Source: Demis Maryannakis / SplashNews / Splash News Vina And Madina Pull Up On Da’Zyna A brand new episode of “Growing Up Hip Hop: New York ” airs tonight on WeTV and we’ve got an exclusive clip! It looks like Madina and Vina aren’t going to just let bygones be bygones — will Da’Zyna back down from her beef with Madina? Or is this one for the books? Check out the clip below: Here’s what else you can expect from the episode: All hell breaks loose when Madina and Vina show up at Da’Zyna’s video shoot with a vengeance. Meanwhile, Will wants to sleep with the enemy. Ryan flips out when Fat Joe cuts him off. ODB’s death resurfaces and strikes a painful chord with his kids. GROWING UP HIP HOP: NEW YORK – “COMING TO BLOWS” – Airs Thursday, November 7th at 9/8C on WeTV
Music Vet Dame Grease Says Rasheed “ Ralo” Harrison Screwed Him Out Of Royalties The co-writer for DMX’ s hit “Stop Being Greedy” wants a man he believes stole his royalties to do just that. One of hip hop’ most prolific songwriter/producers – who helped to hone the Ruff Ryders’ sound – has sued a fellow music industry veteran for orchestrating a music royalty theft scam. Dame Grease has filed a $2 million lawsuit against Wonder Boy Publishing head Rasheed “Ralo” Harrison for tortious interference with contract, alleging he straight up stole Grease’s extensive publishing catalog from right under his and the record label’s nose. According to court papers obtained by BOSSIP, Grease said he inked a publishing deal with Sony 20 years ago where the company would oversee his catalog and he would retain 50 percent of his copyrights. But the writer said he believes Harrison forged his signature and illegally took over ownership of the catalog, and Grease said Sony hasn’t provided an accounting of his royalties for seven years. Sony/ATV Music Publishing and BMG Rights Management are also named as defendants for breach of contract, Grease’s amended complaint, which was filed Nov. 4, states. Grease is being represented by Lita Rosario, who also litigated Big Pun’s widow’s back royalty case against Fat Joe a few years back. “Actually, my first thought was to get on some street s**t,” Grease told BOSSIP about when he learned of the alleged fraud. “With selling 60 million records, I knew the residuals weren’t coming back. I was seeing royalty statements for a couple of hundred dollars.” The ghostwriter, who helped pen and produce classics from the late 1990s including Nore and Nas’ “Body In The Trunk,” The Lox’s “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa,” and most of DMX’s debut album, “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot,” said he believes he’s not Harrison’s only alleged victim and wouldn’t be surprised if other big names sue him for compensation in the future. Grease, who is supporting two of his children in college, said he wants his catalog back, an accounting from Sony on how they allegedly dropped the ball and his back royalties plus punitive damages. We’ve reached out to Harrison’s lawyer, who said he was not involved in the case declined to comment.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty Toya Bush-Harris Talks Joseline Beef, Miscarriage & Tax Troubles “Married To Medicine” star Toya Bush-Harris’ recent on-screen clash with reality star Joseline Hernandez made for some uncomfortable viewing. Joseline began lobbing low blows at the wife of Dr. Eugene Harris after they disagreed on whether motherhood was a job or not, criticizing everything from her reported tax liens to the way she was dressed. Bush-Harris said she was caught off guard by the Puerto Rican Princess during a scene at Buffie Purselle’s party. But she said she’s not surprised that she came out swinging and questioned if she’d googled her before their encounter. “I think that right now she’s finding herself in a place where she’s losing her relevance on television,” Bush-Harris told BOSSIP. “She has a lot of social media followers, but when it comes to television, she hasn’t seen herself in a while. T think she saw it as an opportunity to get back on a network.” The married mom of two’s journey this season hasn’t been an easy one, and she’s struggled with the fallout from a miscarriage and paying back a six-figure tax bill. Bush-Harris said she’ tried to use her reality show fame to create teachable moments for viewers and fans, and hopes that she helped others by being so candid. “We’re not perfect and we made mistakes,” Bush-Harris said. “It’s not something that everybody comes back from. Sometimes you get so bogged down that you can’t come back up…But we’re in a better place.”
Source: NBC / Getty “One Chicago” Crossover Episodes Airs Oct. 16 At 8 P.M. EST On NBC The creator behind the TV shows “Chicago Med,” Chicago Fire” and Chicago P.D.” said this week’s crossover episodes have a “really scary” storyline that could happen in real life. “One Chicago” creator Dick Wolf said Wednesday night’s three-hour event about a flesh-eating virus plaguing the Windy City would shock viewers because it’s a crisis that’s within the realm of possibility. “It’s basically the same primal fear as “Jaws” or “The Birds” – it’s nature run amok,” Wolf said. “It’s scary.” Wolf said flesh-eating bacteria are in nature and recalled last summer’s spate of cases involving people who caught it after swimming at the beach. Source: NBC / Getty The executive producer also revealed his own brush with superbugs: last year he said doctors swabbed a spot he thought was infected for strep and MRSA viruses. “I said I haven’t been in a hospital,” Wolf told BOSSIP. (The doctor) “said, ‘It’s out.’” This week’s episode sees the casts of “One Chicago” franchises “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.,” and “Chicago Med” join forces to save the city from the potential pandemic. “All I can say is stay tuned,” Wolf added. “There’s really good stuff coming up. The crossover, I think, will scare a lot of people.” Wolf, whose other primetime series “Law & Order: SVU” is the longest-running TV show in U.S. history, also revealed what he believes has helped his shows’ longevity: “The writing,” he said. “It’s always the writing.”
Source: MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images / Getty Social Media Star Sued NBA Player After He Claimed Their Relationship Went Bad Dwight Howard says his assault accuser doesn’t have an ounce of evidence in his lawsuit claims – including that the NBA star was “in everyone raw” at “transgender sex parties.” The Charlotte Hornets player has asked a judge to rule in his favor in a lawsuit accusing him of menacing a gay YouTube star when their alleged relationship went south. Howard’s lawyer filed court docs contending his accuser Masin Elije had no evidence whatsoever that he’d threatened him, offered him money to sign a nondisclosure agreement or proof that Howard sexually harassed him. Elije can’t produce one witness who would testify that they have personal knowledge his claims, including that Howard personally invited Elije to basketball games, sent him nude pictures or that he had an “understanding” with a “transgender prostitute,” Howard’s lawyer said in the court papers, which were obtained by BOSSIP. And the lawyer contended that Elije has no proof to back up his claims that Howard “was in everyone raw” at “transgender sex parties,” nor does he have anyone who’d give testimony about it in open court, according to court papers. Howard’s lawyer pointed out that he asked Elije to produce the evidence in the case as they moved towards trial. But Elije never did, the lawyer said, and now he says enough is enough. We exclusively revealed that Elije – who was born Maurice Singletary – sued Howard in February, alleging that Howard began harassing and threatening him online and by phone when he refused Howard’s request to sign a nondisclosure agreement about their alleged relationship. Howard countersued Elije for $10 million, saying he doesn’t know him and accused him of trying to use Howard for social media clout and to drum up support for his novel “Industry Hoe.” Elije has not responded to the lawsuit as of Oct. 3.
Source: Pool / Getty Disgraced Singer Has Been Locked Up For More Than Two Months On Child Sex Abuse Charges He’s been locked up for more than two months, and R. Kelly has complained that his life is nothing short of hell. The “Pied Piper” revealed that he’s suffering from a host of health ailments, can’t see his two young gal pals at the same time and doesn’t have enough phone time while he remains behind bars and without bail on federal sex abuse charges. In a letter to the judge, the lawyer for the “Step In The Name Of Love” singer said his health has rapidly deteriorated since he was jailed on July 16 . Steve Greenberg said his client is now dealing with acute anxiety, numbness in his hand and untreated hernia – and isn’t getting proper medical care. Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty And to add insult to injury, Greenberg said Kelly can only visit with one of the girlfriends at once, and had to wait an entire 90 days in order to see the other. Greenberg wrote the letter to try to persuade the judge to release the disgraced singer on bail. The lawyer pointed out that Kelly is broke – so he doesn’t have the means to pay off witnesses or to skip town. He said that the feds had confiscated his passport, so there’s no way that he could leave the country, and he reiterated that Kelly didn’t have a criminal record and didn’t run away during his first child sex trial more than 10 years ago. The judge has yet to rule on the motion.
Source: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images / Getty We LOVE “Bluff City Law” And You Will Too The EMMY’s are done but many of your favorite shows are returning this week with new episodes. But there’s also a fresh crop of new shows — some of which we’ve already previewed and can put you on notice to plan to watch (or set your DVR’s) now. In August BOSSIP’s Senior Content Director Janeé Bolden traveled to Memphis to interview the cast of NBC’s new series “Bluff City Law,” which premieres TONIGHT on NBC at 10/9 c. Set in Memphis, TN, the series follows Jimmy Smits as Elijah Strait, a successful lawyer known for crusading for victims of civil and human rights violations as well as other injustices. Things get really interesting for Strait after his philanthropist wife passes away, bringing him closer to his estranged daughter Sydney, played by Caitlin McGee. Sydney has been making big bank representing corporations since leaving her father’s firm years ago, but her mother’s death brings them together and when he asks her to rejoin the firm, she agrees. The show has a feel good element, both because Straits firm is known for fighting the good fight for the downtrodden and doing their part to stick it to corporate greedmongers. In addition to Smits and McGee the ensemble cast includes “Hamilton” star Michael Luwoye, Jayne Atkinson, Stony Blyden, Barry Sloane and newcomer MaameYaa Boafo (a delightful actress who we are sure will charm TV watchers as much as she did this BOSSIP journalist). We also have to mention Josh Kelly, who plays Sydney’s ex-husband Robbie, a police officer who proves particularly helpful in the pilot episode. We sense a love triangle brewing between Robbie, Sydney and her new coworker, Jake Reilly (played by Sloane). Check out a little featurette about the family dynamic between Elijah and Sydney below: We asked Smits about the estrangement and how the show will follow their struggle to find common footing. “No matter what area you’re in, people who are very successful in whatever chosen field, they are often seen a certain way by their children,” Smits told BOSSIP. “They know the flaws. What we talked about was Sydney was probably with the firm at one time and he was very hard on her, that kind of thing , that plus what little she knew about the relationship thing with the mother, we have that rebellion thing that happens and she’s decided to go polar opposite to what the family built and the way she was brought up to be very inclusive and this area of the law that she is very cutthroat, totally different thing. In the pilot they talk about being able to use both of their strengths.” If you can’t already tell, the stories hit a very human chord, with some of the cases pulled from actual lawsuits that are currently being fought. The case Sydney fights in the premiere episode definitely mirrors the Monsantos Roundup lawsuit, but Caitlin McGee told BOSSIP that she took the series’ “Change The World” tagline to heart and made sure show writers were aware of the issues she feels most strongly about. “Yeah, I told the writers and said it in interviews before,” McGee told BOSSIP. “The things that I’m most passionate about – my cousin is trans and she hasn’t had the easiest time of it – I am the “B” in the LGBTQ community, it’s very important for me to represents every single walk of life and specifically Black Lives Matter. There’s a lot of things that I need to see that have already been addressed by our writers, either in coming episodes or in the current episodes. So not just holding big companies accountable, which is incredibly important writing about that in a negative form so that it’s not just a headline that we click on and then forget about. The first time that I saw the actual man who was behind the Monsanto case, when I saw the lesions on his face, that’s gonna stick with me for the rest of my life, that’s going to make me care about the case even more, so if our show gets to do that and represent the people that are just part of the headline, as a real human person and that sticks to someone, then that is beyond anything I care about as an actress because we’re lacking empathy in this world at the moment and I wish we had a little more of it.” McGee wasn’t the only one to bring her personal concerns into the writers room, MaameYaa Boafo told BOSSIP how show writers and producers also made her feel welcome when she came to them regarding Episode 5 of the series. “There is an episode that I had one scene in, and based on what the topic was, I asked to sit down with the producers and explain why it was important for my character to be in the courtroom when this case is happening and they added me in it,” Boafo told BOSSIP. “I don’t say much, but I’m so excited because it’s all about the action and I’m really appreciative that the writers and producers can sit down with someone like me, who is the newbie out of all of us and take what I have to say into consideration. They make me feel that at this point now that they’ve given this part to me, that I know this person, that I know Brianna better than everyone. I know they do this for all of us. It’s wonderful to feel heard and I’m only going to pull that card when I feel that it’s important for Brianna’s presence, or voice or opinion or point of view to be a part of what that case brings.” Hit the flip for more from our interview
Ladies Attend Karen Huger’s Fragrance Launch In Season Finale “Real Housewives of Potomac’s” Gizelle Bryant questions whether frenemy Karen Huger has more than her prototype perfume bottle in our exclusive clip. Bryant’s questions add fuel to long-time speculation from other cast members that the Grand Dame’s perfume line is nothing but smoke and mirrors. However, Huger assures Bryant and Robyn Dixon that there’s more than just that bottle – and that they’d have to be patient for the big reveal. There’s also a shot of what appear to be gift bags in the background – maybe Huger is giving some product away as presents? Also in the clip, Katie Rost ditched what Ashley Darby called her “awful toupee” and was spotted with a lovely new ‘do. Check out the clip above. “The Real Housewives of Potomac” airs Sunday nights on Bravo.
Source: Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo / Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo David Oyelowo & Storm Reid Talk “DON’T LET GO” David Oyelowo and Storm Reid recently brought their excellence in acting to the National Association of Black Journalists Conference . As previously reported the “DON’T LET GO” actors met with journalists and Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier to talk their time-traveling Blumhouse thriller. In the film, Oyelowo plays South Central detective Jack Radcliff who’s hellbent on saving his recently-murdered niece Ashley (Storm Reid.) When he shockingly receives a phone call from his deceased relative, he springs into action and battles time to prevent the young girl’s death from happening. “”DON’T LET GO” is heart-pounding and bizarre—and since it’s produced by Blumhouse we’re anticipating a BIG plot twist. David told NABJ attendees that the idea of being able to save lost family members attracted him to the film for a deeply personal reason. “There being a chance that I could actually save them is what really drew me to it,” said Oyelowo. “I’m sure there are people in this room who’ve lost people they love. I personally lost my mom two years ago.” Source: Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo / Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo As for Storm who also spoke on playing Gia, sister to Rue (Zendaya) on “Euphoria”, she likes to play characters who have real-life personal battles and whose underlying messages “match with her morals and values.” With that in mind, “DON’T LET GO’s” Ashley was a perfect choice. “I don’t go out looking for these characters who are challenged and who have these circumstances,” said Storm. “But I feel like that’s what makes a real person a real person and that’s how we really show our narratives.” The duo also touched on the need for inclusivity in Hollywood. According to David who also served as a producer on this project, there’s no need for things to be “blackified” but there is a need for our people to be seen on the big screen in diverse stories like this thriller. “As for black people we are not asking for everything to be quote, unquote “blackified” whatever that may mean—but there are specifics about us and our culture and our family and our attitudes and the way we see the world and our history. And that history is valid to be seen by all in its specificity but also in the breadth of its humanity.” “For me, it was [saying] ‘Okay, let’s set this somewhere that feels more specific,” he added. “So we decided that it was going to be in Los Angeles. We decided on a place that’s so often seen in a certain kind of way [South Central Los Angeles], so let’s go to that place and redefine the story that you might see.” Source: Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo / Gustavo Caballero/ South Beach Photo If you’re in Atlanta between August 21st-25 for the BronzeLens Film Festival, there will be a special, opening-night screening of the new film on August 21st at Landmark Cinema (931 Monroe Drive). For everyone else, DON’T LET GO is in theaters Friday, August 30th. -danielle canada @IamDaniCanada
Source: Courtesy WeTV / Courtesy WeTV “Beyond The Pole” Dancer Ling Ling Threatens To Quit Show After Dealing With Eviction Life as a dancer shouldn’t be so rough! A brand new episode of “Beyond The Pole” airs on WeTV Thursday and we’ve got an exclusive clip for your viewing pleasure. This one is kinda tough to watch, as one of the dancers Ling Ling has gotten into a pretty tough predicament. Check it out below: Here’s more of what you can expect from the episode: Ling Ling’s shocking breakdown forces her to turn to a friend. Angel Kake’s niece is lured into life as an exotic dancer. Stormy hosts a ladies mixer, but it quickly turns left when Lea Lea arrives & Stormy unleashes her wrath. BEYOND THE POLE- “A Little Stormy In The Mix”- Airs Thursday, August 15th at 10/11C on WeTV
