Puffy and J-Lo dating again?

Welp, it didn't take long. The nightmares of J-Lo saying the "d" word (divorce) have just started for soon-to-be-ex Marc Anthony yet rumors are swrling that Lopez has been seeing her ex Sean "Puffy" Combs. The two were spotted at Phillipe Chow with the classic one-person-enter-followed-by-the-other-a-few-minutes-later move made famous by celebrities who front like they're not together.

It has been said that Lopez got in contact with Puff the minute her marriage started to unravel. No doubt they took the opportunity to catch up during Diddy-Dirty Money's performance on American Idol where Lopez is a judge.

Didn't J-Lo break up with this dude when ish got thick during the whole Shyne-gun debacle? What about the jabs thrown on "Ain't It Funny" and "I Need A Girl Part 2"?

Lopez better be careful, in Part 1 of the aforementioned "I Need A Girl" Puff poured his heart out to that special girl saying he wished she woulda "had my child". If they are really hooking up I can expect J-Lo to be expecting by the end of the year. Don't think Puffy would pass up another opportunity with Jenny from the Block.

My question is what happens to Cassie?

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

On Saturday the world lost another talented musician way too soon. This time it was Amy Winehouse who, like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Janis Joplin before her, died at age 27 on Saturday. Winehouse who has battled drug and alcohol addiction is best known for her autobiographical 2006 hit "Rehab" which was so catchy Jay-Z jumped on a remixed version of the song.

Officially the cause of death is unknown, but judging from the performance below from last month I have a pretty good idea. Very sad when someone so talented can't win the battle with her inner demons.





R.I.P. Amy

Mets will not trade Jose Reyes this season

Break up the Mets. In fact, don't.

The first statement is usually made in jest when a bad team is performing well by going on a winning streak of three or more games. The New York Mets, fresh off a walk-off win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, are hanging around in the race for playoff contention when many believed they would be long out of the running by the trade deadline.

Speaking of which, the Mets will reportedly not trade All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes by the July 31st trade deadline. A non-move that they had to make. Reyes is in a walk year and he just happens to be having one of the best seasons of any player, let alone a Mets player. This will make it more difficult to sign Reyes at the end of the year, but Reyes says he wants to remain in New York.

Mets fans can only hope.

On my mind

For some reason the early 90's Hip Hop group "Da Youngstas" have been on my mind lately. I can't get this

song out of my head for some reason. The beat is sick.

And who could forget when we first saw the brothers Goodman (Tajii and Qu'ran) and cousin (Tarik)

"Pass da Mic" ?

They got older and became the "Illy Funkstas"

Very underrated group.

Six Years Strong

Six years ago today I married the love of my life in the middle of a raging hurricane at the Half Moon resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. With every passing year it is reaffirmed that I made the right decision. My wife has taught me how to be a better man by telling me what she expects of me as a husband, and being a source of consistent support even when things are not always going according to plan.

In this Hollywood world of instant gratification, quick marriages, and faster divorces, it is very rare to find that person that has your back through thick and thin, good times and bad, financial hardship and great wealth. I thank God for my wife because she wants the best for me and will not accept anything less than me  reaching my full potential. She is not a "yes" woman who tells me what I want to hear if it is not the truth. If I think I know it all she is there to tell me "think again". If it affects me it affects her and because of that I get honest feedback and advice that I know comes from a place of love.

Once a person who kept my emotions hidden, my wife's passion and openess has allowed me to share what I am feeling without reservations. She has showed me love and, more importantly, how to love. At times it can be like a sculptor chipping away at stone, but the result has been a classic piece of art, rough around the edges: someone who is more in touch with my feelings and unafraid to be vulnerable again. Communication is key and as a writer I was expressing complex thoughts to the public, but holding back from the person who needed to hear what was on my mind the most.

Marriage is definiely not easy, but I never thought I made a mistake walking down the aisle. That is a great feeling for someone who married in his mid-twenties. I am happy because of my wife and the boy she bore for us. I work hard so I can provide everything I feel my wife deserves, but does not covet.

There will be more challenges ahead, obstacles we talk about and in turn I feel we are ready to face because we speak on it. There is no challenge we cannot face with God in our corner and the memories of our wedding day still fresh in our minds and the guests who lived through it.

I salute all happily married couples in and out of the spotlight.

To my love Tracy-Ann: Here's to many more years of wedded bliss. I love you and appreciate your love and support. I am thankful for your strength, grace, intelligence, drive and commitment to our family.

11-30-96 ~ 7-16-05 

Levi Aron pleads not guilty

This is the face of a madman, apparently. And he lives in the "safest" part of Brooklyn. Levi Aron, the man accused of killing and dismembering 8-year old Leiby Kletzky is pleading not guilty. It looks like his legal team is mounting an insanity defense. Says the man "hears voices".

I'm sure the people in the Borough Park Jewish community are stunned that "one of (our) own" as one resident put it allegedly committed this heinous crime. Seeing that, as a Black man, when I walk through that area and I get looked at like a serial killer, the irony is not lost on me.

What exactly makes Borough Park the "safest" neighborhood? Any one of any race, class, or religion is capable of committing a crime, even with no criminal history.

Time to stop stereotyping. Little Leiby thought he was safe enough to follow one of his own and he paid a dear price for being so trustworthy.

Casey Anthony to be released today

Casey Anthony, acquitted for murdering her 2-year old daughter Caylee, is set to walk free today. A woman has already made the news in dubious fashion for running another lady she thought was Anthony off the road. What does this mean?

Anthony needs to leave Florida immediately.

If she is brave (read: foolish) enough to stay in the Sunshine state, she most definitely has to change her appearance either through disguise or under the knife. I would also suggest a name change.

How about the people who are sending money to this woman while she is behind bars?

What about the fact that Anthony will most definitely make millions off of this tragedy? And the thought that she would have another child?

I can't help but think if Anthony was of another race she would have received a stiffer penalty.

Random Thoughts of the Day

How sick (or dumb) are you to get caught with drugs in jail days before you are to be released? Only DMX knows.

Horrible what happened to the 8-year old Jewish boy. Who knew a Jewish man channeled Hannibal Lechter or Jeffrey Dahmer? Completely unexpected.

The Rupert Murdoch hacking scandal is serious. Is our confidential information ever really secure? First Sony allows over 3 million Playstation gamer's information to be leaked now this?

"The Decision": One Year Later

One year ago tonight shortly after 9:30 pm NBA superstar LeBron James, arguably the most coveted free agent in sports history, changed the landscape of professional basketball with 10 words: "this fall I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach".

Never mind that LeBron mentioned an area of Miami and not the city itself in his initial decision (possibly a Freudian slip), Just like that LeBron James was no longer a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, the team that drafted him number one overall in the 2003 NBA draft.

Just like that James, whose image was on par with Yankees captain Derek Jeter (the squeaky clean variety), became a pariah. Cleveland fans ripped LeBron jerseys off their person and burned them in disgust much to the nationally televised horror of King James. The name-calling was relentless utilizing Nike slogans ("Quitness"), his government name ("LeBum"), and his own royal self-proclaimed nickname ("Queen James").

While Cleveland fans were the only people who really had a right to be upset at LeBron, Knicks fans (who swore he would choose the team since the venue of his announcement was in Connecticut), who cheered him every time he step foot in the Garden during the 2009-2010 season, piled on the insults as well.

Hall of Fame players took subtle shots at LeBron (Michael Jordan) and direct bullets (Charles Barkley) questioning his leadership ability and his place as an all-time great. His close friend Jay-Z reportedly stopped speaking to James miffed that he was not informed that LeBron would not be coming to the New Jersey Nets.

The following night LeBron topped himself successfully alienating the fans of the other 24 or so teams who were not in the running for his services by appearing on stage with his new teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a pep rally/free agent signing celebration where he arrogantly predicted the Heat would win "not 5, not 6, not 7..." NBA championships.

Now that the 2010-2011 season has ended in an NBA Finals collapse for LeBron's Heat, where James himself did nothing in the fourth quarter of all the games, the NBA lockout threatens to shorten the upcoming season and there are rumors that Bosh may be traded to open up more money to bring in better role players.

The only question I have is if LeBron had chosen to stay with Cleveland would he have been vilified the same way for televising his decision?

Happy Trails, Yao Ming

Yao Ming, the Chinese import who took the NBA by storm as the #1 overall pick in 2002, plans to announce his retirement from the NBA after nine seasons. Yao only played five games in the entire 2010-2011 season after returning from a foot injury that kept him out the entire 2009-2010 season. One of the best big men in the NBA when healthy, Yao's 7'6" frame seemed to be too much weight for his feet to handle. It is usually the knees (or in Shaquille O'neal's case the calves) that go on a big man. Houston, who did not draft a center last month may get an injury exception to fill the void.

Yao has played with some dynamic players including a young Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady but was never able to get past the second round of the playoffs.

He will be missed.

Oklahoma woman seeking to inact "Caylee's Law"

In response to the shocking acquittal of Casey Anthony, a woman from Oklahoma has started a petition in the name of Anthony's deceased daughter Caylee that has gone viral. The petition seeks to inact a law aptly titled "Caylee's Law" that would make it a crime not to report a missing child to authorities.

Michelle Crowder began the petition, which has quickly amassed hundreds of signatures, that would make it a felony to not report a child missing. Had this law been in effect Casey Anthony would have been punished for taking 31 days to report Caylee missing.

Casey Anthony sentenced to 4 years

As expected "Tot mom" was sentenced to a year for each charge of giving false information to a police officer in the death of her two-year old daughter Caylee Anthony. The sentence includes time served so Anthony will be a free woman on July 17th.

I am not sure how to feel about this. As my good friend Andrew pointed out at least some people were happy that OJ got acquitted of murdering his wife and a friend back in 1995. With Casey Anthony everyone is stunned that she was not found guilty of anything but being a liar. I think that because she lied and waited 31 days to report the child missing destroying any DNA evidence to link cause of death, and there were pictures showing that she partied like she didn't have a care in the world she should have been found guilty for something more, gross negligence maybe.

Not only is there outrage because Casey is totally devoid of any maternal instincts and the feeling she should get the chair for being so cold and pathological, but we hear she will be released July 17th and forget that she has been locked up for over three years. While she has served time it seems like there will never be justice for an innocent baby with big brown eyes and beautiful smile.

Like OJ it seems Casey got away with murder, but if our justice system tells us anything, like OJ, Casey will be locked up for something else down the road as sort of a make-up call.

Poetic justice.

Casey Anthony NOT GUILTY

So.... who killed Caylee Anthony? Not her mother Casey according to a jury of her peers. Anthony was found Not Guilty of first degree murder, aggravated abuse of a child and manslaughter. What is she guilty of? Four counts of lying to a police officer, misdemeanors. Practically waiting a month to report Caylee missing. She most likely will not serve any jail time.

A telling sign was after the verdict was read, all the people hugging and crying with Casey Anthony were her lawyers. No family members. Her mom and dad heard the verdict and had no reaction. They just got up and walked out of the courtroom.

Was justice served here?

Thought of the Day

I know I am a few days late on this, but I want to know who the people are that accompanied 36-year old Marie Joseph to the state park in Fall River, Massachussetts? Apparently Joseph slid into the pool at Fall River on Sunday June 26th and never resurfaced. Her body was found in the pool THREE DAYS later. People swam in the pool on Monday and Tuesday and no one noticed this woman in the water? Does this pool get cleaned on a daily basis??

How about these "friends" of Marie Joseph who went home knowing she had not been found. I'm sorry, if that is my friend, even an associate - possibly even my worst enemy, I would at least alert the life guard that this lady is missing. Drain the pool. Send scuba divers. I am not leaving until she is found. Who knows she could have still been alive on impact and could have been saved.

Unreal.   

A Legend gets "Unsung"

One of my Hip Hop influences Big Daddy Kane finally gets the "Unsung" treatment. TV One saluted the Prince of Darkness with rare behind the scenes footage and interviews with his peers. See the entire episode below: 

http://theurbandaily.com/tv/shamika-sanders/big-daddy-kane-reminisces-on-tvs-unsung-full-episode/