PATTY JACKSON'S 4-1-1
Week of February 4th, 2008

If you are unable to read this HTML click here

Actor Wesley Snipes’ story of being an alien of the U.S. must have worked because he was found not guilty of serious tax fraud charges. He was found guilty of failing to file tax returns from 1999-2004. Snipes faced 16 years of prison time. He will now have to pay about $17 million to the government, and he could still face up to three years in jail. I doubt he’ll go to jail though. Prosecutors claim Snipes was trying to defraud the government, but a jury felt otherwise. In addition to claiming he was as an alien of the U.S., Snipes claimed he was misled by crooked advisors.

Actress Eva Mendes is in rehab for a substance abuse problem. Mendes is best known for her roles in the movies Hitch with Will Smith and two movies with Denzel Washington (Training Day and Out of Time). She was recently named the new spokesperson of the Calvin Klein fall campaign.

“Tony Soprano” goes Motown. Actor James Gandolfini, who is best known for his role on the HBO show The Sopranos, is co-producing and co-starring in a movie about the late great Singer Marvin Gaye. The movie, Sexual Healing, will star Jesse L. Martin from Law and Order. Sexual Healing will focus on Marvin’s later years from the late 70’s to his death in the mid 80’s. The movie will not feature Marvin’s early years with Tammi Terrell, his marriage to Anna Gordy or when he recorded his masterpiece What’s Going On.

Janet Jackson’s new CD, Discipline, comes out February 26th. In a recent interview, she defended her choice of not working with longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Janet says she wanted to try something new. Plus, she noted their busy schedules. Jackson hasn’t ruled out working with them again. Janet also talked about her love with Producer Jermaine Dupri. Janet’s reveals she has found true love with Dupri, a man she has known for six years. She feels finally love has come to her after two failed marriages. Janet also opens up about her father, Joe Jackson, and his infidelities that led to the end of his marriage to her mom Katherine. For the first time ever, she talks about her half sister. Janet says the sister is a result of an affair Joe had with a fan of the Jackson Five. He also carried on affairs with many of the female employees of Motown. Janet also talked about religion, revealing how she would fall asleep at the Kingdom Hall. Janet and her family were raised as Jehovah Witnesses. She says she has a spiritual connect, but being a Jehovah Witness was her mom’s religion not hers.

I had a chance to catch up with Mo’Nique. She’s promoting her new movie Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. The movie is hilarious. The all star cast includes Martin Lawrence, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Nicole Ari Parker, Joy Bryant and James Earl Jones. Mo’Nique says she had a lot of fun making the movie, and they all felt like family. Mo’Nique is on a roll. She’s about to embark on a comedy tour with Steve Harvey, and she just completed a movie with Producer Lee Daniels. I asked Mo about the ex who has crawled out of the woodwork claiming he’s going to write a book about their life. Mo says her ex is a greedy liar who is just looking for a fast buck. She says she is not nor has ever been a drug dealer. Mo says false stories come with territory of fame, but her fans know better than to believe a con artist. She says the relationship was a mistake, but she has moved on with her husband and twin baby boys.

Lexus is sponsoring Alicia Keys upcoming tour. She is scheduled to do a show April 20th at the Liacouras Center. Keys will be outfitted by Giorgio Armani.

Get ready for season number two of The Salt and Pepa Show on VH1. The two are affectionately known as the “Laverne and Shirley” of hip hop. The second season starts February 11th.

Don’t cry for Star Jones! Even though she is out of a job she is one smart woman. Star’s daytime TV show was cancelled on the Tru TV network. Low ratings and a new branding for the network led to the changes, but Star is no dummy. She signed a 3 year contract worth $24 million, and the network will have to pay her for the next two years. Star will also contribute once a week to The Today Show, and will still appear on the Tru TV network as a legal correspondent. In the meantime, rumor has it Star’s husband, Al Reynolds, is ready to write a tell all book about his past life and life with Star. The big question is, will he tell the truth?

Is Shaquille O’Neal looking to leave Miami? Does he want to leave the sunshine state to get away from his soon to be ex-wife Shaunie. Shaq, who has been plagued by injuries over the past couple of years, is rumored to be involved in a trade that would send him to the Phoenix Suns.

Are wedding bells in the air for Fashionista Kimora Lee Simmons and Actor Djimon Hounsou? The two were spotted wearing matching rings. Kimora is proving there is life after Russell Simmons. Friends say Hounsou keeps her grounded and makes her very happy.

Eddie Murphy is determined not to be single for long. Murphy hit the dating scene immediately after breaking up with Producer Tracey Edmonds. Murphy is rumored to be dating a reporter from Los Angeles.

Producer Teddy Riley is having financial problems. For the past few years, he has fought off creditors and bankruptcy. In the late 80’s and 90’s, Riley was a one man hit making machine. Then, the music stopped and his troubles started. He recently unloaded a recording studio in Virginia, and friends say he has never recovered from a failed marriage with a woman he met over the internet. Riley currently resides in Atlanta.

Basketball great Michael Jordan is having problems with an ex-girlfriend. The ex-girlfriend claims Jordan is the father of her three-year old son. Two paternity tests have been taken, and the kid is not Michael’s, but the woman won’t go away. Jordan recently took court action against the woman because her behavior has become threatening, and he’s concerned about violence from her.

The movie musical Mama I Want To Sing has a new release date. The movie was originally scheduled to be released in April, but now it has been moved back to October. Mama I Want To Sing is based on the award-winning off Broadway musical. The movie stars Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield, Ben Vereen, Billy Zane, Hill Harper, Prophetess Juanita Bynum and Ralph Tresvant.

Congrats to Singer Lauryn Hill. She recently gave birth to baby number 5. The dad is Rohan Marley, the father of her other kids.
Richard Pryor’s daughter, Rain Pryor, is expecting her first child, a girl due in April. And, the twins are on the way any day now for Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, who will become the proud parents of a boy and a girl.

The Academy Awards should go on as planned on the 24th. The four-month old writers strike should be over soon. At press time, negotiations were under way to seal a deal.

The new season Dancing With The Stars kicks off March 17th. I hear the new season will feature stars from the 70’s.

D.L. Hughley will be hosting the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

Don’t mess with Sonya Norwood. Norwood is the celebrity manager/mom of Singer Brandy and her brother Ray J. Norwood is suing socialite Kim Kardashian for credit card fraud. Norwood claims Kardashian illegally charged over $120,000 on Norwood’s credit card when she working as a stylist for her daughter Brandy. Kim Kardashian has known the Norwoods for most of her life, and she used to date Ray J. Kim and Ray J starred in an infamous sex tape that netted them a lot of money. Kardashian moved on from Ray J. Now she is the star of her own reality show, and she’s dating hunky NFL Player Reggie Bush. Did Kardashian run up Norwood’s credit card, or is Mom Norwood mad because Kardashian no longer dates her son?

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star in American Gangster, available on DVD February 19th.

Will Smith’s I Am Legend is coming out on DVD April 8th.

After 17 years it’s over for The Montel Williams Show. Williams says it’s been a great ride, but now it’s time for him to move in another direction. Williams has not ruled out a return to acting. In the meantime, he will continue to write books about living healthy. 

::::: UPCOMING  TV & FILM EVENTS ::::::

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will air February 10th on CBS.

The first annual BET Honors will air February 22nd on BET. Dr. Cornel West, Tyra Banks and Alicia Keys are among the honorees. Cedric The Entertainer will be hosting.

The 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards air March 2nd on Fox. Stevie Wonder is getting inducted into the Image Awards Hall of Fame.

Oprah Winfrey’s new reality show, Oprah’s Big Give, debuts March 2nd on ABC. Oprah’s Designer Nate Berkus will be the host of the show, and Chris Rock’s wife, Malaak Compton Rock, will serve as a judge. Oprah will be having a lot of her celebrity friends appear on the show such as Natalie Cole, Donald Trump, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Travolta and Jennifer Aniston. On The Big Give, ten people will have a chance to travel around the world and help other people. Whoever is the best giver, will win the big prize for their favorite charity.

Martin Lawrence is also gearing up for a busy 2008. Lawrence has two big movie projects coming out: College Road Trip with Raven Symone opening in theatres March 7th and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins with Mo’Nique, James Earl Jones which opens in theatres on February 8th.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions take place March 10th. Philly’s own Gamble and Huff will be inducted into the Hall of Fame with The Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Get ready for Sex And The City, the movie. The movie opens in theatres May 30th.

The Color Purple road tour is coming to Philadelphia. The Oprah Winfrey Production will kick off an extended stay beginning June 17th, 2008 at The Academy of Music.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins - Martin Lawrence, Mo’Nique, Nicole Ari Parker and James Earl Jones opens February 8th.

The ABC movie, Raisin In The Sun, airs Monday, February 25th. It stars Sean John (P Diddy Combs), Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Rashad and John Stamos.

::::: WHAT'S THE UNDERGROUND BUZZ ::::::

The tension is in the air between two female legends. The two used to be close, almost like a mother and daughter bond, but now their political differences are putting them at odds. Sources say trouble between the two started a couple of years ago when one legend couldn’t deal with the other’s uppity attitude.

Will this celebrity ex-wife lose her champion football player? He hooked up with her after losing a ton of money during a nasty divorce. The celebrity ex-wife was loaded, and he stuck to her like glue. Now, he has won his first championship, and he’s started to get offers to do major endorsements. If he starts making his own money, will he still need the celebrity ex-wife and her money?

Lets here what you think at: http://downfront2.blogspot.com/

Did you miss the last 411 Report?  Click Here to view previous reports

Check our page on myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/downfront

PRINT THIS PAGE