Rock em’ or eat ‘em? Dallas Chocolatier Makes Candy Heels For Valentine’s Day Via NYPost Florists and chocolate-makers are working around the clock in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. In Dallas, chocolatier Andrea Pedraza, who loves designer high heels, molded her pedestrian passion into chocolate form. Her most well-known creations are chocolate pumps done in the style of Christian Louboutin shoes. Prices for the pumps range from $30 to $55, but more if you fill the heel with more chocolates. Pedraza says men buy the chocolate pumps the most, so she keeps extras on hand for last-minute shoppers. $55 for edible shoes?! Happy wife makes a happy life we guess. Image via AP
Guess who’s been a bad gal again? Rihanna of course. During a recent shopping trip the songbird stirred up a bit of trouble apparently. Via National Enquirer reports : Mere moments after Hurricane RIHANNA blasted into the ladies’ shoe department of Saks Fifth Avenue in BevHills, nearly 100 pairs of expensive kicks – and dozens of shoe boxes – lay scattered all over the floor! Huffing and puffing like an ill wind, Rihanna ran salespeople ragged, snapping her fingers and ordering designer shoes at such a lightning pace it took three frazzled clerks to wait on her, says a source. Upper-crusty customers suddenly started complaining loudly that they couldn’t get service, but that didn’t faze the “sole” singer – who demanded even more samples until she’d made her final choices. This doesn’t sound good but it definitely could have gotten worse. Besides, we can think of more destructive behavior than just buying up all the shoes at Saks!
Who Was Seen Wearing These Custom Made Shoes? This bangin’ bawwwdied fashionista has been seen on the scene just about everywhere this year. She spent a large portion of the summer frolicking on the beach in MIA and was even spotted out with the most talked about ex-girlfriend of the year not too long ago. If you can’t guess who it is from those hints alone, we won’t make you work too hard today. Here’s one more hint that’s a dead giveaway… Yup, it’s none other than YMCMB roster chick Christina Milian showing off her tomboy side in some custom made LBJs. Check out a few more backstage candids of Cmili doing her thing on the set of “The Voice” below. Twitter
Who Was Seen Wearing These Custom Made Shoes? This bangin’ bawwwdied fashionista has been seen on the scene just about everywhere this year. She spent a large portion of the summer frolicking on the beach in MIA and was even spotted out with the most talked about ex-girlfriend of the year not too long ago. If you can’t guess who it is from those hints alone, we won’t make you work too hard today. Here’s one more hint that’s a dead giveaway… Yup, it’s none other than YMCMB roster chick Christina Milian showing off her tomboy side in some custom made LBJs. Check out a few more backstage candids of Cmili doing her thing on the set of “The Voice” below. Twitter
Slavery in America? Yup, you read that right, slavery is still on and poppin’ in Michigan although authorities are trying their best to crack down on human trafficking. A West African man living in the state was actually convicted this week for enslaving and abusing four young men from his native Togo this week. Via TheGrio : On Tuesday, a federal jury convicted a former janitor at the University of Michigan of enslaving and abusing four West African boys. He held the boys in his home for five years and pretended that they were his own children. Jean-Claude Kodjo Toviave, a native of the West African nation of Togo, could face up to 20 years in prison after being convicted on four counts of forced labor. Toviave, 42, was originally arrested in May 2011 after three of the boys reported the abuse to counselors at a middle school. Toviave, whose sentencing is set for Feb. 6, smuggled the four boys into the country from Togo by using fake passports with false names and birth dates. Claiming the boys were his own biological children, he went as far as enrolling the three youngest – ages 21, 20, and 15 – in a public middle school. During the trial, the boys testified that Toviave regularly beat them with broomsticks, a toilet plunger, sticks, ice scrapers, and cell phone chargers if they failed to obey orders to do their house chores – which included cooking, housecleaning, ironing his suits, shining his shoes, washing and vacuuming his car, and cleaning one of his friends’ houses. Toviave also starved and sleep-deprived them as punishment. In February, Toviave pled guilty to mail fraud and harboring illegal aliens in connection with bringing the four boys to the United States. Human trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, ranks just behind drug trafficking for most profitable criminal industries, with children accounting for half of all victims. Michigan, specifically Metro Detroit, has become one of the prime areas for human trafficking. The state instituted its first human trafficking laws in 2006 and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette expanded them in 2011. The changes included stiffer penalties for sex trafficking, involving minors in sex acts, and forced enslavement. “In Michigan, we have seen victims in the Upper Peninsula, in Detroit, and in rural areas,” said Bridgette Carr, an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. “We haven’t found a community yet that we haven’t seen a victim come from.” “So, what I often tell people is: ‘Find a community that doesn’t have a drug problem, and I can talk about perhaps your community doesn’t have a human trafficking problem.’ That’s how prevalent it is.” That isht cray! We gotta ask how a 21-year-old and 20-year-old got away with going to middle school. Shouldn’t somebody have noticed they were big as hell for some so called tweens? Oh and is 20 years a good enough payment for what he did to these four men’s lives???
Skateboarder Danny Way takes the starring moment in Samuel Goldwyn Films’ Waiting for Lightning . Featuring interviews with Travis Pastrana, Laird Hamilton, Rodney Mullen, Mat Hoffman, Ken Block, Rob Dyrdek and Tony Hawk, the story focuses on “how much abuse the body can sustain, how deep you have to dig to survive the challenges life presents, and how high and far dreams can fly.” Official log line: Waiting for Lightning is the inspirational story of visionary skateboarder Danny Way. The film follows the journey of a young boy from a broken home in Vista, CA, whose passion for skateboarding would one day bring him fame and a lifetime of accomplishments. Way’s drive has no limits as exemplified by his creation captured on screen, a ramp of prodigious and dangerous proportions, across many cultural and ideological boundaries to attempt the impossible: jump China’s Great Wall on a skateboard. It’s a film about how much abuse the body can sustain, how deep you have to dig to survive the challenges life presents, and how high and far dreams can fly. Danny Way has not only proven himself to be an incredibly talented skateboarder but also the sport’s greatest innovator. In his quest for greatness, Way continues to shape the very sport which helped save his own life. From the producers of Act of Valor , Step Into Liquid and Dust to Glory comes Waiting for Lightning , a Bandito Brothers production in association with DC Shoes, directed by Jacob Rosenberg, written by Bret Anthony Johnston, edited by Carol Martori and produced by Max Leitman, Darryl Franklin, Jacob Rosenberg and Hana Ripperger-Suhler. The film features interviews with Travis Pastrana, Laird Hamilton, Rodney Mullen, Mat Hoffman, Ken Block, Rob Dyrdek and Tony Hawk. Waiting For Lightning heads to theaters and is available for download December 7th.
Hey guys! My name is Maribel and I honestly never pictured myself ever writing a Bieber experience on this page! I come on it everyday and read everybody’s stories. Well, now it’s my turn to write and I can’t wait to tell you guys my story! First off, I haven’t had the chance to meet Justin, but I’m so blessed and proud to say that I’ve gotten the chance to meet Scooter, Dan, and Nick Demoura. I have though, been followed by Justin on Twitter. It was October 6th, the day I went to the Believe concert in Oakland. I was so happy and just overall shocked that I was even going. The whole week I prayed to God to meet someone from crew. I prayed everyday and finally I just said, “God, I don’t care if I don’t meet Justin, I’d love it if I did, but PLEASE at least let me meet someone from the crew.” I got there about 2 or 3 hours earlier before the show started. There were already so many beliebers waiting against a short gate saying that Justin, Carly, Fredo, and others had already came. I thought I’d never have a chance in meeting them. I waited there still for a while to hopefully at least get a glimpse of someone and soon enough, Nick Demoura came out. I was like, “Hey! Can I take a picture with you?” and he said “Yeah sure!” To be honest, I thought he was just one of the dancers, but when I got home I realized that he was Justin’s choreographer and I freaked out even more. He was so cute and humble. Then, SCOOTER BRAUN, Justin’s CREATOR came out! I was so shocked, but I kept my emotions to myself. I WAS FREAKING OUT ON THE INSIDE! Scooter finally got to me and I was like, “Scooter! I love you, can you take a picture with me?” and he grabbed my camera and we took a picture; he also signed my shoes. He started moving down the line of girls and I checked to see how our picture had came out and I noticed that it was only a picture of my face, so I screamed, “Scooter you didn’t come out in my picture, can we take another?” He was so nice, he came back and we took another one, but then the same thing happened. He took my camera and checked it out and said “That’s because you have it on zoom!” Then we finally took the perfect picture. Then Kenny (the teddy bear) came out. He was also going down the row of girls but Scooter called him. Just seconds later, Dan Kanter came out. He took so long to get to where I was, but the reason was because he seriously took his time to talk to all of us beliebers one by one and made sure all of us got a picture with him . He honestly stole my heart and was the greatest. The whole time, myself as well as the girls around me sang the “Dan Kanter Song” until he got to us. Once he got to me I said “Dan how’s Justin?” and Dan said “He’s doing great! He’s getting ready for the show and all.” I took a picture with Dan and then we talked some more. My friends and I were wearing some Canadian wristbands in honor of Justin and then Dan noticed them and said, “I love your bracelets! You guys are representing Justin” and right then and there, my friend Marlen took her bracelet off, signed it, and gave it to Dan to give it to Justin. Then Dan signed our poster and I asked him to sign my shoes too. I was so nervous and said, “Oh my gosh my leg is shaking!” and Dan said “Aww, it is shaking, that’s so sweet! It shows that you care.” THAT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME. For once in my life someone from the crew understood how much I care and love all of them. And that was it! The tour buses were right in front of us and were hard to see into, but we managed to see someone wave hi. I’m not sure who it was, it could’ve been, but who knows, it might have been Justin. God is real you guys, I prayed so much and he listened and made my wishes come true. Seriously, Justin tells us this all the time, Never Say Never and BELIEVE! Dreams do come true! Read more: Hey guys! My name is Maribel and I honestly never pictured…
By all indications at the LA press day the principals involved in Alex Cross are happy as plums with the pic director Rob Cohen delivered, which sees Tyler Perry (of Madea fame) making his action hero debut on Friday. So is it any wonder that a deal is underway already with novelist James Patterson to start work on Double Cross , the next in what Summit and QED International hope is another fruitful Perry franchise? Based on Patterson’s popular crime novels, Alex Cross follows a detective/profiler (Perry) as he challenges a serial killer named Picasso (Matthew Fox, in a memorably crazed turn) who kills with perverse pleasure — and has targeted people close to the detective. The two then engages him in a dangerous cat and mouse game against the backdrop of a decayed Detroit. It’s Perry’s first film solely as an actor following a tremendously successful run of niche films, television, and theater projects that have grossed over half a billion dollars to date with Perry producing, directing, writing, and/or starring. Alex Cross is, fittingly enough, his big crossover push as well as his first action role, and given his loyal following it’s not surprising that the studio’s banking on a big enough opening from the modestly-budgeted $25M pic to warrant a sequel. For his part, Patterson voiced his support of Perry’s star turn filling the shoes of the iconic character previously portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider . He described Perry as a more accurate embodiment of Alex Cross, who’s described in the novels as a 6’3″, 200 lb. family man who’s close to his grandmother. Addressing the idea of writing yet more novels in his 20-book Alex Cross series, the poised, brash Patterson answered, ” Always. Baby needs new shoes .” (No, really. He said that.) So I’m guessing there’s none of that original author hesitation on Patterson’s part to see another one of his novels adapted for the screen, regardless of how Alex Cross opens with audiences or critics this weekend. There’s no indication yet of who will be scripting or directing the sequel, but if I were QED I’d look to upgrade on both counts. [ Deadline ]
Luda and Kev brought out the ATL biggest and brightest for a good cause. Ludcris’ Luda Day Weekend Celebrity Basketabll Game In Atlanta The importance of giving back to the community is the primary focus of LudaDay Weekend, and this year, Ludacris has made a commitment to highlighting local charities that support the city of Atlanta including; Frank Ski Kids Foundation, Inc., Keshia Knight Pulliam’s Kamp Kizzy, Antoine “Big Boi” Patton’s Big Kidz Foundation, Josh Powell’s 21 Reasons Foundation, Get Schooled.org, Do Something, Ryan Cameron Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Atlanta. In addition to the above mentioned causes, LudaDay Weekend has also partnered with the local organization, Charles McCree Presents: Project Walk A Mile In My Shoes, to collect donations of new and slightly used shoes and sneakers to be collected at the Ludacris (Team Luda) vs. Kevin Hart (Team Hart) Celebrity Basketball Game on Sunday, September 2nd, at Morehouse Forbes Arena. The collected shoes will be donated to the following Atlanta-based organizations; Hosea Feed The Hungry, ENBA CAMP & YouthTakeBack, and My Sister’s House women’s shelter for abused women. Since its inception in 2008, Project Walk A Mile in My Shoes has collected over 7,000 pairs of shoes for several organizations including The Boys & Girls Club, It’s Cool To Be Smart, My Sister’s House and Hosea Feed the Hungry. Luda definitely puts on for his city. Check out the pics from the game on the flipper. Images via ATLPics/Prince Williams
These kids and these cotdamn shoes…SMMFH Texas Teens Arrested For Breaking In To Mall To Steal Air Jordan Sneakers Two teenagers were arrested this week after cutting into the roof of a mall in Houston to steal Nike Air Jordan sneakers. A security guard at Greenspoint mall, on the north side of Houston, saw the thieves in the Foot Action store early Wednesday morning and called police. John Grant, 19, and another male, 16, were arrested at the scene, but a third suspect believed to be around the same age fled. “We believe we know the identity of the third male who fled on foot and is still wanted,” Cannon said. Grant has a court date of Aug. 29 at a state district court and is currently in custody with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Police and the prosecutor’s office will not release any details about the 16-year-old because he is a minor. Grant, who does not have an attorney according to court records, could not be reached for comment. John Cannon, Houston Police spokesman, said officers responded to a burglary call at 4:45 A.M. on Wednesday and found the suspects stole 16 pairs of Nike Air Jordan sneakers valued at $175 each. Limited editions of specific Nike sneakers, such as the soon-to-be-released LeBron X Nike Plus basketball sneaker, are often bought and re-sold for costs as high as $1,000. Violence and long lines have plagued stores like Foot Locker as fans wait hours for a limited number of sneakers. As for the perpetrators… Police charged the minor with burglary of a building, a felony, and evading police on foot, which is a misdemeanor. Gant was charged with burglary of a building, which is also a felony, the Houston Police said. 90% of these young kids never even saw Mike take a jump shot, much less remember the shoes. Yet here they are fighting, cutting, killing, and getting arrested for them, ig’nant azz ninjas… Image via Hypebeast Source Continue reading →
