The transgender star of an online reality series was found beaten to death in her apartment in Fontana, Calif., on Tuesday afternoon, KNBC reported.

Domonique Newburn, 32, was one of the stars of the docu-reality web series “Hollywood Houseboys”. Newburn detailed her experiences of transistion into a woman on the series.

Officers responding to a domestic violence call found Newburn’s body around 4:30 p.m. in the 7900 block of Bennett Avenue in Fontana, which is about 45 miles from Los Angeles.

Fontana Police detective Rich Hunt told KNBC that investigators “found evidence of a struggle, inside and outside.” The coroner said Newburn suffered “blunt trauma.”

Witnesses said they saw a man in his late 20s or early 30s leaving the residence in the victim’s car, a black 2004 Mercedes Benz C240. The Mercedes Benz has since been recovered in a YMCA parking lot.

Fontana Police are reviewing possible leads in connection with an escort ad that featured Newburn’s photo.

Newburn recently completed a shoot for an upcoming season of the series, which is in hiatus. The series’ creator, Ryan Hope, issued a statement in which he described Newburn as an “amazing person.”

Attention Tyrese: Less partying, more sleep!

The 34-year-old R&B crooner found himself in a hospital Friday night after fainting at a Washington, D.C. nightclub while partying with TGT bandmates Ginuwine and Tank. He apparently hit the floor so hard that he ended up injuring his arm in the process.

A rep for the singer blamed the incident on exhaustion, stating, “Tyrese has been going non-stop since July promoting his new TGT album.”

On Sunday, Tank captured a photo of Tyrese sporting an arm sling from the ordeal with a caption reading:

“[...] Answered prayers has our brother back up on his feet…. He went close to 32 hours without sleeping excited about the #3KingsAlbum we try and tell him to chill cause its 3Kings now not just one… Rest is vital to life But #iRespectTheHustle”

Tyrese is said to be back in Los Angeles.

We’re wishing him a speedy recovery!

Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke performed the summer smash “Blurred Lines,” – the hit song currently in litigation with the Gaye family – at the MTV VMA (Video Music Awards) last night. While Cyrus shed her former Disney image and embraced her love for “twerking,” Twitter and Instagram were buzzing with awesome reaction pictures and quotes.

After the performance, comedian Kevin Hart joked, “Miley better get a… pregnancy test after all of that grinding.”

Here’s a few that keep us laughing this Monday morning.

[Photo Credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Landov]

This Smith family portrait show Jaden, Willow and Will Smith both wondering what was going on to Miley Cyrus’ twerking on Robin Thicke went viral quickly. However, it turned out this was in reaction to Lady Gaga‘s opening performance. Not the “Applause” Lady Gaga expected.

Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez share a collective “O” face at Miley and Robin.

Rihanna can barely contain her excitement while Harry Styles from One Direction peels an orange during the performance.

Nick Cannon shares his thoughts about letting his twins with superstar Mariah Carey into showbiz.

R&B Legend Anita Baker @IAMANITABAKER ponders what happened to the young star

Fifty-year-old Philadelphia woman Sharolyn Jackson appeared alive two weeks after her family held funeral services and buried her.

After a social worker misidentified pictures of the dead woman as Ms. Jackson, the Medical Examiner’s Office signed a death certificate, allowing an undertaker to remove her body for funeral services and burial, a CBS affiliate reported.

Services were held on August 3rd and Ms. Jackson was laid to rest, or so the family thought. The mistake was revealed when the Jackson family received a phone call that Ms. Jackson was in a mental health facility.

While the family is excited about her return, the city has a bigger problem on their hands. Who is buried in Ms. Jackson’s plot?

A Philadelphia Health Department representative contends that all proper procedures were followed and now says city officials are expected to seek an order to exhume the unknown body so steps can be taken to identify her.

It’s been four years since my last relationship … As you all know and have read, I have dated in this time but nothing too serious. I have lived alone for the past three years and I feel this more than anything else has taught me more about myself than ever before. There are all these reasons that every dating guru, therapist, and friend will give you for being a happy single gal, so I know I don’t need to give you all another rundown of that list. What I will tell you is what I have learned from this four-year period about love and myself:

[Image: Shutterstock]

I like my stuff the way it is: My closet is organized by item and color. Pants, shirts, dresses, etc. are all grouped together and in color groups from light to dark. My drawers are also obscenely organized and so are my cleaning products. Yup folks, I organize my cleaning products, towels, and hair products … judge me all you want, but it’s my thing. And here is the thing about this being my thing … incorporating someone else into my space, and into my thing takes a lot of work. For the past four years that is work I have not been willing to participate in, which has taught me the fine art of compromise. I’ve always thought I was so good at this and willing to do this in relationships, but it was to keep my partner happy not myself. Compromise should be about both of you and not be one-sided. The past four years I have been very one-sided.

[Image: Shutterstock]

I crave quiet time: I grew up with my sister, brother, and my parents. I shared a room with my sister my entire life, then had a few college roommates, moved back home, got my own place, met my ex and almost immediately moved in with him, moved back home (post break-up), and moved back out again. I got tired just writing all of that! Anyway, outside of the 10 months I spent in my first apartment, the past three years have been just me, myself, and I … and it felt amazing. And actually it still does! I write, I read, I do pretty much everything in a quiet and calm existence. While I do adore my quiet life, what I had built up is a pretty big wall around myself. This wall is what I have been breaking down for the past six months. No reason the future love of my life should have to carry around a rope and try to climb over my wall of protection MacGyver-style.

[Image: Shutterstock]

I don’t want to share my remote: There are certain TV shows I am really into, and by really I mean watch obsessively like “True Blood,” “Newsroom,” any Food Network cooking show, and almost all home improvement shows. Then there are the cartoons that I love, oh yes, you all I love “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” etc. but I digress. When I am at my parents’ house they almost never watch TV together in the same room. When I asked them each why they do this even when they’re watching the same shows they both pretty much gave me the same answers: “I don’t like the volume that high,” “I like to change channels during commercials,” “I like to watch this show and your mom likes to watch that show,” etc. This can be equated with my first point about compromise, but can also be about plain old selfishness. I have definitely been selfish over the past few years with my emotions and my heart. Literally not willing to let anyone receive my emotional love and attention, or get anywhere near my heart. Love can never come to a closed heart.

I am not at all complaining about being single or living alone because I have chosen to live my life this way, but what I am saying is there is a difference between being happily single, and closing yourself off to love. Most people end up doing the latter and I became one of them. In my need to maintain my single status and independence, I unknowingly closed myself off to love in the process! The thing is you can be independent, fabulous, fun, and in a relationship or single. There is absolutely nothing sad about being single, as being single teaches you so much about yourself, including your wants and needs. I refuse to settle for what I do not want, and also know what I need to work on within my own self, so that when he (whoever he is) comes along, I am ready. Relationships involve compromise, letting your guard down and opening up emotionally. The ability to grow with someone and bring your two separate lives together with the ability to maintain your independence at the same time, and luckily I’ve had four years to learn these lessons.

[Image: Shutterstock]

By Sorilbran Stone

What the heck was that?
Don’t play coy. You know what I’m talking about.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Now, she’s not my child, but I have a daughter entering adulthood and such behavior on a global stage would surely have sent me into a Florida Evans-inspired, punch-bowl-dropping frenzy.

Sometimes kids see it coming

After years of listening to my daughters watch episodes of Hannah Montana in their bedrooms, my oldest daughter came to me one day – maybe 4 years ago – and resolved that she was “So through with Miley Cyrus.”

Where was this coming from?  Miley/Hannah was the reigning queen of cool in my house at the time.  We even had that annoying Christmas Hannah doll that sang Christmas carols.

“Why? What’s up?” I asked.  This most certainly had to be good.

“She just showed her bra strap in a video.  And I think she was getting high.”

“Whaaat?”  I didn’t believe it.  And more, I thought my daughter was overreacting.  I mean, she didn’t even know Miley Cyrus in real life, but she was behaving as if Miley had spit in her face.  I suppose to some extent, she had.  Up until the bra incident, Miley was my daughter’s hero. I reminded my daughter that people are flawed and human and it’s not fair to expect perfection from anybody, whether famous or not.  My daughter wasn’t trying to hear me though.

Fast forward four years and lo and behold, my shorty was right.  I think I’m through too, Baby Girl.

We all go crazy sometimes

It’s not a new story.  Britney Spears went through her crazy period.  Kanye was storming award show stages years ago.  Lindsay Lohan is still trying to make it back on this side of the line.  Heck, I didn’t even recognize a picture of Lil Kim that made its way into my Facebook feed last night. Honey, I thought it was Latoya Jackson! We’ve all been there.  Whose mother didn’t have to choke them out a time or two for getting out of line? Mine did.  My grandmothers choked out half a dozen daughters each and their mothers choked and their mothers choked and so on.

Rebellion happens. We all go through it.  I watch as one of my girls works her way through her rebellious period while her younger sister is on her way into one.  But most of us are blessed that our rebellions didn’t happen on stage… or on film (Girls Gone Wild regrets anyone?).  In fact, that’s part of the training that goes into raising a girl these days.  “Whatever you do, keep your face off the camera and don’t send it to the cloud.” I suppose what makes this whole Miley Goes A-Twerkin’ phenomenon a little off-putting is the fact that we are watching it go down in living rooms across American and across the globe.

Insert sad face emoticon.

Let’s not and say we did

There’s a disconnect for me on what Miley does and what the YouTube video girls do.  Somehow, Miley’s twerk seems… inauthentic.  Ho-hum. Coerced.  I believe she’ll make it back to us though.  Miley is a talent I adore, but just can’t seem to stomach right now.

See you when you make it to the other side, girl.

For those couples thinking of getting married, newly-divorced motivational speaker Gerald Rogers has shared via Facebook some marriage advice he wishes he had. The post went viral, receiving over 3,760 “likes” and over 98,800 shares on Facebook.

“I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different … After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had,” Rogers starts.

Rogers continues by tasking men with becoming the type of husband their wife can brag about. “These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late,” Rogers laments.

Here are a couple takeaways from Rogers’ post:

“Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.”

“PROTECT YOUR OWN HEART. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.”

Rogers’ advice isn’t just for men, however, he also shares some ways women can protect their marriage. Keep reading the post to find out …

[Image: Shutterstock]

Mike Tyson is “on the verge of dying,” according to the famed boxer himself, who also admits to being “a vicious alcoholic.”

Tyson revealed he’s still battling drug and alcohol addiction, during a press conference to promote his return to boxing as a promoter at the Turning Stone Resort in central New York.

As recently as July 2012, Tyson claimed three years of sobriety. In a ”Nightline” interview, he credited his role in the Hangover for assisting his road to recovery.

However, Tyson challenged those statements with his recent confession. “I haven’t drank or took drugs in six days, and for me that’s a miracle,” he told reporters. “I’ve been lying to everybody else that think I was sober, but I’m not. This is my sixth day. I’m never gonna use again.”

Tyson went on to connect his attempt to remain sober with his need to make peace with his former trainer Teddy Atlas.

Admitting there’s a problem is the first step. Now, Tyson must stick with his recovery. We wish him well.

Source

Courtesy of Ebony.com

Sergeant Michael Adams was working the day shift on January 11, 2013 at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department when, at 7:45 a.m., he received Jacquelyn Johnson‘s missing person’s report that her son Kendrick was missing.

Acting quickly, Adams drove over to the Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Georgia. When he got there, he asked the school secretary to call Kendrick’s first block teacher to verify his absence. Once that was confirmed, Adams began to print color pictures of Kendrick for distribution.

While he was doing that, the principal’s secretary told him that a mother wanted to meet with him, in reference to her missing son. When he arrived at the principal’s office, Adams found Jackie and her daughter Kenyatta, Kendrick’s sister, waiting to meet with him. One of the first things Adams wanted to know was if Kendrick had any girlfriends.

That was logical. Maybe he had a girlfriend and had stayed over at her place?

Keep reading …

Read “Who Killed Kendrick Johnson? Pt. 2″ here.

Courtesy of Cocoa Fab

Did you miss when President Barack Obama talked about Kimye?

In case you did, here’s a quick refresher: in his statements, President Obama said “Kids weren’t monitoring every day what Kim Kardashian was wearing, or where Kanye West was going on vacation, and thinking that somehow that was the mark of success.”

On her talk show, Kris Jenner went IN.

Keep reading …

Courtesy of BlackEnterprise.com

We had seven minutes with Lee Daniels. His film, The Butler, starring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker is the No. 1 movie in America. We were taping for TV One’s Our World. His phone went off once, and his publicist was ready. To. Go.

Here it is:

BlackEnterprise.com: I wanted to discuss our black president for a moment.

Is he black?

BlackEnterprise.com: Yeah, actually, I think he is. [Laughs.]

Oh OK. If you say he is. [Mr. Daniels gestured toward a camera taping this interview.] Yes he is. He’s soo black. I’m just joking Mr. Obama. President Obama. You the man! [Laughs.]

Keep reading …

By Joane Amay

All the tools you need to stay sun-kissed all the way through summer’s end.

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer, Vapor (Limited Edition, $30)

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BOBBI BROWN Limited Edition Tube Tints from the Nude Beach Collection ($19 each)

A sheer hint of color—in four long-lasting new shades (Bronzed Pink, Naked, Cloud, Air Kiss)—is all that’s needed to get your pucker gleaming.

KATE SOMERVILLE Daily Deflector Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ Anti- Aging Sunscreen ($48)

Neither premature-aging nor sunburn are sexy, so protect your skin from harmful UV rays with this deeply hydrating, lightweight, oil-free protector.

The long-delayed James Brown biopic has finally been greenlit, and 42’s Chadwick Boseman has been selected to play the Godfather of Soul.  The film, directed by Tate Taylor (The Help), will follow Brown’s poverty-stricken childhood in Georgia through his musical triumphs in the ’60s and ’70s, becoming one of the most legendary artists in music history.

Producer Brian Grazer has been trying to make this film for over a decade.  The project grew some legs once Taylor signed on to direct, and filming was most recently stalled by budget talks and the hunt for a leading actor. Taylor recently gave a nod to co-producer Mick Jagger saying, “James Brown, really, was the first real dancer that broke the ground on how people move. And Mick Jagger has complimented that and tipped his hat to that forever.”

Boseman, whose first major role was in this year’s 42, came out on top over several actors who were vying for the role. It is a huge deal to be playing two iconic figures within his first starring roles. The Howard University alum and British American Drama Academy grad will next appear in the film Draft Day alongside Kevin Costner.

Filming of the untitled James Brown biopic will begin later this year in Mississippi.

The latest single from Jason Derulo sounds a little bit like an engagement announcement. “Marry Me” from Derulo’s upcoming album, Tattoos, has fans wondering if he and girlfriend Jordin Sparks are thinking about tying the knot.

“When the time is right, absolutely.  It’s all about timing,” he said to HipHollywood.com, on whether marriage was in his future.

Derulo and “American Idol”-winner Sparks have been dating publicly since 2012, and he shared with E! News that she inspired the piano-laden ballad.

“It is about Jordin, actually, and it’s talking about how amazing it will be when I get down on one knee and it will be the greatest moment of my life.”

The two appeared blissfully happy on the MTV VMAs red carpet, were featured in an affectionate photo shoot for Glamour magazine in February, and even have matching ink. When asked about engagement, Sparks told HipHollywood.com that she figured Derulo “probably wants to make a big surprise.”

However cute, the couple comes across a bit choreographed. While many celebrity pairs try to remain tight-lipped about their relationships, saving the PDA for vague Instagram posts and paparazzi photos, these two are unusually forthcoming about their “love.” The romantic interview answers, starry-eyed tweets, and gimmicky wedding song all read like an Olivia Pope-orchestrated stunt, aimed at turning the pop singers into the Black Britney & Justin.

Nonetheless, the lovebirds will shoot the music video for “Marry Me” in New York this week, and it will premiere some time before the release of Derulo’s album on September 24th. Listen to the single below, or download it on iTunes.

Judge Joe Brown appears to be enjoying retirement a little too much.  The syndicated TV judge was recently caught on camera sauced out of his mind after drinking a few “double Bombaaay Saphiiiire and-duh tonic[s].” Yikes.

He denounces the show that brought him to fame saying, “F*ck that. I quit. I don’t do that bullsh*t anymore.” Well, damn Joe.

He also flirts with a couple of girls throughout the video saying things like, “Get closer and make this old man feel like a good m*hf*cka,” and “You need to be my daughter-in-law so you can take care of this old man.”  How could a girl resist such charm? However, as he grabbed these girls by their waists, he continuously bragged about how gorgeous his wife is, emphasizing how great she looked for her age.  I guess she can be glad for that at least?

You can watch the train wreck below, including the part where he describes why pretty women are easier to deal with and my favorite line: “I’m not playing the judge, I’m playing the Funky Lordship.”

(H/T WorldStarHipHop.com)

Courtesy of The Root

In the latest in a series of Reddit Ask Me Anything sessions, our Race Manners columnist, Jenée Desmond-Harris, opened herself up to more of your burning questions about race. Check out the conversation here.

Jenée Desmond-Harris: Hi, I’m Jenée Desmond-Harris. I write The Root‘s Race Manners advice and etiquette column, where I do my best to tackle readers’ toughest and touchiest questions about the ethics and etiquette of racial interactions in a changing America. Recently I’ve looked into whether comments about weight are “a nonwhite thing,” whether hair care can be oppressive to black girls and some touchy topics surrounding interracial relationships.

Got a hard, weird, funny or confusing question related to race? I’ll see if I can answer it.

butchandthekid: Are you ashamed of mainstream black culture?

Jenée Desmond-Harris: No, but I think this is an interesting question, even more because of what it reveals about your thinking (which I don’t think is uncommon) than what it asks.

Keep reading …

[Image: Shutterstock]

Courtesy of EURWeb

Knock. Knock. Who is it? Uncle Sam.

On the near eve of his 55th birthday (August 29) there is yet another hurdle facing the estate of the late Michael Jackson.

Though said estate was able to pay off the star’s enormous personal debt, said to be nearly a half billion dollars, according to Reuters, the IRS now claims the King of Pop owes them $702 million in federal taxes and penalties.

Ouch!

Keep reading …

RELATED: Pay Up!: 10 Celebrities Who Owe Uncle Sam

Courtesy of Elev8

“I Have a Dream” is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. The speech, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 200,000 civil rights supporters this is the exact text.

“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.”

Keep reading …

Courtesy of The Grio

When Dr. King spoke to the hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at the National Mall fifty years ago, he declared that “1963 is not an end, but a beginning.” So as we commemorate the momentous occasion of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, we don’t look just to the past; we also look to the future.

If 1963 was a beginning, where does American stand a half century along the journey?

Certainly, America has come a long way. On Wednesday, fifty years to the day after Dr. King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, America’s first black president will address the crowd that gathers. And all Americans recognize the incredible significance.

But there’s still work to be done. Marchers came to Washington in 1963 to claim their right to the American Dream. We can’t rest until that dream is in reach for every American.

On Monday, at an RNC luncheon commemorating the March, we heard from many individuals who had witnessed history and made history, among them Robert J. Brown, who worked alongside Dr. King, advised a president, and became a successful businessman; Bob Woodson, who has dedicated his life to building communities and transforming lives, schools, and neighborhoods through the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise; and T.W. Shannon, the first black Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Each had their own story to tell, but in their own ways each echoed a common theme: we’ve made progress, but there’s work to be done.

Keep reading …

Carson Huey-You has become Texas Christian University’s youngest freshman ever at just 11 years old.

Huey-You scored a 1770 on the SAT, earned a 4.0 grade point average in high school, and became a co-valedictorian of his senior class all before his 11th birthday.

TCU actually admitted Huey-You when he was 10, but he turned 11 before the start of the semester and plans to become a quantum physicist. He will begin his first year of college with a full class load of 14 hours, including calculus and physics courses.

His mother, Claretta Huey-You, said she knew he was gifted when he could add, subtract, multiply, and divide by age 3. He was working at an eighth grade math level by the age of 5.

Dean of Admission Ray Brown said he cannot recall ever having an applicant so young. Brown and the review board were impressed with Huey-You’s ability to play piano and speak Mandarin Chinese.

Huey-You’s parents expect him to graduate in four to five years, when he is 15 or 16. By this time, his younger brother Cannan, 7, may be entering college. Cannan is studying at the eight grade level and is expected to graduate high school by 13.

Parents Andre and Claretta Huey-You consider their children’s intelligence to be blessings.