PATTY JACKSON'S 4-1-1
Week of March 31st, 2008

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What Happened to Sean Levert? The Levert family has called on the F.B.I. to investigate his mysterious death. Last weekend, Levert died suddenly after an incident in jail. Levert, 39, was in jail because he was recently sentenced to 22 months in jails for failing to play back child support. He owed over $86,000 for three of his children. Levert was in jail for five days in general population when guards noticed him acting strange. He was then taken to an observation cell. Guards then noticed that he started shouting and pounding on the cell door. He was then put in a restraining chair for his protection. Levert’s wrists were strapped to the chair and his feet were shackled to the floor. 20 minutes later, he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The initial coroner’s report ruled out foul play. There is a videotape of him in the observation cell, but something just doesn’t add up and now the Levert family is calling on the F.B.I. to come in and investigate. Investigators have noted that Levert admitted to having an addiction to marijuana since he was 14-years old. He also suffered from high blood pressure, and he wasn’t taking medicine. Levert was also overweight and suffered from anxiety attacks. He was currently taking Xanax to help him with the attacks. Was he having an anxiety attack before his death? Was he denied medication to control the attacks? The Levert family, headed up by Sean’s parents Eddie Levert of The O’Jays and Martha Levert, are said to be devastated by the recent events. It was just 16 months ago that Gerald Levert suddenly died. He also suffered from panic attacks and was also taking Xanax. Gerald died from an accidental overdose of prescription medicine. The family is thankful for the outpouring of love and prayers. Right now, they are coming together searching for answers and they are hoping the F.B.I. can help them. At press time, a memorial service was planned for family, friends and fans in Cleveland. Go to our home page at WDASFM.com for our tribute page and to send your condolences to the Levert family.

Vivica A. Fox says no more plastic surgery. Fox is gearing up for her new VH1 reality show, Glam God. In a recent interview, not only did she vow to never undergo the knife again, but she says she wishes she never talked about it in the first place. Fox says she wishes people would understand that sometimes when you are in the entertainment industry you have to do what it takes to look good. I don’t think the issue is plastic surgery. She didn’t get a good job done, and that’s why people started complaining. She looks very different from her earlier days. It’s obvious she’s had major work done.

Mary J. Blige is ready to settle down in a new home in North Jersey. Blige paid over $12 million dollars in cash for a new mansion for her husband and stepchildren.

Congrats to Laila Ali. She and her husband, former NFL Star Curtis Conway, are expecting their first child. They got married last July, and they are expecting this fall. Check out the happy couple on the new issue of Essence magazine.

Is Beyonce ready to be Mrs. Carter? Beyonce and Jay-Z recently got their marriage license, and now they have 60 days to act on it.

Jazz Great Nancy Wilson is recovering in the hospital after suffering a collapsed lung. Wilson, 71, is expected to recover.

Keenan Thompson is the latest celebrity caught up in a drug scandal. Thompson is a featured player on Saturday Night Live, but he is best known for his role on the Keenan and Kel Nickelodeon kids show. Last weekend, Thompson was pulled over by police when they noticed his Escalade weaving in and out of traffic. A passenger who was riding with Thompson was found with marijuana and admitted it was his. Thompson was cited for careless driving.

According to a new report in G.Q. magazine, James Brown had a vasectomy in the 80’s. If this is true, then who is the father of children born in the 90’s and 2000? When Brown died, numerous people came forth claiming he was their daddy. Various suits were thrown out, and the ones that stuck were children who were born in the 60’s. Brown’s companion at the time of his death was Tomi Rae Hynie. She claims Brown is the father of her six-year old son, but she won’t submit to DNA testing. Sources close to Brown claim he told them her son was not his. Needless to say Hynie is mad as hell, and is threatening to sue G.Q. magazine for their story.

Kimora Lee Simmons is ready to divorce Music Mogul Russell Simmons. After two years of separation, divorce proceedings have started. Kimora, 32, cited irreconcilable differences. She and Russell, 50, are both seeing other people. She is dating actor Dijmond Hounsou, and Russell is dating a young model. The Simmons has two daughters.

As Maya Angelou turns 80, she is celebrating with a new book which celebrates her life as a poet, civil rights activist, actress, director, professor, singer and dancer. Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration is a tribute and scrapbook. The book is available in stores now.

Another book coming out is a book of mentoring for young girls. Actor Hill Harper (C.S.I. New York) topped the best seller lists with his mentoring book for young men called Letters To A Young Man. Now he is back with a book for girls entitled Letters To A Young Sister: Define Your Destiny. The book comes out June 3rd, but you can go to amazon.com and pre-order your copy. I had a chance to talk to Harper, and he teamed up with a fascinating group of women including Alicia Keys, Eve and Gabrielle Union, who wrote the forward.

Actress Jennifer Lewis (What’s Love Got To Do With It, Meet the Browns) is headed to Broadway. Lewis is joining the cast of Hairspray.

Actor Omar Gooding is returning to TV. Gooding was last seen on the ESPN-TV show Playmakers. Gooding is filming a pilot for a new CBS drama called Can Openers.

Author Peter Benjaminson is getting ready to unveil his latest book, and it’s about the late Singer Florence Ballard of the Supremes. Ballard died at the age of 32 in 1976. Ballard was the forgotten Supreme, and she talked to Benjaminson before her death. Ballard was often considered a better singer than Diana Ross, but she didn’t fit the mold that Berry Gordy wanted. She wasn’t thin, often loud and abrasive, and her gospel inspired vocals didn’t blend well with the Motown crossover sound. She drank a lot, and it was her downfall. After one too many fights with Ross and Gordy, she was dumped from the group and she died broke. Florence Ballard: The Lost Supreme comes out this spring.

Is Hollywood putting the pressure on Tyler Perry to crossover with his movies? Perry has had amazing success with African American audiences regarding his movies and plays, but he has yet to be accepted by mainstream audiences. Does he need to crossover? He has the Midas touch, and he has done very well. Will he feel respected in the industry if he crosses over? Perry will be featured in the new Star Trek movie, which comes out next year, and his latest project, The Family That Preys, will star Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates. Filming is underway now with Bates, Alfre Woodard and Sanaa Lathan.

Actor Boris Kodjoe is getting ready to make his Broadway debut in the Tennessee Williams classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Kodjoe will be replacing Terrence Howard, who is taking a three-week break to promote his new movie Iron Man. Kodjoe plans to use his time to bring awareness to the birth defect spina bifida. In a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Kodjoe revealed he and his wife, Actress Nicole Ari Parker, are working closely with the Spina Bifida Association of Georgia. Their three-year old daughter has been diagnosed with the birth defect. There is no cure for the disabling birth defect in which patients have to get around using braces, crutches and wheelchairs.

Singer India.Arie is headed to Broadway. Arie will be starring in the Ntozake Shange classic For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enough. The production originally debuted in 1977. Previews start in July, and it officially opens on Broadway August 2nd. The stage play looks at the experience of being a black woman in America through the eyes of seven characters.

Regina Belle will be releasing her first gospel album this spring. The album, Love Forever Shines, features the lead single God Is Good. Belle is due in Philadelphia on May 13th. She’s doing two appearances, one at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and the other at Sharon Baptist Church.

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

Look for a new album from Singer John Legend this summer.

Mariah Carey’s new album, E=MC2, arrives in stores April 15th. The lead single is a song called Touch My Body.

The TV version of A Raisin In The Sun with Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan and Audra McDonald is coming out on DVD May 6th.

Harrison Ford returns as “Indiana Jones” in the new movie, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Despite being in his 60’s, Ford can still do the wild stunts. The movie opens in theatres May 22nd.

Actor Laurence Fishburne is headed to Broadway. Fishburne will be starring in a one man show based on the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Previews start April 12th.

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

These two celebrities are trying to put their lives together and get their careers back on track. In the meantime, their teenage daughter is picking up where they left off. She is so wild and out of control, she could pop up on Girls Gone Wild any minute.

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