Taj of SWV on CBS ‘Survivor’

Taj from SWV will be on the new season of Survivor: Tocantins.  Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George is the wife of former Tennessee Titan running back Eddie George.  The Grammy-nominated singer is the mother of two sons. 

“I’m not the average NFL wife and mother,” said the 37-year-old singer.

Will Smith: Top Movie Earner

Will Smith made the most box office revenue for theaters last year, according to a survey of movie exhibitors.  Besides Sidney Poitier, Smith is the only black actor to be chosen in the Quigley poll.  Smith’s superhero movie “Hancock” grossed $228 million last year.

Notorious B.I.G.’s widow ready to perform again

It has been four years since Faith Evans, late rapper Biggie’s widow, released her “First Lady” LP.  Now Evans told MTV at the “Notorious” premiere — the biopic about Biggie — that she is ready to get back to performing.

“I’m not ready to record a whole album tonight, but I’m back in that mode,” she said. “I’ve been taking a lot of meetings, and I’ve been enjoying my freedom, not being tied down to anything other than my family.

“I’m ready to record again,” Evans added.  “I’ve been hesitant to get into any type of record-deal situation. The offers have been coming in. Through the process of elimination, I’ll pick the one that’s right for me. But I’m gonna begin recording soon and have an album out this year. Sooner than later.”

‘Notorious’ Writer Speaks Out About Lil Kim

Reggie Rock Bythewood, one of the writers of the ‘Notorious’ movie, speaks out about Lil Kim’s portrayal. Bythewood’s previous experience includes directing the movie, “Biker Boyz.”

“When I was brought onto the project, I requested to speak with Kim,” Bythewood told MTV. “Once I was granted access, I was blown away by the two-hour phone interview [we had]. She is a complex person. She is a sister with a lot of vulnerability and a lot of strength. Much of what she told me went directly into my next draft. Unfortunately, she was slipped a draft that was written before our conversation. She was angry at the producers and I did not get to speak with her again.”

T-Pain and Lil Wayne are top cameo performers in 2008

 

No surprise here.  Rappers T-Pain and Lil Wayne provided the most guest appearances on other music artists’ songs last year, MTV reports.  The two performers worked with artists as varied as rapper T.I. to pop band Fall Out Boy. 

Kanye West in his Birthday Suit

In the February issue of Vibe magazine, Kanye West speaks about his desire to pose naked.

“I made a decision. I wanna make popular music, but I want less fans,” West said when asked if he was comfortable with fame. “I want the freedom of having less fans. It’s like the freedom of having less money. If you have less money, you have less responsibility. It’s like Björk. If she wanted to pose naked, you’d be like, ‘Oh, that’s Björk.’ But if I wanted to pose naked, people would draw all type of things into it. I definitely feel like, in the next however many years, if I work out for two months, that I’ll pose naked. I break every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of black culture, of American culture.”

Jill Scott is Pregnant

Jill Scott, 36, is expecting her first child, which is due April 25th.  She is engaged to drummer Lil John Roberts.  Scott said she discovered she was pregnant right before going to Botswana to film her new HBO series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, based on the popular novels by Alexander McCall Smith, People magazine reported.

“The first trimester I spent in Botswana,” Scott told reporters at the Television Critics Association conference. “That was one of the biggest challenges of my life. First trimester! You’re sick every morning. It was seven hours time difference, the heat, the bugs, the 14 hour days.”

Lil Kim Slams ‘Notorious’ movie

Lil Kim said there were inaccuracies in “Notorious,” the biopic about slain rapper Biggie Smalls.

“I knew something was fishy about them having the writer call me. When I spoke to the writer I felt like he was trying to play me, so I wouldn’t give up anything,” Kim explained to Hip Hop Weekly. “I knew I wouldn’t have control of how I was depicted. I did correct the writer about Biggie’s nickname for me. He had written that Biggie called me Big Momma. Biggie never called me Big Momma. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even like that name for me. He used to call me Mookie.”

Lil Kim also said that she will not support the movie but may watch it on bootleg.

Notorious B.I.G.’s mom wants to speak to Lil Kim

Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mom, said that after viewing the “Notorious” movie she co-produced, she would like to speak to Lil Kim.

“I need to ask more about this love relationship because I really didn’t like the way he treated her and I’m praying that that’s not it,” she told Essence.com.  “Only she can answer those questions. She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t think she deserved to be treated the way he treated her, if that’s the case.”

“Notorious,” the biopic about the slain rapper’s life, will open Friday, Jan. 16 in theaters.

R. Kelly’s Divorce Finalized

R. Kelly,42, and his wife of 11 years Andrea,35, are now officially divorced, People magazine reports.  The couple will share joint custody of their three children.