Patty Jackson Weekly 411 courtesy 2 Down Front Entertainment

PATTY JACKSON'S 4-1-1
WEEK ENDING: January 29th, 2010

Steve Harvey has been named the new host of the game show Family Feud. The show features two families who face off in a trivia type contest. The show’s most popular host was the late Richard Dawson, and he loved kissing everybody. Will Harvey do the same? The New Family Feud with Steve Harvey kicks off this fall.

General Larry Platt’s fifteen minutes of fame are almost up. A few weeks ago, he charmed us when he appeared on American Idol during the Atlanta tryouts. Platt is a 63-year old civil rights activist. He became an overnight internet sensation when he went on the show with the infectious Pants On The Ground song. Earlier this week, Platt complained about how everybody was enjoying the song, but he had no money. Apparently, Platt never copyrighted the song. Wanna know why? It’s because he apparently got the song from a Michigan hip hop duo. They recorded a similar song called Back Pockets On The Floor. This song was recorded in 1996. Dang! Whose song is it?!!!

Could Broadway be in Janet Jackson’s future? The pop star says she wants to do theatre and more films. Jackson’s new movie, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too, comes out in April. The movie also stars Jill Scott.

The Dr. King movie is a go. Now that Martin III, Bernice and Dexter, the children of Martin Luther King, are getting along, Director Steven Spielberg is going ahead with his project on the life and legacy of Dr King. DreamWorks Films will be producing the project. There is no word on who would play Dr. King.

Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones are hard at work on the re-recording of their classic We Are The World for its 25th anniversary. Jones originally produced the charity song written by Richie and Michael Jackson. The taping for this new version is scheduled to take place the day after the Grammys.

Is Alicia Keys engaged? Keys is sporting a 7-carat ring, and she’s been dating married producer Swizz Beatz. Maybe it was just a birthday present. Meanwhile, Keys is bringing her Element Of Freedom tour to Atlantic City. Mark your calendars for March 20th at Trump Taj Mahal’s Mark G. Etess Arena. Hot new singing sensation Melanie Fiona will be the opening act for her tour.

There’s a new tell all coming out about Oprah Winfrey. Author Kitty Kelley is known for her scandalous autobiographies (Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, The Bushes and Nancy Reagan). Now she has turned her attention to Oprah. The book is due out in April.

Is Fantasia’s brother Teeny about to become the next big reality star. Teeny is Fantasia’s lazy, comical brother. He feels his star rising. He has already hired an agent and management team.

Don’t invite LisaRaye and Vivica A. Fox to the same party. The two friends are no longer speaking. LisaRaye feels betrayed by Vivica and Star Jones. Apparently, when she was going through hell with her former hubby Michael Missick, they sided with him and not her. At LisaRaye’s fabulous wedding, Vivica and Star were there, but when trouble hit the fan, they abandoned her. LisaRaye says she has quite a story to tell, and she will in her new reality show that will air later this year on TV One. Now speaking of Star Jones, don’t look for her on the entertainment show The Insider. Jones had to be escorted off the set by security after getting into it with the producers of the show. Jones had been invited to appear a celebrity correspondent, but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted a bigger role. She started to complain about topics and how she was better than regular contributor Niecy Nash. The producers didn’t want the drama, and realized they could do without Star Jones. When will she learn? Star’s attitude is costing her TV gigs, first The View now The Insider.

Now speaking of Vivica A. Fox, she’s about to hit the road with Brian McKnight in the Je’Caryous Johnson production Cheaper To Keep Her.

With a SAG Award and a Golden Globe under her belt, it’s a sure bet we will hear Mo’Nique’s name when The Academy Award nominations come down on February 2nd. She was amazing as the monstrous mom in the Lee Daniels’ movie Precious. She was such a mean character, you forgot all about funny Mo’Nique. She has been looking fabulous on the red carpet, but will she shave her legs for the Oscars. Mo’Nique has been getting a lot of criticism for showing her hairy legs.

Evander Holyfield needs a financial blessing. The former boxer no longer has his millions, and he recently asked a judge for a reduction on his child support payments. Holyfield has 11 children by an array of ex-wives, baby mommas, jumpoffs and mistresses.

Gary Coleman can thank a longtime fan for getting him out of jail over the weekend. Coleman was arrested, and couldn’t make bail for beating up his wife. The 41-year old former child star (“Arnold” from Different Strokes) has been having numerous run-ins with the law lately.

There will be no money for “Joe,” as in Joe Jackson. The patriarch of the Jackson family recently petitioned the estate of Michael Jackson for money, and they immediately turned him down. When The King Of Pop died, he left nothing for his father Joe Jackson. His latest work, the DVD This Is It, is now available in stores. The music documentary features Michael rehearsing for the London shows that never took place because of his death.

Looks like Mrs. Tiger Woods is in it for the long haul with her hubby, disgraced Golfer Tiger Woods. Woods is currently in sex rehab in Mississippi, and has had wife Elin visit him. There had been talk of divorce. Even though she stood to gain millions on millions, sources say she has decided to stay with the father of her two children. Detailed accounts on what led to the car crash have been revealed. Apparently while Tiger was asleep on Ambien, his wife would take his phone and answer his text messages from the jumpoffs. Wow! Smart girl! That’s how she got her proof of his cheating. The jumpoffs had no idea they were talking to Elin as they professed their love. After Elin had enough, that’s when she reached for the golf clubs, and he went running to his car. The rest is history.

Is Paula Abdul coming to Dancing With The Stars. The new season kicks off in March, and I hear The ABC Network is offering her a $1 million development deal if she appears on the show. The former American Idol judge is already in talks to join Simon Cowell on his new reality show The X-Factor, so will she be doing both?

BET’s Help For Haiti airs on February 5th from Miami, Florida. Sean Diddy Combs and Queen Latifah will be hosting. The show will air on BET, MTV and VH1. Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke are scheduled to appear.

The Target stores are getting a makeover. It’s a one billion dollar makeover that should begin in April. Look for more groceries, better lighting and fancy designers.

Model Tyson Beckford is retiring declaring there’s no money left in modeling. He now wants to concentrate on TV. He has the reality show Make Me A Supermodel and big screen movie projects.

Get ready for the return of Dru Hill. Sisqo, Nokio, Jazz and newcomer Tao. Their new album, IndDRUpendence, arrives in stores April 13th. Dru Hill is also ready to debut their new reality show Sweats Platinum House, which will be produced by Keith Sweat and air on BET’s Centric channel.

There is no stopping Tina Turner. At the age of 70, she is talking about returning to the road. Turner last toured in 2008, and her tour grossed $47 million.

Winnie Mandela is not happy that there is a movie being made about her life. The ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela has led a turbulent life. She has not been consulted about the movie. Filming starts this spring, and Oscar Winner Jennifer Hudson will star.

Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker may also be headed back to TV. Whitaker is in talks to star in a new Criminal Minds spinoff. Whitaker is no stranger to TV with roles in The Shield and ER. I guess Whitaker figures if Laurence Fishburne, an accomplished actor, could do TV with CSI, he can too with CBS and the Criminal Minds team.

Tyra Banks is returning to TV in a new show. It’s “Top Model” for plus size teens. Her daily talk show ends its run this spring.

Nicole Murphy, the ex-wife of Eddie Murphy, has launched her jewelry line Friendship, Love And Peace. Murphy says she’s been a wife, mother and girlfriend, and now she’s ready to be a businesswoman. Murphy is set to marry retired NFL Star Michael Strahan this June. Her line of jewelry is available at Friendshiplovepeace.com

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards air this Sunday, January 31st on CBS. Beyonce and Maxwell are scheduled to perform. One of the highlights of the evening will be the tribute to Michael Jackson featuring Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood and Smokey Robinson. The tribute will be in 3-D and various Target stores will be giving away the 3-D glasses.

Who are the most trusted celebrities in the country? 79-year old acting legend James Earl Jones came in at number one followed by Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. The actors were noted for trustworthy, awareness and appeal.

VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club is returning. Sergeant Harvey is ready to whip some celebrities into shape, including Kevin Federline and his baby momma, Actress Shar Jackson. Bobby Brown is also part of the pack. The new season of Celebrity Fit Club kicks off February 14th.

Toni Braxton has pushed back the date of her latest album Pulse. The album’s new release date is March 2nd.

VH1 is producing a documentary about the TV show Soul Train. Terrence Howard is narrating the documentary called The Hippest Trip In America. It airs February 5th on VH1.

The Third Annual BET Honors is happening February 1st. Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah and Diddy are among the honorees. Gabrielle Union returns as host. Scheduled performers include Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, India.Arie and Patti LaBelle.

Benicio Del Toro stars as The Wolfman, which opens in theatres February 12th. John Travolta sports a new look. He’s got a shaved head in the movie From Paris With Love, which opens in theatres February 5th.

On February 11th, PBS presents a celebration of music from the Civil Rights movement. John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Seal, Smokey Robinson and The Blind Boys Of Alabama will join President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for a special from The White House during Black History Month. The show will be host3ed by Oscar Winner Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah.

Reps for Whitney Houston still can’t believe she was snubbed by The Grammy Awards despite her comeback album going platinum. But, inside sources say too much hype was made over her drug addiction, and that was a cover for a mediocre album.

The Michael Vick Project debuts on Tuesday night, February 2nd on BET. The embattled football star, now playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, let the cameras roll on how he turned his life around after the dog fighting scandal that landed him in jail.

Will Celebrity Apprentice help this funny man get out of debt? Actor/Comedian Sinbad is having serious financial problems, and he is going to be a part of the new season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. The show will also feature Holly Robinson Peete, and kicks off March 14th on NBC.

Big Daddy Aaron McCargo, Jr. from the Food Network is working on a cookbook. The book is due out this fall. You can catch Big Daddy’s House on the Food Network every Sunday at 1:30pm.

The NAACP Image Awards air on February 26th on FOX. The Lee Daniels’ movie Precious is leading the pack with 8 nominations. Singer Maxwell leads all entertainers with five nominations.

Philadelphia’s own Bill Cosby will be the 2010 recipient of the Marian Anderson Award. The Marian Anderson Award is an honor that salutes artists whose leadership benefits society. The awards ceremony takes place April 6th at the Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce. Past winners include Danny Glover, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and Quincy Jones.

The new version of the Karate Kid hits theatres next summer with Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson and Jackie Chan.

Get ready for Sarah Jessica Parker and the girls in Sex And The City II coming out next May.

Chris Rock teams up with Martin Lawrence for the comedy Death At A Funeral. The movie opens in theatres April 16th. The comedy also stars Tracy Morgan, Kevin Hart, Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson and Danny Glover.