Famed hoopster Shaquille O’Neal picked up the tab for the funeral of Shaniya Davis after being moved by national news coverage about the 5-year-old North Carolina girl police say was sold into child prostitution by her mother, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
Authorities believe Shaniya was kidnapped, raped, and murdered after being reported missing Nov. 10. Her body was found six days later on a roadside about 30 miles from her hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her funeral was Sunday.
In a statement released by his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Thanksgiving Thursday, the famed hoopster — a dad himself — said he was touched after hearing the little girl’s story on The Nancy Grace Show.
“What happened to her was tragic. I wanted her to have a funeral that would be as beautiful as she was,” O’Neal said in the statement.
In case you missed it, Whitney Houston performed her classic hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” along with her recent single “Million Dollar Bill,” on Tuesday night’s Dancing With The Stars Finale.
Just a week after former American Idol Fantasia Barrino was romatically-linked to cell phone-selling married father of two, Antwaun Cook, in a scandalous tabloid report, the Grammy-nominated singer has stepped forward to deny reports that she is a homewrecking Buss It Baby.
That would be all good if the fool hadn’t already been photographed with the adulter’s name tatted on her sternum!
“Yes, [the rumors] were all really cute to me. I guess it was something about a guy from T-Mobile? Inaccurate,” Fantasia said in an interview with Honey Magazine this week.
“He was hot, but I think I’m looking for my own man. There’s no boo in my life, I’m married to my career. Right now I’m not really focused on a boyfriend; we all know what happens when you get them… I have no tattoo on my shoulder, [that rumor] was very well put together! I wear my body out more purposefully now and when I’m walking I see people checking, “Like does she have a tattoo there?” As a matter of fact, I’ve never even [met him] before. I think I’d want to be with a guy who’s in the same tax bracket as I am … or higher!”
It’s all over for A.I…….Allen Iverson, one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers, is calling it quits at 34, according to an online report. Commentator Stephen A. Smith — a close friend and basketball analyst — published a statement on his website Wednesday, attributed to Iverson, claiming the All-Star guard plans to retire from the league.
Stephen A. Smith, who worked as a sports journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer when Iverson played for the Philadelphia 76ers, issued a statement from Iverson on his website Wednesday. Read the rest of this entry »
Acclaimed femcee Nicki Minaj — the self-proclaimed Harajuku Barbie — channels the iconic blonde in a new photoshoot for Right On! Magazine, hitting newsstands in January 2010.
Diddy is headed to the Home Shopping Network to hawk his latest scents — just in time for the holidays. The Bad Boy mogul will make two appearances on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) next week to sell his men’s fragrance collections Unforgivable and I Am King, and women’s fragrance collection Unforgivable Woman.
The specials will air Monday, Nov. 30 at 11 p.m. ET and Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 1 a.m. ET. In fact, WWD reports that HSN has already built the mogul his own special living-room-style set on its St. Petersburg, Florida studio especially for Diddy.
“With the help of HSN, I’m going to be coming to your living room for the holidays,” Diddy said in a statement Monday. “I can’t wait to show HSN’s viewers my lineup of Sean John Fragrances for men and women. It’s the perfect time to shop for the holidays.”
After a decade-long hiatus, smooth jazz/R&B legend Sade is back on the scene just in time for Valentine’s Day. The “Goddess of Love” is releasing her first album of new material since 2000′s Lover’s Rock just before the most romantic day of the year. The “Smooth Operator” hitmaker returned to the studio in June and completed work on Soldier of Love last month.
The album will feature a guest spot from Maxwell and is expected to drop Feb. 8, 2010.
Filmmaker Tyler Perry has donated $1 million to the NAACP to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the civil rights organization.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says the gift, announced Monday, is the largest donation from an individual in the organization’s history.
After becoming stars on Diddy’s MTV reality series Making The Band, Day26′s run at Bad Boy Records has come to an end.
The group has left the label, according to a report from TheBoomBox.com. “Bad Boy is always our family, but we’re with Atlantic right now,” crooner Willie Taylor told the site, blaming the split on the group’s desire to show that they can make it the industry without the help of unscripted TV.
“We really want to get people focused on the artistry, on the music,” Willie explained. “I think a lot of people lost it with the entertainment of the show. So now, we really want to show people what we’re all about, that we do our thing whether its on stage, in the studio, writing and producing — we do it all.”
Rihanna was up bright and early for an appearance on Good Morning America Tuesday, where she performed live in Times Square for the GMA Concert Series while promoting her edgy new CD, Rated R. Read the rest of this entry »
