Trey Songz Blasts The Grammys For Shortchanging Black Music R&B crooner Trey Songz has been making panty dropping anthems for years but has he become fed up because his songz haven’t been critically recognized? The singer took to his Twitter account on Grammy night to blast the award show for failing to properly recognize the achievements of urban music. Trey says: The singer later adds that’s he’s NOT shading the Grammys either: The Grammy Awards have received a lot of backlash from fans, artists and industry execs for failing to represent African American musicians and contemporary urban music. Do you think Trey has a valid point or is he just mad that he wasn’t nominated?? Hit the flip for more…
Bill O’Reilly Defends Brian Williams After He Lied About His Experience Iraq Via HuffingtonPost Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly spoke out in defense of Brian Williams on Monday night following the growing controversy around the NBC News anchor fabricating a story. Williams has been in hot water ever since he admitted last week that he was not aboard a helicopter that was forced down by RPG fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as he previously stated. The “Nightly News” host has since taken a brief leave of absence from his program, and several more of his stories are now under investigation. O’Reilly defended Williams on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” telling the audience that the anchor “made a mistake,” and shaking his finger at anyone getting satisfaction from his downfall. “Anybody who is enjoying the destruction of this man, you gotta look at yourself,” O’Reilly said. “There’s a lot of people saying that they’re really happy his career is going down the drain. That disturbs me.” Bury Beyoncé , but defend THIS guy?? SMFH. Image via WENN/AP
Greg Hardy’s Domestic Violence Case Dismissed As Abused Girlfriend Didn’t Show Up Court Via CharlotteObserver Greg Hardy’s domestic-abuse case was abruptly dismissed Monday because his accuser – who is believed to have reached an undisclosed civil settlement with the Carolina Panthers’ Pro-Bowl defensive end – could not be found to testify. Nicole Holder, Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, told prosecutors last fall she did not want to go through another trial after Hardy’s initial conviction in July 2014, District Attorney Andrew Murray said in a statement Monday as jury selection was about to get underway at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. Hardy, who came to court in a dark, pin-striped suit and white $600 Balenciagas tennis shoes, appeared impassive as the decision was revealed. He said nothing, and his attorney, Chris Fialko, would not take questions. Since November, efforts to contact Holder and serve her with a subpoena have been fruitless, Murray said, despite “extraordinary measures” that included police staking out the addresses where she was believed to be living and requests to relatives to have her come forward. Murray said that he understood Holder had reached an independent settlement with Hardy. Holder’s attorney, Daniel Zamora of Charlotte, did not return a phone call Monday morning. In the days leading up to Hardy’s trial, Zamora refused to say whether Holder would appear. In July, with Holder at his side, Zamora said Hardy’s conviction “sent a strong message to the people of Mecklenburg County that it doesn’t matter if you’re an average Joe or if you’re a professional athlete that plays for the Carolina Panthers: If you assault a woman and you communicate to that woman that you will kill them, you will be arrested. You will be prosecuted, and you will be convicted.” Speaking briefly with reporters after the cased was dismissed, Murray said his office remains committed to prosecuting domestic abuse cases. In many cases, prosecutors go to trial without the cooperation of victims, who may change their minds on bringing charges or fear reprisals from their attackers. Something just seems terribly wrong about a man dodging prison just because he paid his victim a couple dollars for beating her. Image via AP
Brazilian Inmates Escape From Jail 28 inmates escaped from a Brazilian jail after authorities say they seduced guards with kinky lingerie and spiked whiskey, before tying them up and breaking out. The Daily Mail reports: Twenty-eight inmates escaped from a Brazilian jail after three women in sexy police costumes ‘seduced’ the prison wardens. Police found three wardens naked and handcuffed inside the morning after the mass breakout at Nova Mutum public jail near Cuiaba. Investigators say the women drugged the guards with spiked whisky after convincing them to take part in an orgy. They arrived at around 3am on Thursday morning and asked if they could come inside to ‘chat and drink’, police say. The prison guards obliged and were soon persuaded to leave their posts, before heading to the sleeping quarters with the scantily clad women. After drugging and handcuffing the wardens, they took their keys and unlocked all the prison’s cells according to police chief Angelina de Andrades Ferreira. ‘Whoever wanted to escape left by the front door. From the moment they drank the whisky the agents don’t remember a thing. ‘One was found dizzy, trying to wake up. Another slept for the whole afternoon and couldn’t even be questioned.’ Dozens of prisoners walked straight out the main door carrying guns and ammunition they took from the prison caches. The inmates took three 12-calibre rifles, shotguns, two 38-calibre revolvers and munition, she said. Police later discovered a bag of lingerie and skimpy leather police uniforms which they believe the temptresses wore to distract the wardens. SMH at the guards getting distracted by lingerie and the promise of a smash session.
Did Ne-Yo Secretly Marry Crystal Renay? Ne-Yo has only been stepping out with Instagram model Crystal Renay for about six months, but a few pics that have hit social media in the past few days leading up to the Grammys have people wondering if these two have already tied the knot. Each seem to have gotten the other’s initials tatted on THAT ring finger…Crystal has “SCS” for Ne-Yo’s real name, Shaffer Chimere Smith, while Ne-Yo has “CRS.” Does this prove that Ne-Yo already made Miss Crystal Renay a Smith in under a year? If you need further proof, Crystal seems to have also had a party a few days ago, celebrating her engagement or marriage. Peep the hashtags this massage company included for their pics from servicing her bash. Looks like the masseuses were informed of her “wifey status” as well: Damn…looks like Ne-Yo hopscotched right over his baby mama Monyetta after so many years to turn around and marry an Instagram-famous attention slore he’s been dating for all of five minutes. Hit the flip to get a better eyeful of Ne-Yo’s new wife’s best features… Instagram
Unarmed Black Carpenter Shot 8 Times By Police Awarded $2.5 Million In Settlement via Contra Costa Times The state of California agreed Tuesday to pay $2.5 million to settle an excessive-force lawsuit filed by an African-American carpenter who was shot at least eight times by a white CHP rookie during a traffic stop. The state offered the settlement on the first day of trial in federal court, after the officer who shot James Henry Ligon Jr. in 2012 testified that Ligon stepped out of his car and charged directly at him, shouting threats. The problem with CHP officer Joe Lafauci’s account was it did not match the physical evidence in the case, said Ligon’s lawyers, Jaime Leanos and Nelson McElmurry. Ligon was shot four times in the back, suggesting he was not coming at the officer. “Officer Lafauci immediately went for his gun, unlike his more experienced partner, who got out of the patrol car without even taking out his gun,” just his Taser, McElmurry said. Lafauci had only 14 months on the job when he emptied his service pistol of 12 rounds, at least eight of which hit Ligon. Ligon, now 37, said he had stepped out of his car after leading the CHP on a high-speed chase for three miles because he couldn’t hear what the officers were yelling and to show them he was unarmed. Details surrounding what led to the high speed chase reveal that Mr. Ligon was suspected of drunk driving at the time of the incident. According to Sunnyvale police, which investigated Ligon’s shooting, Lafauci and fellow CHP officer Cory Walczak tried to stop Ligon in a gold Toyota Corolla about 1:30 a.m. on southbound Highway 101 near Ellis Street, suspecting he was driving drunk. It was later determined he had an estimated blood-alcohol level of .25-.32, at least three times above the legal limit of .08. He was on probation at the time for possession of mushrooms for sale. Ligon did not pull over and instead drove onto city streets in Sunnyvale for about three miles to the 200 block of Alturas Avenue, near where his mother lived. He was driving her car and did not want it to be impounded, Leanos said. Ligon pleaded no contest to felony evading and misdemeanor DUI charges, after prosecutors dropped a felony resisting arrest charge. This case serves as a great example for how these types of incidents SHOULD be handled. No one is advocating that people breaking the law should get off scott-free (drunk driving and evading police is certainly a punishable offense) however, police officers shooting to kill should NEVER be the first course of action without consequence when a suspect makes it clear that he is unarmed.
Nick Gordon Targeted In Bobbi Kristina Foul Play Investigation While the rest of Bobbi Kristina’s family remains by her side hoping and praying for a miracle …cops are starting to question the circumstances that led to her being discovered face down and unresponsive in the bathtub one week ago. Via TMZ : There is an active criminal investigation underway in Georgia in the Bobbi Kristina case … it centers on possible foul play and the target is her boyfriend … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell us … Bobbi Kristina had certain injuries that have piqued their interest. We do not know the nature of the injuries. Multiple sources tell TMZ there is a history of violence between Bobbi Kristina and boyfriend Nick Gordon. We’re told police are looking into a possible altercation more than an hour before Bobbi Kristina was found submerged in a bathtub. We’re told Max Lomas — the friend who discovered Bobbi Kristina in the tub — arrived at around 9 AM last Saturday. He says he hung out with Nick but did not see Bobbi Kristina. He was told she was in the bedroom. Nick wandered away and Max says he didn’t pay attention to his whereabouts. The cable guy showed sometime after 10 AM and Max says he let him in — Nick was nowhere to be seen. The cable guy said he needed access to the bedroom so Max let him in and discovered Bobbi Kristina in the tub. He screamed for Nick, who ran in and administered CPR. We’re told Max claims Nick allegedly cleaned up the home and removed blood stains. Cops interviewed both Max and Nick and they want to debrief Max again, but our law enforcement sources say Max’s lawyer insisted on immunity before he spoke again. We’re told as of Friday morning Max hadn’t gotten immunity or talked to cops. Our sources say Nick Gordon has also lawyered up. We could not reach Nick for comment. Wow…blood? And Nick cleaned it up? This is starting to sound VERY suspicious. Our thought and prayers remain with Bobbi Kristina’s family during this time…but we’re definitely keeping track of these new developments.
Woman Suing City Of Seattle For $1 Million In Police Brutality Case Consequences and repercussions… Via RawStory Seattle woman who suffered a broken eye socket after a police officer punched her in the face while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car filed a $1m claim against the city, alleging assault and arrest without probable cause. The incident was captured by a patrol-car dashboard camera. Seattle police officer Adley Shepherd responded to the scene of a domestic dispute in June 2014, where he arrested Miyekko Durden-Bosley, then 23. The woman allegedly became verbally abusive with the officer, and Shepherd can be heard accusing her of “escalating” the situation on camera. Shepherd handcuffed Durden-Bosley, and she appears to be tossed into the back of a patrol car. Almost immediately after Durden-Bosley lands in the back seat Shepherd yells “She kicked me!” and lunges into the back seat of the car, on top of the woman, the video shows. Shepherd punched Durden-Bosley so severely that she suffered a concussion and a broken orbital socket. Durden-Bosley told Seattle’s KING5 that she had headaches and blurry vision from the punch seven months later. She told KING5 that she doesn’t remember whether she kicked the officer. The Washington state patrol, the Seattle-based federal US attorney and Seattle police launched investigations as a result of the incident, several media outlets reported. And amid high-profile cases of police brutality, such as the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Durden-Bosley’s case has garnered significant public attention. KING5 reported that the Washington state patrol found Shepherd’s actions “inconsistent with the training and policy”, and that “he unnecessarily placed himself in greater danger and caused unnecessary and foreseeable injury to the handcuffed suspect.” Nevertheless, in December, the King County prosecuting attorney Dan Satterberg declined to press charges against Shepherd (who remains on administrative leave), the Seattle Times reported . Satterberg said state law permits officers to use “all necessary means” to subdue an arrestee. We hope she sees every red cent! Image via Atty. Mike Wampold
Kris Jenner Had A Hard Time Adjusting To Bruce’s Transition Somehow, Kris Jenner is taking the opportunity to make Bruce’s struggle through gender identity all about her. The mother of all things Kardashain and Kardashian-adjacent has apparently had her own struggle with Bruce’s back and forth on becoming a lady, but has finally settled in to the idea and learned to accept and embrace his decision to become a bad bish like the rest of the clan. Via People : Bruce Jenner’s family all reacted to the news that Jenner is transitioning from male to female in their own way – and his ex-wife Kris has struggled the most, sources tell PEOPLE in the magazine’s new cover story. “Kris had the most difficult time of anyone in the family,” says a Jenner insider. “She has had a lot to process. She has cried a lot about this, because it’s an emotional thing for her.” Jenner was married to Kris for 22 years before they announced their split in October of 2013. Now, the mom of six (including Kendall, 19 and Kylie, 17, her daughters with Bruce) is “looking back at their entire marriage,” says the insider. “A lot of things are suddenly making sense.” Now that the dust has somewhat settled, “She’s come back around,” says the insider. “She has gotten used to the idea. She was most upset because it was the great unknown, but she has really been reading up on things now, so she’ll know what to expect.” Despite the shock, “no one in the family feels betrayed or deceived by Bruce,” says the insider. “It’s not like he woke up one day and was like, ‘Surprise!’ He moved through his own feelings and his own changes at his own pace.” And now, reality TV’s most famous family is focused on moving forward. Says a source in their inner circle: “It’s really a hard adjustment and a shock, but Kris 100 percent supports [Bruce]. The whole family does.” You think Bruce really gives a damn what Kris feels like about his new life?
