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I know I might be in the minority here; but I really love NBC’s “The Voice.” The contestants are some of the most talented I’ve seen on the current singing competition shows and I really like the coaches/artists. When I first started watching the show, I just knew that Adam Levine or maybe Christina Aguilera would be my favorites. What I found though was that Adam was cool but Christina worked my nerves. There were times, last season after all her team members had been eliminated, that she outright pissed on Adam’s team member Melanie Martinez, referencing the set design over her vocal talent.

Ironically, the coach I most enjoyed on the show turned out to be country singer, Blake Shelton. I’d never heard of Blake before the show. But his country accent and the banter between he and Adam Levine quickly made him very endearing.  If you’ve ever seen the show you know that homeboy is hilarious. Long story short I never thought I would relate to an ole country boy as much as I enjoy Blake Shelton. But on Monday night, my boo Blake said something that gave me pause.

He was giving a speech explaining why America should keep voting for his contestant, 16 year old, Danielle Bradbery. He said: “She is exactly the girl that you would think she is, an all American girl.”

I cringed. And playfully imitated Blake’s accent, “an awl A-murr-i-can gurl.” I embellished a bit further: “wit her blue ahyes (eyes) and blawnde hurr.”  For a second I had to ask myself why I was clowning Blake. I love Blake. But that comment rubbed me the wrong way. It only took me a second to pinpoint the resentment. It was just another way in which American black women, and really all women of color in this country, are reminded that we’re not really blended into the fabric of America. Sure, our passports might say American but I’ve never heard a woman of color be described as “all-American.” When black girls or women go missing we don’t get mainstream media attention. “America” doesn’t see themselves in our missing. When a black mother loses her son at the hands of trigger happy police, that officer is not punished, or not punished sufficiently, and laws are rarely put in place to prevent it from happening again. “America” knows that a black life wasn’t worth that much to begin with. When black women are shown on tv, they’re angry or hypersexual. “America” knows that that is who all black women are. And that woman couldn’t possibly represent what “America” is about.

I’m not mad at Blake and certainly not at Danielle either. The girl is talented and is, after all, American. And I’m sure Blake didn’t understand the weight of his words. My own issues made me shutter a bit; because if we want to be technical and historically accurate, a real “all-American” girl would be a Native American. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a full-blooded Native American girl, more less heard her described as “all-American.” But we all know how that story goes.

Blake is not wrong for using the phrase it’s just a saying that’s a bit isolating and outdated. But I’ve figured out a way to help him out. I’m just going to start calling girls, minority girls, black, Asian, and Latina, all-American girls. America has been a melting pot for quite some time, so it’s only fair that the word be applied more liberally and inclusively.

Have you ever heard the phrase “all American” girls applied to girls or women of color? When you hear people use it does it make you feel a type of way?

WENN.com

Is it just me, or can these reality competition shows not keep a steady set of judges to save their lives?

Despite major success, especially in the ratings, since coming on as new judges for The Voice, both Usher and Shakira say that they will step down from their comfy red spinning chairs due to other commitments. According to Us Weekly, Usher is said to be working on a new movie around the time the new season would be filming, so he had to pass, and as for Shakira, she just gave birth to son Milan four months ago, and would like to take a break so that she could just be home with her new family instead of flying back and forth.

“Shakira wants to take a season off to take care of the baby,” the source explained. “She has an option to come back too. And Usher is doing a movie, so he couldn’t do season 5 if they wanted him to.”

Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

Well, it’s about time somebody did it!

We’ve seen all his eccectric ways in his videos, through his music and, of course, as a judge on The Voice but TBS is finally giving Cee Lo a chance to fully show every aspect of his personality.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Cee Lo Life will, right now, be a six episode series that will follow the rapper/singer as he tries to maintain a very hectic schedule. In addition to his hosting gig, he’s performing, producing and trying to make sure he and the rest of the Goodie Mob can come back together to make good music.

Michael Wright, head of Programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies had this to say about Cee Lo and the show:

“This new TBS series will give viewers the chance to get to know Cee Lo Green, who is without a doubt one of the hardest-working men in show business. The Cee Lo Life is certain to be a smart, fun and funny journey packed with a lot of great music.”

Cee Lo does seem fun and wacky so this will definitely be entertaining.

Cee Lo also has a development deal with NBC to create and produce new scripted and unscripted shows, as has his The Voice fellow judge, Adam Levine.

The Cee Lo Life will premiere in 2014.

Will you be watching?

Just last week The Voice premiered, and like many reality show singing competitions out there, they had new faces on the judging panel with Usher taking over for Cee-Lo and Shakira taking the chair from Christina Aguilera for the time being. So far, Usher seems to be off to a good start on the show. He fits in with the banter the judges always engage in and many of the contestants find themselves under his spell and on his team with his bribes of the chance to meet Justin Bieber and straightforward pleas about their talents as opposed to why it would be so cool for them to be on his team. Shakira also holds her own well and doesn’t seem thirsty to turn her chair for every decent voice she hears. All in all, it seems they fit in nicely, and fans agree. The premiere of The Voice was a big winner ratings wise, increasing in viewership by 12 percent compared to last year’s season premiere, bringing in more than 13 million viewers.

This is happening while over on Fox, American Idol ratings continue to decrease to an all-time low, as the show did last Thursday when it only eeked out 11 million viewers. So why are the new faces on The Voice working well for ratings but the same can’t be said for Idol?

Honestly, The Voice ratings could dip just like Idol‘s have as the show continues. However, checking out reactions from different sites like E! and more, it seems that people actually seem to find Usher and Shakira very entertaining, maybe even more so than Cee-Lo and Aguilera, who are allegedly supposed to return to the series next season. But I think a fresh face is needed from time to time just to make people tune in. Yet at the same time, people will tune out if the new face isn’t necessarily a positive change. Many commented on The Voice premiere saying that Shakira and Usher seemed to have their egos in check, while we know from these last few months of American Idol that Nicki and Mariah were caught up in an ego-driven cat fight for a while there. The show has basically been based around the new judges over the contestants and the drama they may or may not have going on. It’s tired.

I tune into both shows and I can say that I like the Usher I see (his character has been in question since all that custody battle drama, but when he’s focused on music, he’s gets a boost), Nicki isn’t bad at judging, and Mariah is actually coming off a little stale in the judge’s seat for me. Keep it positive and about the talent of the contestants, and people seem to want to come back. All in all, reality show talent competitions are a dime a dozen these days, so for both of these juggernauts to keep their ratings on the up and up, I have a feeling they will need more than just new judges.

What do you think of the new season of The Voice so far? What about the new season of Idol?

WENN

Could it be that Cee Lo and his team made Christmas really sad for one company?

According to TMZ, the answer is yes. Cierra Management Group recently filed a lawsuit against Cee Lo Green’s team of people (no names have been specifically released) alleging that they took money from the management group regarding shows in 2011 that never happened.  According to Cierra, they believe Cee Lo was never going to perform.

Cierra says that in November 2011, Cee lo’s team approached them with an idea to do a tour called the “12 Days of Christmas” featuring Cee Lo. The asking price was $100,000 per show; Cierra declined because they could not afford it.  His team then came back with a shorter “6 Days of Christmas” tour at the same rate but again, because of price, Cierra declined to make that deal.

However, they say his team came back with yet another deal. This time, they presented a two show deal and Cierra would pay $243,000 for both shows, including expenses.  That deal wet Cierra’s whistle and they agreed to those terms.

But the shows never happened and Cierra believes that Cee Lo’s team knew all along it wouldn’t happen.  The lawsuit states they believe this was all “a scheme designed to finagle funding capital for concerts they knew would not manifest.”

They are now suing his team for $14.2 million.  Talk about wanting to see justice served, right?

While Cee Lo isn’t named in that part of the lawsuit, he is being sued for refusing to perform the shows.

So far, his reps have declined to comment.

Here’s the thing: If any of this is true, you have to wonder if Cee Lo was even aware of this signed contract. Often times, the talent doesn’t know anything about deals being made until they’re absolutely done. It looks like in this case, if true, that Cee Lo may not have known even after the ink dried on the contract.

Cee Lo is pretty well-liked so we’ll keep an eye out on this story to see if it actually holds any water.

FayesVision/WENN.com

It used to be that when your career was nearing its end, there wasn’t a whole lot that could help resuscitate it. Then came reality television. Now many a has-been celebrity have found new life (and bigger paychecks) by jumping on the reality bandwagon. Whether they’ve taken a spin around the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom or honed their business chops on “Celebrity Apprentice,” these celebrities have found fame in unexpected places. Madame Noire lists its 15 celebs that have benefited most from a little reality action.

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There are some things your parents say and do that you will just never forget. I had one of those moments with my mom years ago, when I was in middle school. We were riding around one summer, running errands when Biggie’s “Juicy” came on. If you’re familiar with the song, you already know that Biggie starts the song off with a little shout out.

“Yeah, this album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin’.”  

Now, my mother is far from a hip hop fan; but before Biggie could even get the last word out, my mom was doing something like a Holy Ghost shout. It took me out of my groove as I asked her, “What was that for?” My mother, being a teacher herself, went into a passionate tirade about how teachers back in the day would often tell their students that they would never amount to anything. It was not a joke to her.

And not to a whole lot of other people either. I don’t know if you’re a fan of NBC’s show The Voice, but early in the show’s season, we discovered a breakout star in Trevin Hunte. At only 18, Trevin has a talent that is nearly otherworldly. On his first audition Trevin wowed the audiences with a rendition of Beyoncé’s “Listen.”  Then he, and former teammate Amanda Brown, took on Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” and kilt it like a Scottish skirt. Despite, his immense, indescribable talent, Trevin struggles with confidence in his abilities of all things. For his last song, he sang “Against All Odds,” as an ode to his discouraging teacher. Despite his talent and even his success thus far, he’s not able to put this teacher behind him.

There are plenty of things that can trouble a person’s confidence, but in Trevin’s case, once again, it was a cruel music teacher who told him that he wasn’t good enough, wasn’t going to go anywhere.

That’s tragic. I’ve never had a teacher explicitly tell me I wasn’t going anywhere. Fortunately, for the most part, I’ve had teachers who were supportive and encouraging. But I’ve seen it done to others. So I know just how important and instrumental a teacher can be in shaping or destroying not only a child’s zest for learning and growing but more importantly their confidence in other areas in life. Teaching is not a job to be taken lightly.

So, to the teachers out there. I know that sometimes your job may be frustrating. I know there are some kids who are true classroom terrorists. But just because you find yourself frustrated or inept in that moment, this is not the time to inform your student that he or she is never going to amount to anything. Even if you’re trying to pull some type of reverse psychology type stuff, that is not the thing to say. While some people like, Biggie, my mom and Trevin, can take those words and use them as inspiration to succeed, there are others who will be devastated by those words for years to come. At the end of the day, both groups will be haunted by them, as evidenced by their referencing these hurtful words long after they’ve achieved success. Instead of “you’ll never make it,” try “you still have more work to do,” “keep trying,” etc. Because the last thing you want to be is the teacher who gets called out for being a douche on the radio, national television or some blog.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com. 

Source: WENN

Cee Lo’s career has been on fire in the last few years with the super-talented singer-songwriter/rapper/producer performing at presidential fundraisers and most notably landing a spot on NBC’s reality singing competition “The Voice.” But all of that momentum could come to a screeching halt as a result of accusations of sexual battery that have been filed against the entertainer — even if he says it’s not true.

According to TMZ:

Law enforcement sources tell us … a woman recently filed a police report with the LAPD, accusing “The Voice” judge – real name Thomas DeCarlo Callaway – of a sexual assault.

Our sources say detectives have already visited a restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles in connection with the case and questioned several employees, including the manager.   We do not know if the alleged incident occurred at the restaurant.

The LAPD is mum on the identity of the alleged victim, when and where the incident allegedly occurred, and what Cee Lo allegedly did.

TMZ says they’ve spoken with Cee Lo and he absolutely denies any wrongdoing, saying he hasn’t even been to the restaurant in question in three months and adding:

 ”Nothing ever happened there or anywhere else.”

Cee Lo also has someone backing up his claim, as another source who is regularly with him told TMZ:

“I have never seen Cee Lo act in a physical way toward anybody.”

Though Cee Lo, who grew up in the ATL, considered himself a “goon” in his younger days, the only controversies he’s been involved in since hitting the national radar have been related to his lyrical content and performance style. This accusation is by far the most serious of his career.

So far the investigation is in its early stages and no charges have been filed. Hopefully the truth will come out — whatever that is.

Are you surprised by this accusation?

Source: WENN

While “American Idol” is going the cooky route to attract viewers, “The Voice” is opting for something much simpler, eye candy. NBC just announced that Shakira and Usher will be  joining their hit reality singing competition show, taking the spots currently held by Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo.

The move isn’t necessarily permanent, but more so a measure to allow Chrissy and Cee to focus on other projects, like new music for both artists and even a sitcom Cee-Lo is developing for the network. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement that NBC is more than happy to have two amazing performers step in for them.

“We are thrilled to welcome Usher and Shakira to ‘The Voice.’ Doing two back-to-back cycles of this show requires a tremendous amount of time, and we are happy to accommodate the commitments made by Christina and CeeLo. The participants on our show benefit from our coaches’ expertise and their continued success in the music business allows for significant new contributions to the contestants when they return.”

Adam Levine and Blake Shelton will still retain their spots on “The Voice” judging panel so it will be interesting to see how this group measures up against Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson, who’s apparently back in the game, on “American Idol,” and Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell on “X Factor.”

What do you think?

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Source: The Jasmine Brand

It’s about to get ugly in the comments section. Since people found out earlier this year that Rohan Marley is engaged to marry supermodel Isabeli Fontana, the shade thrown at him has been so real. Essentially, the reaction boiled down to: So Lauryn Hill is good enough to bear five of your children over the past 15 years or so but not to marry?

Well, for the first time that I’m aware of, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley is speaking out just a bit about his current relationship with Lauryn and what caused them to part ways last year in an interview with UK’s The Voice online that I noticed on The Jasmine Brand.

“As a man, there are certain things I don’t accept, and it just so happened that I didn’t accept certain things [in the relationship],” he told the site. “It doesn’t mean she’s a bad person or I’m a bad person. It just didn’t work out.”

The couple’s breakup in 2011 was highly publicized, although it would appear the public was late on the breakdown that occurred between the pair since Lauryn eventually made it known that her sixth child, son Micah who was born in July 2011, had a different father who is still unknown to us. And then there was that engagement news about Rohan that hit in May, about seven months after the couple got together. Given that timeline, it’s safe to assume their problems began long before we knew anything about them.

As far as Lauryn and Rohan’s relationship goes today, he says it’s getting to where it needs me.

“[Our relationship] is good as in… in terms of being a mother and father to our children, it’s good,” he said.“It’s not as perfect as one might want it to be. It’s just the way the road went.”

He doesn’t sound too broken up about it. I wonder how things are moving along with him and Isabeli since they postponed their nuptials. At the time that news broke, the story was that Isabeli wanted to get to know all of Rohan’s children before walking down the aisle. I’d be curious to see how much closer they are to that milestone.

What do you think about Rohan’s interview?

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