Michael Vick gets the money

In the final act to the script that is Michael Vick's football career (rise, fall, and redemption), Vick gets assurance he will be the Eagles starting quarterback for the rest of his peak playing days. Vick signed a 6 year $100 million contract with Philadelphia yesterday.

Not bad for a guy who lost almost 3 years to prison and was only thought to be a backup to Philly's first franchise quarterback (remember Donovan McNabb?). I guess the people still protesting Vick's dog fighting antics like he got off with a slap on the wrist are being outnumbered by the people who believe the man has superhuman God-given ability on the football field and can win them the Super Bowl that Donovan McNabb could not.

Congratulations Michael Vick.

And welcome back.

Beyonce Pregnant (for real this time)

Congratulations are in order for Beyonce and Jay-Z. The couple are expecting their first child. Beyonce revealed her baby bump on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards, but the world found out after her live performance at the show when she ripped open her jacket and struck a pose rubbing her belly to the excitement of hubby Jay-Z.

Beyonce did mention in an interview back in June that she would like to have a child when she turned 30. She happens to hit the milestone on September 4th.

See Beyonce's VMA performance and big reveal below:

Happy 53rd Birthday, King

Man's Best Friend

His name is "Hawkeye". He is the dog of deceased Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson, one of 30 SEALs killed in the Chinook helicopter crash earlier this month in Afghanistan. In one of the saddest photos I have seen, Hawkeye knows his master is gone, but refuses to leave his side, sticking with him to the literal end.

What devotion.

R.I.P. Aaliyah

Can't beleive it has been 10 years ago today...

Jada Pinkett Smith deny separation rumors

It seems talk of the demise of Black super couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been greatly exaggerated. When contacted about the report in InTouchWeekly by TMZ Jada said "InTouchWeekly said what? I'm going back to bed".

Will's oldest son Trey took to Twitter to deny the report: "Did #WillandJada split? No they did NOT split! False information ... its not true RETWEET!!!" Trey posted to Twitter Tuesday. "Everyone can think what they want ... even if its not true."


It seems the rumor of a split picked up steam due to an alleged tyst between Jada and her HawthoRNe co-star Marc Anthony, a hookup Anthony vehemently denies through his rep:  "We unequivocally deny this. Enough is enough. There are families involved, children involved, friendships involved. This is NOT true."  

Obviously denials of affairs or breakups in Hollywood mean nothing these days, but hopefully in this case there is a different outcome - meaning Jada and Will are really staying together.

Stay tuned.

Earthquake hits NYC

I have lived through twisters rolling through Brooklyn, but never an earthquake. Call me naive but I thought that only happened in California. Should I be worried?

Will and Jada split??

What in the name of "Ali" is going on here?

One of the most powerful couples (not to mention Black couple) in Hollywood, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, have allegedly gone their separate ways according to InTouchWeekly. No word on the reason for the split, naturally they want you to go and read the magazine to find out.

Say it ain't so!!!

Nick Ashford dies

On Monday night (Aug. 22nd) the world of music lost a legend. Nick Ashford of the legendary singing-songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson  lost his battle with throat cancer. He was 70 years old. I know the husband and wife team from their hit song "Solid As A Rock", but they were responsible for classic songs that were before my time such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

He will be missed.

Welcome back, Plaxico

Plaxico Burress made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch falling out of bounds for a touchdown in the Jets 27-7 preseason win over the Cincinnatti Bengals on Sunday night (Aug. 21st) and I almost threw up.

For me it was a case of de ja vu.

See, Burress made the exact same catch against the heavily-favored New England Patriots on February 3rd 2008 to win the Super Bowl for the New York Giants.

For some strange reason I think Rex Ryan's 3rd straight Super Bowl victory prediction may come to fruition this season and number 17 will be what gets them over the hump.

Welcome back, Plaxico.

Truck crashes through 3rd floor of building in Queens

How does something like this happen with someone behind the wheel?

Where does Eli Manning rank among today's QB's?

Eli Manning went on ESPN radio a couple of days ago and when asked if he was in a class with Tom Brady he siad he was. Although he may not have as many Super Bowl rings as Brady (possibly thanks to Plaxico Burress removing himself from the team) stats (last season notwithstanding) suggest Manning is a top tier QB in the NFL.

Here comes ESPN NFL "analyst" Darren Woodson on Sportscenter this morning. Asked to rank his top 10 QB's in the NFL Eli Manning did not make his top 10. Who did?

1. Tom Brady - Patriots
2. Peyton Manning - Colts
3. Aaron Rodgers - Packers
4. Phillip Rivers - Chargers
5. Drew Brees - Saints
6. Ben Roethlisberger - Steelers
7. Michael Vick - Eagles
8. Matt Ryan - Falcons
9. Tony Romo - Cowboys
10. Josh Freeman - Buccaneers

While I agree with the top 7, somebody tell me exactly what has Tony Romo and Josh Freeman won in the NFL? Matt Ryan belongs on the list, but not ahead of Manning. Romo and Freeman???

Co-anchor Linda Cohn posed the same question I did and Woodson could not answer. He just grinned like an idiot while saying Manning threw 25 interceptions last season. Asked where would Manning rank, Woodson said 11th.

Come on. Spoken like a true Dallas Cowboy. The list lost all credibility right there.

Ghostface Killa goes IN on "Watch The Throne" review *UPDATE*

Update: The Ghostface Klla "review" is a hoax according to sources via Twitter. It was made up by a blogger and meant to be satire (whoa, someone has A LOT of time on their hands).



Have you read Ghostface Killa (of Wu-Tang Clan fame)'s review of the much talked about Jay-Z/Kanye West album "Watch The Throne"? Ghost goes "H.A.M." (pun intended) on the lyrics and production of each song with hilarious results (not sure Swizz Beatz is laughing).

Ghost has never been one to hold his tongue, but with him being cool with Jay-Z I didn't expect such reckless talk considering how many people are sweating this collaborative effort. Interesting to see how this goes, remember this is the same guy that called out Biggie for biting Nas style on the album cover for "Ready to Die". This dude does not give a....

Check out the link to the scathing review below (peep what he says about track 8 "Welcome to the Jungle"):

http://rapsandhustles.com/2011/08/11/ghostface-killah-watch-the-throne-album-review/

It's The Worm's Turn to Enter the Hall

Dennis rodman entered the NBA Hall of Fame this past weekend. Say what you will about his off-the-court antics, but when Dennis stepped on the basketball court, no one played harder. Rodman revolutionized the rebounding game for a new generation putting up numbers unseen since the days of Wilt Chamberlain. He was also a lockdown defender able to guard all five positions.

He is also the owner of five championship rings, his first two with the Bad Boys of Detroit in back to back seasons 1989 and 1990, and the last three as an anchor of the repeat 3-peat Chicago Bulls of the late 90's. Rodman always wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to award speeches and his Hall of Fame speech is no different.

Congrats Dennis. You deserve it.

See "The Worm" at his emotional, candid best below:

"Otis"

 The hard copy of the "Best of One World" album Watch The Throne drops today after going gold in four days since the digital release Monday (Aug 8th) on iTunes. Jay-Z and Kanye West released the video to the ubiquitous "Otis" on Thursday night over the span of four networks (MTV, MTV2, BET, et al).

The barely three minute clip was given the Michael Jackson treatment and I must say though the song took a while to grow on me, the video is refreshingly devoid of in-your-face luxury. I have never seen Jay-Z smile so much in a video which was eye-opening and turning a Maybach into a vehicle straight out of the Mel Gibson-Tina Turner flick Mad Max was innovative.

This is a case where the visual made the song better.

Kudos.

View the clip below:

Black Moon is back

I heard one of my favorite Hip Hop groups of all time Black Moon is going to be performing their classic debut album Enta Da Stage with a live band. Black Moon was one of the hardest groups to come out of the "golden era" and gave us classic offshoots Smif n Wessun, Heltah Skeltah, and O.G.C. I am just trying to imagine the beat for How Many M.C.'s being played on electric guitar.

Gotta find out when and where!

Bert and Ernie to marry?

There is supposedly an online petition signed by 900 people urging Children's Television Workshop (CTW) to marry Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street. I don't know about anyone else, but this is an outrage to me. I have nothing against LGBT people and I am far from homophobic, but to even propose to mess with a childhood institution like this is ridiculous.

According to the person who started the petition Lair Scott, marrying Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street would show LGBT kids "that they are BEAUTIFUL" and let bullies know that "homophobia is NOT okay."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/bert-ernie-gay-marriage_n_923147.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%7C85161

I stopped watching Sesame Street on a regular basis when I hit my pre-teen years. These unfortunate suicides of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual & Transgender (LGBT) kids have been mainly teenagers and college students. How many of those kids were actually watching Sesame Street? In all my years of watching Sesame Street (and I am still watching because of my son, ofcourse) I have never EVER thought Bert and Ernie had any veiled attraction for each other. Ernie was just very annoying usually whenever Bert was trying to sleep.

This is going way too far. Gay marriage has already been approved in New York, now they want to marry same sex puppets? Please. Enough is enough. Just over 10 years ago images of gay and lesbian intimacy on national television was taboo. Ellen Degeneres came out the closet on her sitcom and lifted the "shame" which is fine. Now there are so many network shows, soap operas and movies that are showing open displays of LGBT affection (including the season finale of VH1 Single Ladies this past Monday night), not to mention Gay Pride parades and the LOGO network that solely shows gay and lesbian programming, LGBT kids should already feel beautiful.

Marrying two puppets who stood for good natured camraderie between BEST FRIENDS? What kind of message does that send to kids who are not LGBT? Kids who grew up on these characters knowing they were just best friends who showed the meaning of friendship?

Jim Henson has got to be rolling over in the grave. CTW please DO NOT cave to any pressure to do this.

Just my thoughts, ladies and gentlemen...   

Tiger Woods former caddy rubbing it in?

So apparently Steve Williams, the former caddy of Tiger Woods, has violated an unwritten rule of bagmen when he voiced his pleasure over his new employer Adam Scott's victory this past weekend at Firestone. Stating the victory was "the best ever" and it was "the best week of his life" caused a bit of controversy amongst the country club set.

My thing is, if this guy spent practically his entire career holding Woods' bag and gave friendly advice over the course of 13 of Woods' 14 Major championships and more than half of his tour wins and suddenly had to sit out most of 2008 with no pay while Woods recovered from a knee injury, not to mention the scandal of his numerous infidelities and the subsequent dissolution of his marriage the following year, then to be abruptly fired by Woods in the midst of the worst stretch of competitive golf, I would say the man felt blindsided.

His interview was a natural reaction to what he felt was disrespect by Woods after Williams stuck by him through tough times. Maybe Williams felt like Woods was blaming him for falling to number 30 in the world rankings. Williams' response is a knee jerk reaction to being slighted, it just so happens he got his revenge in the first tournament immediately after his abrupt dismissal.

We all know it was Adam Scott who played the holes, but I defy the critics to say they would not feel the way Williams felt if they were in his shoes. You can go on about how he upstaged Scott, blah blah blah, but Williams is not an ordinary caddy. The man was as high profile as any person affiliated with golf could get without actually swinging a club in competition. The story of his firing by Tiger was still fresh and raw. Obviously he is going to be emotional.

Give the guy a break. Code, smode.

That's all....

Shannon Sharpe's Hall of Fame moment

Say what you will about Shannon (pictured above right) Sharpe's mouth (and his inability to shut it over his NFL career), but he gave arguably the greatest NFL Hall of Fame induction speech eversimply because it had nothing to do with him at all.

I guess the loquacious, arrogant tight-end, who backed up every word he spoke on the football field with record numbers for the position, was just an on-field persona. Sharpe self-lessly told a crowd of over 33,000 people that although he was being inducted into the Hall Of Fame he was the second best player in his family. Sterling was alluding to his older brother Sterling who played seven spectacular seasons with the Green Bay Packers and was well on his way to Canton before a neck injury ended his career. Sterling made the Pro Bowl in five of those seven seasons.

To see Shannon plead for the Hall of Fame voters to consider his brother for induction was nothing short of remarkable. When Shannon spoke about his grandmother and how she affected his life you began to look at him in a different light. If you hated him, you had to change your opinion.

Congratulations to Shannon and the class of 2011 including Deion Sanders (who gave his own riveting speech), Richard Dent, and Marshall Faulk.

Don't take my word on Shannon's emotional speech, watch it below:

31 troops, SEALS killed in Afghanistan

In what can only be described as cruel irony, over 20 of the Navy SEALS that were a part of the team that killed Osama Bin Laden perished when the helicopter they were flying in was shot down by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan early Saturday morning (8/6/11).

It is a sad reminder that the war on terror is far from over and that our service men and women are still making huge sacrifices for our safety.

R.I.P.

Eric Williams, a new grade of (fill in the blank)

I know this happened a few nights ago, but how wack is Eric Williams? He was a marginal NBA player at best, and he has returned to the spotlight via VH1's Basketball Wives, of which his now ex-wife Jennifer is one of the stars, and all he has shown is how much of a jerk he is.

Welp, he entered a new level of, to quote P-Diddy, "bitchassness" with the move he pulled. I must confess I have never seen a straight (or gay) man throw a drink in a woman's face before. That's a move reserved for Basketball Wives co-stars Evelyn and Royce or the finale of Mob Wives (why do I know this?). To throw a drink in the face of your ex-wife at point blank range then go on Twitter and call her a garden tool.... am I missing something? Wasn't Eric the one being very generous with his services during their marriage? How is Jennifer the....?

Who knows. But that was a real class act, sir Eric. On national television at that. There's no way I'm going to believe (executive producer) Shaunie O'Neal pulled him aside and said 'you know it would make great TV if you slapped your ex with a Martini.'

Gabrielle Giffords appears on House floor

It was great to see representative Gabrielle Giffords, seven months removed from being shot in the head during a shooting spree in Tuscon, make an appearance on the floor of the House of Representatives to vote on the debt ceiling issue. Sad that it takes someone almost getting killed to bring Democrats and Republicans together. Giffords appearance shocked everyone thus spurring the emotional reception from both parties.

Plaxico signs with Jets

I must say, even though I am a New York Giants fan they did not deserve to re-sign Plaxico Burress. He was the best receiver they had seen since the Phil Simms era and they practically turned their back on him when he was given jail time. Since they failed to improve their wide receiver corps in the two years Burress rotted in prison, the Giants now want to come crawling back to the guy that practically beat Green Bay (repeatedly torching the smaller Al Harris) and caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl?

The ultimate "what did the five fingers say to the face?" move was to sign with the rival New York team and stay in the town where you did your best work on the field. That's killing two birds with one stone and sticking it to Tom Coughlin. Now the Jets have Burress and Santonio Holmes locked up. The Jets are slowly becoming the New York Yankees of football in NY/NJ area. The Giants better do something as they have not been heard from really in the postseason since Burress left town. All the Jets have done was appear in two straight AFC Championship games and now they have two wide receivers who caught the winning touchdown passes in back-to-back Super Bowls (Holmes had the tip toe catch in the endzone that beat Arizona). 

Looks like Rex Ryan is determined to follow through on his third straight Super Bowl prediction.