The gift that keeps on giving? After “Blood Sweat & Heels” star Geneva Thomas smashed a vodka bottle over the head of Melyssa Ford during their Oct. 21st brawl, Ford returned to the hospital Oct. 23 with worsening head injuries.

Ford’s injuries are more serious than initially thought, after she received three stitches in the head. It’s also reported she is unable to walk due to several gashes under her feet from the broken glass during fight. She was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

When asked about the fight by a photographer as she was wheeled into the hospital, the former video vixen replied: “I was attacked.” Before entering the hospital, the 37 year old confirmed that she’s cooperating with investigators, which explains why she isn’t giving up much information regarding the brawl. “There’s an ongoing investigation. I can’t really talk.”

Thomas, 30, was arrested after the party fight and charged with two counts of felony assault.

They and other cast members were filming the second season of the Bravo reality show.

Check out footage of Melyssa Ford leaving Lenox Hill Hospital in New York:

If the original KFC Double Down sandwich wasn’t enough, the fast food chain has unveiled the Zinger Double Down King in Korea.

The remixed sandwich now comes with a thick burger smashed between two pieces of fried chicken. Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. Bacon is also added to the seemingly heart attack-inducing meal, and it’s topped with cheese, BBQ sauce, and pepper sauce.

The Zinger Double Down King sandwich, which went on sale October 18, is priced at about $7 and contains 750 calories. Compare that to McDonald’s signature burger, the Big Mac, at about 550 calories.

The original Double Down sandwich, the first of its kind from a fast food chain in which fried chicken substituted bread, debuted in 2010.

Last year, KFC Korea also created the Double Down Maxx, which was comprised of two fried chicken pieces sandwiching a hash brown, and finished off with cheese.

By Caprece Cotton-Sturdivant

Since its inception (think: “The Real World”), reality TV has taken over. The obsession with watching the daily lives of the famous, pseudo-famous, and infamous has made the popularity of these programs reach an all-time high. Which one of us can say that we don’t have a favorite show that keeps us coming back for more? More conflict, more drama, more “fix it Jesus” moments. But when people stop using their words and start using their fists, these terribly funny shows just become well, terrible.
And it’s the women that are the most violent, throwing tables, bottles, or even prosthetic limbs!

Just this week a couple cast members of “Blood, Sweat & Heels” took their show title to heart with Geneva S. Thomas allegedly hitting former video vixen Melyssa Ford over the head with a vodka bottle. My question is whatever happened to using your words? It sets a bad precedent for reality TV when every disagreement turns into a melee and as the popularity of these programs grows so does the drama. Here are seven cases when keeping it real went wrong by turning into a reality TV fight:

A Houston man has been charged in the rape of a 14-year-old girl and a 23-month-old baby who he infected with HIV, reports KPRC Houston.

David Richard Wilson, 33, has been charged with sexual assault of a child and super aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to police reports, the family brought the baby to a local hospital in November 2013 where doctors discovered a growth on her genitals. Test results came back positive for HIV, herpes and chlamydia.

A doctor concluded the young girl had to have been sexually assaulted because of the presence of three STDs. Doctors performed reconstructive surgery as a result of damage from the infections.

Out of the STD tests distributed to the four people living with the baby, Wilson was the only one who came back positive for HIV.

Additionally, the 14-year-old told investigators she had sex with Wilson, her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and she was pregnant with his baby. The teen also tested positive for HIV and herpes.

Photo courtesy of Texas Department of Public Safety

In 2005, Wilson was sentenced to four years in prison for the sexual assault of another teenage girl. He is registered as a sex offender.

Wilson is being held without bond at the Harris County Jail for his most recent charges.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is bringing his real life to the small screen in an autobiographical comedy for CBS TV Studios.

Variety reports the show will focus on “two brothers who work at a service station owned by their grandfather, who champions old-school values in a contrast to the attitude of their guarded, politically-correct mother.” The untitled project is inspired by Paul’s childhood in North Carolina with his older brother.

Paul will executive produce the show along with his brother CJ Paul and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum. Warren Lieberstein (“The Office”) will serve as writer.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America

The star follows behind LeBron James who recently premiered his autobiographical comedy “Survivor’s Remorse” for Starz. Former NBA player Baron Davis was also given the green light to develop a series with Fox which will recount his experiences of growing up in South Central L.A. while attending a prestigious suburban school.

A North Carolina grandfather is in serious condition after engaging in a shootout with three suspects who invaded his home and attempted to rape his 19-year-old granddaughter.

The incident occurred last Monday night in Lumberton when a stranger knocked on the door of 67-year-old Kenneth Byrd, claiming he was having mechanical problems and needed some water. Two other men, dressed in black and wearing ski masks, rushed the home and demanded money.

WCBD-TV News reports the suspects held Byrd and his wife at gunpoint while they were ordered to open a safe. Officials say the men also tried to rape the man’s granddaughter.

Byrd managed to grab a gun and shot all three suspects. Deputies says the men returned fire and Byrd was hit several times.

The suspects fled the scene with Byrd’s gold Cadillac, yet two of the men showed up at McLeod Hospital in Dillon, South Carolina with gunshot wounds. The third suspect, 20-year-old Jamie Lee Faison, was found dead in the stolen vehicle.

Byrd was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and was later airlifted to another.

A relative of Byrd wrote on Facebook: “He is out of surgery but is still critical in ICU!! Thanks everyone for all your prayers just keep them coming!!! But the intruders have been caught!!!” Byrd is said to be in serious condition.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The surviving suspects, 28-year-old Brandon Stephens and 17-year-old Jamar Hawkins, have been charged with burglary, first degree sexual offense and kidnapping, among other charges, and their bond was set at $1 million each. Officials say the suspects were believed to have committed other home invasions in the area.

Tameka “Tiny” Harris is going for a new look these days and it’s all in her eyes.

The singer and wife of rapper T.I. confirmed Friday that she’s permanently changed the color of her eyes with the help of Brightocular contacts. Rumors of the questionable change surfaced when Harris made a promotional appearance for “Tiny & Shekinah’s Weave Trip” with her new ice-gray eye color.

She wrote on Instagram:

“I permanently changed my eye color with Brightocular and lovin it!! Thank you Dr. Montasser Menif for the amazing experience and for making my dream come true! I hated wearing contacts just for the color and it made my vision blurry! Blessed to say my vision is #perfect after my #ice-gray implants! Special thanks to #Spencer Vessa for ALL you’ve done to make this process happen, you’re amaZing & thank you #Faiza for your exceptional customer service … For more info everyone GO visit the brightocular website; and to get the #BEST #DEAL when booking your appointment, mention Promo Code #KM404 and tell them I sent you!!!”

The post has since been deleted, but Tiny’s ice-gray eyes still remain.

Photo courtesy of Instagram

When T.I. was asked about the switch-up during an interview with Power 105.1′s “The Breakfast Club” last week, he remained guarded on the matter.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” he said. “If she’s coming up here for something, maybe you can ask her but I don’t know.”

For celebrities, the past few days have been full of picture-worthy moments. Quite a few stars celebrated birthdays with friends and family members, while some others made lasting memories with fans. Take a look at what all your favorites were doing over the weekend.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West snapped a special photo with Barry Bonds while watching the World Series.

Swizz Beatz spent some quality time with his eldest son, Prince Nasir, during his birthday weekend.

Miguel celebrated his birthday #artgang style, with a special surprise party thrown by his girlfriend, Nazanin Mandi.

Drake took a break from the birthday turn-up to pose at dinner with his adorable mom, Sandi.

Serena Williams took home yet another trophy over the weekend, winning her fifth WTA Finals Title.

Lenny Kravitz rocked the house at St. Petersburg’s Ice Palace, on the Russian leg of his European Strut Tour.

Ciara and her “baby soldier” enjoyed some in-flight giggles in matching camouflage print.

Carmelo Anthony took a group selfie with some young fans over the weekend.

Celebrity Scorpios tend to bottle up their emotions until they eventually explode, and channel that energy into creative expression. They can be the most popular person in the room but watch out for their sting if you make them angry.

Miguel – October 23
Superstar crooner Miguel and his Art Gang changed the face of the current R&B scene with his hit “Adore,” which filled the void of love songs from male R&B artists.

Drake- October 24

Drake got his birthday surprise early courtesy of that Nicki Minaj dance at the end of Anaconda.

Katy Perry – October 25

Katy Perry wants to make it like your birthday everyday but when she discovered Betty Crocker discontinued the Funfetti rainbow frosting she sent a DM to the company to get it back.

Ciara- October 25

Ciara has had a rough year with her cancelled wedding to Future and becoming a single mom to Future Jr. Hopefully she can channel that into a more focused next album. Gabrielle Union – October 26

Being Mary Jane star Gabrielle Union-Wade has finally found a role that allows her to show her acting range with Mary Jane Paulson.

Frank Ocean- October 28

The New Orleans born crooner has taken a step back from the spotlight after that infamous Chipotle lawsuit but he’s primed to release a sophomore album in 2015. Nia Long – October 30

The actress has been in our lives since the early 90′s and stays flawless while raising two young boys. Eva Marcille- October 30

The ANTM alumnus and new mom is still the most popular in our minds. Willow Smith – October 31

The youngest member of the Smith clan turns 14 this year and continues to be the most eccentric and interesting of Hollywood’s influential teens. Stevie J- November 2

Super producer Stevie J has found himself spending more time in front of the cameras than in the studio but he plans on releasing some upcoming music with his wife, Puerto Rican Princess Joseline Hernandez. Nelly – November 2

Real Husband of Hollywood cast member Nelly finally gets to show his comedic and acting skills beside fellow cast mate Kevin Hart. Sean Combs- November 4

Diddy has managed to make Ciroc a household name and plans to make his Revolt TV the next big thing in TV. Thandie Newton – November 6
The British actress has been out of the American spotlight since Tyler Perry reminded me of us her tremendous talent but she’s continuing to choose roles with purpose.  Tracy Morgan – November 10

A traumatic Walmart accident may have the funnyman down for a few but he’s making strides to return to our screens everywhere.

Omarion – November 12

The retired B2K front man is hoping a role on Mona Scott’s latest installment of Love & Hip Hop Hollywood will gain him attention on the music scene. Whoopi Goldberg – November 13

The Emmy – Grammy – Oscar – Tony award winner is still a part of the round table on “The View”.
Lisa Bonet- November 16

The eccentric Cosby kid is now in real life the very cool mom to Zoe Kravitz, her daughter with rocker Lenny Kravitz. She’s most recently been seen onscreen in Drunk History and The Red Road. Damon Wayans Jr. – November 18

Expectations are high when you’re part of the Wayans clan but Damon Wayans Jr. is making his own name. Tyga – November 19

Rapper Tyga has stayed relatively low key with his relationship dating Kylie Kardashian while appearing on the debut season of Love & Hip Hop Hollywood. Future – November 20

Rapper Future is focusing on his split from Ciara by putting everything in his upcoming Monster mixtape.

A 5-year-old boy is being observed for Ebola and is in isolation at New York’s Bellevue Hospital. The boy, whose name hasn’t been released, returned home from Guinea on Saturday and showed symptoms of the Ebola virus Sunday.

It is unclear when the child’s temperature spiked, but when he was transported from his Bronx home to the hospital Sunday, he had been vomiting and posted a temperature of 103 degrees. He is being treated for Ebola at Bellevue, but isn’t under quarantine.

Bellevue is the same hospital in which Dr. Craig Spencer is receiving treatment for Ebola and is in isolation. Spencer returned to New York after treating Ebola patients in Guinea through Doctors Without Borders. According to news reports, Spencer’s health is improving, but he remained in serious yet stable condition on Sunday.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Ten years after launching House of Dereon, Beyonce Knowles announces a new fitness and streetwear line with UK brand Topshop.  The living legend and Topshop head Philip Green have agreed to partner in new company Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd. The actual name of the activewear line, which will be available in 2015, is yet unnamed.

In a statement today, Knowles gushes, “I could not think of a better partner as I continue to grow the Parkwood business. I have always loved Topshop for its fashion credentials and forward thinking. Working with its development team to create and produce a technical and fashion-led collection is exciting, and I’m looking forward to participating in all aspects of this partnership.”

Since the new venture will operate independently of Topshop, a completely new team will be hired to create the line, including a creative director and head designer. The new label will have clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by dance, fitness and sport.

“We have been looking at this category as fashion-inspired fitness develops, and know that this is right in our customers’ heartland,” Green said. “Creating a partnership with Beyoncé, one of the most hard-working and talented people in the world, who spends many hours of her life dancing, rehearsing and training is a unique opportunity to develop this category. Being partners with Beyoncé and her team, who have the greatest creative energy and enthusiasm, is inspiring for all of the team at Topshop. We have much to achieve in just under a year, but we are all up for the challenge, and look forward to delivering athletic streetwear in an inventive and exciting way.”

Can you say gym motivation?

-Colby Carrington

At the young age of 21, Keke Palmer has led a tremendously ambitious career. In fact, when she was just 10 years old she became the youngest to ever receive a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Lead Actress after a splendid performance in the TNT movie, Wool Cap. Since then, Palmer has gained a following after appearing in a host of movies and television shows, such as Akeelah and the Bee and Madea’s Family Reunion.

During 2014, Palmer has made her mark at first place. Not only did she become the youngest TV show host ever, with “Just Keke” on BET, but also became the first African American woman to play the role of Cinderella on Broadway. Palmer is a star with a future that shines bright!

Come November, she will be featured in the 2014 Vanities issue of Vanity Fair, in which she serves us major glam. When it comes to fashion, Palmer is not shy about expressing herself. When Teen Vogue asked how her style has evolved over the years, she exclaimed:

“I feel like it’s evolved a lot! I have a lot more options now that I’m older, and it’s fun exploring my flirty side.”

Well, if you are also exploring your fun and flirty side with new outfits, then check out the fashionable looks of this week’s Style Star, Keke Palmer.

If you think dressing casually means a pair of pants and a top, think again. Palmer proves that laid-back style, should appear effortless. After all, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of your graphic T-shirt.

One can be the belle at the ball with out going too froufrou. Palmer opted for a slight, full-bodied dress that was the right choice for her petite frame. Wearing anything fuller would have made her disappear.

Palmer certainly knows how to perfectly coordinate girly separates with subtle masculine edge, adding a dash of toughness with her leather jacket.

During the cooler months the denim jumpsuit proves to be a layering essential that you can lean on. But, even if you are in a warmer climate, you should take a page out of Palmer’s style book and wear a midriff top underneath.

Palmer proves that a young lady can dress in a way that is sophisticated and sexy without going overboard. The cut-outs aren’t too revealing and the dress is form-fitting without being tight.

Velvet isn’t just for the holidays or special occasions, but perfect for lavishly making a statement on any night.

An iridescent metallic mini skirt is a sure way to get your rocker chic on for a night out with the girls.

Why bother grabbing black when heading to cocktail party this season? Instead, wearing an ivory or light smoky grey hue would be a great to shine in for the night.

There’s nothing like a dress that stands alone fiercely and needs no accessories. The graphic print of this T-shirt dress by Mantu is just that type of dress.

Palmer mixes print and dimension with a boldly printed Alexander McQueen shirt and DVF tiered leather skirt.

Palmer gives a subtle nod to the flapper era in her beaded cocktail shift.

With plaid and distressed jeans, Palmer takes a laid-back approach to her style, while still looking fabulous and on trend.

Before you change another diaper or wipe your baby’s sticky hands, you should check your baby wipes. Nutek Disposables Inc., a Pennsylvania company, has recalled baby wipes sold nationwide at Sam’s Club, Walgreens, and Family Dollar. The wipes may contain the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia, or B. cepacia.

The bacteria rarely affects healthy people, but those with compromised immune systems or chronic lung diseases are susceptible to B. cepacia. This bacteria is often resistant to antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An initial recall was put in place on Oct. 3 when Nutek received complaints of odor, discoloration, and irritation. Microbial testing found that B. cepacia was present in some of the baby wipes. Nutek expanded the recall this weekend. The company has received many complaints of rash, irritation, infections, fever, gastrointestinal issues, and respiratory issues. But those maladies haven’t been directly linked to the baby wipes.

[Image: Shutterstock]

The wipes were sold under the brand names Cuties, Diapers.com, Femtex, Fred’s, Kidgets, Member’s Mark, Simply Right, Sunny Smiles, Tender Touch, and Well Beginnings, the company said. They were sold at Walgreens, Sam’s Club, Family Dollar, Fred’s, and Diapers.com.

Nutek can be reached regarding this recall at 1-855-646-4351. If you or someone you know thinks they used the products and are experiencing an adverse effect, then you should contact your doctor immediately.

Source

Although I’ve never been interested in watching ratchet reality TV shows, if you follow anyone with even the slightest of ties to Black Twitter, you will see and hear a lot about these programs, even when you don’t want to. Sometimes you’ll even see some pictures floating down your timeline (especially post-Fappening), and there’s nothing a straight brother wants to see less when scrolling through Twitter than a naked picture of Yung Berg showing off his package. Obviously it’s all bad regardless of who it is and that particular picture was burned out of my memory moments later, but it did incite an interesting conversation online. After years of leading discussions about sex and sexuality, the resulting conversation confirmed a theory I’ve always believed to be true: Most men are slightly to wildly insecure about their penis size, and that insecurity also drives our fear of being physically and emotionally inadequate for the woman we want.

Before we delve into this topic, please note that I said most men, as there are some men who are not concerned with this in the least. And, interestingly enough, the men who choose not to care about this issue are not necessarily men who are extremely well-endowed. While some are men who are hung enough to be in that small percentile, there are actually many well-hung dudes who are extremely self-conscious about their size. In fact, many years ago I read an article about penis enlargement surgeries in which a doctor stated that most men who walk through his door are the ones who need it the least. While men out here are seriously suffering with “micro-penis,” they aren’t the ones going out of their way to increase their size. Statistically, it’s the men who are slightly above average in length and girth who undertake this procedures. But why?

Well, here’s the truth: The one thing no man wants to admit about his length is that it can be a serious source of insecurity. And the insecurity can run so deep, that we constantly attempt to hide it under layers of hyper-masculinity.

[Image: Shutterstock]

When folks decided to collectively shame Yung Berg, I made three interesting observations on the resulting conversation:

1. Nothing grabs a man’s attention more than hearing women speak frankly about penis size. Most dudes instinctively believe that the phrase “size doesn’t matter” is just PC BS.
2. Women who complain about the psychological effects of body-shaming only really care about women. As far as they’re concerned, men being shamed is hilarious — and perfectly fine.
3. Whenever a man is being publicly shamed for not being hung, every damn dude within earshot feels it is necessary for his ass to pile on the dude, while simultaneously bragging about how massive he is by making comments like, “Thank God I don’t have THAT problem!”

As much as men like to accuse women of not keeping it real about their size requirements, men keep it far less real about how secure we are with our own size. And while it seemed like a small cosmetic issue (like wishing you didn’t have a massive forehead), it’s actually deeper than that for a lot of men. Since we tie our ability to sexually satisfy our woman with the totality of how much we keep her emotionally pleased, some dudes really believe that an inch or two is the difference between keeping their girlfriend in love and in lust with him and having OK sex and making her think you’re “a really nice guy,” while she secretly pines for the dick that effortlessly hit her g-spot. In fact, one of the contributing writers to my website once received an anonymous email from a dude who shared his real story about an issue like this.

This man (who we will call John) was considering breaking up with his girlfriend of two years because he simply could not handle the emotional strain of being with her anymore. Although he loved her and cared for her, he found out through an open and honest discussion with his girlfriend that her last boyfriend had a penis that was more than eight inches long. Since his penis was “only” 7.5 inches long, he constantly worried that he was not satisfying her in the same way that she was previously satisfied by her ex (although she stated that wasn’t even an issue in her mind). That inch consumed his mind, made him feel less adequate and resulted in him losing interest in having sex with her altogether. He simply couldn’t break out of the jail he created in his own mind, even though he statically is so far above average, he shouldn’t have any fear like that whatsoever. Although this case might sound crazy to some folks reading this, it shouldn’t surprise you that we equate penis size with manhood in our society.

With all that said, the truth is that we as men need to realize that we are in our own heads about an issue that women care far less about (size queens excluded). Of course size is important to women, but no quality woman is out here judging the totality of a man by what’s hanging between his legs. If your lady loves your size, then believe it.

Hell, more importantly, believe in yourself.

LAB

Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

Paul Aronson and Shalaine Foster

Teenage twin sisters were arrested for tying up and robbing an 85-year-old sugar daddy after meeting him on a dating website. Shalaine and Shaina Foster were taken into custody and charged with kidnapping, burglary, robbery, assault, and grand larceny for their idea of an easy come up. Prosecutors said the 17-year-old twins tied retired lawyer Paul Aronson to a coffee table in his Manhattan apartment for 20 hours, while they went on a shopping spree with his credit cards.

Sources say Shalaine met Aronson on the website SeekingArrangement.com, a hub for sugar daddies and sugar babies to connect, in exchange for a few coins. Ironically a tag line from the website reads “Date Safely. Meet thousands of background checked members.” The twin sisters arrived for dinner with Aronson on October 1, but much to his surprise things didn’t go completely as he planned. After dinner, the trio went back to Aronson’s apartment where they had a few cocktails, and the twins exacted their plan.

They used zip-ties to tie the retired lawyer to a coffee table by his legs and restrain his hands behind his back. “The informant fell onto the floor and could not get up and laid on the ground for approximately 20 hours,” court documents said. While Aronson laid tied up in his luxury apartment, the twins allegedly went shopping with his credit cards and nearly $500 in cash. Among the teen’s purchases were makeup and clothes — probably to look good for their next sugar daddy victim.

Shalaine and Shaina Foster’s lawyer Brian Kennedy tells a different story. Kennedy says the twins were lured in by a beautiful apartment, alcohol, and the promise of something more. He said Aronson was the one with impure intentions and began asking questions about their sexual experiences.

The twins’ mother Liza Torres said the whole thing was a misunderstanding and doesn’t believe the allegations. She was later arrested on the courthouse for heroin possession. The New York Post revealed that Shalaine attended a girls-empowerment program sponsored by Mary J. Blige’s short lived non-profit Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FAWN).

Their brother Adam Torres said the whole situation is “f’d up.”

Source

Twitter’s stock is dropping as they have been unable to entice new users or keep their current users coming back at the same rates as before.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has been making improvements, but the tweaks don’t seem to be enough to create meaningful change because Wall Street has grown weary of the slow pace. The company’s stock dropped 11% on Monday after Twitter released its third quarter report, which showed meager growth.

“We have to continue to grow our monthly active users and make it increasingly a daily use case for them,” Costolo said during a webcast with investors to discuss the financial results. “It’s more critical than ever to increase our overall pace of execution.”

In an interview, Costolo emphasized that his company is trying to cater to three distinct audiences: the daily Twitter user, the casual visitor, and the reader who only views a tweet that has been embedded in an article or an app. “You want to create scalable experiences that work for all kinds of different users,” he said.

In Twitter’s financial report, it said that the number of people who signed in at least once a month went up by 4.8% in the third quarter. However, it attracted fewer new users than in the previous two quarters. Regular Twitter users also seem to have a waning interest in the platform as they used it less frequently on average than during the last quarter.

Thus far, Twitter’s effort to stay afloat, which has included an easier sign-up for new users and a better organization for tweets about major events, has yielded unsatisfactory results. Nate Elliott, an analyst a Forrester who studies social media, believes that Twitter needs to take a cue from Facebook and be more aggressive about improving user experience. “Facebook is constantly looking for ways to get people back on their site,” he said.

By contrast, Twitter’s revenue increased sharply in the third quarter. Their revenue, most of which is derived from advertisements, more than doubled to $361.3 million compared to $168.6 million a year ago. However, Twitter is still losing money due to the hundreds of millions it spends on stock compensations for its ever expanding workforce.

[Source: New York Times]

Becky Hammon will make history today as the first woman to start an NBA season as a full-time assistant coach. Hammon will be a member of the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff.

The 37 year old had a decorated 16-year career in the WNBA, having most recently played for the San Antonio Stars before retiring earlier this year. During the last NBA season, Hammon attended Spurs practices, film sessions, and sat behind the bench at the home games after suffering a torn ACL that kept her from playing. Head coach Gregg Popovich asked her to join the team this past summer.

“When you’ve been around it, you know who can coach and who can’t coach,” Popovich said. “Becky is one of those people. She’s a Steve Kerr. She’s a Doc Rivers. She’s those kind of people. They have a feel for the game that they want to continue to participate in.”

Hammon has a reputation as a smart, hard-nosed, and tough-minded player. She made six All-Star teams and averaged 13.1 points in her WNBA career. She is the league’s all-time leader in assists (1,112) and 3-point field goals made (493), while ranking second in franchise history in points (3,442) and games (218). But she was chosen for her basketball acumen.

She is not concerned about being a woman coaching a men’s team:

“As far as women coaching men, it’s really silly. People ask me all the time, will there ever be a woman player in the NBA? To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong and that’s just the way it is.”

“But when it comes to things of the mind, things like coaching, game-planning, coming up with offensive and defensive schemes, there’s no reason why a woman couldn’t be in the mix and shouldn’t be in the mix.”

As soon as the news was announced in the summer, congratulations and praise poured in. Among her fans is Nancy Lieberman, who made history in 2009 when she became the first woman head coach of a professional men’s basketball team as the coach of the Frisco, TX D-League team. “I’m happy to be a trail blazer,” Lieberman said. “But I’m ready to get an opportunity to coach in the NBA. Instead of people thanking me, I need to thank Becky.”

Popovich, for one, has no time for the hoopla surrounding his decision.

“Honestly, I didn’t realize it was gonna be this big of a deal,” he said. “People kind of went crazy, like we’ve saved the world from fascism or something,” he added, chuckling. “It was much more important to reward her—for who she is, what she’s done and what I believe she can do, than worry about the reaction of people.”

He continued, “I’m not going to do something that’s going to hurt my franchise just to have a gimmick. I think that we’ve built up enough credibility with the way we do things that people would understand that this was for real and that she had gravitas.”

Source

Ladies Night will be the theme when Missy Elliott, Lil Kim and Da Brat reunite on stage at next month’s Soul Train Awards. The fierce female rappers were notorious for appearing on one another’s projects and breaking boundaries for female artists throughout the 90’s. The trio will tape their reunion on November 7 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Their most popular appearance together was on the female empowerment 90’s hit “Not Tonight,” alongside former Hot 97 jock Angie Martinez and the late Left Eye of TLC. Da Brat’s spit fire verse is one that should be in the rap hall of fame.

The corresponding video is an epic monument in Hip-Hop history. The Ladies Night video turned the misogynistic Hip-Hop video standard on its head by objectifying  half-dressed men. Not to mention appearances by Mary J Blige, Changing Faces, Total, SWV, Xscape, a then unknown Blaque and other female who’s who of the 90’s dropped by the video set to show their support. A subsequent appearance at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards with the femcees foreshadowing the outlandish looks that would become standard for future artists including Nicki Minaj, Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea.

News of the foursome comes on the heels of another monumental 90’s pairing during BET Hip Hop Awards. Yo-Yo, Queen Latifah, Mc Lyte and R&B star Brandy Norwood reunited to recreate “I Wanna Be Down (Remix)” for the song’s 20 year anniversary.

In addition Centric announced that popular male 90’s group Jodeci will reunite on the same stage – the group’s first appearance together in over eight years. With a catalog of hits like “Stay,” “Feenin’,” “Come and Talk to Me” the group will certainly bring back the nostalgia of 90’s.

The Soul Train Awards presented by Centric will debut Sunday November 30. Queen of Celebrity Gossip Wendy Williams will reign over the night’s festivities.

Football players for Morehouse College, the only all-male historically black university in the U.S., have been called out for homophobic behavior at a showing of Dear White People. The Morehouse College Maroon Tigers team was in town ahead of their game against Benedict College and decided to show their support for their film. However some of the team’s football players disagreed with some of the movie’s subject matter, primarily the homosexual content, and were vocal in expressing their displeasure.

Dear White People is a satirical look at college life on a college campus through the eyes of black students. Lionel, a gay black student, played by “Everybody Hates Chris” star Tyler James Williams, struggles with homophobia in the black community. Players from Morehouse were less than welcoming to Lionel’s appearance according to Free Thoughts Blog author Ashley F. Miller who recounted her experience watching the movie alongside the team in Columbia, SC.

Miller wrote that the “budding romance between Lionel and another man did not win the team’s approval.” Every time Lionel made an appearance in the film players hurled homophobic insults and comments at the character. Some of these comments said out loud consisted of “What is this gay shit?” Members of the team began belittling some of their male teammates for not turning away or leaving the theater during a same-sex kiss saying, “Man, you looked at that, I saw you!” The football team’s commentary further climaxed after Lionel gets into a fight with a white male and kisses him, and then gets repeatedly punched in the face. Lionel’s beating for being gay incited cheers from the football team. “It was terrifying. It was horrifying. It was depressing,” Miller said in her blog.

Morehouse College has not released an official statement in response to the football team’s behavior. Current students and representatives from Morehouse with knowledge of the blog began offering their own opinions on the night’s event.

Raynard Ware, a member of The Morehouse College Football team responded to Miller’s blog to dispel the negative comments that the school, mainly the football team, breeds homophobia. Ware’s response:

As a student and football player for the Maroon Tigers, I was disturb [sic] by the reaction of my teammates during certain scenes of the movie. The remarks and outbursts were upright embarrassing and prejudice. I am big on reputation and presentation. However, this is not a true reputation of our institution. We are sincerely apologetic that the loud embarrassing remarks were heard and not the intellectual discussion, which we also engaged in after the movie. Sorry to give off such a poor perception to the public eye, we ARE apologetic.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, some of my teammates needed to know the perception they give to people.

Marcus Lee, the President of Morehouse SafeSpace-Morehouse’s Alliance for Gender and Sexual Diversities, wrote an open letter in response to the litany of negative comments on the “Dear White People blog”. Lee mentioned that Morehouse SafeSpace has reached out to the President and the VP of Student Affairs, who plan on engaging the football team in dialogue about their behavior-think “sensitivity training”.

“I don’t think the football team’s reactions are inherent to them specifically. Instead, they are a product of a grooming process that begins in the world and is buttressed or goes uninterrupted at Morehouse, that’s checkered with heteronormativity and silence; inclusive spaces are forged here in spite of, not because of, the culture of the college,” Lee wrote.

Furthermore, Lee asked that instead of focusing on a solitary occurrence, those pushing for further diversity on the college’s campus should instead ask for inclusion for diversity regardless of race, sexuality, religion and other non-determinant factors for a student’s collegiate excellence. Policies like Morehouse’s dress code labeled as an “Appropriate Attire Policy,” which outlaws male students from wearing “clothing associated with women’s garb,” reinforce stereotypes that black male gender expression should be monolithic, Lee points out.

At the top of last year, Lee published an op-ed calling for a similar change in the school’s culture to a more inclusive and nurturing place for members of the LGBTQ community to study and socialize. The President of Safespace also points out that Morehouse’s location in Atlanta, GA is one of the leading cities with the highest HIV/AIDS rates among black men who sleep with men. Studies show the age group most at risk include gay and bisexual men ranging from early teens through college aged students. Studies cite fear of homophobia and stigma as two negative occurrences that prevent men from getting tested and accessing healthcare services.  In his op-ed Lee detailed his optimism for long awaited recognition for the diversity among the predominantly black male student population. A year and half later, Lee is still pushing for some of those changes on the college’s campus.

Say goodbye to tiny, foggy, plastic airplane windows and say hello to the windowless planes. In a concept design created by U.K. product and technology research company, Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), an airplane’s windows will be replaced with floor-to-ceiling screens displaying 360-degree views of the sky captured by cameras mounted outside the plane.

In addition to the real-time displays, the screens would also be used for entertainment purposes, showing detailed information about the objects seen outside the plane and playing recorded media. The screens would also double as touch-screen displays for in-flight services.

The CPI believes this new wave of flying could debut in ten years.

Although the new design would seem cool, what about during thunderstorms, or severe weather? Having a bird’s eye view of turbulent weather, complete with heavy rainfall and lightning, greeting passengers could make for an uneasy flight to say the least.

And it would only be a matter of time before the system or cameras fail, causing an “error” message instead of breathtaking cloud visuals.

Upon success of the concept, airlines would undoubtedly sell ad space, interrupting your flight with ads that you just couldn’t escape.

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[Images: CPI]