Tiffany Haddish and Common but where’s Angela Rye? When we checked last, Common spoke about dealing with many issues from his youth with therapy, which helped him reunite with Angela Rye. The two community activists had been seeing each other, broke up and then got back together. They even got an assist from Forever First Lady Michelle Obama, but it didn’t take. The WOKE-ness didn’t make it. But, now here comes Tiffany Haddish! Rye recently turned 40 and had a birthday party. But there was no Common in sight. Haddish also just turned 40 and there was Common at her birthday party. They even went viral with the legendary Harry Belafonte in an Instagram post. Tiffany and Common…. They’ve been postin’. Now we all know Common ain’t been right since Erykah Badu, but now it looks like its Tiffany time for Oscar winning rapper/actor/activist.
Kevin Hart says he’s 65 to 75% recovered from that September car crash which required intense back surgery. My Nephew was on Ellen DeGeneres show the week talking about reuniting with Dwayne The Rock Johnson for Jumanji: The Next Level, the sequel to their record-breaking 2017 film which took in over $962 million worldwide. The car accident, in which Hart’s car was driven by his friend Jared Black who lost control and crashed, saw Hart hospitalized and put in rehab. That was followed by three months at home to continue recovering. Hart says he feels like God sat him down, and now he appreciates life more. When he had to rebuild, Hart said goal number one was wiping his a$$. Hart had to learn how to stretch, dress himself and felt a huge victory when he could finally put on his own socks. He credits his wife and children for seeing him through this ongoing recovery period. Fast forward to this week, The Rock drove Hart to their Jumanji premiere in a dune buggy through Hollywood…. incident free. Jumanji: The Next Level, co-starring Jack Black, Nick Jonas, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina and newcomers Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, is in theaters now.
After 35 years, Eddie Murphy returns to host Saturday Night Live with Musical Guest Lizzo. Murphy was one of the most popular SNL cast members of all time when he was a regular from 1980 to 1984. Although he made a brief appearance on SNL’s 40th anniversary in 2015, Murphy last performed on the show when he hosted the 1984 Christmas show. Murphy will host the 2019 SNL Christmas show on December 21st on NBC.
There are big happenings in several Metoo cases:
First, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has now seen eight more women come out and accuse him of sexual misconduct. This brings the total to 22 women accusing the Oscar winner of sexual misconduct. In October, Gooding pleaded not guilty to charges of forcible touching and sex abuse involving three accusers from 2018 and 2019. So what about these other accusers? Some of those allegations go back as far as 2003 and include nonconsensual licking, kissing, groping and grabbing. Some accusations also include threats to the accusers’ professional careers by Gooding. The prosecutors in Gooding’s New York criminal case want at least seven witnesses and 12 accusers to testify at trial to show a pattern. Gooding’s defense team says whenever a celebrity is publicly charged by a prosecutor false accusations are a result. Lawyers for the actor deny all charges of wrongdoing. Now unfortunately, I’ve called out Cuba’s drinking problem which seems to have led to these problems. It’s certainly possible that people are allowing Gooding to be the life of the party on purpose. Then watch the mix of alcohol and partying set him up. On top of imprisonment, this could be a career killer, so Gooding has a lot of work to do to defend himself.
Harvey Weinstein just got his bail upped to $5 million. Why did the judge raise it from the original $1 million? Prosecutors claim the much accused 67 year-old former Hollywood executive has been tampering with his ankle monitor by leaving an important piece of it at home on purpose so he can go hours without being detected. Weinstein’s lawyers denied this and say technical glitches caused these problems. The judge warned any other such problems and Weinstein’s bail will be revoked all together and he’ll be remanded into custody. Weinstein is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on another woman in 2006. There have been many accusers who have since come forward that prosecutors want to testify, much like in Cuba Gooding’s case, to show a pattern. Weinstein’s defense told the judge he’s having back surgery and looks forward to appearing for the next court date in the new year. Weinstein was last seen using a walker to get back and forth for this week’s court appearance. Meanwhile, at press time, Weinstein has reportedly reached a tentative $25 million civil settlement with many of his accusers. The thinking is because of all the legal action the ex-film executive is facing, this may be the best deal before money is claimed for other obligations like bankruptcy. Weinstein high profile accusers like Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow are reportedly not a part of this settlement that would be shared by 30 actresses and ex-Weinstein employees.
Next there’s the only person to date serving time on a high profile Metoo case and that’s Bill Cosby. This week the Pennsylvania Appellate Court denied Cosby’s appeal. Cosby’s new defense team argued the judge, who previously let only one accuser testify in the first trial but let five others testify in the retrial, violated Cosby’s right to a fair trial. The 82- year old comedian and actor’s team also claimed letting the civil deposition in where Cosby talks about sex and drugs was another violation, and allowing a juror to stay after an accusation that juror said Cosby was guilty before the trial started ensured Cosby’s case wouldn’t be fair. The Appellate Court rejected all of Cosby’s arguments, and that means he continues to serving his three to ten year sentence. Cosby’s spokesperson said the ruling was appalling and disappointing, and his wife Camille Cosby says their personal battle against the racism and vindictiveness in the Pennsylvania criminal justice systems isn’t over. Cosby has already stated in a jailhouse interview that he’s prepared to serve out all ten years of his sentence saying he’ll show no remorse because he has committed no crime.
WDAS Morning Man Steve Harvey has a new show that he’s filming at The Tyler Perry Studios. Harvey keeps a job, and keeps all his options open. He’s got a new show coming to Facebook Watch. That’s the original programming run on Facebook including Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk. Now Steve Harvey’s new show will be a reboot of his daytime talk show. Viewers will get the Steve Harvey take on everyday issues affecting his audience. Steve Harvey will debut on Facebook Watch Monday, January 6th.
Surviving R Kelly Part II: The Reckoning is coming to Lifetime for three nights. You’re saying well what’s left to talk about? Lifetime has found more alleged victims. These new R Kelly accusers will be featured along with psychologists and industry insiders to continue exploring the alleged world of R Kelly. Is this a pile on, or is there new information here? One note, Drea Kelly, the ex-wife of R Kelly and mother of his children, will not be participating. Drea let it be known that she feels exploited and that Lifetime isn’t giving the victims who appeared in the first docuseries any support.Drea claims she received a lot of backlash for appearing in the first Surviving R Kelly, and as a result she requested Lifetime not contact her family or children. Drea says that request was ignored by Lifetime. Drea is also upset with appearing in the trailer for the new series as well because she isn’t participating in Part 2. R Kelly Accuser Lisa Van Allen, who also appears in the trailer for the new docuseries, also reportedly has said she wants nothing to do with Part 2, and isn’t please with how Lifetime handled everything. Surviving R Kelly Part II: The Reckoning begins Thursday, January 2nd at 9pm on Lifetime.
In more documentary news, there a new one being produced about an accuser of Russell Simmons, and Oprah Winfrey is one of the executive producers. Simmons is one of Hip Hop’s pioneering entrepreneurs, executives and he’s co-founder of Def Jam, but he’s come under fire over the past two years after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape, surfaced from at least 18 accusers. As a result, Simmons denied all wrongdoing but stepped down from his positions with his companies. He’s also reportedly splitting his time in and out of the country as the allegations have been investigated by law enforcement in at least two states. Now comes word that a documentary on former Def Jam Executive Drew Dixon is airing on Apple TV and Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer. Winfrey has a deal with Apple TV and is already producing The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. At press time, the documentary on Dre Dixon has yet to be titled, but is noted as a deep look at race, gender and class along with the aftermath of assaults through Dixon’s personal experience. That’s where the documentary reportedly will get into the Dixon’s accusations against Simmons. Dixon has already accused Simmons of a series of sexual harassment incidents in and out of the workplace and rape. Winfrey has already come under fire for her participation in the Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland. Winfrey has said she knew there would be heat for the Jackson documentary, but The Mighty O already declared Time’s Up for harassers and abusers.
Bad Boys For Life is the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunion as they reprise their roles as Detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett.The two best friends and partners are ready to retire when a Romanian mobster begins exacting revenge to settle an old score. Bad Boys For Life is supposed to be the final installment in the trilogy that saw films in 1995 and 2003, but time will tell. Theresa Randle and Joe Pantoliano return to the series and are joined by Vanessa Hudgens and DJ Khaled. Bad Boys For Life opens Friday, January 17th.
We remember Carroll Spinney, the legendary performer/puppeteer who brought to life many of Sesame Street’s most memorable characters. Sesame Street is celebrating 50 years on the air, and Spinney, who only retired last year, was there at the beginning with the late Jim Henson and his Muppets. An experiment to teach children and promote education and neighborly behavior was the genesis of the PBS program. Spinney voiced Big Bird and Oscar The Grouch and was able to bring those characters to The White House with First Ladies Michelle Obama and Barbara Bush and the big screen with 1979’s The Muppet Movie. Spinney won several Emmys in his 49-year run on Sesame Street and his understudy’s insure his characters will live on. Carroll Spinney was 85-years old.
We remember former Child Actor Phillip McKeon. McKeon passed away this week from after a battle with an undisclosed illness. He’s best remembered for playing the TV son of Actress Linda Lavin in the sitcom Alice, which ran on CBS from 1976-1985. McKeon worked in news radio for over a decade in Los Angeles before heading to Texas and working in radio there to be closer with family. McKeon leaves behind his mother Barbara and his sister Actress Nancy McKeon, who starred as Jo in The Facts Of Life from 1980-88. Nancy’s Facts Of Life Co-Stars also paid tribute to Phillip on social media, including Kim Fields who acknowledged Phillip and his father’s passing, Donald McKeon, in October. Phillip McKeon was 55 years old.
Benson and Star Trek Actor Rene Auberjonois has passed away from lung cancer. He won a Tony Award when he co-starred in 1969’s Coco with Katherine Hepburn. He was a staple in the theater since. But, TV brought Auberjonois his greatest recognition. He was nominated for an Emmy for playing Clayton Endicott, III, the friend/rival to Robert Guillaume’s Benson from 1980-86 on ABC. Then came Auberjonois’ greatest fame with a six-year run as Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine(1993-1999). More recently, Auberjonois appeared on Madame Secretary and The Librarians. Rene Auberjonois was 79 years old.
Did members of Jagged Edge sexually harass underage Destiny’s Child Singers Beyoncé & Kelly Rowland? Entertainment Impresario Matthew Knowles’ new book is called Destiny’s Child: The Untold Story that’s available now. In the book, Knowles, who managed the group and is Beyoncé’s dad, acknowledges there was turmoil and comings and goings even before he took over as the group’s manager. That’s back when the group was called Girls Tyme and had up to 30 members. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland were the last women standing when the group wrapped its run with third member Michelle Williams. Knowles offers a different take on the spin ex-member Farrah Franklin put on her exit from Destiny’s Child. He says Franklin didn’t realize how much work there was to be in the world’s number one female group. Plus, there were hints of partying at night and missing multiple high profile events for the group. Knowles says Franklin quit and said such to the group on the phone after missing another event.
Knowles writes about members of the R&B group Jagged Edge, who were then in their 20’s, constantly harassing the then underage Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé. Destiny’s Child and Jagged Edge shared a tour bus while they were all touring with Jon B. Knowles acknowledged getting a call from Rowland and Beyoncé describing the behavior of some of the members of Jagged Edge, and as a result Knowles threw the entire group off a bus in Louisiana. Knowles didn’t name which members of Jagged Edge were the harassers. Now that the story broke, Jagged Edge’s official Instagram reaction was A Lie Don’t Care Who Tell It. Reportedly, Jagged Edge group members also stated on their Instagram they were talking to their lawyers about next steps.
The Kennedy Center Honors will fete the Elements Of The Universe this year. Earth, Wind & Fire, a group founded by the late Maurice White 50 years ago as the Salty Peppers, receive their honors along with Oscar winning Actress Sally Field, Grammy winning singing legend Linda Ronstadt, Symphony Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the television show Sesame Street. Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White, who currently lead EWF, were on hand to accept the honors. Tony Winning Actresses Audra McDonald (The Good Wife; The Good Fight) and Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), join Ne-Yo and The Jonas Brothers for the all-star celebration. The 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS this Sunday, December 15th at 8pm.
The 77th Annual Golden Globes nominations were announced this week, but not without controversy for some high profile snubs. Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us was shutout of The Golden Globe nominations despite its earlier Emmy wins. Where was Queen & Slim? Where was Jordan Peele’s Us? How about Just Mercy with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx? In better news, Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) and Awkwafina (The Farewell) did received nominations. The Golden Globe Awards, with returning Host Ricky Gervais, airs Sunday, January 5th at 8pm on NBC.
The Grammy nominations saw Lizzo lead all nominees. Song and Record Of The Year cover Lizzo’s debut album, Cuz I Love You, and its number one single, Truth Hurts. Michelle Obama scored her first Grammy nomination for the spoken word edition of her bestselling book Becoming. Alicia Keys hosts The Grammys on Sunday, January 26th at 8pm on CBS.
Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson and Jamie Foxx lead the legal drama Just Mercy. Jordan is Lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his client is convicted murder Walter McMillian (Foxx). The film follows the true story of their attempt to appeal McMillian’s Alabama death sentence and all of the questionable actions from the police investigation to the judge’s initial sentence that preceded it. Just Mercy opens Christmas Day.
Zendaya is on the cover of Allure magazine.
Beyoncé is on the cover of Elle magazine. She opens up about motherhood, how she turned the tragedy of multiple miscarriages into make her a better mom, self-care and her brand new partnership with Adidas on the heels of reclaiming 100% ownership of the Ivy Park brand.
Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek Pinault cover January’s InStyle magazine. The three ladies star in the new film comedy Like A Boss as two friends and their benefactor who team up to start a beauty company, but things take a turn when dishonesty comes into play. Like A Boss opens in theaters January 10th.
Michelle Obama is on the cover of People magazine’s 2019 People Of The Year. It’s a review of the most fascinating people and events of the year including when the Forever First Lady told her story in Becoming.
Singer/Dancer Normani, formerly of Fifth Harmony, graces the cover of Cosmopolitan.
Oscar Winner Regina King is on the cover of the latest issue of Essence Magazine. The actress/director is on the Black Masterpiece-Art themed issue.
Check out who’s coming to town:
This Friday, December 13th – Legendary Singer/Author/Actress Darlene Love in concert at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA. For tickets and information log onto keswicktheater.com
Friday, December 20th– The WDAS Holiday COMEDY Jam starring Nephew Tommy, Earthquake, Kier Spates a.k.a. Junior and J. Anthony Brown at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, December 20th – Holiday Hits Tour starring Ceelo Green at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA. For tickets and information log onto keswicktheater.com
Saturday, December 21st – The WDAS Holiday Jam starring Kem, Kirk Franklin and Brownstone at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, December 27th – Fantasia in concert at The Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto theborgata.com
Saturday, December 28th – Earth, Wind & Fire at the Mark Etess Arena in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Tuesday, December 31st – Kool & The Gang and KC & The Sunshine Band at the Mark Etess Arena in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, January 3rd – The Femme It Forward Tour starring Monica, Ashanti, Amerie, Lil Mo & Keri Hilson at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, January 18th - Coolio, Tone Loc and Young MC in concert at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA. For tickets and information log onto keswicktheater.com
Sunday, January 19th –The 10th Anniversary of The All-Stars of Hip Hop starring KRS-1, MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Eric B & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee, Sugar Hill Gang & The Furious Five, Chubb Rock, Special Ed, Dana Dane, Monie Love, Kwame, Three Times Dope, Tuff Crew, Tracey Lee and Schoolly D at The Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Friday, February 14th – Boyz II Men’s Valentine’s Day Concert at the Met Philly, Broad & Poplar Streets. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, February 15th –Valentine’s Day Concert starring Johnny Gill, Next, KeKe Wyatt and Stokley from Mint Condition at The Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Sunday, February 16th – Valentine’s Soul Jam starring The Stylistics, Enchantment, Bloodstone, The Intruders and Peaches & Herb at Ovation Hall at The Ocean Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com
Saturday, March 7th– The Millennium Tour starring Omarion, Bow Wow, Ashanti, Pretty Ricky, Soulja Boy, Lloyd, Ying Yang Twins and Sammie at The Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University on Broad Street between Montgomery and Cecil B. Moore Avenues. For tickets and information log onto liacourascenter.com.
Saturday, March 28th – Charlie Wilson in concert at The Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For tickets and information log onto theborgata.com
Saturday, April 4th– Martin Lawrence hosts The Lit AF 2020 Comedy Tour starring Michael Blackson, Donnell Rawlings, Benji Brownand more at The Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University on Broad Street between Montgomery and Cecil B. Moore Avenues. For tickets and information log onto liacourascenter.com.
If you would like more info please email me at PattyJackson@iHeartMedia.com or check me out with my midday reports at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm during the day.