Was The Matrix The Blackest Sci-Fi Movie Ever?

Actor and comedian Al Shearer reignited the debate in the offices of TMZ when he and a friend were caught leaving a restaurant. The Glory Road actor proclaimed proudly, “I’m Black!” A cameraman proceeded to ask his opinion on the label debate to which Al Shearer answered with, “Black is good. Black is beautiful.” Before Shearer could finish his sentence, his friend screamed,“Bring your black ass on!” Shearer then stated, “If you call me the N-word, you’ll get knocked out. But Black or African-American is cool.”

Harvey Levin, the owner of the blog, was slightly confused as to why the label kept changing and stuck his foot in his mouth offering, “They keep changing it every five years!” His Black employees didn’t appreciate the comment too much and politely checked him.

What are your thoughts on being called Black or African-American? Does it matter? Is one better than the other? Sound off in the comments.

Source

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Leicester claims he had unprotected sex with Lebron’s mom the first night they met. He was 29 and she was 15 (claims he didn’t find out until after).Real smart for a man who graduated from Princeton and has a law degree from The University Of Chicago.

Leicester says he remembers telling Gloria, “Well, if he’s mine, make sure he plays basketball.” He started calling LBJ’s mom after Bron starting playing and noticed their identical looks.

He claims Gloria threatened him after he called and shuned him off. A few days after the phone call, Leicester claims LeBron — through his lawyer — agreed to take a DNA paternity test.

Leicester claims he was given results that showed he was not LeBron’s dad … but several months later, he began to suspect that the results were tampered with … and Gloria and LeBron were behind the fraud.

Click here, for full story…

Spotted @TMZ.com

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VIA EUR:

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu-Hartwell and her husband, former Oakland Raiders linebacker Edgerton Hartwell, have lost their mansion in Duluth to foreclosure, according to TMZ.com.

Wu-Hartwell’s rep said the couple had been trying to restructure the loan after the house lost value, but were unsuccessful. They were forced to move out last week after defaulting.

The Hartwells purchased the house in 2007 for $2.9 million, but it sold on the courthouse steps for $1.9 million on Aug. 4, according to TMZ.

Their rep said, “Ed and Lisa are fine. They have settled in their [new] home, that sits on 10 acres and they own it!”

In other ATL Housewives news, TMZ has obtained the 911 call made by Kim Zolciak that alleges she was choked by fellow cast member NeNe Leakes.

Zolciak — who made the call from behind a “Target shopping center” — tells the dispatcher, “I was filming my show … and I was choked by one of my cast members.”

NeNe, meanwhile, continues to deny the allegations. Zolciak tells us she’s looking into her legal options — which include pressing assault charges.

Listen to the 911 call here: http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/081009_kim_911.mp3

VIA EUR:

There are reports that Michael Jackson was laid to rest last Thursday in a low-key, private ceremony at Hollywood’s Forest Lawn Cemetery and attended by a dozen people.

Michael’s father Joe and sister LaToya are believed to have been the only family members to attend the secret service, according to World Entertainment News Network.

A cemetery source told the Web site: “Michael has already been laid to rest, but other than the Jackson family and the management at Forest Lawn, no one knows the exact spot. Staff at the cemetery have been fed several different locations, it’s as if they are hoping to confuse everyone so it can’t leak out. The fear is that thousands of Jackson fans will descend on the cemetery and create a security issue or maybe even damage or deface the grave. If the grave’s security is threatened, the Jacksons have reportedly identified four other sites – including the star’s former home Neverland and a memorial site in Las Vegas – they will consider moving the body to.”

A cemetery spokesman declined to comment on rumors of Jackson’s burial, and a rep for the family was not immediately available for comment.

Michael Jackson’s grandmother is also buried at Forest Lawn, where the King of Pop’s body has been temporarily interred for the past six weeks.

Meanwhile, the L.A. County Coroner’s Office has completed the autopsy on Michael Jackson, but at press time, was unable to announce the results due to an indefinite security hold at the request of the LAPD.

TMZ quotes sources who say the LAPD does not want the report released because it could make the investigation into Jackson’s death more difficult.

The reason for the delay … the judge said she wants Brown to perform Caltrans-type work — hard labor — for his community service. The plan for the community service in Virginia was not fully in place, so the judge wants to see the full schedule at the end of the month.

The judge wants to know what Brown will be doing for his community service — 90% of the community service is accounted for but the remaining 10% needs to be locked down.

Rihanna’s lawyer, Donald Etra, says Brown has not violated the stay away order.

Brown pled guilty to felony assault last month.

VIA LAT:

With less than a week before a scheduled public airing of allegations that Chris Brown brutally assaulted Rihanna, the R&B singer is seeking a postponement of the proceeding from the state Supreme Court.

A lawyer for Brown filed papers Friday asking that the high court delay the Monday preliminary hearing in order to consider whether the singer should have access to police personnel records in advance of the proceeding.

Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, contends the files could be important in his cross-examination of police witnesses concerning the leak of a photo of Rihanna to the gossip site TMZ.com.

The judge set to preside over the hearing has refused to order police to hand over the files, saying the law allows the defense to request that information 30 days before the trial. An appellate court declined to intervene in the case last week.

The state Supreme Court justices have not yet taken action on Brown’s appeal. According to a court spokeswoman, the court could take the case, decline to do so or let the preliminary hearing date come and go without comment.

L.A. County Superior Court officials are preparing to accommodate scores of reporters, photographers and television crews expected to descend on the downtown courthouse for the hearing. Among the issues left to be determined is whether the proceedings, which could see Rihanna take the stand against Brown, will be televised.

An attorney for Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, said the pop star is still considering whether she wants cameras in the courtroom.

“I don’t have a definitive answer at this time,” said lawyer Donald Etra.

On Wednesday morning (March 25), TMZ reported that people allegedly affiliated with Suge Knight robbed producer Detail, one of Akon‘s employees. The Grammy winner was surprised to hear of the events when he arrived in NYC on Wednesday.

“I just got in from overseas to do this U.N. [show], and all this news hit me at one time,” ‘Kon said. “He’s actually a producer I signed recently. Even [Detail], I couldn’t get in contact with him to get the full story. I’m trying to find out the story from him before I can put it out on record.”

In February, Akon’s manager was arrested for knocking Knight out at a party. Akon said he hasn’t been “cleared” to speak on that incident and that he and Knight had no prior beef.

“All I know, we always had peaceful conversations,” ‘Kon said of Suge. “I’m trying to figure out why it’s escalating to this extent. We never had no problems. All I can do is the right thing. Everything always works itself out.”

SOURCE: MTV News

To find out more about this story, please click here! Share your thoughts in the comments section!

The father of Chris Brown’s manager is denying reports that his daughter is the author of a three-page text message that Rihanna saw on his phone just before their violent incident on Feb. 8.

TMZ reported that Davis, 39, is the person who texted the singer on the night of the incident, referred to in the police report as “a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with.”

But the manager’s father, George Davis, told E! News that the latest speculation surrounding his daughter is simply a rehashing of rumors from 2007, when she was reported to have carried on a romantic relationship with the 19-year-old Brown when he was 16.

“They were saying that before. Those are old rumors,” Mr. Davis said.

Brown’s camp has long denied that that the singer and Davis were ever romantically involved, releasing a statement to Vibe magazine in November 2007 that said, “Chris Brown and his manager, Tina Davis, have a strictly professional relationship. …Ms. Davis has been instrumental in helping Chris achieve success as a multi-talented singer/dancer/actor. Rumors that the relationship goes beyond a working one, are not only patently false; they diminish her efforts and his undeniable talents.”

Tina Davis herself is striking back as well. She has authorized her attorney, Marshall B. Grossman of Bingham McCutchen LLP, to issue the following statement:

“The relationship between Ms. Davis and Mr. Brown is that of manager and client. There has never been any other relationship. The rumors in circulation are false. There are no emails between Ms. Davis and Mr. Brown of the type which have been described in media reports. If the source of the false rumors is identified, legal action will be taken. Given the nature of the legal issues affecting Mr. Brown, Ms. Davis will not be making any further statements.”

For more on this story, check it out here! Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Courtesy of FOX:

“This is a rush transcript from “On the Record ,” February 20, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight: She is out and about. TMZ posted the first picture of pop star Rihanna caught in public for the first time since allegedly being beaten in the face by her boyfriend, rapper Chris Brown. The just-posted picture was taken yesterday when the pop star was spotted on the way to the airport.

Now, this comes on the heels of last night’s bombshell photo allegedly of Rihanna also obtained by TMZ.com. That pic is said to show Rihanna moments after being beaten by Brown. Is this an authentic picture of Rihanna? Is this her beaten face? Some doctored pictures were circulated on the Internet last week, so of course, now everyone wants to know if this picture is the real deal or not.

Moments ago, TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin went “On the Record.”

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAN SUSTEREN: Harvey, nice to see you. And you are so lucky. Do you know why?

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Why?

VAN SUSTEREN: Because you have the LAPD authenticating the picture you put on TMZ.com in their press release.

LEVIN: You noticed!

(LAUGHTER)

LEVIN: You’re the first person — you know, Greta, it just proves again how smart you are. You figured something out that went over pretty much everybody else’s head.

VAN SUSTEREN: You know, Harvey, I — what were they thinking? I mean, you’ve got this picture — I mean — I guess we should explain it for the viewers. What’s the picture you have on TMZ.com?

LEVIN: Yes, it is a photograph Rihanna that was taken shortly after the alleged beating a couple of weeks ago. We, obviously, believed at the time convincingly that it was Rihanna and put it up on the site.

And I’m not — believe me, I’m not saying anything bad at all about the LAPD. I mean, what they needed to do, they felt, was conduct an internal affairs investigation because they felt there was a leak. In so doing, as you say, they did authenticate the picture.

Now, I should be quick to say, Greta, that we got this picture legally. And we — when we got the picture, we believed it was not an LAPD picture, and we still are still not convinced it is. The police department is sounding like they say it is, but they haven’t said that unequivocally, either.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, wait a second. I don’t even understand. Even if it is an LAPD police picture, you’re a journalist, you got the picture, and it’s their problem internally if it came — if it got leaked somehow to the public or to the press. That’s not your problem. That’s their problem. And with all due respect to you defending them, the LAPD, on this, it’s pretty stupid to issue a press release about an internal investigation and authenticate a picture, as they’ve done.

LEVIN: Well, they did what they did. And you know, you’re right, in so doing, they — you know, because there were a lot of people — you know, once we put it up, we saw some of the comments on the site. They were saying, Oh, this has got to be Photoshopped. We can’t believe this. I mean, we knew it wasn’t. But nonetheless, you know, it is what it is this morning.is.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. And the words from the press release from the LAPD, so we have that straight — “The photograph has the appearance of one taken during an official domestic violence investigation.” And I hope that they’ll do my authenticating of my work in the future when we need help. But anyway, I say that sort of tongue in cheek. All right, Now, tell me about this…

LEVIN: I noticed!

(LAUGHTER)

VAN SUSTEREN: Yes. Right. All right, so where is Rihanna? And where is Chris Brown? And what’s the story going back to this February 8 allegation of assault?

LEVIN: Well, you know, they are — you know, she has gone out in public. We actually have a picture of her getting into a car last night. But for the most part, they have laid low.”

To read more about FOX’s interview with TMZ’s Harvey Levin, please click the link! Have an opinion and wanna share it? Speak on it in the comments section!

The recent and unauthorized release of an LAPD photo of Rihanna after an alleged domestic encounter with fellow singer Chris Brown may have been enough to keep the incident from ever seeing the inside of a courtroom.

According to an LAPD source, Brown, even if guilty, may walk due to the leak of the photo.

“The most unfortunate aspect of the entire incident is not only the total disrespect for the victim, Rihanna, but the legal ramifications related to jury pool pollution the public revelation of this photo obviously has on the possible upcoming criminal case against alleged attacker, Chris Brown. Brown, even if guilty, could walk free because of the unauthorized release of this photo,” the unnamed source said.

Gossip web site TMZ reportedly obtained the photo from an insider close to the investigation. The leak of the photo—which will likely lead to the termination of the person who released it—was obtained for $62,500.

SOURCE: HipHopDX

If Chris Brown goes free, does putting the picture online violate some rule of ethics? Speak on it in the comments section.

Gawker did this very interesting discussion about the Rihanna abuse photo that leaked on TMZ. With the much-hyped situation finally presented with a face, was it right for the online community to share such an image with the world? Or did it do it’s justice as journalist to bring light to a dark predicament?

Check out the article and judge for yourself:

The pictures of Rihanna‘s injured face are disturbing. It’s not just our commenters debating whether they should have been published Thursday, or readers broadly; editors throughout the celebrity-industrial complex disagreed, too.

First, a quick rundown of who did and did not publish pictures of the R&B singer after she was reportedly struck by boyfriend Chris Brown during a side-of-the-road fight before the Grammys. (TMZ first ran the pictures Thursday night. They quickly spread.)

Ran the picture:

• New York Daily News (with picture on homepage
• New York Post (with picture on homepage)
• Newsday (with picture on homepage)
• Us Weekly (with picture on homepage)
• Huffington Post (ran picture on homepage with link to TMZ)
• Gawker (with picture on homepage)
• Star (alternate picture on homepage)
• TMZ (obviously, since they were the ones who obtained and first published it)
• Perez Hilton (with picture on homepage)

Did not run the picture, but reported it:

• People , which did a full story about the picture but did not even link it.
• E! also did not link the picture when it ran a story about the photo and how Los Angeles police are investigating how it was leaked.
• The LA Times wrote about the same investigation, with a link to the photo on TMZ.
• Drudge Report linked the TMZ photo prominently.

(Larger news sites like CNN, MSNBC and New York Times did not cover the picture by end of day Thursday.)

Critics say running the picture humiliates Rihanna at a time when she’s already in emotional agony, that it pierces a zone of emotional and physical privacy already grossly violated in the apparent attack on her. Victims of domestic abuse and rape have long been accorded special rights in the criminal justice system; it is argued they should retain a similar degree of control if and when information escapes that system. Finally, it is lost on no one that sensational pictures like the Rihanna shot can bring profit-making publishers large amounts of traffic, opening publishers to charges of exploitation.

So why would anyone run the picture, as we and others did? The Rihanna story has always been about an unfortunately common crime involving two famous people and a high-profile event. This has given rise to a full spectrum of speculation about the case. Though unsettling, the evidence of Rihanna’s injuries settles at least some of that guessing game.

One result of this: underlining the seriousness of an attack that many people have sought to minimize.

What do YOU think? Speak on it in the comments section. To read Rihanna’s statement on the situation, please click here!

The Los Angeles Times says the 911 call alerting police to the alleged assault involving Chris Brown and Rihanna may be an important key in the investigation.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the unidentified person who phoned was unaware of the couple’s celebrity when he or she reported the violent altercation, which took place around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the ritzy Hancock Park section of Los Angeles.

At press time, detectives were still investigating the case and had not turned it over to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges against Brown.

The 19-year-old was arrested Sunday on suspicion of making criminal threats and was released on $50,000 bail. Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was taken to the hospital with “visible injuries,” according to authorities. The artists were nominated for Grammy Awards Sunday and were scheduled to perform, but both pulled out of the ceremony at the last minute.

From the moment the story broke, rumors have been ferocious regarding what led to the altercation. Some blog sites are reporting that Brown became violent because Rihanna had given him a sexually transmitted disease. Others claim Brown was upset because Rihanna reportedly left Saturday night’s Clive Davis pre-Grammy bash for a while to talk to another man.

The severity of Rihanna’s injuries has also been the subject of unconfirmed Internet reports, including rumors that she suffered a broken jaw in the alleged scuffle.

Brown’s arraignment is currently slated for March 5. On his Web site, fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude before making their judgment. On Rihanna’s site, though, some have already made up their minds.

“Send the right message to your fans to leave any boy who would hit you,” one poster tells Rihanna. “He does not deserve you. I will never buy another of his CDs regardless.”

Keep up with the latest info on this story by clicking here!

Wrigley announced today they are suspending its ad campaign for Doublemint gum featuring Chris Brown.

Wrigley said in a statement, “We have made the decision to suspend the current advertising featuring Brown and any related marketing communications until the matter is resolved.”

The company would not go as far as saying they are dropping him completely, saying Brown should be “afforded the same due process as any citizen.”

Be sure to check out our EXCLUSIVE Chris Brown interview over at GIANTMag.com!

SOURCE: TMZ

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Chris Brown is being investigated by the LAPD in an alleged assault on a female.

Cops have yet to release the name of the female in question. A traffic incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. Earlier in the evening, Brown and Rihanna were all smiles while attending Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy bash together.

In a statement, police say Brown and his companion “became involved in an argument. After stopping his car, Brown and the woman got out and the argument escalated. The woman suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker.”

Grammy officials have announced that Brown and Rihanna will not perform on the show tonight either– as scheduled — nor walk the red carpet for the event.

Story developing…

UPDATE:

Teen heartthrob and double Grammy nominee Chris Brown was talking with detectives Sunday night about an alleged felony assault on an unidentified woman the night before. Police records showed he was being held on $50,000 bail.

Sources say the unnamed female in the complaint is superstar Rihanna.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department report, officers arrived on the scene after receiving a 911 call reporting a disturbance. A woman with visible injuries identified Chris Brown as her attacker. The victim said they were arguing in the car, which escalated when they stopped.

Brown had already left the scene when authorities arrived.

Insiders confirm that some kind of incident took place in Hancock Park last night after the couple left the pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton. Same insiders say they are shocked and that “Chris is a good kid, well brought up.”

According to law enforcement records, Brown, 19, was taken into custody at 6:30 p.m. and was officially booked at 7:41 p.m. for making criminal threats.

Brown posted $50,000 bail and was released. According to the arrest report he is due in court on March 5th.

SOURCE: TMZ, E! Online, Fox News & People.com

Sean “Diddy” Combs is being sued by an artist who claims his design was used without permission by the mogul for his “Unforgivable” cologne bottle.

According to TMZ.com, Tom Patti filed a lawsuit in Federal court last week against Diddy and his company, alleging he ripped off the glass cradle of “Unforgivable” from his design called “Modulated Solar Airframe”

Patti is reportedly seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit. Diddy’s camp declined to comment.

From The Huffington Post:

TMZ has released the incredible video of Josh Brolin’s arrest outside of a Shreveport bar last summer, along with his “W” costar Jeffrey Wright.

In the video – click the link to watch – viewers see Brolin and Wright standing hugging as they are sprayed with pepper spray and then separated by cops. Brolin is made to kneel and is handcuffed while Wright gets laid out on the street and repeatedly tasered, as the cellphone camerawoman screams in protests.

Other video from patrol cars was also recorded by cop cars last July but not released.

Coinciding with the video’s release, today charges in Louisiana against Brolin stemming from the brawl are being dropped.

Reports the Associated Press:

“An attorney for actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright says prosecutors have agreed to drop all charges in an incident at a Louisiana bar last year. An attorney for actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright says prosecutors have agreed to drop all charges in an incident at a Louisiana bar last year. Brolin, Wright and five crew members of the Oliver Stone film “W.” were arrested on misdemeanor charges at the Stray Cat Club on July 12. Brolin and Wright were charged with interfering with police officers after a disturbance involving a crew member broke out.

Los Angeles attorney Blair Berk, who represented the actors and five others, says prosecutors in Shreveport have agreed to drop all charges against the group within 60 days. She declined to comment further.“

The New York State Department of Health has launched an investigation to determine if the hospital that treated Plaxico Burress engaged in a conspiracy to hide information.

The Department of Health — which licenses New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital — began its probe after learning that hospital workers failed to report the NFL star’s gunshot wound, as required by New York law.

According to state law, failing to report a gunshot injury to cops is a Class A misdemeanor.

TMZ.com reported that the hospital has suspended the worker who did not immediately call police when Burress arrived with the gunshot wound.

Meanwhile, Burress’ New York Giant teammate Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress at a New York nightclub Friday when he accidently shot himself in the thigh, reportedly blew off a scheduled meeting with police on Tuesday to discuss his role in the incident. But according to TMZ, he did manage to attend a paid appearance at a radio station.

Ahh, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. This is how you keep that spark in the marriage, huh? According to TMZ.com Lakers star Kobe Bryant recently took his wife to see a burlesque show [click for video] featuring non other than Paris Hilton.

Clearly Kobe has a longer leash than Tony Parker but we’re taking odds that he has it nothing like the Utah Jazz’s Andre Kirilenko, who is rumored to get a free pass from his wife once a year to sleep with any woman he wants. Baaallin!