JoAnna Garcia and Nick Swisher are expecting their first child. She’s pregnant! “So happy to finally be able to share our news!” Garcia tweeted today. “Nick and I are expecting our first baby in 2013! Feeling so blessed and beyond excited!” “Words can’t describe how blessed we feel to be expanding our family and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new addition,” he wrote on Facebook. “Your support and kindness has meant so much to us throughout the years and we wanted to personally share the news with you all.” Garcia, 33, and Swisher, 31, tied the knot in December 2010. Joanna Garcia’s notable TV credits include Reba, Privileged, Gossip Girl , Better With You, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Freaks and Geeks . Until recently, Swisher was the right fielder and first baseman for the New York Yankees; he is currently a free agent after declining a $13.3 million one-year offer. Congratulations to the happy, expectant couple! [Photo: WENN.com]
It’s good to be The King T.I. Calls The First Half Of The Hawks Vs. Heat Game Last night, the kang of the south got his Bob Costas on as he got to call the first half of the game between LeBron James and the Heat and his hometown Atlanta Hawks. T.I. spoke with Fox Sports shortly before the game and talked about how excited he was to call the game. Read more at Hip Hop Wired
2012 Olympic Champions Cover Essence Magazine The Olympics may be well over, but the champions that made history and won it all are still shining. Olympic champions Gabby Douglas, Carmelita Jeter, Sanya Richards-Ross and Allyson Felix grace the cover of the December issue of Essence magazine all smiles and looking like gold. The December ‘Women of the Year’ edition of the magazine features 2 covers, with Gabby stealing the spotlight as the cover girl for the other one. Congratulations to these deserving ladies! Check out Gabby’s solo cover on the flip….
This is Serena’s third time winning the championship. Ending the year on a good note, Serena is bringing in yet another win after she kicked Maria Sharapova’s azz (again). According to ESPN : “Now that I can be honest, I really wanted to win,” Williams said. “I wanted it so bad but I didn’t want to say it … It was really important for me to end the year with this title in particular.” Williams ended the season with a 58-4 record. Since her first-round loss at the French Open, the American is 31-1, winning Wimbledon, the Olympic gold medal and the U.S. Open. But because she did not play as well at the start of the year following injuries and illness, Williams will have to settle for the No. 3 ranking despite dominating the tour in the past few months. She finishes behind No. 2 Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, who ends the year as the top-ranked player in the world despite losing to Sharapova in the semifinals. “I had such a good year, it was important to end on a good note. It was good for my sanity to win,” Williams said. “I really wanted it although I didn’t need it.” “Today she had another great serving day against me,” said Sharapova, who never had a break point. “If I’m playing well and doing everything right, It’s pretty difficult to beat me, without trying to sound too full of myself,” Williams said. “And I hate to lose.” Williams also became the oldest player, at age 31, to win the year-end championships and has seven titles this year. Big ups to Serena! Images via WENN
Tracee Ellis Ross’ Best Looks Hear ye, Hear ye! We are hereby inducting another member into the 40-year-old banger category. Yesterday was Ross’ 40th birthday and she’s even finer than ever. It’s quite amazing that she’s maintained her looks for all this time. Where do we even start? She’s got the eyes, smile and fannnntastic cakes to get us through the day. Let’s take a look at Tracee through the years to the beauty she is now.
Ciara’s new video “Got Me Good” is set to premiere tomorrow , on her birthday nonetheless, in Time’s Square. We’ve got a snippet for you until then. What do you think? Does it have a little Missy vibe?? Images via youtube
It’s a catchy name for a fragrance… but will it live up to the celeb hype for a second time around?! According to Ebony.com Sparkle” star Jordin Sparks has decided to add perfume purveyor to her growing list of accomplishments. The “American Idol” winner will be releasing her own fragrance “Ambition” this November. Aptly titled, the perfume will have a citrus-themed signature that includes notes like bitter orange and lemon zest. “Right now, I feel like I can take on the world,” said Sparks during a recent shoot for the fragrance in Los Angeles. “Ambition is the perfect word for where I am in my life right now.” This will be Sparks’ second perfume release. Her first fragrance (“Because of You”) debuted in 2010. Big ups to Jordin and all of her Ambition. Images via WENN
Halle has such a way with words. Halle Berry is the subject of a pretty cool NY Times blog feature this week. Inside she talks candidly about her new role in the upcoming film Cloud Atlas , her race, her relationships and raising Nahla away from the paps. We’ve got the best excerpts for you here… Via NYT T Magazine Blog : On The Paparazzi: “They’re outside my house every morning,” she says.“I get it about the celebrity stuff,” she tells me softly, sliding into her seat. “It’s part of my job to recognize that there’s a certain part of my life the public wants to hear about. But it’s not O.K. that they’re doing terrible things to my daughter. One night, after they chased us, it took me two hours just to get her calmed down enough to get to sleep.” On Her Bad Choices In Men: “My picker’s broken,” she says with a laugh. “God just wanted to mix up my life. Maybe he was thinking, ‘This girl can’t get everything! I’m going to give her a broken picker.’ ” She says it’s fixed now. Hit the flip for more…
Mitt’s face must be crunchy… Salt Lake City Tribune Endorses Mitt Romeny Via Salt Lake City Tribune Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state. But it was Romney’s singular role in rescuing Utah’s organization of the 2002 Olympics from a cesspool of scandal, and his oversight of the most successful Winter Games on record, that make him the Beehive State’s favorite adopted son. After all, Romney managed to save the state from ignominy, turning the extravaganza into a showcase for the matchless landscapes, volunteerism and efficiency that told the world what is best and most beautiful about Utah and its people. In short, this is the Mitt Romney we knew, or thought we knew, as one of us. Sadly, it is not the only Romney, as his campaign for the White House has made abundantly clear, first in his servile courtship of the tea party in order to win the nomination, and now as the party’s shape-shifting nominee. From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: “Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?” The evidence suggests no clear answer, or at least one that would survive Romney’s next speech or sound bite. Politicians routinely tailor their words to suit an audience. Romney, though, is shameless, lavishing vastly diverse audiences with words, any words, they would trade their votes to hear. Wow, tough crowd… The newspaper then went on to make a pretty convincing case for why they support President Obama for another term. And what of the president Romney would replace? For four years, President Barack Obama has attempted, with varying degrees of success, to pull the nation out of its worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression, a deepening crisis he inherited the day he took office. In the first months of his presidency, Obama acted decisively to stimulate the economy. His leadership was essential to passage of the badly needed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Though Republicans criticize the stimulus for failing to create jobs, it clearly helped stop the hemorrhaging of public sector jobs. The Utah Legislature used hundreds of millions in stimulus funds to plug holes in the state’s budget. The president also acted wisely to bail out the auto industry, which has since come roaring back. Romney, in so many words, said the carmakers should sink if they can’t swim. High praise for the POTUS. In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem-solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust. Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first. If Money Makin’ Mitt can’t even convince his own people (Mormons) to f**k with him, then he’s got a tough road ahead of him. Image via AP
Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel Get Married If you’re wondering what Justin Timberlake will be doing tonight (and we know SO many of you are), wonder no more. We could be wrong, but we’re guessing that he’ll be smashing his new wifey’s cakes to smithereens to commemorate their first night as a married couple. via People It’s official! After five years of dating, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are husband and wife. “It’s great to be married, the ceremony was beautiful and it was so special to be surrounded by our family and friends,” the couple told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement Friday. Timberlake, 31, and Biel, 30, kept mum about the nuptials – they were even vague to guests, keeping the location in southern Italy a complete secret until the last minute. The actor-musician said recently of his bride, “She’s a really, really, really special person.” Congrats to them and may they withstand the test of time in Hollyweird!
