James screwed more people than a 12 pack of Trojan

(BlackPress.org) - LeBron James may be a professional basketball standout and the NBA's only real answer to improving ticket sales, but with his recent decision to hijack the media (and half a dozen NBA teams in the process), James also proved to be a Class A jerk who put profit ahead of loyalty and rivals Tiger Woods in poorly executed PR strategies.

Not only did James stack the deck - and fans expectations - unachievably high, but he alienated just about everyone that helped him along theway. James screwed more people during the process than can be mentioned in this brief report. Maybe he'll get a Trojan endorsement out of it.


Take for example Jay Z, one of the biggest losers in the LeBron drama. Jay Z, who shocked everyone by giving the finger to New York Knicks with his "Blueprint for Success" billboard, bet it all that LeBron would be coming to the Nets. Now JayZ, who is partnered with a Russian billionaire at a time when American-Russian relations are strained, is left with a new stadium, no star and a potential international mess on his hands. Will his actions cause Jay Z to cancel the annual "Two Kings" dinner the two holds during the NBA All Star weekend?

Consider,too, how stupidly James played the city of Cleveland. Dan Gilbert, the team's owner said it best, "Cleveland fans don't deserve this cowardly betrayal." To tell Cleveland, 'thanks but no thanks' during aself-centered press conference while pimping kids in the background was the essence of sleeze. At the very least, he should have called the owner before the announcement.

James needs a publicist, not friends who sell him out like they did with his decision to go to Miami. He's not even in uniform yet, but his "friends" got paid to tell ESPN where he was going. 

In the end, LeBron isn't any closer to winning a ring but he's definately become the player many people will love to hate.

Latifah and Stephen Hill
Queen Latifah may have come out on the BET Awards and you didn't even realize it. During an introduction of Diddy's new group, Dirty Money, Latifah said, "This next performer is only seen in the company of fine women, just like me!"

BlackPressRadio reported last week that a famous celebrity would come out during the BET Awards and we weren't wrong.



What do you think? Email us your comments at BlackPressRadio@yahoo.com

Where were you the night Chris Brown cried (again)
by DC Livers for Black Press Magazine

Black Press Radio's DC Livers is LIVE at the BET Awards! We're just 2 hours until showtime!
Stay tuned!!!!

Mega SPOILER for the 2010 BET Awards and Official After Party
by DC Livers exclusively for Black Press Magazine



(BlackPress.org)- If you like your TV hot and steamy, heavy on the drama, light on theclothing and topped with over-the-top sexually suggestive dancing andlyrics, then you’ve got to set your DVR for the 10th Annual Black Entertainment Television Awards that will air on Viacom’s BET Network this Sunday, June 27. The show will be taped LIVE in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium near the USC campus right around the time you crawl in bed after taking off your Sunday best.

Fromthe nearly daily supply of press releases, it’s shaping up to be one ofthe craziest, most unpredictable nights in TV this year as odd couplesteam up for what will likely be an absolute ratings blow out.

Emeniem, the hater turned gaymarriage advocate, will take the stage on the same night that JustinBieber becomes the first White artist to win BET Award. Ironically,Bieber will likely be presented with the “Fandemonium” award, a specialhonor that BET and AOL seemed to have created just for him, althoughthey will go through the formality of having other nominees. My sourcestell me that Robin Thicke is still tossing chairs over his balcony over the news that history will record Bieber and not him as for the historic award.

Expect the “Bad Girls” to show their azzes all night long. Beyonce, who ought to make Ne-Yothe only person she thanks in her speech, may try to play nice but willrefuse to hand over the keys to the “Queendome.”  Rihanna will struugleto hold her ground as newcomer Nicki Minaj a.k.a. Ms. Fake Booty attempts a double whammy of trying to take out Ri Ri and Lil Kimat the same time. By the way, Ms. Minaj is hosting an After Party atthe uber-chic spot called “740” that I’m told will include someattractions so freaky that it might make Prince blush. Nightclubs likeAqua, Les Deux and others are tapped for major parties and it’s safe tosay that somebody’s going to come home pregnant.

Alicia Cook, who performs under the moniker Alicia Keys, will formally debut her “Baby Bump” earned from the affair she began at a previous BET Award show with then-married producer Swizz Beatz.She will likely show off the ring that she purchased for herself andalso find a way to make sure she is photographed sneaking a kiss fromSwizzeeee. Both will spend a good portion - if not the rest of the showlooking over their shoulders for his jilted wife R&B singer Mashonda,who I’m told has been virtually banded from the event by BET execslooking to cash in on the genius idea of having their logo behind the international photos of Alicia Keys’belly. Sources tell me that Ms. Keys is having a baby girl. Say whatyou will, but BET ain’t stupid. Their logo will be displayed for monthsevery time someone mentions Keys’ pregnancy.Two thumbs and a pickle sandwich to the marketing guru who put thatplan together. Nick and Mariah Cannon are scheduled to “surprise”everyone with news about their plans to start a family on the BET Awards Pre-Show that will air on June 26. Cassie will also visually put pregnancy rumors to rest and display a hot new hairdo.



A major star is scheduled to come out of the closet at the event. The obvious choice is host Queen Latifah,who is rumored to be engaged to her female lover, yet fans waiting for that announcement shouldn’t hold their breath. Instead, award showparty crasher Kanye West will come out…..of hiding and perform for the first time since he correctly stated that Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”video was light years ahead of Taylor Swift[ly forgotten].  But, don’tcount Latifah out. She’s rumored to have “single ladies” on her mindand is said to be considering her own version of "Glee meets Beyonce" number. As far as I’m concerned, Queen Latifah rocks. Period. So as long as Dana Owens doesn’t sing, I’m good.

In the BET VIP Swag room, the battle for face time among Cover Girl and other makeup companies is getting down right ugly, so all I can say is set two ofeach aside for me. I’m also hearing that celebs like Wendy Williams,Bieber and others may pocket an iPad, sizzling new generation iPhoneand other outlandish gifts to celebrate the 2010 BET Awards. Ford isscheduled to turn the event into a Fiesta and someone’s walking away ashiny new car.

Convicted felon Clifford “T.I.” Harris, who will be married to Tameka “Tiny” Cottle by Christmas,is scheduled to leave his guns backstage but come out blazing duringhis first national performance since he miracously managed to snag ayear and a day prison term for having an arsenal of weapons - includinga silencer. Oddly, although he and Lil Wayneare repeat offenders, collectively the duo managed to clock less jailtime than former NY Giants star Plaxico Burress, who merely shothimself in the leg at a New York City nightclub.

Winners arefairly easy to determine: Beyonce will need two assistants to carry herloot. Bieber will be handed his most relevant award to date and becomeimmediately compared to Ashantifor being the most over-hyped singer in recent memory. Minaj will behappy and all the while, super songwriters like Ne-Yo, Solange and mypersonal fav Johnta Austin will receive hardly any love.

Some special people will be honored including the late Michael Jackson and Gary Coleman,victims of Haiti and Earl Martin Phelan. (What you don’t know himeither?). BET's CEO Debra Lee will make another awkward speech, but if I have myway her efforts will still be lauded for having the guts to run acompany with a staff comprised of 80 percent Black women.

Freshman Drake will perform his monotone but amazingly catchy song and will try to right the wrongs he recently created in New York City. After all, who else can hold a concert that gets cancelled before it even begins and piss off the mayor so badly that a free Jay Z concert atop of the David Letterman TV Showbuilding gets cancelled as well. Yep, Drake, the Black Jewish kid whohad a bar mitzvah but has never released a full album will have a chipon his shoulder and be hungry to prove he was worth Alicia Keys delaying her CD for. Trey Songz will be flawless but be overshadowed by the glitz and glamour of the other performances. And Diddy will get us to buy into his new group, Dirty Money.

Before its all over, more Black-owned media outlets will be forced to use content provided by the overwhelmingnumber of White credential press like diversity-challenged outlets People magazine and Access Hollywood,which is expected to have the most regal party of the night (hosted bythe Queen of course). As horrific as it sounds, bloggers like Perez Hiltonwill have better access to Black entertainment than popular Blackbloggers like Sha Speaks, Jawn Murray, Jasmyne Cannick and Sandra Roseas BET unveils its new Social Media Lounge. The red carpet photographicdrama will nearly all be owned by the slimy outfit known as Getty Images,who has spent the past three years shamelessly muzzling Blackphotographers like Ronnie Wright, Joel Johnson, among others. I’ll getcalls all weekend from legitmiate Black journalists who will be turnedaway for one reason or another that will force me to end up writingsome scathing report on how BET needs to put the Black back into thenetwork and eventually be disinvited from some upcoming BET event.

Andalthough the show will drag on about 45 minutes too long, when it’s allsaid and done, Prince will be honored for his lifetime achievements andthe “Purple One” will help us all remember what real music was allabout, with a little help from our friends at BET.

If you’re still curious about the show, don’t forget to tune in to the BET Awards on the BET Network.

To watch our previous BET Awards coverage visit www.youtube.com/blackpress or blog.blackpodcasts.net. Stay tuned to our SPECIAL Behind-the-Scenes BET AWARDS coverage. If you want to see stock photos of red carpet arrivalsand canned press conference interviews, go to Getty. If you want toknow what you didn’t see on the show and pre-show, keep it locked toBlackPressRadio. Because it ain’t news, unless DC Livers says it is.

Disclaimer: The aforementioned events are predictions of the author and may not reflect actual events.

Dang! Are you still here?



(BlackPress. org) - Desiree Rogers, the disgraced former White House social secretary, has put out the memo that she is hoping to extend her 15 minutes of fame.

That's not a typo. Rogers, who was forced to leave her swanky post after she allowed as many as three gatecrashers to enter President Obama's first State Dinner and take photos with high-profile political superstars,  just doesn't seem to get it.

First, Rogers failed at the most basic thing of her job: Maintain credibility and ensure that only credentialed people are allowed in. For this woman to actually take a seat at a table as if she was a GUEST just shows her BLATANT disrepect for the Obama Administration, for the Public Relations profession and for the security of the White House.

That it was easier to gain access to that event than a Lady GaGa concert shows exactly why Rogers should do herself and the everyone in media industry a favor and move on to another profession.

She's already proven that she can't be taken seriously. She's already proven that she's not a gatekeeper, not a PR pro and not the person who should land at the top of anyone's list for a job that will involve maintaining the security of credentialed and invitation-only events!

Rogers says she "not crying for myself" over losing what amounts to the most important job of her career. To be frank, where can she go from here? The White House is the pinnacle of everything American. And what corporation is going to trust the integrity and safety of their CEO and other top brass to someone like Rogers.

To add insult to injury, Rogers attended the White House Correspondence Dinner as a guest of the Huffington Post to show that she is more interested getting attention than doing her job.

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Queen Latifah, Diddy and other stars shine bright at BET Awards 2010 in New York City during swanky press conference



(BlackPress.org) - In a display of utter class, the nominees were announced today in a swanky 2010 Nomination Day press conference at 27th and 5th Ave in New York City.

"We are thrilled that Queen Latifahis going to host the BET AWARDS '10," said Stephen Hill, BET Networks' Presidentof Music Programming and Specials. "Her versatility as aperformer perfectly matches the dynamism of our show. This will be theperfect 10. Get ready for stirring performances, a surprise that willknock you out and massive quantities of fun; all helmed by 'The Queen.'"

While the celebrity appearances were good, I wish you could have seen the way the network's marketing staff handled their business.

Arriving at 27th and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the press were greeted by a suave Black doorman who made the ladies want to holler. Once inside, journos were escorted to what I'll call "Security Check Point One" where your name was checked against the list of invited media pros. From there you passed another handsome Black doorman, this one was in charge of securing a private elevator for the celebrities (Diddy, Dirty Money, Latifah) to use. A quick left turn took you to a final bank of elevators in which a billboard stating "BET Awards '10 Press Conference, Media Check-In, 20th Floor).

Once off the elevator, the tone was set to "Opulence."


Diddy's new group, DIRTY MONEY, were on hand at the May 18
BET Awards 2010 press conference in New York City.

Members of the working press and later the celebrities, were greeted by BET's marketing staff where I call Security Check Point Two. Names were double checked. Badges were given and then the party began.

No editorial boss worth his salt would have approved of the lavish Ebony and Ivory layout of the room that felt more suited for a private Maxwell concert than a press conference. Certainly, the impressive food buffet which featured Smoked Nova Scotia Salmon on pumperknickel  with dill cream sauce would have given most hard-nosed editors a heart attack. But for the lucky journalists who were credentialed for the event, it was a perfect 10.

Outside, Black SUVs dropped off the celebrities starting with Dirty Money and Diddy, then the queen herself. As the rain poured down, the celebs were escorted into the building by umbrella toting security team members and rushed upstairs where the official announcement was made.

This year’s award show, which is set to air on Sunday, June 27th at 8P.M. on BET with a live stream taking place on BET.com, will be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show will feature performances from Diddy-Dirty Money, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and Drake, in addition to promised surprises. On the nomination tip, Jay-Z leads the pack with an impressive five nominations, followed by Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Trey Songz and Melanie Fiona tied for four nominations. Expect a surprise nomination for  Justin Bieber for Best New Artist to make him the first Caucasian to win a BET Award.

In all, it was one of the best rainy, cold Tuesdays I think I've ever had ,and certainly one of the best press conferences in recent memory.

Stay tuned for the Full Report including pics and more coming this afternoon at  http://blog.blackpodcasts.net

Why Black celebrities are increasingly becoming the "Other women" and why the Black media is ignoring it

by DC Livers for Black Press Magazine

 

(BlackPress.org) - As the image of what the "Other Woman" looks like continues to change, is the Black-owned media giving Black celebrity homewreckers a pass?

 

Considering all the hoopla and recent reports of infidelity in Hollywood, its odd that actress Gabrielle Union and singer Alicia Keys have stepped up to willingly play the role of the "other woman" to married men. Not surprisingly, some Black wives have begun to strike back.

 

R&B producer Swizz Beats' wife, singer Mashonda, recently reportedly fought her way into an event where her husband's mistress Alicia Keys was present in order to call Keys a home wrecker. To add insult to injury, there are now reports that Keys is pregnant with Swizz's child. Insiders point out that Keys' face is starting to show the signs and her belly continues to grow.

 

 

Comedian Chris Rock weighed in on Keys' decision to take up with a married man in his skit warning Tiger Woods to stay away from Keys.

 

“You never know when Alicia Keys might give you that look. What are you going to do? You’re powerless,” Rock joked. “He’s like, ‘This is worth getting hit with another golf club."

 

 

Siohvaughn Wade, who is suing her husban Dwayne’s mistress, the sultry actress Gabrielle Union because she “engaged in sexual foreplay with Dwyane Wade" in front of Wade’s 8-year-old and 2-year-old sons while on an unsupervised visitation to the basketball star’s Miami home. Mrs. Wade was recently arrested for failing to appear at a hearing.

 

Siohvaughn Wade and her children sought more than $50,000 from Union. The couple are in a bitter custody battle for their two sons.

So why  isn't the Black-owned media covering these stories? The larger question is whether these outlets could be doing more harm than good to their own images if they continue to give the Black celebrity cheaters a pass.

LISTEN NOW: So why do women do it...become the other woman? In an exclusive interview, BlackPressRadio spoke with a former porn star Ms. Deja, who has been the other woman and is trying to find her way back from the lifestyle that Keys and Union are living to learn more. Listen now and decide for yourself.

Download | Duration: 00:12:11

BREAKING NEWS: Actress Victoria_Rowell talks about her new book Soap Opera Diva with BlackPressRadio's DC Livers



Watch the EXCLUSIVE video interview at www.youtube.com/blackpress

Spike Lee's wife and TV personalities sign on to discuss men's health



This is at least one place that dead beat dads will be welcome: The Fatherhood and Men's Health Panel Discussion that will take place on Friday, April 30, 2010 at Hue-Man Bookstore. Hosted by Spike Lee's wife, Tanya Lewis Lee and featuring panelists including Roland Warren of the National Fatherhood Initative, TV personality Jeff Johnson and a host of others, the program promises to be one for the record books.

Minority Health Month Spokesperson Jeff Johnson, and other inspiring and experienced fathers, and men of color to bring the conversation up a notch about the topic of men’s health and its relationship to fatherhood in minority communities.

Join the conversation and be heard.

To hear interviews with some celebrity Black fathers including actor BORIS KODJOE, click below to listen.

Download | Duration: 00:00:00