Patty Jackson Weekly 411 courtesy 2 Down Front Entertainment

PATTY JACKSON'S 4-1-1
WEEK ENDING: March 26th, 2010

Essence magazine is here to stay. After a number of layoffs and the announcement that Beauty Editor Mikki Taylor was retiring after thirty years, there were rumors that the magazine is in trouble. Not so fast say editors of the magazine. They are going strong and gearing up for The Essence Music Festival and their special 40th anniversary issue.

Tyler Perry is coming to Philadelphia April 29th-May 2nd with his new stage production Madea’s Big Happy Family at the Liacouras Center, Broad and Montgomery. There are still tickets available, and Tyler wants to see you there. Tyler’s new movie Why Did I Get Married Too opens in theatres on April 2nd. The movie stars Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba and Perry himself. Tyler’s next project is an adaptation of the 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf. The play was about love, abandonment and rape. Rumored cast members include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Jurnee Smollett, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington and Macy Gray. Filming starts in June, and the movie is scheduled to be in theatres next January.

Chris Rock says he doesn’t have a secret love child. Rock was spotted with a young child, and rumors ran rampant that the young girl was his. Rock says the little girl is the daughter of a family friend from South Africa. Rock is gearing up for his new movie Death At A Funeral. The movie comes out April 16th and also stars Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Hart and Zoe Saldana.
Speaking Zoe, she’s the cover girl for the April issue of Essence while Sade is the April cover girl for Ebony magazine.

Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker is making his transition to TV. He’s lost a ton of weight, and he is redoing his schedule. Whitaker will be starring in the new Criminal Minds spinoff which debuts this fall. Whitaker says he will only do one movie a year to accommodate his TV schedule.

Lance and Eva…….. done! Lance Gross and Eva Marcille were headed to the alter this summer. They’ve had a couple of ups (engagement) and downs (groupie rumors), but the two have called it quits releasing a statement that says it was a mutual decision. Hmmmmmmmmm!

Beyonce has met her baby brother. It’s official! Matthew Knowles is a new daddy. Knowles’ jumpoff, Alexsandra Wright, gave birth to a baby boy, Nixon, earlier this year. Beyonce, Solange and various family members gathered to meet the newest family addition. Knowles has to pay over $10,000 a month in child support.

Robert Culp, who made television history with Philadelphia’s own Bill Cosby, has died. Culp co-starred in the ‘60s NBC hit I Spy, a drama which featured an African American (Cosby) in a co-leading role. Culp collapsed outside of his home, and published reports say he died of a heart attack. Cosby called his late co-star a big brother and teacher.

Speaking of Bill Cosby, he is due back in Philly on April 6th as 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 at the Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce. Past winners include Danny Glover, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and Quincy Jones.

Kirk Franklin will be back as host of BET’s Sunday Best. The new season kicks off Easter Sunday, April 4th. Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams will be serving as judges. Franklin is also coming out with a book called The Blueprint: A Plan For Living Above Life’s Storms. The book comes out May 18th.

Paula Abdul may be headed to NBC. Abdul turned down a deal with ABC, and sources say she may sign a deal with NBC for a dance-themed show. Director/Choreographer Kenny Ortega (This Is It, High School Musical) is also on board.

Steve Harvey says there will be a follow-up to his best selling Act Like A Lady Think Like A Man. Harvey says he will be working with his wife Marjorie on the new book.

Holly Robinson Peete is coming to town to promote her new book My Brother Charlie, which deals with her son’s autism. Peete will be appearing with her daughter Ryan at The Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park’s Memorial Hall. Peete’s husband, former Philadelphia Eagle Rodney Peete, has also written a book about his son’s battle with autism called Not My Boy: A Father, A Son And One Family’s Journey With Autism.

Will Sandra Bullock leave her cheating husband Jesse James? The Oscar winner has armed herself with a lawyer as the women come out of the closet. First, there was a tattooed stripper with the Nazi fixation. Now, there are other women claiming to have been with James. Friends of Bullock say she is taking their separation hard. She is in contact with James’ children, but she has been hiding from the public as she deals with her humiliation. Her father and her family have been by her side. Meanwhile, James is still working in his motorcycle shop and wearing his wedding ring hoping his wife will return to him.

Get well wishes go out to Star Jones, who is recovery from cardiac surgery.

PETA is targeting Mike Tyson. They are upset about his new reality show on the Animal Planet network about Tyson training pigeons. PETA claims his show is cruel to animals and will promote illegal gambling.

As Tiger Woods returns to golfing, will his wife be by his side? Elin Woods is still angry with the golfing great, and I hear they live under the same roof but sleep in separate rooms.

Rosie O’Donnell is planning to return to TV. O’Donnell’s new talk show debuts in the fall of 2011. She says the show will feature lots of laughter and music. Rosie says there will be no political debating and backstabbing co-workers. OUCH!

Usher is coming to American Idol. Usher is appearing next week as a mentor, and he’ll also be performing. Usher’s new album Raymond Vs. Raymond arrives in stores on the 30th.

Congrats to former American Idol Contestant Tamyra Gray. She and her husband Sam Watters are expecting their first child. Watters used to be in the music group Color Me Badd. Gray is due in July.

Aretha Franklin will be going on tour in support of her new album A Woman Falling Out Of Love. I hear former Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice will be accompanying The Queen Of Soul by playing the piano. Rice is also an accomplished pianist.

Shaunie O’Neal’s new reality show, Basketball Wives, debuts April 11th on VH1.

Oprah is not coming to Philly. Oprah was scheduled to appear for a defamation trial in Philadelphia when she was sued by the former headmistress of her school for girls in South Africa. Oprah has settled the suit with her former headmistress, who claimed she was defamed when Oprah fired a dorm matron from the school for abusing some of the girls.

Former NFL Superstar Warren Sapp has been cleared of charges for allegedly beating a woman during Superbowl weekend in Miami earlier this year. Authorities claim there were a lot of inconsistencies in the woman’s story.

Diana Ross is going on tour. “The Boss” has her More Today Than Yesterday tour through the spring and summer. Miss Ross will be at Caesars in Atlantic City, May 21st. I hear you can expect extravagant costumes and stage designs.

On May 14th, it’s Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton and Pam Grier in the movie Just Wright. Philadelphia Native Mike Elliott directs the comedy about finding love when you least expect it.

It will be the reunion of Run DMC at the 3rd Annual Roots Picnic. The event is happening June 5th at Penns Landing. This will be their first performance since the death of Jam Master Jay, who was murdered in 2002.

Get ready for two new reality shows. On April 8th, it’s Lisa Raye’s The Real McCoy on TV One. The eight-episode series will air at 9pm and shows Lisa Raye’s life as the former First Lady of The Turks and Caicos Islands, a mother to a 19-year old daughter, dealing with her incarcerated sister, Rapper Da Brat, and caring for her ailing mother. We’ll also see Lisa Raye with her celebrity friends, and she will reveal the celebrity women who have betrayed her. On April 11th, it’s Chilli from TLC in her reality show What Chilli Wants airing on VH1. Chilli says she wants a man who is gorgeous, sensitive, and charming but he can’t drink, smoke, or eat pork.

Babyface is doing a tour that will bring him to the Borgata in Atlantic City on September 3rd.

The hippest trip in America is coming to DVD. The Best of Soul Train is a nine-disc DVD box set, which features performances from The O’Jays, Sly Stone, Michael Jackson & The Jacksons, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Teddy Pendergrass, James Brown and Ike & Tina Turner, just to name a few. The box set comes out March 29th.

Toni Braxton’s new album, Pulse, has a new release date: May 4th. The album has undergone some changes, including appearances by Mo’Nique and Robin Thicke.

Get ready for the brother and sister duo of Brandy and Ray-J. The Norwood siblings are getting their own reality show. Brandy and Ray-J: A Family Business debuts Sunday, April 11th on VH1.

Jet Magazine has exclusive coverage of Oscar Winning Comedienne Mo’Nique at The Academy Awards. That issue hits newsstands March 29th. Also, check out the issue with Jill Scott on the cover as she talks about motherhood and touring with Maxwell. Speaking of Mo, what has life been like for her since winning an Oscar? I hear the BET network has given her a raise and a new set for her late night talk show. And, more A-list stars want to be on her show. Mo’Nique is coming to Philly on May 21st with a comedy show at the Liacouras Center.

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.