Saturday, September 12, 2009
La Toya opens up to Barbara Walters on 20/20
Michael Jackson's middle sister, La Toya Jackson appeared last night in an interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20. La Toya gave a long and rambling interview full of controversial and sometimes inflammatory statements.
La Toya asserted again she thinks Michael was murdered and claims Michael told her, “La Toya, they’re going to murder me. If I die, they killed me.” She did not clarify who "they" were. Despite Michael's own statements about his estrangement from his abusive father, La Toya insists Michael and Joseph Jackson had repaired their relationship and that Michael's three children had a very good relationship with him.
As far as the children, La Toya says Katherine Jackson has made arrangements for the care of the children in the event of her passing, but she would not discuss those plans. She said even though Michael placed his friend Diana Ross second in line for guardianship of the children they do not know her at all; supposedly Ross and Mrs. Jackson have spoken about the guardianship issue, but said only Katherine knows the details of what was said.
Of course, La Toya took the time to speak about herself. She claims her ex-husband, Jack Gordon, used to lock her in a closet for eight hours at a time, and, said Walters, “forced her to pose for Playboy and several pornographic videos.” Snippets of La Toya's latest single aired during the interview.
La Toya said that Michael "looked fabulous," and that his body was clothed in white with lines of pearls across his jacket and a “big gold belt like a prizefighter would wear...his hair was done beautifully. His makeup was done beautifully.” She said he looked like he had paused to say a prayer just before going on stage to perform. Instead of one white glove, he was wearing two black leather gloves. He was, however, buried with a white sequined glove, shades, and notes and beads from his beloved children.
In a fitting closing, La Toya said of her younger brother, “He wasn't God, but he was godlike. He was the closest to a god that I know.”
ABC's report on the interview ends with a line that says La Toya requested they inform the public she was NOT paid for the interview.
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11, 2001 Never Forget
People I knew died in the September 11th attacks.
Never forget.
Work tirelessly for peace and freedom.
"We Don't Roll That Way"
I swear this isn't the Ellen blog; I really just wanted an excuse to use this picture.
Representatives from 17 record companies are suing the Ellen DeGeneres Show claiming copyright infringement for more than 1000 songs producers play during Ellen's opening dance segment on the show. For those of you who haven't seen Ellen's daytime talk show (lucky you!), Ellen has a short segment where her black DJ Tommy (?) spins dance, R & B, and hip hop records while the audience dances. Ellen, herself, dances off the stage, through the aisles, and back up to her set. A lot of the songs he plays are pretty good, by the way. Some of the songs cited include "Stronger" by Kanye West and "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.
Anyway, the record companies gave the show a chance to explain themselves before they filed suit, but the producers just told them, "we don't roll that way." Say what? "We don't roll that way?" I think that's going to be my new anthem.
Client: 'Safari, I know this is 2pm on the Friday before a three day weekend, but I'm going to need you to get this project to me within 72 hours."
Wild Safari: 'I'm sorry. I don't roll that way.'
Client: 'Safari, you know we bring you a lot of business. We'll pay you double. Just submit an invoice after you turn in the project and I'll personally make sure you get the bonus.'
Wild Safari: 'You lie!'
Representative Wilson's career-ending outburst during Obama's Congressional address the other night is my other new anthem. I've been going around all week just yelling out "you lie!" as a non sequitur. It's a good way to get out of awkward conversations. Try it.
The record companies filed suit yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Music City, USA (Nashville, Tennessee). In part, the filing states, "As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully." Can you imagine the clerk that received that filing? Oh-em-gee!
source
Tidbit Roundup
Allen Iverson twittered he's joining the Memphis Grizzlies.
Mike Epps will host this year's BET Hip-Hop Awards show from Atlanta.
Keyshia Knight Pulliam will NOT be posing for Playboy.
Diddy's band Dirty Money covers the latest Rolling Stone magazine.
The results are in: Caster Semenya is a....
An Australian newspaper, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, is reporting a confidential source leaked the gender test results for South African world champion runner Caster Semenya. According to the paper, the source says Miss Semenya "is a hermaphrodite with no womb or ovaries." Reportedly she has internal, undescended testes, but she still possesses external female genetalia.
The IAAF urges caution when accepting the Australian paper's claims because the IAAF has not released any offical statement, nor have they concluded their investigation; weeks of testing and expert evaluation lay ahead. The IAAF will discuss its findings with Miss Semanya prior to releasing any findings to the public.
Last Week the South African magazine YOU asked Miss Semenya about the uproar over her gender. She replied, "I see it all as a joke. It doesn't upset me. God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I'm proud of myself. I don't want to talk about the tests. I'm not even thinking about them."
It should be noted that modern medicine considers gender to be a continuum with an astonishing array of hormonal and genetic conditions resulting in individuals with ambiguous genetalia and/or apparent gender conflicting with internal anatomy and chromosomal makeup. Normally the sex chromosomes XX denote female and XY denote a male; in some extremely rare circumstances there have been XY females and XX males. Some individuals have, like the Australian paper claims Semenya has, internal anatomy that is at odds with their external anatomy. Some individuals are born with both ovaries and testes internally, though it is almost unheard of for an individual to have both male and female external genitals.
The question becomes, 'what actually determines a person's gender?' Semenya's birth certificate lists her as female, she was raised as a female, and she considers herself to be female. Do her heretofore unknown of testes make her male? Does the perception of many who meet her determine her gender? Is she neither female nor male or both? This is the assertion of some intersex advocates, 'intersex' being the preferred term for individuals formerly called 'hermaphrodites.'
Semenya stands to be stripped of her medals depending upon the decision of the IAAF even though they admit there was no cheating involved in her win. South Africa has lodged a human rights complaint with the United Nations alleging racism and gender discrimination over the flap. What do you think? Should Semenya keep her medal? Should the world be allowed to know what gonads and chromosomes she possesses? Is she really a man or a woman?
Lebron is a free agent in 2010
There's a rumor going around that since the Knicks are owned by Cablevison, they are prepared to circumvent NBA salary cap rules by offering Lebron his own cable channel to lure him to the Knicks in 2010. On the other hand, if he can't recruit a couple other superstars to join him it'll be just him and Spike.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The day the internet died
A version of a Senate bill would give Pres. Obama and the administration emergency power over the internet in the event of a cybersecurity emergency. The bill, which has gone through several drafts, proposes to allow the government to commandeer and disconnect private non-governmental networks during certain events and to require those networks to be run by certified "cybersecurity professionals" at other times. For details on the bill, visit here.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I can afford that!
Representatives for Forest Lawn Cemetery say Michael Jackson's burial there has ended the real estate recession--at least for their line of work. Plots in the Great Mausoleum where Michael was buried are now going for upwards of $9,900 and the owner of one double unit is now asking $34,000.
The EriAm Sisters are the next big thing
The EriAm sisters are members of a close-knot Eritrean family who have taken the internet by storm since they first started appearing on America's Got Talent this summer. The lead singer Haben is just 11 years old, but she is a clear leader with her strong vocals and charisma. The middle sister is a fresh-faced 13 year old named Salina. The oldest sister, 15 year-old Lianda, could be mistaken for a budding supermodel. Together they make stage magic not seen since the likes of Destiny's Child over 10 years ago. If you like what you hear, please visit their website www.eriamsisters.com and show them some love.
Designer takes over Michael's last home
Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier says he will take over Michael Jackson's Holmby Hills estate when Michael's lease is up in December. He intends to make the $90 million estate the headquarters for his fashion company. He and Michael were planning to launch a clothin line at the time of Michael's death. Audigier is also rumored to be purchasing Neverland Ranch but Planet Jackson could not confirm that at the time of this post.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Janet to Perform Tribute to Her Brother at MTV Video Music Awards
This coming Sunday, September 13 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
The tribute will include and all-star lineup of 20 backup dancers 'which is being put together by some of the best choreographers in the world, including Frank Gatson and Travis Payne.'One of the dancers Kryiss Grant, said 'some of the rehearsals have lasted up to 15 hours and there won't be a dry eye in the house.'
Somebody please tell me what the hell is going on with his hair?
Jermaine Jackson held a news conference in Vienna, Austria, today to announce a tribute concert for his late brother, Michael Jackson. The concert will be held on the grounds of the former imperial Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna on Saturday, Sept. 26 2009. "The Tribute" concert will be presented by Jermaine and World Awards Media. Jermaine will also produce the concert along with Halima Rashid and Georg Kindel. The show will feature a headline performance by Chris Brown. Brown hasn't performed publicly since his spat with Rihanna after the Grammys. Natalie Cole and Mary J. Blige are also among the slated performers.
It is amazing how I can't turn on my television or fire up my laptop without seeing his face when I hadn't heard boo from Jermaine since the Victory tour. Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on with his hair?
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