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Tika Sumpter Does Her Dirt On “The Haves and the Have Nots”

Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:04:46 +0000

Actress/model Tika Sumpter plays Candace on Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and The Have Nots” but depending on who you are, you may know her best from her role as Layla on “One Life to Live,” as Raina on “Gossip Girl,” as Jenna on “The Game” or as Delores in the film remake of “Sparkle.” According to fan Tom Joyner, though, in her role as the “low-down, manipulative, no-good, real slutty,” Candace on “The Haves and the Have Nots,” she’s doing her most memorable work yet.

“People tweet me all the time or they’ll come up to me saying ‘I thought you were so nice and I’m like ‘I am nice!’” Sumpter says.

The Long Island, NY native went to Marymount Manhattan College to earn a degree in communications, but modeling and acting gigs soon took over those initial ambitions. Sumpter, now 32 (she turns 33 this week) may seem like an overnight success but she’s been steadily working for some time.

“I’ve always wanted to do this since I was a little girl,” she says. “Since I sat in front of “The Cosby Show” and said ‘Omigod, I don’t know what that is, but that’s what I want to do.’ It’s always something that I wanted to pursue. I’ve been doing it for a while now, it’s just now that people are starting to get to know me in the last few years and it’s exciting.”

The soap opera elements of “The Haves and the Have Nots” are nothing new to Sumpter who got her start in daytime soaps on “One Life to Live.” But as Candace, the scheming daughter of the Cryer’s longtime maid, Hanna Young, she’s playing a role much different that the one she appeared in on the daytime soap.

Your Vote: What is the Greatest R&B Love Song Of All Time?

Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:38:58 +0000

If you’ve been fortunate enough to experience it, love is a beautiful thing. And so are love songs. They are the songs that make the love feel even better, the songs that are sung at weddings and the songs that make people make babies together. There are a group of these songs that have stood the test of time and stand out as classics of the genre. Even if you’re too young to remember them when they first came out, they still resonate even 20 or more years later. They are the classic love songs that make your momma and daddy or auntie and uncle stare at each other with soft eyes, or if you’re the auntie or mommy, make you remember what you saw in that guy with the big gut that’s currently hogging the remote.

A great love song has to be the kind of song that makes you stop in your tracks when it comes on and for just a moment, whether it’s your personal romantic song or not, make you feel what that writer was feeling and what that singer was expressing. Interestingly enough, the younger generation has yet to make quite that enduring a song and men, unemotional creatures though they can seem to be, have a majority of the classics on this list. The only thing we excluded was duets, at least for this poll, and songs that were primarily about sex or heartbreak.(Yes, we know “Sweet Thing” is borderline, but Chaka’s straight out love ballad “Everlasting Love” is the lesser known of the two songs, so we went with the one that has been more of a part of the cultural landscape.)

Out of these great love songs, which gets your vote as the best all-time? Hit the poll and let us know.

Manu Ginobili Sparks Spurs to Game 5 Win

The Associated Press — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:01:54 +0000

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Across three NBA championships and more than 100 playoff victories together, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have built a bond most teammates will never share.

So maybe Ginobili could ignore it when he was suddenly being criticized around San Antonio.

You better believe it bothered the others.

“Yeah, of course,” Parker said. “Because for everything he did for the franchise, I thought it was a little bit too harsh. We understand it’s a business. He came out big tonight.”

Just like Parker said he would.

Ginobili broke out of a slump in a big way with 24 points and 10 assists in his first start of the season, and the Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 on Sunday night to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

Parker scored 26 points, Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Ginobili had his highest-scoring game of the season as the Spurs became the first team to shoot 60 percent in a finals game in four years.

“He’s such a huge part of what we do and how far we’ve come. You can see it tonight in how we played and the results of the game,” Duncan said. “We’re always confident in him. … We know he has it in him. We hope he can bring it forward for one more win.”

Danny Green smashed the NBA Finals record for 3-pointers, hitting six more and scoring 24 points. Kawhi Leonard finished with 16, but the stage was set when Ginobili trotted out with Duncan, Parker and the rest of starters in what could have been the last finals home game for a trio that’s meant so much to San Antonio.

One more victory and the Spurs’ Big Three, not Miami’s, will be the one that rules the NBA.

And a big reason was Ginobili, as he’s been for so long — just not during what had been a miserable series for the former Sixth Man of the Year.

“I was angry, disappointed,” Ginobili said. “We are playing in the NBA Finals, we were 2-2, and I felt I still wasn’t really helping the team that much,” Ginobili said. “And that was the frustrating part.”

On Sunday, it was all forgotten.

“He’s obviously very popular. He’s been here a long time. He’s helped us have a lot of success over the years,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points for the Heat, who host Game 6 on Tuesday night. They need a victory to force the first Game 7 in the finals since the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010.

Miami’s Big Three formed a few weeks after that game, with predictions of multiple titles to follow. Now they’re a loss away from going just 1 for 3 in finals to start their partnership, while the Spurs could run their perfect record to 5 for 5.

“This is the position we’re in and the most important game is Game 6,” James said. “We can’t worry about a Game 7, we have to worry about Game 6.”

Duncan won his first title in 1999, and Parker and Ginobili were with him for three championships since. They have been the perfect partnership, keeping the Spurs in the hunt virtually every year while teams such as the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns have all risen and fallen in the Western Conference during that time.

They remained unbeaten in Game 5s, including two previous victories when the series was tied at 2-2. Of the 27 times the finals have been tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner has won 20 of them.

Miami was the most recent loser, falling to Dallas in Game 5 in 2011 before being eliminated at home the next game.

“We’re going to see if we’re a better ballclub and if we’re better prepared for this moment,” Wade said.

San Antonio shot 42 of 70, right at 60 percent. The last team to make 60 percent of its shots in the finals was Orlando, which hit 62.5 in Game 3 against the Lakers in 2009, according to STATS.

“They just absolutely outplayed us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “At times they were just picking one guy out at a time and going at us mano y mano. That will change.”

What In The Weekend With Nikki Woods: Live Long and Prosper

By Tonya Pendleton and Nikki Woods — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:15 +0000

PLAY AUDIO

Trekkies, unite. The second installment of the rebooted “Star Trek” franchise “Star Trek: Into Darkness” is heading your way this weekend, with Zoe Saldana picking up where Nichelle Nichols left off. But that’s not the weekend’s only blockbuster. Prince will perform on the Billboard Music Awards this Sunday night, while also picking up a much-deserved Billboard Icon award. Here’s what else is happening this weekend.

HOT ON TV:

All Times Eastern

Friday, May 17

ROCK IT

“Gridiron Gang”

BET, 7:30 p.m.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson helps a group of youth offenders became a winning football team

Saturday, May 18

HALL PASS

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

HBO, 9 p.m.

Public Enemy, Quincy Jones and Donna Summer are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

WEIGHTY MATTERS

“Iyanla, Fix My Life”

OWN, 9 p.m.

The Pace Sisters struggle with obesity and family secrets

Sunday, May 19

ROYAL NIGHT

Billboard Awards

ABC, 8 p.m.

Prince performs and receives the Icon Award in a special tribute; Tracy Morgan hosts

READ IT:

”Little Green” by Walter Mosely

If you thought Easy Rawlins was gone for good after the last book, think again…

SEE IT:

BACK ON TREK

“Star Trek: Into Darkness”

PG-13

Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the second film reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise

Attorney Who Advised Kiera Be Charged With Felony, Drops Charges In White Teen’s Fatal Case Days Later

Abena Agyeman-Fisher — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:30:46 +0000

Assistant State Attorney Tammy Glotfelty, who advised Officer Gregory Rhoden to charge 16-year-old Kiera Wilmot with a felony, has some explaining to do. Just days after doling out a stiff charge for Kiera, Glotfelty decided not to bring any charges against White 13-year-old Taylor Richardson, who mistakenly killed his younger brother with a BB gun, because she deemed his case was a “tragic accident.”

When it broke last week that Kiera would be expelled from Bartow High School and tried as an adult for experimenting with toilet bowl cleaner, aluminum, and an 8-ounce water bottle, Kiera’s plight immediately gripped the nation.

Watch Kiera’s case here:

In addition, the fact that her own principal and peers could vouch for her character as a good-natured honors student, made the authorities’ decision to mete out the harsh punishment even more heartless.

But the latest discovery in the Kiera’s case revives — in real time — just how dangerous racism is in the criminal justice system.

Case in point, consider the deliberations and actions of Assistant Attorney Glotfelty.

When Officer Rhoden called Glotfelty to advise him on how he should charge Wilmot in the botched science experiment case, according to the police report, Rhoden noted:

I THEN CONTACTED ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY TAMMY GLOTFELTY VIA TELEPHONE. I ADVISED A.S.A GLOTFELTY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE AND SHE ADVISED THIS OFFICER TO FILE THE CHARGES OF, POSSESSING OR DISCHARGING WEAPONS OR FIREARMS AT A SCHOOL SPONSORED EVENT OR ON SCHOOL PROPERTY F.S.S. 790.115 (1) AND MAKING, POSSESSING, THROWING, PROJECTING, PLACING, OR DISCHARGING ANY DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE F.S.S. 790.161 (A).

Indeed, Wilmot would be arrested at the school and charged with the aforementioned charges. Then to add insult to injury, the teen was reportedly expelled from Bartow High; she is currently completing her education through an “expulsion program.”

Now let’s consider the very sad case of Richardson.

On March 13th, Richardson and his fourth-grade brother, Skyler (pictured), were reportedly playing with BB guns, when Taylor’s BB gun went off.

The BB reportedly entered Skyler’s head just above his right ear and traveled across his skull to the left side.

Even though Skyler would be flown to Tampa’s Joseph’s Hospital, he would die a week later.

Attorney Glotfelty would reportedly deliberate for a month, finally concluding:

Our office has considered this case, keeping in mind that (Taylor) is 13 years of age and is a student at Roosevelt Academy.

After a thorough review of the facts, available to our office at this time, it is our opinion that this case can only be seen as a tragic accident.

Now, let’s reconsider the Wilmot case.

WTSP reports:

[Kiera] is accused of mixing household chemicals in a tiny 8-ounce water bottle, causing the top to pop off, followed by billowing smoke in an small explosion.

2013 Fantastic Voyage’s Pranks, Twerk-Offs & Funny Videos (WATCH)

Jazmine Pendleton — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:10:40 +0000

Hilarious behind-the-scene videos from the 2013 Fantastic Voyage that will have you laughing out loud!

Scandal-Less: Five Things to Think About Until “Scandal” Returns

Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:29:09 +0000

Let’s recap. (SPOILER ALERT AHEAD). By the end of last week’s “Scandal” episode “Molly, You In Danger, Girl” we were totally confused. Huck was shaking in a corner after being stored away at a storage facility, Abby and David were trying to reconcile or something now that David is hanging out at Pope and Associates, Harrison was on his usual gladiator game, Mellie and Fitz had epic battle #215, and Quinn clearly needs some more “How to Be A Badass” training so next time she doesn’t lose Huck when she’s supposed to have his back. Oh and Olivia? Well, she was being handled by the mysterious Jake, who was also spying on her. That whole spying thing was under Olivia’s radar until after a surprise visit to Jake’s apartment. They ended up in bed and it was all good until Olivia found out that Jake wasn’t a Direct TV subscriber – he was an Olivia TV subscriber!

Then, while all the world was wondering if Olivia fell and bumped her head going to Jake’s house in the first place, she literally fell and bumped her head and ended up in the hospital. There she was visited by a heartbroken Fitz, who despite whatever serious Presidential “situation” happened that interrupted his confessional call to Cyrus, flew out of the White House in full panic mode to comfort his injured love, (Picture the American taxpayers ire if they knew a sitting President was taking a motorcade to see his mistress, oh wait, there were only 2 Secret Service agents with him, so cancel the motorcade – maybe he grabbed a cab?) while Jake looks on like “What.da.hell.is.all.this?”

Now after all that happens, at the very end of the episode, ABC notifies us that “Scandal” won’t be back until April 25. WHAAAAAT?!!!!! Shonda, ain’t nobody got time for that! What the Huck with the three-week hiatus at such a crucial moment? Well since we’ve cleared our schedule every Thursday night at 10 p.m. anyway, we now have nothing to do but speculate about what’s next. So here’s our guide to Scandal’s most burning five questions. People, it is only 2 weeks. You’re not going to die. Though how messed up would that be if something happens to you between now and then and you never find out who Albatross really is?

1. WHO DA HELL IS ALBATROSS? Albatross, as you Scandal-lites know is the mole that has leaked confidential info. And tried to have Olivia killed, and a few other things that I can’t remember right now. One thing we do know it wasn’t the late CIA director and Olivia’s new squeeze and Joe Morton know who it is. Cyrus, Prez’s shady chief of staff might be the mole, or might not be but he’s definitely trying to have somebody killed.

Woman Mistakes $40 Million Winning Ticket for $40,000!

EURweb.com — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:35:00 +0000

We all run out to get our tickets when the lottery jackpots get high.

We figure we’ll take a chance and maybe our couple dollars will turn into something we always dreamed of; even if it’s only the consolation prize of a few thousand or a couple dollars for getting some of the numbers.

Hungry For a Better Life? Dr. Robin Smith Tells You How to Get It

Cherie S. White, BlackAmericaWeb.com — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:30:30 +0000

Dr. Robin Smith strikes most people as a woman who has it all together. But the psychologist, seminarian and motivational speaker had a secret she kept from the public.

Hip Hop Rules at Youth Conference

Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 23:26:55 +0000

PLAY AUDIO

Attendees at The Boys and Girl’s Clubs’s annual Keystone Youth Conference will have more than just youth empowerment to cheer for. The conference boasts a list of hip-hop artists that sound like a lineup for a concert. Doug E. Fresh, Run D.M.C., Jordin Sparks, B.oB and the OMG Girlz will all make appearances.

The Keystone, held in Atlanta this year March 21 -24 brings together young people from 157 cities around the U.S. to participate in workshops focused on community leadership, financial literacy and college readiness, and provide information about career paths from entertainment to science and network through various social events.