets to still wear green :).
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
100 Arrested in Kent Street Racing STING!!
I say, "YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!"
These kids have NO IDEA the chances they are taking. Mortality doesn't kick in until you're about 25, sometimes 30. Death is something that happens to someone ELSE.
Well, my son was KILLED by a drunk driver who thought he was going to follow in his father's footsteps of being a race car driver. One of HIS friends said, "Oh, David Butterton, his THING is going around corners sideways." Well he went around the MARKED 25 mph HARD LEFT CURVE on Union Mills Rd SIDEWAYS right into a TREE, killing my BEAUTIFUL son INSTANTLY.
Then had the nerve to go around town telling people he didn't think would tell, "Oh I'm going to walk I didn't blow very high." IS HE NUTS? Well he just got out of 3 1/2 years in prison for killing my boy. TWO YEARS EARLY for good time. Not much for murder in my mind. I think when you drive 80 mph ON PURPOSE you should get charged with MURDER! Not just vehicular homicide, that carries a 3 yr sentence. He did get an extra 24 months tagged on for having a previous DUI, *two years prior that he'd done nothing the court told him to do when he killed my boy.*
He was waiting on a probabtion violation hearing that had been postponed by his attorney Rick Cordes, several times. Then when he does show up for his hearing less than a month after THE CRASH, he walks in to court and low and behold my son and I are sitting there. What does he do? He looks over and says, "Hey." HEY?????? to the family of the kid you just killed. I thought my son was going to burst. I walked into the probation office and asked, "Why is that guy here? He killed my son and I want to know why he's here. Is he here about my son's death?" We had NO IDEA he had been on probation at the time of the crash until that day. Until that day I had really thought THE CRASH was just a horrible ACCIDENT. The blood work wasn't back yet, and we had NO IDEA about his history. Almost killed himself AND others in '95 in a freeway crash.
His sister was killed in a DUI crash in the early 90's, that people have said his other sister caused. Drunk driving home from the Evergreen Ballroom acting out and bumped the car from behind. She went home hid the car and went back to the scene to find her sister DEAD. She got away with it. The FAMILY told us this. NOW, this is hearsay, so I'm just repeating what was told to me. BUT it was told to me by about 30 people AND FAMILY MEMBERS! That's the sort of family he comes from.
So, there you have it. My commentary on drunk driving and these kids who think this racing is COOL. DEAD COOL!
These kids have NO IDEA the chances they are taking. Mortality doesn't kick in until you're about 25, sometimes 30. Death is something that happens to someone ELSE.
Well, my son was KILLED by a drunk driver who thought he was going to follow in his father's footsteps of being a race car driver. One of HIS friends said, "Oh, David Butterton, his THING is going around corners sideways." Well he went around the MARKED 25 mph HARD LEFT CURVE on Union Mills Rd SIDEWAYS right into a TREE, killing my BEAUTIFUL son INSTANTLY.
Then had the nerve to go around town telling people he didn't think would tell, "Oh I'm going to walk I didn't blow very high." IS HE NUTS? Well he just got out of 3 1/2 years in prison for killing my boy. TWO YEARS EARLY for good time. Not much for murder in my mind. I think when you drive 80 mph ON PURPOSE you should get charged with MURDER! Not just vehicular homicide, that carries a 3 yr sentence. He did get an extra 24 months tagged on for having a previous DUI, *two years prior that he'd done nothing the court told him to do when he killed my boy.*
He was waiting on a probabtion violation hearing that had been postponed by his attorney Rick Cordes, several times. Then when he does show up for his hearing less than a month after THE CRASH, he walks in to court and low and behold my son and I are sitting there. What does he do? He looks over and says, "Hey." HEY?????? to the family of the kid you just killed. I thought my son was going to burst. I walked into the probation office and asked, "Why is that guy here? He killed my son and I want to know why he's here. Is he here about my son's death?" We had NO IDEA he had been on probation at the time of the crash until that day. Until that day I had really thought THE CRASH was just a horrible ACCIDENT. The blood work wasn't back yet, and we had NO IDEA about his history. Almost killed himself AND others in '95 in a freeway crash.
His sister was killed in a DUI crash in the early 90's, that people have said his other sister caused. Drunk driving home from the Evergreen Ballroom acting out and bumped the car from behind. She went home hid the car and went back to the scene to find her sister DEAD. She got away with it. The FAMILY told us this. NOW, this is hearsay, so I'm just repeating what was told to me. BUT it was told to me by about 30 people AND FAMILY MEMBERS! That's the sort of family he comes from.
So, there you have it. My commentary on drunk driving and these kids who think this racing is COOL. DEAD COOL!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I've been GONE but I'll be back SOON......
Well, as ya'll have noticed and complained..... I am on summer/Grandson sabbatical.
My Ernie's son, he's 9, is here for 6-weeks. June 14 - Aug 2.
I have not had ONE MINUTE to sit down and post to my BLOG. Swimming, fishing, fairs, parades (local & Seattle's BIG evening Torchlight Parade last Saturday), lots of kids over (sometimes 3 or more for days on end.)
I just LOVE kids, so this is/has been like HEAVEN to me.
Well, of course I love kids, that's why I founded THE MOMS' HOUSE and YUP! (Youth Unlimited Partnership) back in '96. To assist disadvantaged youth, young mothers and everyone else along the way to FINISH SCHOOL, negotiate bureaucracy, and prepare for a PRODUCTIVE adulthood!
WELL............ I should be back to my BLOGGING by next week. My little guy leaves Saturday morning (have to have him at Sea Tac at 3:30 am Sat.)
See ya'll soon.....
My Ernie's son, he's 9, is here for 6-weeks. June 14 - Aug 2.
I have not had ONE MINUTE to sit down and post to my BLOG. Swimming, fishing, fairs, parades (local & Seattle's BIG evening Torchlight Parade last Saturday), lots of kids over (sometimes 3 or more for days on end.)
I just LOVE kids, so this is/has been like HEAVEN to me.
Well, of course I love kids, that's why I founded THE MOMS' HOUSE and YUP! (Youth Unlimited Partnership) back in '96. To assist disadvantaged youth, young mothers and everyone else along the way to FINISH SCHOOL, negotiate bureaucracy, and prepare for a PRODUCTIVE adulthood!
WELL............ I should be back to my BLOGGING by next week. My little guy leaves Saturday morning (have to have him at Sea Tac at 3:30 am Sat.)
See ya'll soon.....
Monday, June 16, 2008
US OPEN ~ Holy Moly, You See That Shot At The 18th???
Now, there's going to be an 18-hole playoff round on Monday with Tiger (ranked #1) and Rocco Mediate (ranked #158) . This guy Rocco must be thinking,
'What a THRILL! What if I WIN? I COULD WIN.?.? I COULD?.? Maybe Tiger's knee will give out, he must be REAL tired. But then it's Tiger. I saw that shot, he sure didn't look tired or in pain to me or ANYONE ... Tiger's going to pull out EVERYTHING to win. I've got to calm myself and not let all these THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE bother me and do my best.'
Sometimes Tiger really does outdo himself, and makes you WANT TO ROOT for him. Sometimes I'm like, "Let the other guys have a chance, but when he COMES CHARGING BACK like that and shows off his BIG TIME SKILLS coming from behind THEN I have to give him his props and root for him. BUT when he leads from start to finish, I'm like, "Pooy, I could care less."
So, for GOOD ratings, tell Tiger to lag behind then do his come from behind thing. Us fans, we love it!! And, not just Tiger, any player. Most folks LOVE THE UNDERDOG, I know I do.
That's it for me. Gotta post about my Celts!! Who let LAL win last night so they could win the Championship at home.....
(OK, I know they didn't LET them win)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Tim Russert YOU WERE A GREAT MAN
I HOPE YOU REST IN PEACE, and GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY.
I HOPE THAT SOMEHOW GOD GIVE THEM STRENGTH
ALL THE KIND WORD COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBEMUST BRING YOU COMFORT...
Mr. Russert, you were the PERFECT host for MEET THE PRESS. I am a pretty hip, but EVERY involved 54 yr old MOM, GRANDMA, AUNTIE DeeDee, FRIEND to MANY, community activist, mentor, honest, funny, politically involved citizen of a relatively small county (about 130,000) in the Pacific NW.
I have watched MTP for YEARS, but more the last few years and a lot more since your book came out. It really humanized you. Plus, I've been disabled since 2003, so I get to watch a lot more TV than I used to. Never had the free time on my hands that I do now (and it's not something I like, but my health is awful- pain, breathing, no energy YUK!!!) Now, I spend a lot of time on the couch watching CNN, and Sunday mornings are almost always tuned to MTP. If it's not there that I see you, I see you as a Special CNN Correspondent. You have turned into quite the IN-TER-VIEW-ER!!!
WELL, like Kanye says: JESUS WALKS.....
Say hello to my boy.. PLEASE. I miss him SO................................... MUCH!!! I am getting ready for his 4th Annual Memorial Gathering, Wednesday, July 9. It's been four years since THE CRASH. Doesn't seem possible that it's been four years since I've seen my beautiful, beautiful boy. My BEST BEST FRIEND. I miss his phone calls. Every day when he'd wake up, if I wasn't home, he'd call, "Where ya at? When ya gonna be home? What's up for dinner? Hey did you see that such and such got arrested???" :) We sure kept up on the police reports and the sports pages together.
Like Tim, his father, and son and his wife of course, and how close they were, I was to my boy, so I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW.... A shocking, unexpected passing like this hits you like a ton of bricks. I got through it OK and helped everyone else, then about two or three weeks after I fell apart. It's really taken me about three plus years and I'm finally trying to get back involved in some community activities, as best I can. But, I'm not well, so that has made it more difficult for me, and other hurtful extenuating circumstances.
MY PRAYERS ARE WITH TIM'S FAMILY, FRIENDS, all of his COLLEGUES, AND ADMIRERS AROUND THE WORLD. We have lost a great man this Tim Russert!
Tim I salute you!
I HOPE THAT SOMEHOW GOD GIVE THEM STRENGTH
ALL THE KIND WORD COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBEMUST BRING YOU COMFORT...
Mr. Russert, you were the PERFECT host for MEET THE PRESS. I am a pretty hip, but EVERY involved 54 yr old MOM, GRANDMA, AUNTIE DeeDee, FRIEND to MANY, community activist, mentor, honest, funny, politically involved citizen of a relatively small county (about 130,000) in the Pacific NW.
I have watched MTP for YEARS, but more the last few years and a lot more since your book came out. It really humanized you. Plus, I've been disabled since 2003, so I get to watch a lot more TV than I used to. Never had the free time on my hands that I do now (and it's not something I like, but my health is awful- pain, breathing, no energy YUK!!!) Now, I spend a lot of time on the couch watching CNN, and Sunday mornings are almost always tuned to MTP. If it's not there that I see you, I see you as a Special CNN Correspondent. You have turned into quite the IN-TER-VIEW-ER!!!
WELL, like Kanye says: JESUS WALKS.....
Say hello to my boy.. PLEASE. I miss him SO................................... MUCH!!! I am getting ready for his 4th Annual Memorial Gathering, Wednesday, July 9. It's been four years since THE CRASH. Doesn't seem possible that it's been four years since I've seen my beautiful, beautiful boy. My BEST BEST FRIEND. I miss his phone calls. Every day when he'd wake up, if I wasn't home, he'd call, "Where ya at? When ya gonna be home? What's up for dinner? Hey did you see that such and such got arrested???" :) We sure kept up on the police reports and the sports pages together.
Like Tim, his father, and son and his wife of course, and how close they were, I was to my boy, so I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW.... A shocking, unexpected passing like this hits you like a ton of bricks. I got through it OK and helped everyone else, then about two or three weeks after I fell apart. It's really taken me about three plus years and I'm finally trying to get back involved in some community activities, as best I can. But, I'm not well, so that has made it more difficult for me, and other hurtful extenuating circumstances.
MY PRAYERS ARE WITH TIM'S FAMILY, FRIENDS, all of his COLLEGUES, AND ADMIRERS AROUND THE WORLD. We have lost a great man this Tim Russert!
Tim I salute you!
Friday, June 13, 2008
What a CUTIE!!
Rajon Rondo #9 PG
2007-08 STATS
PPG - 10.6
APG - 5.1
SPG - 1.7
Birth Date February 22, 1986
Birth Place Louisville, KY
Height 6-1
Weight 171 lbs.
Age 22
Position PG
College Kentucky
Salary 2008: $1,229,280
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Guess I Wished Hard ENOUGH!!!
WHEW!!!!!
I LOVE IT.............. We are up 3-1, who'd a thunk??? Not me, that's for sure. I HAD to give the Lakers their PROPS. I was sure they were going to give the Celts a run for it. ALTHOUGH.... that last game the Celts played against Cleveland, and they did SO well in Boston.
It's going to be AWFULLY HARD for LA to win now. IN FACT, no other team has won the finals after being down 3 games to 1.
BUT, you can't look at like that, at least not the Celts. They have to go into the game on Sunday like they're down 1-3.
If the Celts let up even ONE IOTA Mr. MVP, Mr. 40 PPG, you get the gist, will get to work AND ... KILL 'EM!!!
You know it, I know it, and EVERYBODY WHO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BASKETBALL KNOWS IT!
With all that said here's some artwork to wet your appitite for eye candy...
I LOVE IT.............. We are up 3-1, who'd a thunk??? Not me, that's for sure. I HAD to give the Lakers their PROPS. I was sure they were going to give the Celts a run for it. ALTHOUGH.... that last game the Celts played against Cleveland, and they did SO well in Boston.
It's going to be AWFULLY HARD for LA to win now. IN FACT, no other team has won the finals after being down 3 games to 1.
BUT, you can't look at like that, at least not the Celts. They have to go into the game on Sunday like they're down 1-3.
If the Celts let up even ONE IOTA Mr. MVP, Mr. 40 PPG, you get the gist, will get to work AND ... KILL 'EM!!!
You know it, I know it, and EVERYBODY WHO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BASKETBALL KNOWS IT!
With all that said here's some artwork to wet your appitite for eye candy...
Notice I didn't BRAG when the Celts WON those first TWO games?
Cause I KNOW it ain't over till that ol' FAT LADY SINGS! But ain't this some comeback my Celts have made in the 4th quarter of game 4? Win or lose, they were down 24 and they and scratched and dug and made their way back.
If we could ONLY WIN THIS GAME.... WISH WISH WISH... I don't pray for these sorts of things.
I don't think you should call on GOD for sports, I guess unless you are on the team and then you can pray to play your best.
If we could ONLY WIN THIS GAME.... WISH WISH WISH... I don't pray for these sorts of things.
I don't think you should call on GOD for sports, I guess unless you are on the team and then you can pray to play your best.
MTV: Buzzworthy Artist of the Week N*E*R*D
Now, I have seen N*E*R*D, in person, twice now in the past two months, or is it three. April 16, in Seattle and June 3, in Portland. Both times with Kanye's GLOW IN THE DARK tour as one of the three opening acts. Lupe Fiasco, N*E*R*D and Rihanna. I have always had great respect for Pharrell, with all his production skills with EVERYONE it seems. Madonna, Britney, Sade (most recently), and Kanye (of course). The list goes on-and-on. AND he's a clean and sober guy. Has been! Doesn't smoke, you know, nor does he drink (not 100% on that one, but I'm pretty sure.) My boy met him in Seattle at KUBE before he passed and went on-and-on about it when he got home. "I met one of the Neptunes today." I guess he TRIED to smoke with him, but found out he didn't smoke! I think it was around that time that he himself quit. Maybe P had something to do with that, ya think?
CLEAR & CLEAN MINDS HAVE TIME
FOR ALL KINDS OF CREATIVITY!!!!
So, with all that commentary, here's the article from MTV Buzzworthy:
Check your iPod. If you don’t have any N.E.R.D. tracks (and if that’s true, then you need to get on it, so read on to avoid further pitying), then dollars to donuts, you’ve got something they’ve applied their Midas touch to as the Neptunes — their production operation. Madonna and Britney, Ludacris, Snoop, and Kanye — they’re currently backing him on his much-lauded Glow In the Dark tour. Hell, they’ve even remixed Sade.
Or, put another way: open up the Billboard charts, close your eyes and randomly point to an artist. Now open them. There’s an excellent chance the brain trust behind N.E.R.D. produced, remixed or will remix and/or produce that artist, taking already solid material to a new dimension you didn’t know existed but suddenly need a whole lot more of — the flavor of dream you’re not sure is the good or bad type, but you know it tastes better than being awake.
N.E.R.D. is Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley. Like a giant squid fused with a set of conjoined octopus twins, the end result of N.E.R.D.’s time spent behind the controls sounds like they’ve got a lot more than just six hands and 30 fingers on deck. And the tracks snap, crackle and pop with the hyperstimulated sizzle of sticking all 30 into 30 different electrical sockets.
“With the Neptunes,” N.E.R.D.’s Chad Hugo told Hamptonroads.com, “we have that ability to collaborate with artists, and they have their vision and we’re there to paint different scenarios. As N.E.R.D., what we put out is directly from our brains to the stage. We’re in our own shoes. We have the ability to be ourselves.” Right. Which is why they’re about to drop their third N.E.R.D. album, Seeing Sounds, (out tomorrow), named for the neurological phenomenon synesthesia, where your senses basically swap shoes for the day. The album’s a celebration of their genre-resistant, chopped-and-screwed, tilted-and-twisted sound, complete with that hypnotic sawtooth bass swagger, dirty-ass drumming, superfunked, sexed-up, spaced-out blips, beeps and bumps.
We always suspected these guys saw things we don’t. Turns out they see everything we don’t. And with N.E.R.D. — forever the sickest and coolest kids you know — piloting their musical spacecraft into complete sensory overload, we get to explore a whole new galaxy of songs, sounds and sights we’d never otherwise hear… or taste.
Watch N.E.R.D.’s new video, “Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing In Line for the Bathroom),” plus a few all-time N.E.R.D. classics, check out their MTV.com live peformances, watch an exclusive Buzzworthy interview with the Va Bee three, watch their exclusive Artist of the Week videos — including performance clips shot at Special Sauce in Bayshore, New York — and road trip clips, featuring Donnell Rawlings (Ashy Larry of Chappelle’s Show.)
SOURCE: MTVBuzzWorthy
Monday, June 9, 2008
This is SO.......... CUTE!!!
La petite mon ami... (I remember a tiny bit from Jr High French) J'entre don le salle de class. Uu, du, twa, cat, sank, seese, set, veet, nuf, deese. Obviously, I DO NOT remember the French spelling of one through ten, but I sorta remember how it sounds.
,
"Too much candy" II-The bonus scenes ! from Capucha on Vimeo.
,
"Too much candy" II-The bonus scenes ! from Capucha on Vimeo.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Kanye West NYC 5.15 - Can’t Tell Me Nothing
G-SHOCK EVENT Kanye does Can't Tell Me Nothing
You GOTTA see this! Check out the topless dancers with the space helmets, or whatever you call them. Pretty cool.....
SOURCE: ClickHere: KanyeLive.com
You GOTTA see this! Check out the topless dancers with the space helmets, or whatever you call them. Pretty cool.....
SOURCE: ClickHere: KanyeLive.com
What is N*E*R*D ?? I KNOW ~ Nels & I saw them in Portland w/Kanye on his GLOW IN THE DARK tour (6th row, right in the middle)
N*E*R*D was formed in 2001 by BAND MEMBERS Pharrell (Williams), Chad Hugo, & Shay Haley. N*E*R*D (pronounced ‘en ee are dee’, often referred to incorrectly as simply ‘nerd’) is the name of a group consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and their friend Shay Haley. It is hard to pigeon-hole the band into one genre; they are loosely a blend of rock, hip-hop, and R&B.
Pharrell explains; “What is a N*E*R*D? N*E*R*D stands for No one Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes are who we are and N*E*R*D is what we do. It’s our life. N*E*R*D is just a basic belief, man. People’s energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn’t destroyed.”
Williams and Hugo originally recorded the band’s debut album, In Search Of…, for European release in 2001 using similar digital production techniques used on Neptunes-produced records. However, they decided that if N*E*R*D was to be different from the Neptunes, it should sound different. This led to them re-recording the album (still titled In Search Of…) with the power pop band Spymob for worldwide release in 2002.In Search Of… achieved moderate success in the U.S.: the album reached number 59 on the Billboard 200; its first single, Lapdance, reached the top 40 on the modern rap charts; and its second single, Rock Star, reached the top 40 of the modern rock charts in the US. “Lapdance” also went top 40 in the Netherlands and its music video received heavy airplay on American MTV2. The album was well-received by critics even though it was not as successful as many of the Neptunes’ previous productions.The album won the second annual Shortlist Music Prize, awarded (by a group of musicians, journalists, and other music professionals) to the best album of the year which had sold less than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination. The band performed at the show, bragging that the week prior to the ceremony, the album had, in fact, achieved gold status by selling over 500,000 units.A 6.1 surround mix of this album was released by DTS Entertainment on a DVD-Audio disk in 2005 under catalog number 7243 8 11521 9 5.Fly or DieThe band recorded its second album Fly or Die during 2003. The band actually learned to play the tunes live, as Chad Hugo told MTV News on December 9, 2003: “We’re the ones playing the instruments live this time. “I just started playing guitar last year so I’m learning as we go. Pharrell’s playing drums. [Last time] we didn’t have time to learn certain instruments so we got Spymob to help us out.”The band also recruited some assistance to record the album with Lenny Kravitz playing on the track
Maybe (which has been featured in ads for XM Satellite Radio) and Joel Madden and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte playing on the track Jump. Several of the tracks discuss issues of particular concern to adolescents, for example Thrasher, which is about bullies; Drill Sergeant, about rebellion; and Backseat Love, which talks about first love.Fly or Die went on sale on March 22, 2004. The album has so far gone top 10 in the USA, while the lead-off single, She Wants To Move, has gone top 5 in the UK, top 20 in Norway, Ireland, and Denmark, and top 40 in Australia and the Netherlands. The music videos for “She Wants To Move” and its followup single, “Maybe”, have received strong support from the digital cable network VH1 Soul in America.‘Break Up’In March 2005, Williams told BBC Radio 1 that he was unhappy with the band’s direction under management at Virgin Records and therefore the group had “expired”. He later issued a statement through the group’s manager retracting his previous comments saying the band had not broken up.Upcoming albumIn an interview with Billboard.com in July 2006, Williams said that they will be heading back to the studio later in the year to begin recording a third N*E*R*D album.
Pharrell explains; “What is a N*E*R*D? N*E*R*D stands for No one Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes are who we are and N*E*R*D is what we do. It’s our life. N*E*R*D is just a basic belief, man. People’s energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn’t destroyed.”
Williams and Hugo originally recorded the band’s debut album, In Search Of…, for European release in 2001 using similar digital production techniques used on Neptunes-produced records. However, they decided that if N*E*R*D was to be different from the Neptunes, it should sound different. This led to them re-recording the album (still titled In Search Of…) with the power pop band Spymob for worldwide release in 2002.In Search Of… achieved moderate success in the U.S.: the album reached number 59 on the Billboard 200; its first single, Lapdance, reached the top 40 on the modern rap charts; and its second single, Rock Star, reached the top 40 of the modern rock charts in the US. “Lapdance” also went top 40 in the Netherlands and its music video received heavy airplay on American MTV2. The album was well-received by critics even though it was not as successful as many of the Neptunes’ previous productions.The album won the second annual Shortlist Music Prize, awarded (by a group of musicians, journalists, and other music professionals) to the best album of the year which had sold less than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination. The band performed at the show, bragging that the week prior to the ceremony, the album had, in fact, achieved gold status by selling over 500,000 units.A 6.1 surround mix of this album was released by DTS Entertainment on a DVD-Audio disk in 2005 under catalog number 7243 8 11521 9 5.Fly or DieThe band recorded its second album Fly or Die during 2003. The band actually learned to play the tunes live, as Chad Hugo told MTV News on December 9, 2003: “We’re the ones playing the instruments live this time. “I just started playing guitar last year so I’m learning as we go. Pharrell’s playing drums. [Last time] we didn’t have time to learn certain instruments so we got Spymob to help us out.”The band also recruited some assistance to record the album with Lenny Kravitz playing on the track
Maybe (which has been featured in ads for XM Satellite Radio) and Joel Madden and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte playing on the track Jump. Several of the tracks discuss issues of particular concern to adolescents, for example Thrasher, which is about bullies; Drill Sergeant, about rebellion; and Backseat Love, which talks about first love.Fly or Die went on sale on March 22, 2004. The album has so far gone top 10 in the USA, while the lead-off single, She Wants To Move, has gone top 5 in the UK, top 20 in Norway, Ireland, and Denmark, and top 40 in Australia and the Netherlands. The music videos for “She Wants To Move” and its followup single, “Maybe”, have received strong support from the digital cable network VH1 Soul in America.‘Break Up’In March 2005, Williams told BBC Radio 1 that he was unhappy with the band’s direction under management at Virgin Records and therefore the group had “expired”. He later issued a statement through the group’s manager retracting his previous comments saying the band had not broken up.Upcoming albumIn an interview with Billboard.com in July 2006, Williams said that they will be heading back to the studio later in the year to begin recording a third N*E*R*D album.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
TODAY IS THE DAY
I've kept quiet, just in case my son checked in here, but TODAY he and I are driving 110 miles to Portland to see Kanye and the Glow in the Dark concert with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rhianna and Kanye's unbelievable GLOW IN THE DARK lost-in-space one-man performance.
My son still has NO IDEA where we are going. In fact, even though I've been telling him for weeks we had something to do today, and again on Sunday not to go out and get drunk and have a hangover today (he's 26). When he went to bed at 4 am, (I was sleeping on the couch, and he woke me up,) I said, "You have to get up at 11 to get ready, we're leaving at noon," he said, "WHAT????" "I told you, we've got something to do today," and he trucked off with the dog to go to sleep. I had told him on Sunday we'd be leaving at noon, so he couldn't say ANYTHING! He'd had PLENTY of warning!
I was at the tour's first show in Seattle on April 16, with my step-daughter WAY up on the side of the stage. We really couldn't see the light show very well, so THIS TIME, I got 4-star seats in the first 20 rows. You don't find out where your seats are until you pick them up the day of the show.
SO, I'm hoping N.E.R.D. plays Everybody Nose. I just LOVE that song. I bounce around the house doing my chores to it. My E met Pharrell up at KUBE radio in Seattle back in 2003 I think. Could have been 2002. He was up there with Matt who did commercials for them.
Well, doubt I'll have time for any other posts today. GOT TO GET READY TO GO! It's raining and I don't even know what to wear....
My son still has NO IDEA where we are going. In fact, even though I've been telling him for weeks we had something to do today, and again on Sunday not to go out and get drunk and have a hangover today (he's 26). When he went to bed at 4 am, (I was sleeping on the couch, and he woke me up,) I said, "You have to get up at 11 to get ready, we're leaving at noon," he said, "WHAT????" "I told you, we've got something to do today," and he trucked off with the dog to go to sleep. I had told him on Sunday we'd be leaving at noon, so he couldn't say ANYTHING! He'd had PLENTY of warning!
I was at the tour's first show in Seattle on April 16, with my step-daughter WAY up on the side of the stage. We really couldn't see the light show very well, so THIS TIME, I got 4-star seats in the first 20 rows. You don't find out where your seats are until you pick them up the day of the show.
SO, I'm hoping N.E.R.D. plays Everybody Nose. I just LOVE that song. I bounce around the house doing my chores to it. My E met Pharrell up at KUBE radio in Seattle back in 2003 I think. Could have been 2002. He was up there with Matt who did commercials for them.
Well, doubt I'll have time for any other posts today. GOT TO GET READY TO GO! It's raining and I don't even know what to wear....
Sunday, June 1, 2008
My Celts Pulled it Off Friday Evening....
I've been SO.... busy (best friend over for dinner, then her daughter, 8 yr old, spent the weekend with Auntie) so haven't had time for posting.
I was, for the first time EVER, the first one to GRAB a plate on Friday to get in the living room to watch the game. Usually, when I'm entertaining I don't eat. BUT, dinner was SO.........good I HAD to get a plate. I barbecued salmon on the grill outside, had chili rellenos, ceasar salad, and fried rice. YUMMEEEE!!!
SO.. it will be the BOSTON Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers I AM SO.... EXCITED!!!
I will be rooting for the Celts. I know that may not be the favorite, but that's my choice, not because I'm sure they'll win, but because I'm a die hard FAN!
I was, for the first time EVER, the first one to GRAB a plate on Friday to get in the living room to watch the game. Usually, when I'm entertaining I don't eat. BUT, dinner was SO.........good I HAD to get a plate. I barbecued salmon on the grill outside, had chili rellenos, ceasar salad, and fried rice. YUMMEEEE!!!
SO.. it will be the BOSTON Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers I AM SO.... EXCITED!!!
I will be rooting for the Celts. I know that may not be the favorite, but that's my choice, not because I'm sure they'll win, but because I'm a die hard FAN!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My Spurs got the Shaft the other night, but the Celts are DOING IT!!
ALTHOUGH, the Pistons did their darnedest (is that a word??) with a, not so much run, but what do you say, picking away at their lead until there was NO LEAD at the end of the game. It was Garnett's two free throws with 3.2 to go that REALLY clinched it.... What was that? The Celts were WAY up and totally dominated the third quarter.
The BEST game I've ever been to was a Sunday Sonics v Suns (Sir Charles was playing then) and they (the Suns were up by 17 at the start of the fourth quarter). The Sonics whittled and whittled and whittled and WE SCREAMED AND SCREAMED AND SCREAMED until I, at least, had no voice (for two days following) and we WON THE GAME.
I think that was the year that Denver took us out in the first round, I could NOT watch the playoffs that year (literally made me ill) and I still have visions of Dikembe Mutombo lying on the floor holding the ball in jubilation. Pretty much the greatest upset in NBA playoff history.
Like I say, "IT AIN'T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS!!!"
REGGIE REGGIE REGGIE
That's all I gotta say!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Ever Notice that I Don't Talk About My Home Teams...
Another one slips away
Silva questions Mariners’ effort after fifth straight loss
RYAN DIVISH; ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
Published: May 25th, 2008 01:00 AM
NEW YORK – On a day when the general manager questioned the lack of leadership and accountability of the players, the Seattle Mariners showed hints of both – well, at least one player did.
It doesn’t change the fact the Mariners lost, 12-6, to the New York Yankees on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, and have dropped all five games they’ve played on this road trip and 12 of their past 17 to fall to 18-32.
But the fact starter Carlos Silva stood up and questioned the team’s recent efforts shows that impatience isn’t limited to fans and front-office personnel.
“If people played hard no matter what, you’re going to see a different game,” said Silva, who took the loss Saturday after giving up seven runs and 11 hits. “If you strike out or miss a play and you keep playing the game, you’re going to see a different game.”
Without naming names, Silva asked for some accountability from players.
“I hope they have that in mind – play hard no matter what,” he said. “If you have a bad at-bat, go out and play hard in the field. Some guys do and some guys don’t.”
There’s a level of acceptance on the team he finds troubling.
“It’s like guys in here have a bad game or whatever, and it’s great that you stay positive and stay with good attitude, but man, feel embarrassed, too,” he said. “I’d feel embarrassed. If you don’t feel embarrassed in this game when you’re struggling bad like this, it’s because you don’t care about it.”
Silva pointed to his last outing, a loss at Detroit in which he was rocked by the Tigers. He was ashamed to look his teammates in the eye the next day.
“The other day when I pitched against Detroit, I felt embarrassed,” he said. “I walked through clubhouse with no smile on my face. How could I smile in front of my teammates after that?”
Silva managed to go six innings Saturday, despite a marathon second inning. No other Mariners starter has lasted as long on this trip.
It’s a minor victory, to be sure, but that’s about the only kind the Mariners can find right now.
“After that inning, I said this isn’t going to get me out of the game. I kept fighting and kept battling and it was good,” Silva said. “And after that I had some success.”
And it allowed the Mariners to crawl back into the game. Seattle tied the score an inning later as Jose Vidro hit a three-run homer to right field and Adrian Beltre hit a sole homer to left.
“We got those runs back and we showed some life with our bats,” manager John McLaren said, clearly searching for positives.
The Yankees (24-25) regained the lead in the bottom of third when Melky Cabrera dropped in an RBI single to make it 5-4. But Silva held the Yankees in check until the sixth.
With two outs and nobody on, second baseman Jose Lopez booted a routine ground ball off the bat of Derek Jeter. Three pitches later, Bobby Abreu knocked Silva’s high change-up over the wall in left for a two-run homer.
Silva flashed his nasty side, stomping around the mound and wearing the look of crazed man. He wasn’t angry at Lopez; he was upset at himself.
“I didn’t pick my team up,” Silva said. “I got mad because I should have got out of that inning no matter what. …
“And I gave up the homer, he comes to me and says, ‘My bad.’ That’s why you always want to pick up your teammates.”
Silva finished off the inning, and his day was done.
“I said to myself today, no matter what happens, I’m going to fight today,” Silva said. “I wish that everybody had that in mind, too.”
McLaren appreciated the effort.
“That’s Silva,” McLaren said. “He battles and gives it everything he’s got.”
Not that it mattered. The game got out of hand as the Yankees tacked on five runs in the seventh, rendering Richie Sexson’s two-run homer in the eighth meaningless.
“It’s a very, very difficult, trying time,” Raul Ibañez said. “This is when you find out what you’re made of. This is a time when you dig deep and find out what the hell you’re made of.”
blogs.thenewstribune.com/mariners
SOURCE: The Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE
Silva questions Mariners’ effort after fifth straight loss
RYAN DIVISH; ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
Published: May 25th, 2008 01:00 AM
NEW YORK – On a day when the general manager questioned the lack of leadership and accountability of the players, the Seattle Mariners showed hints of both – well, at least one player did.
It doesn’t change the fact the Mariners lost, 12-6, to the New York Yankees on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, and have dropped all five games they’ve played on this road trip and 12 of their past 17 to fall to 18-32.
But the fact starter Carlos Silva stood up and questioned the team’s recent efforts shows that impatience isn’t limited to fans and front-office personnel.
“If people played hard no matter what, you’re going to see a different game,” said Silva, who took the loss Saturday after giving up seven runs and 11 hits. “If you strike out or miss a play and you keep playing the game, you’re going to see a different game.”
Without naming names, Silva asked for some accountability from players.
“I hope they have that in mind – play hard no matter what,” he said. “If you have a bad at-bat, go out and play hard in the field. Some guys do and some guys don’t.”
There’s a level of acceptance on the team he finds troubling.
“It’s like guys in here have a bad game or whatever, and it’s great that you stay positive and stay with good attitude, but man, feel embarrassed, too,” he said. “I’d feel embarrassed. If you don’t feel embarrassed in this game when you’re struggling bad like this, it’s because you don’t care about it.”
Silva pointed to his last outing, a loss at Detroit in which he was rocked by the Tigers. He was ashamed to look his teammates in the eye the next day.
“The other day when I pitched against Detroit, I felt embarrassed,” he said. “I walked through clubhouse with no smile on my face. How could I smile in front of my teammates after that?”
Silva managed to go six innings Saturday, despite a marathon second inning. No other Mariners starter has lasted as long on this trip.
It’s a minor victory, to be sure, but that’s about the only kind the Mariners can find right now.
“After that inning, I said this isn’t going to get me out of the game. I kept fighting and kept battling and it was good,” Silva said. “And after that I had some success.”
And it allowed the Mariners to crawl back into the game. Seattle tied the score an inning later as Jose Vidro hit a three-run homer to right field and Adrian Beltre hit a sole homer to left.
“We got those runs back and we showed some life with our bats,” manager John McLaren said, clearly searching for positives.
The Yankees (24-25) regained the lead in the bottom of third when Melky Cabrera dropped in an RBI single to make it 5-4. But Silva held the Yankees in check until the sixth.
With two outs and nobody on, second baseman Jose Lopez booted a routine ground ball off the bat of Derek Jeter. Three pitches later, Bobby Abreu knocked Silva’s high change-up over the wall in left for a two-run homer.
Silva flashed his nasty side, stomping around the mound and wearing the look of crazed man. He wasn’t angry at Lopez; he was upset at himself.
“I didn’t pick my team up,” Silva said. “I got mad because I should have got out of that inning no matter what. …
“And I gave up the homer, he comes to me and says, ‘My bad.’ That’s why you always want to pick up your teammates.”
Silva finished off the inning, and his day was done.
“I said to myself today, no matter what happens, I’m going to fight today,” Silva said. “I wish that everybody had that in mind, too.”
McLaren appreciated the effort.
“That’s Silva,” McLaren said. “He battles and gives it everything he’s got.”
Not that it mattered. The game got out of hand as the Yankees tacked on five runs in the seventh, rendering Richie Sexson’s two-run homer in the eighth meaningless.
“It’s a very, very difficult, trying time,” Raul Ibañez said. “This is when you find out what you’re made of. This is a time when you dig deep and find out what the hell you’re made of.”
blogs.thenewstribune.com/mariners
SOURCE: The Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE
Celts Had it From the Opening Bell
It was 11-0 to start the game. Now, I didn't get TOO excited, but you knew from the start the Celts had one thing on their minds, WINNING.
This monkey on their backs, going winless on the road in the playoff up until now, with 6 losses, didn't seem to have gottne in their heads one bit.
I'm down for a SPURS v CELTICS (although it's looking like I'm going to have to settle for LAL) finals. WE'LL SEE.....
This monkey on their backs, going winless on the road in the playoff up until now, with 6 losses, didn't seem to have gottne in their heads one bit.
I'm down for a SPURS v CELTICS (although it's looking like I'm going to have to settle for LAL) finals. WE'LL SEE.....
My motto is:
IT AIN'T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS.
Anything can happen on any given Sunday. (You know what I mean!)
Tornado Destroys PIG FARM in Oklahoma
I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE PIGS ARE??????
I just watched the video on TV....
I'm just sitting here wondering -
Were those PIGS flying all over kingdom come?
OMGosh
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Baseball Players Ratify Tougher Drug Policy (IT'S ABOUT TIME)
SOURCE: ESPN.com
NEW YORK (AP) -- Baseball players approved a toughened drug agreement Friday -- the last possible day for ratification.
The sides announced the agreement April 11 and owners ratified it on May 14. The deal increases the frequency of tests and the authority of the program's independent administrator, among the recommendations made in December by baseball drug investigator George Mitchell.
The new rules -- which mark the third major overhaul since the joint drug program began in 2002 -- went into force immediately upon ratification.
As part of the deal, 15-day suspensions assessed against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons were rescinded and commissioner Bud Selig agreed not to discipline players implicated in December's Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
THANK GOODNESS!!!
NEW YORK (AP) -- Baseball players approved a toughened drug agreement Friday -- the last possible day for ratification.
The sides announced the agreement April 11 and owners ratified it on May 14. The deal increases the frequency of tests and the authority of the program's independent administrator, among the recommendations made in December by baseball drug investigator George Mitchell.
The new rules -- which mark the third major overhaul since the joint drug program began in 2002 -- went into force immediately upon ratification.
As part of the deal, 15-day suspensions assessed against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons were rescinded and commissioner Bud Selig agreed not to discipline players implicated in December's Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
THANK GOODNESS!!!
Diamondbacks' Doug Davis Pitches 7 innings in First Start After Thyroid Surgery
With his parents in the stands Davis pitched great and had PLENTY of help from his pals, who scored 11 runs last night, winning 11-1.
For all the cancer patients out there, this is GREAT to see.
For all the cancer patients out there, this is GREAT to see.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Myanmar is FINALLY accepting aid.
For GOODNESS SAKE... Relief workers have been waiting holed up just six hundred, if not closer, miles away with tons of supplies; medicines, WATER.
It's said that 180,000 have DIED, and 2 million are homeless. CAN YOU EVEN FATHOM????
Having been a relief worker of sorts, for over 10 years, I know how it can be gearing up to go do what you gotta do. OF COURSE I never had ANYTHING like that, but I had friends who worked for FEMA who have been to some of the hurricanes.
Mine was going and putting out forest fires and "I" stayed in base camp taking care of the finances, like making sure all the fire fighters, trucks, low-boys, helicopers, sanicans, etc., got paid for. Time-on, time-off, Sign 'em in, then sign 'em out and code everything everyday dependent opon whether or not the fire was under control and whether or not the person, or equipment was in route there to back home, it WAS NOT EASY!!! that's for sure. AND, if it was DECLARED a disaster, MORE CODING!!!!!! Go back and CHANGE the coding for 1,000 fire-fighters and all the private's their equipment.
Now, let me tell you, what I did out there was totally ruffing it. Sleep in a tent for 7 -21 days, eat at chest high tables standing up outside under tents. Use sani-cans, work in a HOT HOT trailer. Get bit by mosquitos up the ying yang. YES it was plenty fun... Oh and did I mention we'd start at about 4:30 am, and go to bed about 10:30 at night. Somewhere during the day, after the say, third day, you get a break in the afternoon for an hour or so to take a shower. Now that shower could be in a shower trailer. And it may not be hot or even warm.
Now, the onw good thing about going out on fires is the PEOPLE. The friends I made over the 19 years of being on the same team. Plus, it would be like old home week, every time I'd go out. Plus, in order to get through something like that, 16 hours a day working for up to 10 days straight before they'd try to get you an R & R day at a motel near by, is to have FUN with your co-workers. They are great people or they wouldn't get in this fire business. TOO HARD of work.
Oh yes, the other good thing is the FOOD. Hot breakfast cooked by the inmate forestry camp kitchen that's assigned to your team. Sack lunches bought from a company that're delivered to the fire base camp by refrigerator truck, then a REALLY GOOD dinner cooked by the inmate crew. Usually it would be steak, salad, potatoes, vegetables, cake. I mean the it would be EXCELLENT.
OK, I've got to go shopping so I"m done with all that for now. I've got a picture of the Myanmar government officials.
It's said that 180,000 have DIED, and 2 million are homeless. CAN YOU EVEN FATHOM????
Having been a relief worker of sorts, for over 10 years, I know how it can be gearing up to go do what you gotta do. OF COURSE I never had ANYTHING like that, but I had friends who worked for FEMA who have been to some of the hurricanes.
Mine was going and putting out forest fires and "I" stayed in base camp taking care of the finances, like making sure all the fire fighters, trucks, low-boys, helicopers, sanicans, etc., got paid for. Time-on, time-off, Sign 'em in, then sign 'em out and code everything everyday dependent opon whether or not the fire was under control and whether or not the person, or equipment was in route there to back home, it WAS NOT EASY!!! that's for sure. AND, if it was DECLARED a disaster, MORE CODING!!!!!! Go back and CHANGE the coding for 1,000 fire-fighters and all the private's their equipment.
Now, let me tell you, what I did out there was totally ruffing it. Sleep in a tent for 7 -21 days, eat at chest high tables standing up outside under tents. Use sani-cans, work in a HOT HOT trailer. Get bit by mosquitos up the ying yang. YES it was plenty fun... Oh and did I mention we'd start at about 4:30 am, and go to bed about 10:30 at night. Somewhere during the day, after the say, third day, you get a break in the afternoon for an hour or so to take a shower. Now that shower could be in a shower trailer. And it may not be hot or even warm.
Now, the onw good thing about going out on fires is the PEOPLE. The friends I made over the 19 years of being on the same team. Plus, it would be like old home week, every time I'd go out. Plus, in order to get through something like that, 16 hours a day working for up to 10 days straight before they'd try to get you an R & R day at a motel near by, is to have FUN with your co-workers. They are great people or they wouldn't get in this fire business. TOO HARD of work.
Oh yes, the other good thing is the FOOD. Hot breakfast cooked by the inmate forestry camp kitchen that's assigned to your team. Sack lunches bought from a company that're delivered to the fire base camp by refrigerator truck, then a REALLY GOOD dinner cooked by the inmate crew. Usually it would be steak, salad, potatoes, vegetables, cake. I mean the it would be EXCELLENT.
OK, I've got to go shopping so I"m done with all that for now. I've got a picture of the Myanmar government officials.
SHAME OF THEM FOR TAKING SO LONG AND
LETTING THEIR POOR CITIZENS SUFFER!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Senator Kennedy is Being Released from Hospital
He has a malignant tumor that is most certainly fatal. He wants to go home and go sailing. He could have up to a couple of years. But, who knows.
This is very SAD for me. All I can do a sign....
This is very SAD for me. All I can do a sign....
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Ain't this a B ~ Spurs end up having to sleep on the plane
The San Antonio Spurs, fresh off a Game 7 win over the New Orleans Hornets, were planning a quick getaway to Los Angeles to prepare to face the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
Instead, they spent the night in their grounded plane in New Orleans.
The Spurs' departure from New Orleans after eliminating the Hornets 91-82 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals was delayed several hours after their plane had mechanical problems, the team said Tuesday.
The team could not find hotel rooms in the city, so the players had to sleep on the plane, team spokesman Cliff Puchalski said.
"We slept on the plane -- as much as you can sleep," Puchalski said. "We tried to keep some normal semblance of order."
Puchalski said the team slept on the plane with the mechanical problems before boarding another plane that was brought in from Minneapolis. The team took off about 6:30 a.m. Central time, Puchalski said, and landed in Los Angeles about four hours later.
San Antonio uses the charter company Champion Air, which has announced it is ceasing all operations at the end of May.
Instead, they spent the night in their grounded plane in New Orleans.
The Spurs' departure from New Orleans after eliminating the Hornets 91-82 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals was delayed several hours after their plane had mechanical problems, the team said Tuesday.
The team could not find hotel rooms in the city, so the players had to sleep on the plane, team spokesman Cliff Puchalski said.
"We slept on the plane -- as much as you can sleep," Puchalski said. "We tried to keep some normal semblance of order."
Puchalski said the team slept on the plane with the mechanical problems before boarding another plane that was brought in from Minneapolis. The team took off about 6:30 a.m. Central time, Puchalski said, and landed in Los Angeles about four hours later.
San Antonio uses the charter company Champion Air, which has announced it is ceasing all operations at the end of May.
I feel certain my son read this article. It really upset him that the Hip Hop Community stuck by R Kelly telling me "He's ruined those girls' lives."
This is LONG and I'm sorry. It's a June 9, 2002 story from the Chicago Sun Times.
R. Kelly: Inspirational singer or perverted swinger?
Discovered at a barbecue, he hit it big — but some saw dark cloud over R. Kelly
June 9, 2002
BY JIM DeROGATIS and ABDON M. PALLASCH Staff Reporters
Who is the real R. Kelly?
Is the R&B superstar the inspiring gospel preacher behind uplifting anthems such as "I Believe I Can Fly," "I Wish" and "The World's Greatest"?
Or is the South Sider the self-professed "sexual super freak" of raunchy bedroom shakers like "Bump N' Grind," "I Like the Crotch on You" and "Feelin' On Yo Booty"?
The answer is that 35-year-old Robert Sylvester Kelly is both, as well as a private, tormented individual who has been urged repeatedly over the last decade by friends and associates to seek help for what they call a "compulsion" to pursue underage girls, these sources have told the Sun-Times.
Since launching his career in 1992, Kelly has sold more than 23 million albums. If not a household name, he has nonetheless been hailed as the most important R&B singer, producer and songwriter of his generation — a familiar icon dressed in foreboding black leather and shades or a resplendent white suit with bowler hat and cane.
Last week, fans saw the 6-foot-3 Kelly looking small in a prison-issue orange jumpsuit, holding back tears as he appeared before a judge to pay the $750,000 bail that was set after he was indicted Wednesday on 21 counts of child pornography.
Law enforcement officials said the investigation is ongoing and more charges may follow. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also has launched a probe into the family of the girl in the alleged child-porn tape. Whatever the coming weeks bring, one thing is certain: The sexual super freak and the gospel preacher have experienced a tragic fall from grace.
'I knew I had something'
The third of four children, Kelly was born in the South on Jan. 8, 1967. His family moved to Chicago when he was a toddler. His mother, Joann, was a teacher and a devout Baptist. Little is known about his father, who was missing through most of his youth.
The family lived for a time in the projects on 63rd Street, and later in a small house at 107th and Parnell. Kelly would return to this home some 25 years later, using the front porch as the setting in the video for "I Wish."
A shy, introspective and somewhat effeminate boy, Kelly often turned to his mother for protection when his two brothers teased and picked on him. He told Vibe magazine that he enjoyed eavesdropping on his mother, aunt and sister as they gossiped at the kitchen table as much as he enjoyed playing basketball with his brothers on the playground.
Former associates and family members say that he was abused as a child by an older man in the neighborhood, and this pushed his withdrawal from his male peers.
Kelly has often told the press that he was shot at age 13 when some thugs tried to steal his Huffy bicycle. But his mother told a former associate on her deathbed that her son had in fact invented the story to cover a suicide attempt. He reportedly still carries the bullet in his shoulder.
Music entered Kelly's life through his mother, who introduced him to the albums of her favorite soul singer, Donny Hathaway. "He had a sexual texture in his voice that I always wanted in mine," Kelly told the Sun-Times' Dave Hoekstra in 1994. "He had smooth, soulful tones, but he was spiritual at the same time."
In 1979, Hathaway committed suicide at age 33 by jumping off the 15th floor of the Essex House Hotel in New York. "I cried like a baby when I found out he passed away," Kelly said.
Aware of his sensitive nature, Joann worked hard to win Robert admittance to Hyde Park's prestigious Kenwood Academy. As a freshman there, he met the second woman who would became a major influence in his life, music teacher Lena McLin. The niece of gospel great Thomas A. Dorsey, McLin's other celebrated pupils include Chaka Khan and Da Brat.
McLin taught her students bel canto, a style of operatic singing that stresses vocal precision and evenness of tone. In the second week, she called on Kelly to sing at the front of the class. He did so reluctantly, but she recognized his talent instantly. "If they were ashamed of themselves, I'd make them stand in front of the mirror," she told Vibe. "I asked them, 'Do you think God made a mistake? He could've made you a roach!' "
McLin talked Kelly into wearing dark glasses and singing Stevie Wonder's 1982 hit "Ribbon in the Sky" at a high school talent show.
"That night it was like Spider-Man being bit," Kelly told Hoekstra. "I discovered this power. I knew I had something then."
'The eye of the tiger'
Kelly got poor grades at Kenwood, and he never graduated. Friends and former associates say he can barely read or do basic math, and he is extremely insecure about these shortcomings. But his innate musical talents provided the route out of poverty.
Accompanying himself on a portable Casio keyboard, Kelly performed for spare change on L platforms. One day he collected $400. He was singing at a backyard barbecue in Pill Hill when he was discovered by Wayne Williams, who ran the Midwest regional office of Jive Records.
"I was inside the house and Robert was performing outside," Williams recalled. "I saw this guy who had all the steps down, real choreographed. You could tell he put a lot into it, which is something you usually don't see, especially at a backyard barbecue. It was the eye of the tiger."
Kelly already had a manager, Eric Payton, but it was time for more powerful representation. Payton was bought out by Barry Hankerson, a major player in the black music world who has been married to Gladys Knight, produced shows on Broadway and continues to manage Toni Braxton, among others.
After revelations about the videotape prosecutors call child porn, Kelly said that "former managers" were trying to ruin him with damaging revelations. He refused to name his alleged enemies, saying that his lawyers have advised against it. Both Payton and Hankerson declined to be interviewed for this story.
In 1991, Kelly struck a deal with Jive, the label that would become home to 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. At the time, new jack swing and vocal groups such as Boyz II Men still ruled the R&B world, and it was decided that Kelly should be introduced to the public as part of a band.
His first album, "Born into the '90s," was credited to R. Kelly and Public Announcement — though he was front and center in the photos, produced the disc and took credit for all the lead vocals. By January 1993, a year after its release, the disc had sold a million copies.
"I thank my mother for her guidance and for being there for me through the good times and the bad," Kelly wrote in the liner notes. He also thanked "my music teacher and pastor," McLin, though he misspelled her name.
Kelly split from Public Announcement a short time later, and it was with his first solo album in November 1993 that he broke wide open. Propelled by the down and dirty single "Bump N' Grind," "12 Play" sold more than five million copies.
R. Kelly had arrived, but even before he officially became a millionaire, he was allegedly abusing the privileges of fame.
Chicagoan Tiffany Hawkins said in a lawsuit that she began having sex with Kelly in 1991, when she was 15, sometimes as part of group scenes involving other minors. The terms of the settlement forbid Hawkins from talking, but a friend who says she participated in group sex with Kelly and Hawkins when she was 16 (and who was prepared to testify about this at trial) said the star met the two girls for the first time when he returned to Kenwood to speak to McLin's choir class.
Sources say teachers at Kenwood warned students that Kelly often returned to "cruise" young girls. Asked about the Hawkins lawsuit in December 2000, McLin said, "I don't know what he did outside of school. But in the school, there was no hanky panky. If they were involved in that, the sad thing is, it takes two to tango."
Kelly's relationship with Hawkins ended in 1994, when she turned 18, according to her suit. She charged that Kelly had promised to help her career as a singer, and he never did. The split left her so devastated that she attempted suicide, she said.
Hawkins filed her suit on Christmas Eve 1996. Her attorney, Susan Loggans, had warned Kelly the suit was coming. In a preemptive strike, Kelly sued Hawkins first, charging that she was trying to blackmail him on paternity charges.
No evidence was ever presented for that claim. Hawkins' court papers never mentioned a paternity charge, and Kelly's claim was eventually dismissed. But Kelly's publicist leaked his side of the story to gossip columnists at the Sun-Times and the New York Daily News.
Hawkins was effectively discredited as a gold digger, and the damning allegations in her lawsuit were never reported anywhere in the press until a December 2000 story in the Sun-Times.
In 1996, a Kelly spokesman told the Daily News that the star would fight Hawkins' suit. "Many celebrities are constantly being harassed and sued, and more often than not, they decide to settle," he said. "Kelly has decided, 'No way.' "
But sources say Kelly reconsidered that hard-line position and paid Hawkins a quarter of a million dollars Jan. 23, 1998, just four days after she gave a 71/2-hour deposition about the singer's sexual proclivities. A party privy to that deposition (which has been sealed by the court) said the charges were "hair-raising."
"It all started to go wrong for Robert with that Hawkins case," said a friend of Hawkins' who worked as one of Kelly's dancers. "The brother's got problems, and he should have learned from the Hawkins case and got help for them."
'Nothing but a number'
Kelly met Aaliyah D. Haughton, a talented Detroit native and Hankerson's niece, when she was 12. In June 1994, when she was 15, she released her multiplatinum debut, which had been produced by Kelly.
In the title track, which Kelly wrote, Aaliyah sang, "Age ain't nothing but a number/Throwing down ain't nothing but a thang/This something I have for you, it'll never change."
Sources say that Kelly and Aaliyah had been having an intimate relationship for several months at that point, and that after his mother and McLin, Aaliyah was the only woman he has ever truly loved. "If he never loved anybody, he loved her," a former associate said. "If nothing else was genuine about him, his love for that young lady was, and I don't think her age had anything to do with it."
In a December 1994 interview, Aaliyah told the Sun-Times she never had a romantic relationship with Kelly. Kelly has always avoided discussing Aaliyah, but in December 2000, his spokeswoman, Regina Daniels, said, "Rob did date Aaliyah, yes he did, and he did have a relationship with Aaliyah, yes he did, and past that, unfortunately, it didn't work out."
On Aug. 31, 1994, Kelly surprised Aaliyah by taking her to a room at the Sheraton Gateway Suites in Rosemont. Waiting there were a minister, the Rev. Nathan J. Edmond, and a falsified marriage certificate listing Aaliyah's age as 18. It had been secured with fake I.D. by one of Kelly's assistants, sources said. Kelly was 27.
Edmond has refused to speak about that day, but a certificate on file with the Cook County clerk says that he pronounced the star and his young protege man and wife. Family members say Aaliyah thought it was all an elaborate "game," and she just went along with it. Within hours, she realized what had happened, and she went to her family and sought their help.
The family separated the couple, and Aaliyah never saw Kelly again. The marriage was annulled a few weeks later in Detroit, where records have been sealed.
Revelations of the marriage caused a public scandal in 1994, and several publications printed the marriage certificate. But while Illinois law makes it illegal for adult men to have sex with girls under 17, police and prosecutors never investigated.
Aaliyah went on to work with other producers, including Timbaland, and to launch a successful career as an actress. She died in a plane crash Aug. 25, 2001.
"Aaliyah's gone. and I have a lot of respect for Aaliyah and her parents," Kelly said in an interview with BET last month. "I really don't think it's fair to say anything doing with Aaliyah, because I really don't think Aaliyah deserves that."
'Like a real freak'
The Aaliyah scandal did not hurt Kelly's career. In September 1995, the single he produced for Michael Jackson, "You Are Not Alone," became the first No. 1 hit for the King of Pop since his own well-publicized sex scandal. (Jackson paid a reported $15 million to the family of a 13-year-old boy with whom he'd allegedly had sexual relations.)
Kelly also produced hits for Celine Dion (the No. 1 smash "I'm Your Angel") and Toni Braxton ("I Don't Want To"). In November 1996, he released his third album, titled simply "R. Kelly." The next month, he scored his biggest hit.
"I Believe I Can Fly" was included on the soundtrack of "Space Jam," the children's film co-starring a live-action Michael Jordan and an animated Bugs Bunny. Kelly has claimed to be a personal friend of Jordan's, but a former associate says they were never close. "Michael would not ever show up to where he told Robert he would be," the associate said. "I don't think they ever got in each other's presence but once or twice."
An uplifting anthem driven by a gospel choir, "I Believe I Can Fly" offers the inspiring message that with faith in oneself, any obstacle can be overcome. "See I was on the verge of breaking down/Sometimes silence can seem so loud/There are miracles in life I must achieve/But first I know it starts inside of me," Kelly sang.
The tune hit No. 2 on the pop charts, won three Grammys, and became a staple at weddings, high school proms and church services.
"Sex is not the most important thing in my life — I get as much satisfaction from preaching to kids as anything else," Kelly told the Voice. But he continued to sing about earthier concerns as well.
"Get in the club 'bout twelvish/Me and my homies hoochie huntin'," he sang on "Hump Bounce." Onstage, he would feign intercourse with his dancers during "Like A Real Freak." Then, moments later, he'd introduce "I Wish," dropping to his knees to offer a tearful prayer to his mother, who died from cancer in 1993.
Many fans found these abrupt shifts between the transcendent and the venal, the inspirational and the X-rated jarring. And friends and associates say Kelly's devotion to his family was largely an act.
When Joann Kelly was dying, she had to check into the hospital under an assumed name because she could not pay her medical bills, two Kelly associates said. They added that long after her son had become a millionaire, his mother drove an old beater that she had to hot-wire to start.
Kelly has been estranged from his brothers for years. In a recent interview with Chicago radio personality Doug Banks, one brother, Keri Kelly, said he had never been to the house in Lake View where Robert lived for six years. (Kelly sold the George Street home, the alleged scene of the child-porn tape, for $2.25 million in April, several weeks after the existence of the tape was reported by the Sun-Times.)
While the singer portrayed his sister as lovingly braiding his hair in the video for "I Wish," associates say she worked as his housekeeper for several years, earning $400 a week.
Onstage, some of Kelly's handlers tried to remake him "Pygmalion"-style into a smooth and suave soul man like his hero, Hathaway. But the image he liked to project was that of the "R&B Thug" (to borrow the title of another of his songs), bringing the streetwise persona of the gangsta rapper into the more polite world of R&B.
Kelly was never as tough as he pretended to be. In July 1996, he and members of his entourage were involved in a fight with three men on a basketball court in Lafayette, La. The star spent several hours in jail, and associates say the experience left him a mental and physical wreck.
He vowed that he would never again do time behind bars.
The singer's personal habits are crude. He often goes days without showering, friends and associates say. He told Vibe magazine he often wears the same pair of pants three days in a row. But his magnetism and fame are such that countless women are drawn to him.
"He is a master manipulator," said one woman who had a relationship with Kelly when she was 17. (She asked that she not be identified.) This woman and three former Kelly associates said the star was adept at making young women think they were the center of his universe, and he often alienated them from friends and family members.
"He will sit at the piano and write a song for you right there on the spot, and women will just melt for him," said a former personal assistant.
In 1996, Kelly married the former Andrea Lee, a 22-year-old dancer from his touring troupe. The couple now have two daughters and a son, Robert Jr., who was born just a few weeks ago.
People in the singer's camp reportedly call Lee "Puppydog," and Kelly associates say she is required to knock before entering a room in their house if he is at home hanging out with friends.
Kelly's sexual pursuits did not come to a halt after the marriage.
One of Kelly's former personal assistants, who spoke to the Sun-Times on the condition that he not be named, said that he split with the star in the mid-'90s because of the Aaliyah incident, and because Kelly continued to seek out underage girls, some as young as 14.
Kelly's approach (which several sources said was typical) was described by a Los Angeles woman he seduced in 1999, when she was 17.
She had visited the set of the video shoot for "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time," and one of Kelly's assistants pressed something into the palm of her hand.
The singer had written his cell phone number on a tiny balled-up piece of paper. She called, and a relationship began.
Despite the scandal involving his niece, Hankerson remained as Kelly's manager for several years, but they split in 1998. Sources said Hankerson could not abide by his client's behavior, and that he agreed to waive money owed him if Kelly sought psychiatric help. The star refused.
Two other former associates say they also urged Kelly to get help for what they called "an ongoing compulsion." But when they approached the star with these concerns, he refused to listen to them. Both eventually split from Kelly.
Kelly's label, Jive Records, was named as a party in the Hawkins lawsuit in 1996, and Kelly associates reportedly warned label head Clive Calder about Kelly's behavior in 1998. Calder was traveling in Europe last week and could not be reached. Jive issued this statement: "R. Kelly has been with Jive Records for 11 years and we fully support him and his music."
Damning video evidence
Kelly's fifth album, "TP-2.com," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart in November 2000. That same month, the star was honored by the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, receiving one of its first Legacy Awards for philanthropic efforts on behalf of the community. Kelly has given generously to numerous charities, though the Rev. James Meeks, his spiritual adviser, says the star has never donated to Meeks' Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
A few weeks later, in December 2000, the Sun-Times first exposed Kelly's pattern of pursuing underage girls. At the time, the Special Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police had been probing the singer's behavior for two years.
Kelly apparently continued to cavort with minors even after the Sun-Times story, court papers allege. In the second of three civil suits filed against the star by Loggans, Tracy Sampson, a 17-year-old intern at Epic Records and a student at Columbia College, said Kelly promised to help her career as a rapper and coerced her into a sexual relationship that began in April 2000 and continued through March 2001.
As he had with Hawkins, Kelly settled this suit, paying Sampson an undisclosed sum of money. The star also settled with a third girl represented by Loggans. In that case, the payment was made even before the lawsuit was filed. The settlement agreement prohibits Loggans from revealing any details about the case, but the plaintiff was an underage girl from Minneapolis, sources said.
In early 2001, several weeks after the first expose, the Sun-Times received an anonymous videotape that appears to depict Kelly and a young light-skinned black girl having sexual relations in a wood-paneled sauna room. Sources said Kelly had two identical rooms in his houses on George Street and in Olympia Fields. The tape was given to police, who have yet to determine the girl's age and identity.
A second, far more damning tape surfaced a year later, in February 2002.
This second videotape, which was also sent anonymously to the Sun-Times, was 26 minutes and 39 seconds long. It depicts a man, apparently Kelly, engaging in numerous sexual activities including urination with a 14-year-old girl, who was identified for the Sun-Times by her aunt.
Hours after receiving the tape, the Sun-Times turned it over to police, who promptly began investigating.
Last Wednesday, based on this second video, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of videotaping and producing child pornography and enticing a minor to participate in child pornography.
In an interview with BET on May 8, Kelly said he is not the man in the tape. Last week, his criminal defense attorney, Ed Genson, declined to say whether the man is Kelly. Instead, he said he would prove in court that the girl in the tape was over 18.
Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine said the tape was authenticated by the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Va., and experts there said it is not a forgery. The quality of the original tape is crystal-clear, and the man who appears to be Kelly pauses several times in the action to adjust the camera angle.
The girl and her parents told the grand jury that she is not the girl in the tape. But the jurors heard from about 50 witnesses, including the girl's aunt, who identified Kelly, the girl, or both.
Months before the grand jury was impaneled, the girl's aunt said she thinks Kelly paid a cash settlement to the girl and her parents. Genson said no such settlement has been made. DCFS said Friday that it has reopened a probe of the girl and her family.
Kelly's world crumbles
Kelly will appear in court June 26 to face child pornography charges. Meanwhile, police and prosecutors say the investigation continues. Charges of sex with a minor are also being considered, and new evidence is being examined. Kelly also faces two ongoing civil suits.
For weeks before the indictment, several variations of a bootleg R. Kelly sex tape were available on street corners across America, as well as on the Internet — $10 for VHS, $15 for DVD.
Most of these tapes compile three scenes: the first tape sent to the Sun-Times with the girl who remains unidentified; a second scene with Martina Woods, an adult dancer who tours with Kelly friend and collaborator Ronald Isley, and the third, 26-minute videotape described in the indictment.
Police Supt. Terry Hillard warned Wednesday that anyone owning or selling one of these tapes has child pornography, and is subject to prosecution.
Two weeks ago, Woods sued Kelly for $50,000, saying she was unaware that she was being videotaped when she had sex with the singer at Chicago Trax Recording Studio.
A fourth woman represented by Loggans, Patrice Jones, also filed suit in late April alleging that she had sex with Kelly between 20 and 30 times before her 17th birthday. Kelly has vowed not to settle this case. "The ATM is closed," his longtime civil attorney Gerald Margolis said.
Loggans is representing a fifth woman with allegations against Kelly, and yet another lawsuit is pending.
Even before the indictment was announced last week, Kelly's peers in the music world had begun to distance themselves, with artists such as Dr. Dre, Nas, Sisqo and P. Diddy speaking against him. Kelly's last album, a joint effort with chart-topping rapper Jay-Z, was a commercial flop because Jay-Z refused to tour, make a video, or do any interviews with Kelly after revelations about the videotape.
After the child pornography charges surfaced, several radio stations across the country pulled Kelly's music from their play lists.
Kelly said Friday he eagerly awaits his day in court. But none of the associates who broke from his camp in the last few years are optimistic about the outcome.
Said one of Kelly's former personal assistants: "I really don't want to see him go to jail; I really don't. He should have confessed all of this when he had the chance and gotten some help."
The former dancer said: "I don't want him to go to jail, but there has got to come a point when you take responsibility for your actions, and that time has come."In the song "I Wish" from his last solo album, the gospel preacher seemed to predict the day that has now arrived for the sexual super freak. "And now you hear my songs the radio is playin'," Kelly sang. "Oh I can't believe my ears and what everybody's sayin'/Boy, I tell you folks don't know the half.
R. Kelly: Inspirational singer or perverted swinger?
Discovered at a barbecue, he hit it big — but some saw dark cloud over R. Kelly
June 9, 2002
BY JIM DeROGATIS and ABDON M. PALLASCH Staff Reporters
Who is the real R. Kelly?
Is the R&B superstar the inspiring gospel preacher behind uplifting anthems such as "I Believe I Can Fly," "I Wish" and "The World's Greatest"?
Or is the South Sider the self-professed "sexual super freak" of raunchy bedroom shakers like "Bump N' Grind," "I Like the Crotch on You" and "Feelin' On Yo Booty"?
The answer is that 35-year-old Robert Sylvester Kelly is both, as well as a private, tormented individual who has been urged repeatedly over the last decade by friends and associates to seek help for what they call a "compulsion" to pursue underage girls, these sources have told the Sun-Times.
Since launching his career in 1992, Kelly has sold more than 23 million albums. If not a household name, he has nonetheless been hailed as the most important R&B singer, producer and songwriter of his generation — a familiar icon dressed in foreboding black leather and shades or a resplendent white suit with bowler hat and cane.
Last week, fans saw the 6-foot-3 Kelly looking small in a prison-issue orange jumpsuit, holding back tears as he appeared before a judge to pay the $750,000 bail that was set after he was indicted Wednesday on 21 counts of child pornography.
Law enforcement officials said the investigation is ongoing and more charges may follow. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also has launched a probe into the family of the girl in the alleged child-porn tape. Whatever the coming weeks bring, one thing is certain: The sexual super freak and the gospel preacher have experienced a tragic fall from grace.
'I knew I had something'
The third of four children, Kelly was born in the South on Jan. 8, 1967. His family moved to Chicago when he was a toddler. His mother, Joann, was a teacher and a devout Baptist. Little is known about his father, who was missing through most of his youth.
The family lived for a time in the projects on 63rd Street, and later in a small house at 107th and Parnell. Kelly would return to this home some 25 years later, using the front porch as the setting in the video for "I Wish."
A shy, introspective and somewhat effeminate boy, Kelly often turned to his mother for protection when his two brothers teased and picked on him. He told Vibe magazine that he enjoyed eavesdropping on his mother, aunt and sister as they gossiped at the kitchen table as much as he enjoyed playing basketball with his brothers on the playground.
Former associates and family members say that he was abused as a child by an older man in the neighborhood, and this pushed his withdrawal from his male peers.
Kelly has often told the press that he was shot at age 13 when some thugs tried to steal his Huffy bicycle. But his mother told a former associate on her deathbed that her son had in fact invented the story to cover a suicide attempt. He reportedly still carries the bullet in his shoulder.
Music entered Kelly's life through his mother, who introduced him to the albums of her favorite soul singer, Donny Hathaway. "He had a sexual texture in his voice that I always wanted in mine," Kelly told the Sun-Times' Dave Hoekstra in 1994. "He had smooth, soulful tones, but he was spiritual at the same time."
In 1979, Hathaway committed suicide at age 33 by jumping off the 15th floor of the Essex House Hotel in New York. "I cried like a baby when I found out he passed away," Kelly said.
Aware of his sensitive nature, Joann worked hard to win Robert admittance to Hyde Park's prestigious Kenwood Academy. As a freshman there, he met the second woman who would became a major influence in his life, music teacher Lena McLin. The niece of gospel great Thomas A. Dorsey, McLin's other celebrated pupils include Chaka Khan and Da Brat.
McLin taught her students bel canto, a style of operatic singing that stresses vocal precision and evenness of tone. In the second week, she called on Kelly to sing at the front of the class. He did so reluctantly, but she recognized his talent instantly. "If they were ashamed of themselves, I'd make them stand in front of the mirror," she told Vibe. "I asked them, 'Do you think God made a mistake? He could've made you a roach!' "
McLin talked Kelly into wearing dark glasses and singing Stevie Wonder's 1982 hit "Ribbon in the Sky" at a high school talent show.
"That night it was like Spider-Man being bit," Kelly told Hoekstra. "I discovered this power. I knew I had something then."
'The eye of the tiger'
Kelly got poor grades at Kenwood, and he never graduated. Friends and former associates say he can barely read or do basic math, and he is extremely insecure about these shortcomings. But his innate musical talents provided the route out of poverty.
Accompanying himself on a portable Casio keyboard, Kelly performed for spare change on L platforms. One day he collected $400. He was singing at a backyard barbecue in Pill Hill when he was discovered by Wayne Williams, who ran the Midwest regional office of Jive Records.
"I was inside the house and Robert was performing outside," Williams recalled. "I saw this guy who had all the steps down, real choreographed. You could tell he put a lot into it, which is something you usually don't see, especially at a backyard barbecue. It was the eye of the tiger."
Kelly already had a manager, Eric Payton, but it was time for more powerful representation. Payton was bought out by Barry Hankerson, a major player in the black music world who has been married to Gladys Knight, produced shows on Broadway and continues to manage Toni Braxton, among others.
After revelations about the videotape prosecutors call child porn, Kelly said that "former managers" were trying to ruin him with damaging revelations. He refused to name his alleged enemies, saying that his lawyers have advised against it. Both Payton and Hankerson declined to be interviewed for this story.
In 1991, Kelly struck a deal with Jive, the label that would become home to 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. At the time, new jack swing and vocal groups such as Boyz II Men still ruled the R&B world, and it was decided that Kelly should be introduced to the public as part of a band.
His first album, "Born into the '90s," was credited to R. Kelly and Public Announcement — though he was front and center in the photos, produced the disc and took credit for all the lead vocals. By January 1993, a year after its release, the disc had sold a million copies.
"I thank my mother for her guidance and for being there for me through the good times and the bad," Kelly wrote in the liner notes. He also thanked "my music teacher and pastor," McLin, though he misspelled her name.
Kelly split from Public Announcement a short time later, and it was with his first solo album in November 1993 that he broke wide open. Propelled by the down and dirty single "Bump N' Grind," "12 Play" sold more than five million copies.
R. Kelly had arrived, but even before he officially became a millionaire, he was allegedly abusing the privileges of fame.
Chicagoan Tiffany Hawkins said in a lawsuit that she began having sex with Kelly in 1991, when she was 15, sometimes as part of group scenes involving other minors. The terms of the settlement forbid Hawkins from talking, but a friend who says she participated in group sex with Kelly and Hawkins when she was 16 (and who was prepared to testify about this at trial) said the star met the two girls for the first time when he returned to Kenwood to speak to McLin's choir class.
Sources say teachers at Kenwood warned students that Kelly often returned to "cruise" young girls. Asked about the Hawkins lawsuit in December 2000, McLin said, "I don't know what he did outside of school. But in the school, there was no hanky panky. If they were involved in that, the sad thing is, it takes two to tango."
Kelly's relationship with Hawkins ended in 1994, when she turned 18, according to her suit. She charged that Kelly had promised to help her career as a singer, and he never did. The split left her so devastated that she attempted suicide, she said.
Hawkins filed her suit on Christmas Eve 1996. Her attorney, Susan Loggans, had warned Kelly the suit was coming. In a preemptive strike, Kelly sued Hawkins first, charging that she was trying to blackmail him on paternity charges.
No evidence was ever presented for that claim. Hawkins' court papers never mentioned a paternity charge, and Kelly's claim was eventually dismissed. But Kelly's publicist leaked his side of the story to gossip columnists at the Sun-Times and the New York Daily News.
Hawkins was effectively discredited as a gold digger, and the damning allegations in her lawsuit were never reported anywhere in the press until a December 2000 story in the Sun-Times.
In 1996, a Kelly spokesman told the Daily News that the star would fight Hawkins' suit. "Many celebrities are constantly being harassed and sued, and more often than not, they decide to settle," he said. "Kelly has decided, 'No way.' "
But sources say Kelly reconsidered that hard-line position and paid Hawkins a quarter of a million dollars Jan. 23, 1998, just four days after she gave a 71/2-hour deposition about the singer's sexual proclivities. A party privy to that deposition (which has been sealed by the court) said the charges were "hair-raising."
"It all started to go wrong for Robert with that Hawkins case," said a friend of Hawkins' who worked as one of Kelly's dancers. "The brother's got problems, and he should have learned from the Hawkins case and got help for them."
'Nothing but a number'
Kelly met Aaliyah D. Haughton, a talented Detroit native and Hankerson's niece, when she was 12. In June 1994, when she was 15, she released her multiplatinum debut, which had been produced by Kelly.
In the title track, which Kelly wrote, Aaliyah sang, "Age ain't nothing but a number/Throwing down ain't nothing but a thang/This something I have for you, it'll never change."
Sources say that Kelly and Aaliyah had been having an intimate relationship for several months at that point, and that after his mother and McLin, Aaliyah was the only woman he has ever truly loved. "If he never loved anybody, he loved her," a former associate said. "If nothing else was genuine about him, his love for that young lady was, and I don't think her age had anything to do with it."
In a December 1994 interview, Aaliyah told the Sun-Times she never had a romantic relationship with Kelly. Kelly has always avoided discussing Aaliyah, but in December 2000, his spokeswoman, Regina Daniels, said, "Rob did date Aaliyah, yes he did, and he did have a relationship with Aaliyah, yes he did, and past that, unfortunately, it didn't work out."
On Aug. 31, 1994, Kelly surprised Aaliyah by taking her to a room at the Sheraton Gateway Suites in Rosemont. Waiting there were a minister, the Rev. Nathan J. Edmond, and a falsified marriage certificate listing Aaliyah's age as 18. It had been secured with fake I.D. by one of Kelly's assistants, sources said. Kelly was 27.
Edmond has refused to speak about that day, but a certificate on file with the Cook County clerk says that he pronounced the star and his young protege man and wife. Family members say Aaliyah thought it was all an elaborate "game," and she just went along with it. Within hours, she realized what had happened, and she went to her family and sought their help.
The family separated the couple, and Aaliyah never saw Kelly again. The marriage was annulled a few weeks later in Detroit, where records have been sealed.
Revelations of the marriage caused a public scandal in 1994, and several publications printed the marriage certificate. But while Illinois law makes it illegal for adult men to have sex with girls under 17, police and prosecutors never investigated.
Aaliyah went on to work with other producers, including Timbaland, and to launch a successful career as an actress. She died in a plane crash Aug. 25, 2001.
"Aaliyah's gone. and I have a lot of respect for Aaliyah and her parents," Kelly said in an interview with BET last month. "I really don't think it's fair to say anything doing with Aaliyah, because I really don't think Aaliyah deserves that."
'Like a real freak'
The Aaliyah scandal did not hurt Kelly's career. In September 1995, the single he produced for Michael Jackson, "You Are Not Alone," became the first No. 1 hit for the King of Pop since his own well-publicized sex scandal. (Jackson paid a reported $15 million to the family of a 13-year-old boy with whom he'd allegedly had sexual relations.)
Kelly also produced hits for Celine Dion (the No. 1 smash "I'm Your Angel") and Toni Braxton ("I Don't Want To"). In November 1996, he released his third album, titled simply "R. Kelly." The next month, he scored his biggest hit.
"I Believe I Can Fly" was included on the soundtrack of "Space Jam," the children's film co-starring a live-action Michael Jordan and an animated Bugs Bunny. Kelly has claimed to be a personal friend of Jordan's, but a former associate says they were never close. "Michael would not ever show up to where he told Robert he would be," the associate said. "I don't think they ever got in each other's presence but once or twice."
An uplifting anthem driven by a gospel choir, "I Believe I Can Fly" offers the inspiring message that with faith in oneself, any obstacle can be overcome. "See I was on the verge of breaking down/Sometimes silence can seem so loud/There are miracles in life I must achieve/But first I know it starts inside of me," Kelly sang.
The tune hit No. 2 on the pop charts, won three Grammys, and became a staple at weddings, high school proms and church services.
"Sex is not the most important thing in my life — I get as much satisfaction from preaching to kids as anything else," Kelly told the Voice. But he continued to sing about earthier concerns as well.
"Get in the club 'bout twelvish/Me and my homies hoochie huntin'," he sang on "Hump Bounce." Onstage, he would feign intercourse with his dancers during "Like A Real Freak." Then, moments later, he'd introduce "I Wish," dropping to his knees to offer a tearful prayer to his mother, who died from cancer in 1993.
Many fans found these abrupt shifts between the transcendent and the venal, the inspirational and the X-rated jarring. And friends and associates say Kelly's devotion to his family was largely an act.
When Joann Kelly was dying, she had to check into the hospital under an assumed name because she could not pay her medical bills, two Kelly associates said. They added that long after her son had become a millionaire, his mother drove an old beater that she had to hot-wire to start.
Kelly has been estranged from his brothers for years. In a recent interview with Chicago radio personality Doug Banks, one brother, Keri Kelly, said he had never been to the house in Lake View where Robert lived for six years. (Kelly sold the George Street home, the alleged scene of the child-porn tape, for $2.25 million in April, several weeks after the existence of the tape was reported by the Sun-Times.)
While the singer portrayed his sister as lovingly braiding his hair in the video for "I Wish," associates say she worked as his housekeeper for several years, earning $400 a week.
Onstage, some of Kelly's handlers tried to remake him "Pygmalion"-style into a smooth and suave soul man like his hero, Hathaway. But the image he liked to project was that of the "R&B Thug" (to borrow the title of another of his songs), bringing the streetwise persona of the gangsta rapper into the more polite world of R&B.
Kelly was never as tough as he pretended to be. In July 1996, he and members of his entourage were involved in a fight with three men on a basketball court in Lafayette, La. The star spent several hours in jail, and associates say the experience left him a mental and physical wreck.
He vowed that he would never again do time behind bars.
The singer's personal habits are crude. He often goes days without showering, friends and associates say. He told Vibe magazine he often wears the same pair of pants three days in a row. But his magnetism and fame are such that countless women are drawn to him.
"He is a master manipulator," said one woman who had a relationship with Kelly when she was 17. (She asked that she not be identified.) This woman and three former Kelly associates said the star was adept at making young women think they were the center of his universe, and he often alienated them from friends and family members.
"He will sit at the piano and write a song for you right there on the spot, and women will just melt for him," said a former personal assistant.
In 1996, Kelly married the former Andrea Lee, a 22-year-old dancer from his touring troupe. The couple now have two daughters and a son, Robert Jr., who was born just a few weeks ago.
People in the singer's camp reportedly call Lee "Puppydog," and Kelly associates say she is required to knock before entering a room in their house if he is at home hanging out with friends.
Kelly's sexual pursuits did not come to a halt after the marriage.
One of Kelly's former personal assistants, who spoke to the Sun-Times on the condition that he not be named, said that he split with the star in the mid-'90s because of the Aaliyah incident, and because Kelly continued to seek out underage girls, some as young as 14.
Kelly's approach (which several sources said was typical) was described by a Los Angeles woman he seduced in 1999, when she was 17.
She had visited the set of the video shoot for "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time," and one of Kelly's assistants pressed something into the palm of her hand.
The singer had written his cell phone number on a tiny balled-up piece of paper. She called, and a relationship began.
Despite the scandal involving his niece, Hankerson remained as Kelly's manager for several years, but they split in 1998. Sources said Hankerson could not abide by his client's behavior, and that he agreed to waive money owed him if Kelly sought psychiatric help. The star refused.
Two other former associates say they also urged Kelly to get help for what they called "an ongoing compulsion." But when they approached the star with these concerns, he refused to listen to them. Both eventually split from Kelly.
Kelly's label, Jive Records, was named as a party in the Hawkins lawsuit in 1996, and Kelly associates reportedly warned label head Clive Calder about Kelly's behavior in 1998. Calder was traveling in Europe last week and could not be reached. Jive issued this statement: "R. Kelly has been with Jive Records for 11 years and we fully support him and his music."
Damning video evidence
Kelly's fifth album, "TP-2.com," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart in November 2000. That same month, the star was honored by the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, receiving one of its first Legacy Awards for philanthropic efforts on behalf of the community. Kelly has given generously to numerous charities, though the Rev. James Meeks, his spiritual adviser, says the star has never donated to Meeks' Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
A few weeks later, in December 2000, the Sun-Times first exposed Kelly's pattern of pursuing underage girls. At the time, the Special Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police had been probing the singer's behavior for two years.
Kelly apparently continued to cavort with minors even after the Sun-Times story, court papers allege. In the second of three civil suits filed against the star by Loggans, Tracy Sampson, a 17-year-old intern at Epic Records and a student at Columbia College, said Kelly promised to help her career as a rapper and coerced her into a sexual relationship that began in April 2000 and continued through March 2001.
As he had with Hawkins, Kelly settled this suit, paying Sampson an undisclosed sum of money. The star also settled with a third girl represented by Loggans. In that case, the payment was made even before the lawsuit was filed. The settlement agreement prohibits Loggans from revealing any details about the case, but the plaintiff was an underage girl from Minneapolis, sources said.
In early 2001, several weeks after the first expose, the Sun-Times received an anonymous videotape that appears to depict Kelly and a young light-skinned black girl having sexual relations in a wood-paneled sauna room. Sources said Kelly had two identical rooms in his houses on George Street and in Olympia Fields. The tape was given to police, who have yet to determine the girl's age and identity.
A second, far more damning tape surfaced a year later, in February 2002.
This second videotape, which was also sent anonymously to the Sun-Times, was 26 minutes and 39 seconds long. It depicts a man, apparently Kelly, engaging in numerous sexual activities including urination with a 14-year-old girl, who was identified for the Sun-Times by her aunt.
Hours after receiving the tape, the Sun-Times turned it over to police, who promptly began investigating.
Last Wednesday, based on this second video, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of videotaping and producing child pornography and enticing a minor to participate in child pornography.
In an interview with BET on May 8, Kelly said he is not the man in the tape. Last week, his criminal defense attorney, Ed Genson, declined to say whether the man is Kelly. Instead, he said he would prove in court that the girl in the tape was over 18.
Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine said the tape was authenticated by the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Va., and experts there said it is not a forgery. The quality of the original tape is crystal-clear, and the man who appears to be Kelly pauses several times in the action to adjust the camera angle.
The girl and her parents told the grand jury that she is not the girl in the tape. But the jurors heard from about 50 witnesses, including the girl's aunt, who identified Kelly, the girl, or both.
Months before the grand jury was impaneled, the girl's aunt said she thinks Kelly paid a cash settlement to the girl and her parents. Genson said no such settlement has been made. DCFS said Friday that it has reopened a probe of the girl and her family.
Kelly's world crumbles
Kelly will appear in court June 26 to face child pornography charges. Meanwhile, police and prosecutors say the investigation continues. Charges of sex with a minor are also being considered, and new evidence is being examined. Kelly also faces two ongoing civil suits.
For weeks before the indictment, several variations of a bootleg R. Kelly sex tape were available on street corners across America, as well as on the Internet — $10 for VHS, $15 for DVD.
Most of these tapes compile three scenes: the first tape sent to the Sun-Times with the girl who remains unidentified; a second scene with Martina Woods, an adult dancer who tours with Kelly friend and collaborator Ronald Isley, and the third, 26-minute videotape described in the indictment.
Police Supt. Terry Hillard warned Wednesday that anyone owning or selling one of these tapes has child pornography, and is subject to prosecution.
Two weeks ago, Woods sued Kelly for $50,000, saying she was unaware that she was being videotaped when she had sex with the singer at Chicago Trax Recording Studio.
A fourth woman represented by Loggans, Patrice Jones, also filed suit in late April alleging that she had sex with Kelly between 20 and 30 times before her 17th birthday. Kelly has vowed not to settle this case. "The ATM is closed," his longtime civil attorney Gerald Margolis said.
Loggans is representing a fifth woman with allegations against Kelly, and yet another lawsuit is pending.
Even before the indictment was announced last week, Kelly's peers in the music world had begun to distance themselves, with artists such as Dr. Dre, Nas, Sisqo and P. Diddy speaking against him. Kelly's last album, a joint effort with chart-topping rapper Jay-Z, was a commercial flop because Jay-Z refused to tour, make a video, or do any interviews with Kelly after revelations about the videotape.
After the child pornography charges surfaced, several radio stations across the country pulled Kelly's music from their play lists.
Kelly said Friday he eagerly awaits his day in court. But none of the associates who broke from his camp in the last few years are optimistic about the outcome.
Said one of Kelly's former personal assistants: "I really don't want to see him go to jail; I really don't. He should have confessed all of this when he had the chance and gotten some help."
The former dancer said: "I don't want him to go to jail, but there has got to come a point when you take responsibility for your actions, and that time has come."In the song "I Wish" from his last solo album, the gospel preacher seemed to predict the day that has now arrived for the sexual super freak. "And now you hear my songs the radio is playin'," Kelly sang. "Oh I can't believe my ears and what everybody's sayin'/Boy, I tell you folks don't know the half.
I AM SO................. Upset and SAD
Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
OMGosh, I could go on-and-on about the Kennedy's. I personally watched little John-John salute at his father's casket as it passed the US Capitol building on November 26, 1963. I was in the 3rd grade.
I sat and watched Teddy's speak at the 1980 Democratic Convention, one of the three best speeches I have EVER heard. It was a concession speech. Chappaquidic had done him in. I remember that too. Jimmy Carter went on to become the nominee.
I am VERY MUCH a Kennedy follower and fan. They were the ones who made my life.
"Ask NOT what your Country can do for you.
Ask what you can do for your Country."
It turned me into a GIVER. Are you a Giver or a Taker?
How many of us "baby boomers" will remember that?
What is a baby boomer anyway?
Livesteez.com's article about Diddy's Video Post re: GLOW
SOURCE: LIVESTEEZ.com
Much to the rap star's dismay, the music critic at Entertainment Weekly was not blown away by Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour show, calling it "the ultimate ego-trip." A couple weeks after the less-than-flattering review and the subsequent trademark Kanye hissy, another rapper/producer has come forward and praised West's work and the tour specifically: Sean "Diddy" Combs credits the show for reigniting his love for hip-hop.In a recent video blog, Combs recounts the 1986 Run DMC concert that inspired him to pursue a life in entertainment. The mogul goes on to admit to being unimpressed by the bulk of hip-hop's current output, which has caused his love for the genre to dwindle. Diddy hen calls Kanye out as an exception, praising his fellow artis in what he calls a "keep-it-real moment." "I want to say thank you, Kanye, for giving me that," he says. "I'm back in love with Hip-Hop - thanks to my man," Diddy says, closing the video blog.West is currently headlining the U.S. leg of his tour with support from N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco and Rihanna. The tour has attracted a huge celebrity following with stars including Ryan Phillippe and Jamie Foxx, newlyweds Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz and Gwen Stefani with husband Gavin Rossdale, who were all spotted in attendance at the Los Angeles concert last month.Kanye was named MTV's Hottest MC in the Game recently. The top 10 list is as follows:1. Kanye West2. Jay-Z3. Lil Wayne4. Rick Ross5. Snoop Dogg6. 50 Cent7. Lupe Fiasco8. Young Jeezy9. Andre 300010. T.I
Much to the rap star's dismay, the music critic at Entertainment Weekly was not blown away by Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour show, calling it "the ultimate ego-trip." A couple weeks after the less-than-flattering review and the subsequent trademark Kanye hissy, another rapper/producer has come forward and praised West's work and the tour specifically: Sean "Diddy" Combs credits the show for reigniting his love for hip-hop.In a recent video blog, Combs recounts the 1986 Run DMC concert that inspired him to pursue a life in entertainment. The mogul goes on to admit to being unimpressed by the bulk of hip-hop's current output, which has caused his love for the genre to dwindle. Diddy hen calls Kanye out as an exception, praising his fellow artis in what he calls a "keep-it-real moment." "I want to say thank you, Kanye, for giving me that," he says. "I'm back in love with Hip-Hop - thanks to my man," Diddy says, closing the video blog.West is currently headlining the U.S. leg of his tour with support from N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco and Rihanna. The tour has attracted a huge celebrity following with stars including Ryan Phillippe and Jamie Foxx, newlyweds Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz and Gwen Stefani with husband Gavin Rossdale, who were all spotted in attendance at the Los Angeles concert last month.Kanye was named MTV's Hottest MC in the Game recently. The top 10 list is as follows:1. Kanye West2. Jay-Z3. Lil Wayne4. Rick Ross5. Snoop Dogg6. 50 Cent7. Lupe Fiasco8. Young Jeezy9. Andre 300010. T.I
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
