He’s back!

Wesley Snipes will make his return to film this fall alongside an all-star cast in Lionsgate’s action-adventure The Expendables 3. This marks his first big-budget flick since being released from prison last April due to tax evasion.

He will be joined by Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mel Gibson, Jet Li, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kelsey Grammar, Terry Crews and more. From Lionsgate:

“Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.”

The Expendables 3 hits theaters nationwide Aug. 15. Check out the official trailer below.

David Letterman announced his retirement from the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Thursday after hosting the show since 1993. However, he will continue to host until his contract expires in 2015. A replacement has yet to be announced, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t speculating as to who it will be.

Unfortunately, CBS is the most traditional of the networks with the oldest, whitest audience, so it is unlikely that they will take this opportunity to diversify. However, we came up with a list of people that (although highly unlikely) we wouldn’t mind seeing in Letterman’s seat.

Chris Rock

If you’ll recall, the seasoned comedian has been down this road before, hosting ”The Chris Rock Show” on HBO for five seasons from 1997 to 2000. The show won an Emmy in 1999 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program. Although he would not have as much freedom on network television, Rock would certainly keep us laughing and keep things real.

Mo’Nique

Mo’Nique has also tried her hand at late night as the host of ”The Mo’nique Show” on BET. Her show was cancelled after two seasons, but she has the candor to carry a solid late night show. If given a wider and more diversified audience, she may be able to truly shine.

RuPaul

Now wouldn’t this be a wild card to add to the mix? RuPaul is charming, funny, and fabulous. What’s not to love? “The RuPaul Show” (1996) lends some credibility to the choice as well.

Jay Pharoah

The relative newcomer to SNL is straight up hilarious. He’s young, but it would be refreshing to have a young voice on the late night scene. As one of the cast members who also consistently writes the skits, he has the skills to be able to pull off a highly entertaining show.

Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey is currently hosting ”The Steve Harvey Show,” but given his background, we think he’d be more appropriate for a nighttime slot. He knows how to balance his comedic flair with the sensibilities that fit into a milder demographic. And he’s the host of ”Family Feud” for Christ’s sake!

Veteran journalist Charles Sumner “Chuck” Stone Jr., one of the founding forces behind the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), died Sunday at age 89.

Stone was an outspoken force in furthering the 60′s Civil Rights movement during the Kennedy Administration by using his journalism skills to tackle subjects significant to Blacks in America. He served as an editor and writer at influential black publications in New York, Washington and Chicago, including the Washington Afro-American and Chicago Daily Defender. 

Stone was hired as the first Black journalist at the Philadelphia Daily News after serving in the military as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II. Colleagues from the paper, where Stone worked for two decades, say he didn’t allow the tough topics of discrimination, police brutality, and racism facing Blacks deter his spirit.

“He was one of those people who makes you feel good just to bump into him when you came into the office because he was so happy where he was and doing what he did,” columnist Peter Dexter said.

Stone was influential in launching the NABJ at a time when being a member was not easy, said Bob Butler, current president of the association. He served as the org’s first president in a difficult political climate where “some employers back then told members to choose between their jobs and NABJ,” Butler said. 

He passed on his experience and knowledge through his career in education. He taught journalism at the University at Delaware and lectured at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Research. He retired from his post as a journalism professor teaching censorship and magazine writing at the University of North Carolina in 2005. In addition, he authored two nonfiction books “Tell It Like It Is” and “Back Political Power in America,” and a novel, “King Strut.”

Stone is survived by children Krishna Stone, Allegra Stone and Charles S. Stone III; grandchild Parade Stone; and sisters Madalene Seymour and Irene Gordy.

Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor may be tackling dark material again if sources that he has been tapped as a villain in the James Bond franchise are true.

Casting is said to be heating up for the film’s next installment with the actor as the front-runner for Bond’s arch nemesis if scheduling conflicts and contract details are ironed out. Sources close to MGM and Sony studio execs say that Ejiofor is definitely a top runner. If rumors are confirmed, he would follow in the footsteps of Oscar-nominated Javier Bardem, who played Raoul Silva in the latest Bond installment.

His performance as Solomon Northup in 12 Years A Slave increased the British actor’s popularity in America. Landing the coveted role as a Bond villain, could make him an international star. The franchise’s last film Skyfall raked in over $1B at the box office and earned Adele an Oscar for the film’s title song.

The actor has been staying busy after wrapping up an incredible awards season, including winning the best international actor award over the weekend at the Irish Academy Awards. He is filming Z for Zachariah and is attached to Triple Nine.    

Official casting should be announced soon as production of the film is slated to start over the summer to meet the November 6, 2015 release date. Daniel Craig is set to return as Bond with Naomie Harris returning as MoneyPenny.

The Detroit mother who stabbed her daughter to death received a minimum of 23 years in prison for the murder on Monday.

Semeria Greene, 27, stood before the court this morning after pleading guilty last month to second-degree murder for fatally wounding her daughter Tameria in front of one of her 4-year-old son.

Greene told the court Monday, “I’m sorry for the accident, the mistake that I made. I miss my daughter” before a judge handed down a sentence of 23 to 50 years in prison as a part of a plea agreement that avoided the case going to trial. Greene also pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse.

The Department of Human Services presented evidence during the trial that Greene’s 4-year-old son witnessed the December 30, 2012 murder. He told officials his mother “had a big knife and cut his sister and his mother killed Ti-Ti.” According to police, Greene was uncooperative upon arriving at the scene and discovered a bloody knife in the family’s east-side apartment.

Further evidence shows that the Department of Human Services previously tried to remove Greene from the family household. A mediator in the case advised that the mother should move out or move the children to another household. The request was denied and she killed her daughter five weeks later.

In  January, the children’s father filed for custody of Greene’s four other children, who are currently being held in protective custody by the state. Court hearings throughout the year will determine if the boys will be sent to foster care or their father.

Fashion model Chanel Iman could be stomping down the wedding runway soon as she is engaged to rapper-model A$ap Rocky, sources report. 

The 23-year-old Iman was recently photographed without an engagement ring at Montblanc’s 90th anniversary celebration but she “happily accepted his proposal” according to Page Six. Neither side has confirmed or denied the proposal.

The photogenic couple have kept their relationship surprisingly quiet and out of the tabloids. Former Victoria’s Secret model Iman began dating the Harlem rapper at the top of 2013. Shortly after, the two began appearing together at red carpet events but never gave a concrete answer on their relationship. A$AP Rocky recently shut down interviewers who asked about the couple’s relationship saying, “We not talking about that.”

Instead the two are more than happy to discuss their work. Iman recently appeared alongside Beyonce’ in her super-model heavy ‘Yonce’ video with Jourdan Dunn. She’s a mainstay on the catwalks of fashion designers Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga and Givenchy. A$AP Rocky started in the fashion would doing freelance work for Calvin Klein and has appeared in fashion editorials in his downtime while working on the followup to his debut album Long. Live. ASAP. 

By Colby Carrington

There’s been another casting announcement for the upcoming 2Pac musical Holler If Ya Hear Me.

Poet/artist Saul Williams will lead the cast of the non-biographical drama inspired by the music of the late rapper.

The award winning performer gained prominence for co-writing and playing the lead actor in 1998′s Slam, the slam poetry film which earned the Camera d’Or Award for best first feature at Cannes and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

As news of the announcement spread, Williams posted this to Twitter:

T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.

— Saul Williams (@SaulWilliams) April 7, 2014

 

Photo credit: Facebook

Other cast include Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam, Play On! and Caroline, Or Change); Christopher Jackson (After Midnight, In the Heights); Saycon Sengbloh (Motown: The Musical, Hair); Ben Thompson (Matilda, American Idiot); John Earl Jelks,(Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf); plus Joshua Boone and Dyllon Burnside.

Previews for the show begin May 29 at Broadway’s Palace Theatre and the show opens June 19.

Do you associate yourself with power, resolve and adventure?

Well, the latest incarnation of Courvoisier’s L’ Essence, The Year of the Horse, is just for you. In commemoration of the 2014 Chinese New Year, which kicked off this past January, the venerable cognac brand released the L’ Essence, which blends notes of sandalwood, cigar leaves, toffee, marzipan, honey, and fresh mountain flowers along with a palate of licorice, dried plum and apricot.

Dreaming of a rocks glass filled with this goodness already? Well, the limited edition bottle comes with a Baccarat decanter—engraved with an image of Napoleon on his horse—along with a hefty price tag: $3500.

But, hey, if you were born in the year of the horse, like legendary singer Aretha Franklin and supermodel Cindy Crawford, then you are probably worth it.

Man of the cloth, TV anchor, philanthropist — and FBI informant? The feds referred to the Rev. Al Sharpton in court documents as “CI-7,” shorthand for Confidential Informant No. 7, throughout his four-year service as an assistant with a joint FBI-NYPD task force known as the “Genovese squad,” according to The Smoking Gun.

Although Sharpton denies being an informant as previously reported, The Smoking Gun has obtained hundreds of pages of documents, including secret court filings and FBI memos that provide new details of Sharpton’s cooperation in taking down New York City’s Genovese crime family, which dominated organized crime activities in New York City as part of the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra).

Newsday first disclosed that Sharpton became an FBI informant in 1988 after he was caught on tape with a drug kingpin discussing cocaine deals — an accusation Sharpton has long disputed, according to NY Daily News.

The feds allegedly threatened Sharpton with charges, thus successfully converting him into an informant.

The Smoking Gun report said investigators gave Sharpton a customized Hartman briefcase that was used to record conversations about mob hits, extortion schemes, and the activities of Genovese crime boss Vincent “Chin” Gigante.

Sharpton had 10 face-to-face meetings with Joseph “Joe Bana” Buonanno, a Gambino family member, and reported his findings to officials. FBI agent John Pritchard paid Sharpton small amounts for the info, according to the report.

Sharpton told Daily News that he contacted authorities only after receiving death threats from Buonanno and others over his activism in the music industry, saying “If you’re a victim of a threat, you’re not an informant, you’re a victim trying to protect yourself.”

He also denied carrying a wired briefcase and said that he was never paid for services, but occasionally, reimbursed for car travel. “I encourage kids all the time to work with law enforcement,” Sharpton said. “You’re acting like it’s a scandal for me to do that?”

RELATED: Al Sharpton: The Reverend of Rejection

Brit Carmen Ejogo takes on American heroine Coretta Scott King in Selma, the biopic detailing the life of legendary civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Ejogo, of Sparkle fame, will be joined by fellow British actor David Oyelowo, who will take on the role of MLK in the Ava DuVernay-directed film. Tom Wilkinson, who played Carmine Falcone in 2005′s Batman Begins, will complete this British trifecta by playing President Lyndon B. Johnson.

A slew of producers are collaborating on the film, including Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner (12 Years a Slave), and Christian Colson.  Representing Pathe, which is financing the motion picture, Cameron McCracken is also among those producing.

Ejogo starred as Sister Anderson in the 2012 remake of the 1976 film Sparkle. The Alex Cross actress is also set to star in horror-thriller sequel The Purge: Anarchy, which hits theaters on July 18.

Although the resemblance between Ejogo and Scott King is uncanny, do you think it’s fair to have so many British actors playing African-American heroes? Or is finding the best talent most important?

A Lufkin, Texas woman learned the hard way not to call 911 to complain about weed quality.

Police arrested 37-year-old Evelyn Hamilton after she called 911 because her marijuana dealer refused to refund her money after she complained the drug was of low quality.

According to Sgt. David Casper Casper, Hamilton pulled a small amount of marijuana from her bra when the responding officer asked if she still had it.

She was arrested Friday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hamilton said Monday that she spent $40 on “seeds and residue.” She says she called police when she got no satisfaction from the dealer’s family.

[Homepage image: Shutterstock]

It ain’t no fun if Granny can’t have none.  But one son doesn’t agree.

The elderly patients at the East Neck Nursing Center in Long Island were twerked upon and given exotic strip teases, andthe enraged son of a 85 year old patient is suing the facility.

Franklin Youngblood discovered a picture of his elderly mother – Bernice Youngblood – placing dollar bills into a male dancer’s briefs during a striptease which took place in the center’s recreation room. The money was supposed to be secured in her commissary account.

When nurses were confronted by the son about the Magic Mike performance, all concerns were ignored. One nurse attempted to snatch the picture away, claiming the strippers were an “entertainment event” and was done in “good faith.”

“Plaintiff Bernice Youngblood was placed in apprehension of imminent, offensive, physical harm, as she was confused and bewildered as to why a muscular, almost nude man, was approaching her and placing his body and limbs, over [her],” the suit states.

John Ray, Youngblood’s attorney, noted the woman is a traditional Baptist and a hard working lady who has been defiled. And this wasn’t the first time a strip tease has occurred.

“Hiring male strippers to perform for the defendant’s nursing-home patients was a serial occurrence,” the suit claims.

Former Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. might be in prison, but he still knows how to make political maneuvers. spent five days in solitary confinement after advising fellow inmates of their rights.

Jackson Jr. irritated prison guards after giving advice to other inmates, and the guards subsequently tossed him in solitary confinement over a month ago. After a hearing, the politician was cleared of any wrongdoing and was granted a transfer to his first prison choice a minimum security prison in Birmingham, Alabama. The new facility offers drug and mental disability support, something his previous North Carolina prison did not offer. The 49 year old suffers from depression and has a bipolar disorder.

The son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson is currently serving a 30-month sentence for misusing over $750,000 of campaign funds for personal use. He and wife and former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson bought furniture, expensive clothes, and a gold Rolex with the funds.

After Jackson Jr.’s December 2015 release date, wife Sandi will begin to serve her one-year prison sentence. At the couple’s sentencing, the court allowed the prison terms to be staggered, for the sake of the Jackson children.

“I don’t feel student-athletes should get hundreds of thousands of dollars, but like I said, there are hungry nights that I go to bed and I’m starving … I just feel like a student-athlete, and sometimes, like I said, there’s hungry nights and I’m not able to eat and I still got to play up to my capabilities … When you see your jersey getting sold — it may not have your last name on it — but when you see your jersey getting sold and things like that, you feel like you want something in return.”

– Shabazz Napier, the starring University of Connecticut point guard who lead the Huskies to NCAA victory Monday, discusses the Northwestern University union ruling, which said student-athletes can unionize. Napier’s comment has drawn the attention of Connecticut lawmakers, including Rep. Matthew Lesser. As a public institution, UConn is subject to Connecticut law, which governs whether public employees can organize.

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By Colby Carrington

The thing about public transportation is you never know who you’re gonna get stuck riding with.

On this downtown A train, screaming riders shared a quick trip with a most dreadful passenger: an NYC rat.

Deongelo Holmes, one half of the Atlanta hip hop group Ying Yang Twins, has been released from his 24 hour jail sentence for hitting his wife in the head.

Last November, Holmes, better known as D-Rock, was arrested and charged with “family violence” and two counts of simple battery. According to prosecutors, Holmes hit her so hard the punch left a large lump over her left eye.

The Atlanta rapper plead no contest – with a plea agreement – leaving him with one year’s probation, community service and only one day behind bars. The Whisper Song rapper was ordered to a family violence program and was warned against doing drugs, drinking and engaging in violent acts with wife, Porsche Holmes.

The Ying Yang Twins were a hot commodity in southern crunk music in the early 2000′s, with hits including Get Low and Salt Shaker. Since then, the gold tooth toting duo has been missing in action, and it has affected their finances.

A few months ago Holmes petitioned the court to lower his $2,500 a month child support payments to his ex-wife, citing financial troubles. Luckily, the judge lowered his payments to $550, and implemented a payment plan for the $45,000 in back support. Holmes has a total of six children.

In the world of hip-hop, it seems expensive cars, sprawling estates, glittering chains, and hourglass-shaped lovers are the signifiers of success. But a select group of artists have been able to transcend this model, by turning their musical and entrepreneurial genius into a course subject for higher education. University classes on popular musicians are becoming increasingly popular as professors realize their potential to entice and enlighten students, so we will probably see even more emcees listed in course catalogs in the coming years. (I’m thinking “Andre 3000: A Close Read.”) Check out this list of eight hip-hop college courses to add to your registration.

Producer 9th Wonder has lent his expertise to some of the biggest names in the music industry, from Drake and J. Cole to Erykah Badu and Mary J. Blige. The North Carolina native has been a force in music since he emerged as a member of Little Brother. In 2007, he made the move to the ivory tower by teaching a hip-hop class at North Carolina Central University, his alma mater. He followed this up in 2010 at Duke University with a music history course called “Sampling Soul.” And now, the Grammy-winner is completing a fellowship at Harvard, where he teaches “The Standards of Hip-Hop.”

In 2004, students at Syracuse University had the opportunity to sign up for a course called “Hip Hop Eshu: Queen Bitch 101 – The Life & Times of Lil’ Kim.” The class, offered through the English Department, deeply examined the Queen Bee’s controversial lyrics and how they challenge and relate to male chauvinism, homophobia, and sexual politics. Professor Greg Thomas even brought Kim in to guest lecture. While the class isn’t available today, there are certainly enough female rappers to inspire another one.

If you’re wondering how the richest man in hip-hop became just that, you can now sign up for “Topics in Recorded Music: Sean Combs & Urban Culture.” The class is taught at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute, and aims to explore the various social, cultural, and political factors that have contributed to his success over the last two decades. Students will also discuss the ways in which Puff and his counterparts have helped to launch hip-hop onto the global stage, and transform the world of branding. (Learning how to Diddy-bop is extra credit.)

Jay Z and Kanye West are two of the most prolific emcees in the game. And for one professor at the University of Missouri, they are more than fit to be studied at the collegiate level. Andrew Hoberek teaches “Major Authors: Jay Z and Kanye West” for the English department. Students read Decoded, as well as other texts on the history and influence of hip-hop, in order to evaluate the ways in which these two artists have affected history, poetry, and the American Dream. (The University of Missouri also offers classes about global hip-hop and Black women in the music industry.)

Students at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts are very fortunate to have a diverse selection of music courses. When they are not studying Diddy’s business savvy, they can sit in on “Topics in Recorded Music: Classic Albums” with professor Questlove. The Roots drummer co-teaches the course, which dissects the music, production, and marketing of records like Michael Jackson‘s Off The Wall, James Brown‘s Live From The Apollo, and Public Enemy‘s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.

Rice University students have had the privilege of learning from Houston native Bun B. The UGK rapper helps teach “Religion and Hip-Hop Culture,” a religious studies course that delves deep into the relationship between lyricism and spirituality. The class fosters dialogue about the ways in which many hip-hop artists demonstrate their religious beliefs through their music, and also examines the ideologies and influences that hip-hop and religion have in common.

As one of the most successful rappers to ever touch a mic, it’s no wonder Jay Z has more than one higher education course in his honor. In addition to the English class at Mizzou, scholars at Georgetown University can sign up for “Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Theodicy of Jay-Z” with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. This class raises issues of race and gender equality, sexuality, capitalism, and economic inequality, while using Hov as the focal point. Dyson has taught classes on Black musicians before, including Marvin Gaye and Tupac Shakur.

Like her husband, Beyoncé‘s cross-cultural appeal has made her a worthy topic of study in academia. The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University offers “Politicizing Beyonce,” a class that evaluates lyrics and visuals from her catalogue against work from Sojourner Truth, Alice Walker, and other Black feminists. Discussion topics include “the extent of Beyoncé’s control over her own aesthetic” and “whether her half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical.” Professor Kevin Allred hopes that students in his class will take away the ability to be critical consumers of music. (Where can I sign up?)

George Wallace was awarded $1.3 million in damages yesterday for a leg injury he sustained while performing in Las Vegas in 2007.

The 61-year old comedian testified that he is permanently hobbled after tangling his leg in wiring onstage while performing a private show for HSBC Card Services Inc. In a 6-2 decision the jury found that Bellagio should pay $1.2 million for lost income, $100,000 for pain and suffering and $8,500 for medical expenses.

Wallace had sought $7.1 million, but said he was happy with the decision and would perform for the Bellagio again. However, he was troubled by something that Bellagio attorney Paul Haire presented in the courtroom.

During the closing arguments, Haire showed the jury an image that included Wallace’s face next to a caricature of what appeared to be a dark-skinned child.

Wallace told reporters he saw the cartoon image as a “black caricature with a pickaninny haircut.”

“I just thought it was the lowest thing in my career. I’m sorry that I heard it in a courtroom,” he said. “I’m not sure whether it affected the jury. But it hurt me.”

At the time, Haire was disparaging the testimony of a witness who estimated that Wallace lost millions of dollars as a result of the injury. No further information is given as to the relevance of the image in that context. Haire did not respond to messages about the incident.

Company spokeswoman Mary Hynes said that MGM is reviewing its legal options in light of the verdict.

Wallace also sued HSBC in regards to the incident, but the two parties settled outside of court for an undisclosed amount on March 21.

Beyoncé covers Out magazine’s May 2014 “Power Issue,” donning a cropped, curly platinum blonde wig and pearls in the spread, photographed by Santiago & Mauricio and styled by Lysa Cooper.

The singer, who released her self-titled fifth studio album in December told Out:

“There is unbelievable power in ownership, and women should own their sexuality. There is a double standard when it comes to sexuality that still persists. Men are free and women are not. That is crazy. The old lessons of submissiveness and fragility made us victims. Women are so much more than that. You can be a businesswoman, a mother, an artist, and a feminist—whatever you want to be—and still be a sexual being. It’s not mutually exclusive.”

Beyoncé continued, saying:

“While I am definitely conscious of all the different types of people who listen to my music, I really set out to make the most personal, honest, and best album I could make…I needed to free myself from the pressures and expectations of what I thought I should say or be, and just speak from the heart. Being that I am a woman in a male-dominated society, the feminist mentality rang true to me and became a way to personalize that struggle.”

After receiving backlash from conservative talking head Bill O’Reilly, who blamed her for contributing to the rise in teen pregnancy, Beyoncé says that she hopes to achieve an equal playing field for men and women. But is her approach taking things a bit too far? Did her scantily-clad performance routine at the Grammy Awards support women, or keep them boxed in, leaving them viewed as merely sexual objects?

Some argue that Queen Bey’s ownership of her sexuality is doing a positive. However, that praise is met by opposition from many who see the singer’s raunchy acts hidden under the blanket of “feminism” as a cop-out to continue using sex to sell records. What are your thoughts?

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