Rest In Peace: Legendary Singer Etta James Dies

RIP to Soulful legend Etta James. She will always be remembered for her toughness and her classic song as noted below, "At Last"

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Etta James' performance of the enduring classic "At Last" was the embodiment of refined soul: Angelic-sounding strings harkened the arrival of her passionate yet measured vocals as she sang tenderly about a love finally realized after a long and patient wait.

In real life, little about James was as genteel as that song. The platinum blonde's first hit was a saucy R and B number about sex, and she was known as a hell-raiser who had tempestuous relationships with her family, her men and the music industry. Then she spent years battling a drug addiction that she admitted sapped away at her great talents.

In other words, she was one of music's original bad girls.

"The bad girls ... had the look that I liked," she wrote in her 1995 autobiography, "Rage to Survive." ''I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be."
James' spirit could not be contained — perhaps that's what made her so magnetic in music; it is surely what made her so dynamic as one of R&B, blues and rock 'n' roll's underrated legends. The 73-year-old died at Riverside Community Hospital, with her husband and sons at her side, De Leon said.
 

James performed well into her senior years, and it was "At Last" that kept bringing her the biggest ovations. The song was a perennial that never aged, and on Jan. 20, 2009, as crowds celebrated that — at last — an African-American had become president of the United States, the song played as the first couple danced.

But it was superstar Beyonce who serenaded the Obamas, not the legendary singer. Beyonce had portrayed James in "Cadillac Records," a big-screen retelling of Chess Records' heyday, and had started to claim "At Last" as her own.

An audio clip surfaced of James at a concert shortly after the inauguration, saying she couldn't stand the younger singer and that Beyonce had "no business singing my song." But she told the New York Daily News later that she was joking, even though she had been hurt that she did not get the chance to participate in the inauguration.

Read More From the Source Here

Vanessa Bryants Scores Big in Kobe Bryant Divorce Settlement

courtesy Zimbio.com

Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa is the big winner in their divorce property settlement ...

Sources connected to the couple and with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the property settlement agreement is signed, sealed and delivered -- a done deal.

Vanessa is walking away with $75 million, which we're told represents close to half of their total assets, estimated at around $150 million.

It turns out, based on the property settlement, Vanessa scored a clean sweep, snagging ALL THREE of the former couple's mansions in the Newport Beach area.

Vanessa gets the estate the couple was living in, the estate her mom is living in, and she gets the new estate that had been under construction for 2 years and was just completed.  We were told Kobe was moving into the new estate, but that's not true.  It's Vanessa's crib, lock stock and barrel.
source


Vanessa has seemingly scored big in this deal. With all three homes and 1/2 of their total assets, she is sure to be doing pretty fine for the next couple of years. What do you think about the divorce? Do you think she was in for the money or did she just make a smart move and stuck around waiting until the years passed in the marriage where he would have to pay her such? Either way, GET THAT MONEY VANESSA!

Memphis Police Officer Charged with Shoplifting

An off-duty Memphis police officer accused of shoplifting more than $770 worth of clothing from a Wolfchase Galleria department store on Thursday faces a felony charge.

Memphis police announced today that officer Quattarra Gardner, 33, was charged with theft of property over $500. Gardner was released from Shelby County’s Jail East without posting bond.

About 4:30 Thursday, a loss prevention officer at Macy’s observed Gardner enter a fitting room with 19 items of clothing, according to a court affidavit. The store official reported that she left with the clothing concealed in a diaper bag and a black garment bag.

Gardner joined the force in July 2003, is assigned to the Union Station precinct and has been relieved of duty during an investigation by the department, according to a statement released by a public information officer.
Source

Well my how the tables have turned. I wonder if they treated her like some cops treat regular citizens in the street. Nothing against the good cops, but it feels good to know they can weed out the bad ones!

Mother arrested for getting her 10 year old son a Tattoo: What was she thinking?!

ACWORTH, Ga. - A Georgia woman faces child cruelty charges after taking her 10-year-old son to get a tattoo.

She says she didn't know it was illegal and her son had a good reason to want the body art.

Chuntera Napier said her family is still grieving the death of her 12 year old son, Malik -- hit and killed by a teenage driver in Macon, Georgia some two years ago.

She has tattoos of her own in memory of Malik and says her now 10-year-old, Gaquan was with Malik when he died.

"My son came to me and said, 'Mom, I want to get a tattoo with Malik on it, rest in peace.' What do I say to a child that wants to remember his brother?" she said.

Gaquan said he wanted the tattoo, “Because it represents my brother."

So Napier took Gaquan to a tattoo artist in Smyrna and the youngster got a tattoo featuring Malik's old jersey number.

"It made me feel good to know that he wanted his brother on him," Napier said.

Someone at his school noticed it, they called authorities and police pulled up a 2010 law that says: It shall be unlawful for any person to tattoo the body of any person under the age of 18, except for a physician or osteopath.
Acworth Chief Mike Wilkie said while they felt for the family's grief, a consultation with the district attorney and solicitor's office tied their hands.

"We hope that they can find something that can sustain them through that loss, but this is not the way, it is illegal and it's something that we were bound by the law to investigate and to prosecute," he said.

Asked if she thought it was illegal to allow her son to get a tattoo Napier said, "No, I always thought that if a parent gave consent, then it's fine."

Police are also investigating the tattoo artist.
 Read more from the source 

This is just ridiculous. When are parents going to stand up and be parents. Children should be told no sometimes and to let a 10 year tattoo himself because he wanted to represent his brother is a bit far fetched. I know the child wanted to pay homage to his brother but the mother should have explained to him other ways of expressing his sympathy, instead she took him to get the tattoo he asked for. 

Michael Jordan: Only Kobe Bryant should be compared to his GREATNESS

When you say who is one of the greatest basketball players of recent times, one is surely to here the name Michael Jordan. If you ask who is the greatest basketball players on the court right now, you are destined to hear Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers ever since his entry into the NBA definitely knows how to get the job done on the court. If you don't believe me, look at the sheer number of championship rings on his fingers
.

photo courtesy midwestsportsfans.com

According to a post on yahoo.com, editor Eric Freeman mentions the following:

Ever since Michael Jordan retired — all three times, really — the NBA has searched for the heir to his throne. Many players have popped up as pretenders to the throne, from Harold Miner to Jerry Stackhouse to Vince Carter. In recent years, people have stopped trying to find a clone and just searched for a similarly dominant great player. If you ever wondered why LeBron James is seen as such a failure, a lot of it has to do with his inability to meet the example set by Jordan.
There are many great players in the NBA these days, most of whom have never been directly compared to Jordan. Nevertheless, His Airness says only one player comes close enough to his greatness to merit the comparison. Not surprisingly, that player is Kobe Bryant. Here's what Roland Lazenby, a great writer currently working on a Jordan book, tweeted on Sunday (via PBT):

Kobe's ultimate competition is MJ. That's why MJ watches him. MJ made people think what he was doing wasn't human. Ditto the Kobester.
I never said Kobe was better than MJ. MJ just told me Kobe's the only one to have done the work, to deserve comparison.

What do you think? Do you think Kobe will be the next Michael Jordan of the NBA or do you feel as an athlete, he has set his own tone to greatness? Either way, I think its an honor to have one of the most revered players of the NBA (Michael Jordan) refer to you as such.  

Source

Grizzlie's Marreese Speights is out to prove HE IS THE MAN!

With Zach Randolph being out for the next couple of weeks due to an injury, Coach Lionel Hollins and the Memphis Grizzlies have acquired 6'10, 255lb forward Marreese Speights from the Philadelphia 76ers. Just a couple games into the season, Marreese is already proving his ability on the court by scoring and holding up to the defense, including his game high 17 points last week against a tough Grizzlies loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Marreese Speights (courtesy ESPN.com)

The trade did not come without controversy as word around the NBA and with coaches was that Speights would not be a good team player because of his work ethics.  Speights recently told sports writer Ron Tillery of commercialappeal.com ,"Everybody always say I'm lazy and all of that," Speights said. "But they didn't say that my first two years. It's crazy that in my third year when coach (Doug) Collins came (to Philadelphia) that all of that started coming up. I can't change the past. The only thing I can affect is my future."

With his new addition to the Grizzlies lineup, Marreese will definitely have to get a feel for other key players (Rudy Gay , Marc Gasol, Mike Conley) and find his niche on the court. Becoming a member of the Grizzlies team is sort of a second chance for him as he found himself barred off the court in Philadelphia, having some shaky ground with coach Dave Collins. and didnt play in any games before the trade. Last year, he averaged 5.4 points per game and has already seen improvement during two games with the Grizzlies up to 8.5 points per game.

Speights knows this is his opportunity to prove that he is the player needed on the team and definitely capable of getting the job done. Coincidentally, the same player who he is playing for know, Zach Randolph, faced similar issues when he joined the Grizzlies back in 2009 from the New York Knicks. Nobody believed in Zach and viewed him as trouble; however, all those issues were dispelled when Zach, now known as ZBO, showed the world that he has what it takes, including getting the Grizzlies back in the playoff spotlight during last years season.


He continues to tell Tillery that "Going through that (in Philadelphia) made me realize that everything can't be gold all of the time," Speights said. "Me and coach (Collins) have a good relationship off the court. But on the court we really couldn't get it together. I've got a fresh start here so I'm not worried about Philly anymore. ... (The Griz) need me and I need them. I'm excited to be here."

So far I am impressed with Speights. He is proving to have star power on the court. The fans cheer him on and his energy and hard play will definitely keep us as contenders.  Welcome to Memphis Marreese, I dont think they could have picked a better player.

Beyonce and Jay-Z welcome new daughter: Blue Ivy Carter

The internet has been a buzz with the news that Beyonce and Jay-Z have given birth to their first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Hello Hello Baby Blue!
According to a joint statement from beyonceonline.com, the couple states: We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support. - Beyoncé & JAY Z

It was reported via People Magazine  Beyonce and Jay paid 1.3 million dollars to rent out the 4th floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital; however, executives at the hospital issued the following statement: "The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations. Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family."

Now the world will be waiting for the first images of Blue Ivy Carter, who, without any knowledge of what is going on in the world, is already famous. Her father, Jay-Z, recently released a song dedicated to his daughter entitled Glory where he mentions how painful it was when he and his wife had a miscarriage prior to her birth. You can peep the song below

CONGRATS TO JAY AND BEYONCE!