SGL Weekly Contents
3 Editor’s Letter 4 Ask Nathan 5 Family Guilt over Being Gay 6 Matthew Barrett Finds His on Strength 15 When We Assume... We're Just like Everyone Else... 19 DVD’s 21 Music 23 What’s The T? Entertainment Report
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Editor’s Letter
Welcome back family to another wonderful issue. In this issue we are deciating it a disease that it is infecting so many you people Aid’s. When I hear stories like young gays getting infected so they can get a check from our government it frightens me that someone that lazy and stupid. To put up with a life time of suffering or even worst death. I recently interviewed Matthew Barrett one of the Co-host from ADTV 4th season and he talks about how he found out this year that he has HIV on Valentine’s Day. I believe that his story will help so many people out there. We also have a letter written to Adam Benjamin Irby about this topic. HIV/Aids does not mean that it is the end of your life. You can live well until in your seventies or longer. In the Meantime Be Blessed. Enjoy!
Cordially, Cleavester Brooks Editor In Chief sglweeklymag@gmail.com
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Ask Nathan
Hello Nathan, I want to know what the signs that someone is interested in you are. How do you go about asking do you like me like? Peter G. Peter G These days, there are so many ways that people express how they feel towards one another. Some people flirt, others act as if they don't like you, covering up the fact that they do. To make things less complicated for you, it may be a good idea to just inquire. Just be sure that you are ready for the "yes" or the "no". And remember it’s your relationship friend, foe, or fun.
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Family Guilt over Being Gay Dear Zane, So my issue is that my family has a whole is against gay, bisexual, lesbian, the whole 9 yards. I’m 24 and still can’t come to my family about me being bisexual. My cousin has already come out and they have accepted him but still haven’t in a way. I have a girlfriend of 2 and a half years and a boyfriend of 8 months. My boyfriend is my best friend and he knows everything and is behind me 100%. My mother is a god going women and I was raised in church. My mother has touched on the subject to my friends and also to me but I can’t bring myself to tell her. My 3 oldest brothers already know and don’t give 2 shits because they raised me and maybe knew already. My father and stepmother are hell to tell them anything. My stepmother is a serious bitch and so is her family and its hell just having them at my house while my girlfriend is there. But my main concern is how I tell my family that I’m Bi. Should I stay in the closet? Or become the gay star. Signed, Family Guilt
Dear Family Guilt, You have nothing to feel guilty about. You are entitled to live your life “stress-free.” The only way to do that is to get this part over with. Since you believe that your brothers already know and your stepmother is a bitch, then that leaves your parents. My guess is that both of your parents already know. Most parents have their fingers on the pulse of their children’s lives. They may not always speak on it, or they may avoid it to protect their children’s feelings but they know. If our grown children are having marital problems, we know. If they are having financial problems, we know. They say that children carry their parents’ stress and worries, but it goes both ways. Your life belongs to you. Do not feel that you have to tiptoe around in your own house. If one or both of them have a hard time at first, love with transcend all and they will get over it. Blessings, Zane
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Matthew Barrett Finds His on Strength A Cleavester Brooks Interview Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview an upcoming talent in our community Matthew Barrett about his life past, present, and future. It is my belief that his story will help so many people out there that maybe going through some of the same things. So sit back and enjoy the interview. Cleavester: Hello, Matthew. How are you doing? I'm great! All right! (Said in my best Wendy Williams voice) Cleavester: Who is Matthew Barrett? I'm an old soul. I'm Very grounded. I've seen a lot in my life and have been through many challenging times. I believe life is a wonderful gift and that you must push through anything life hands you. I honestly don't take myself too seriously. I think there are more important things for me (and you) to be serious about. Cleavester: What kind of up bringing did you have?
Dysfunctional!
I was born in Lubbock, Texas on November 13, 1981 with my twin. He's a minute older, and yes, we're both gay. I have two older brothers as well. My father was a hard-working man but changed jobs like every other week. He was Atheist at the time. My mother was a preacher's daughter, so we were raised as Seventh-day Adventists. We moved around a lot as I was growing up, which made being a kid crazy. By the time I was 17, we had moved 17 times - Texas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, and Illinois among others. I was always the new kid in school. In the 1st grade, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD. I was taken out of the general education class and put in special education. I was made fun of a lot for this. By the 3rd grade, I was over it. I would cry everyday before school telling my mom that I wasn't like the other kids and that they hated me. I still couldn't read, write, or do math so my mom took me out and home schooled me until I got my GED. My father had an alcohol and drug problem which caused many problems growing up. My parents would fight all the time. When he was drunk or high, my father would get very angry and lash out at my mom or us kids. I grew up being scared of my father. I was also being sexually molested by my oldest brother. It started when I was 6 and continued until I was 16. I never felt like I could go to anyone growing up and tell them about it all. By the time I was finally going to say something when I was 14, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In order not to add more stress to the family, I decided to keep the abuse to myself. My mom had to go to Chicago for treatment with my father. Thankfully, she is now free of cancer. While they were 7
away, they would leave my oldest brother in charge. This is when my family really fell apart. At 15, I started being bulimic and anorexic and battled with it for years. I can remember my parents having many different jobs over the years. For two years, they ran children’s home. Our home became a place where children who had been taken from their parents, usually for abuse and neglect, would come to live. The kids could stay up to 6 months, and there could be as many as eight of them at a time. I met a lot of different kids because of this. I really hated it at the time. I was upset that these kids were getting all this help and attention from my parents. I was being abused and molested and no one was saving me. After that my mother began elderly care. That meant that we now had older people living in our home instead of kids. The most we would have at a time was five. In some ways I saw a lot growing up at such a young age. I saw children who were not wanted or being abused. Then seeing people getting old and dying.
When I was 18, I made a trip home to see my parents. I told them that I was gay, that I had been abused by my oldest brother, and how my father’s abuse had impacted me. My father blew up and told me I was an ungrateful brat and that I didn't know how good I had it as a kid. He called 8
me a sick faggot and left the room. That's how my father deals with hurt and pain: by getting angry. It's easier than admitting that yes, there was a problem. I've only seen him twice after that, and it's been almost five years since I last saw him. My mother and I have slowly worked on our relationship and are great now. I later found out my middle brother was also being sexually molested while growing up. My twin brother says nothing ever happened to him, but I know better. My twin doesn't like to talk about the past and blocks the memories. He's tried to take his own life twice now. I only wish I had spoken up, but as a kid I was so scared and my family didn't talk about our problems or sex. When I started talking about this with other people, I found that it's more common than people want to believe. Because I had very bad male role models, I didn't know what a good man was. When I moved to New York in 2004, I was in an abusive relationship for two years. Yes, abuse goes on in the gay world, too. The guy I was dating then had a Crystal meth addiction. I had never done drugs and never will. I thought loving him and standing by him would make him want to get help and stop. My mother stayed with my father all those years thinking one day he would stop. I guess I learned that behavior, but staying with him did not help him. It got really bad in the end of the relationship. He threw me into a window in our apartment. My right hand was cut open and my pinky finger was hanging off. It cut my neck and my right shoulder. I had to have three surgeries and a plastic surgeon to get my hand back and working again. And the crazy part is that I stayed with him after that. I thought I had no where to go, and my friends were no where to be found. Just a month after my hand was injured, he hit me in the back of the head with a candlestick. I had to have seventeen staples in my head to close it. I had him arrested after that and got a restraining order. I didn't love myself then. I didn't know what love was. I thought I needed him around to be somebody. It took me a long time to say no. I now love myself and put God and myself first. I will never let a man hit me again. It took me a long time to get to a place where I was at peace to love and respect myself.
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Music is what got me through my childhood. I always had headphones on as a child and still do today. Music can truly heal the soul. I'm open about all this because I want people no matter what age you are. To speak up & stand up for yourself and what you believe. You can get through anything and be happy. Have no fear in your heart Though you feel you've been broken and lost There’s a place where we will meet up again There’s a place that mends your hurt and takes you in There are times faced alone When you find all the holes in yourself You don't have to walk the night on your own I will say a prayer for you to lead you on I will say a prayer for you when you have gone Cleavester: What kind of you man are you? Honest, caring, soulful, passionate. I like to live life to the fullest and try to be a good person. I want to show the world that there are good men in this world. Cleavester: Tell Me what fans can expect from you when they watch the 4th season of ADTV? I speak my mind. I've been through a little bit of everything in my life. So I feel I can speak from my heart and soul. I'm real and want to make a difference.
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Cleavester: How did you get the job as co-host on ADTV? I met Derrick L. Briggs at a dinner and hit it off with him immediately. He said that he wanted me to be on the show. Then I met Ryan Drake who is such an amazing Lamb! They’re both amazing people. The rest, as they say, is history. Cleavester: After being diagnosed with HIV on Feb 14, 2009, you have made many changes. Are you okay now? I'm doing very well. My viral load and CD4 count are good, and I feel great. I'm not taking any medicine at this point. Cleavester: How did you contract the disease? The guy I was seeing lied to me about his status. When we talked about STD's, he said he was clean. Yes, I know not to believe someone when they say this--even more so now. We should go through life as though everyone has something. He had been drinking one night and passed out. I woke up with him trying to have sex with me. Don't get me wrong, I wanted it. I stopped him and told him to put one on. I had a tear in my anal area and he had some pre-cum that got in the tear. If you mostly bottom you will at some point have a tear which is why you have to be extra safe. About a month later, I got really sick with all these symptoms: abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, skin rash, sore throat. I went to the doctor about three days into having all the symptoms. They tested me for everything, and the HIV test came back negative. At that point, they thought it might be syphilis because it can have the same symptoms. To be on the safe side, they gave me two shots in my butt once every week for three weeks to treat me. But the syphilis test came back negative, so my doctor said it may have just been a bug. This all happened in November of 2008, and by the end of December, I was feeling back to normal. On February 13th of this year, I went out with a few friends. We ended up having a talk about HIV/AIDS that night. When I went home that night, I couldn't sleep. So much was going through my mind. At 7 am, I finally gave up on getting sleep, and I got out of bed. I went to Callen-Lorde where they give free STD testing on Saturdays. The rapid HIV test came back positive. Valentine's Day 2009. I then knew that what I was going through back in November was my body becoming infected with HIV. After I found out, I called the guy who infected me, but he never picked up and never called back. I sent an email but never got a response. Then I sent a message on facebook and got no response. Last, I sent a text and once again no response. I never heard from him again. This is why you have to love yourself first and take care of your body because no one else will. Cleavester: So did you start taking care of yourself better and change your lifestyle? Yes, it was a wake up call. I now eat better and work out more. Cleavester: Had you been getting regular tests before you were diagnosed? Yes, every 3 to 6 months since I was 18. Cleavester: What did your mom say when you told her? 11
My mother was the last person I told because I was scared of how she would react. I didn't want to upset her or make her cry. Growing up Seventh-day Adventists I always heard that gay people get AIDS, die, and go to hell. I didn't want to hear that “See I told you so” stuff, but there was none of that. She asked how I was holding up and if I was taking care of myself. She only cried once and I found she didn't know much about HIV/AIDS so I educated her on it. I'm glad I told her. Cleavester: Is your family and friends supportive of you? My friends are my family. They have all been great and supportive about this. Cleavester: For young men and women- some of our readers who may be going through this now, what would you tell them? Don't let the stuff you'll read online or what people will say, get you down. Most people have no clue what they are talking about. Get a doctor who knows and deals with a lot of people with HIV/AIDS. Don't be scared to shop around. I've always said you come into life knowing you will die at some point from something. It could be cancer, AIDS, a car accident, a boat crash, murder, a plane crash, a flood, food poisoning, or something falling from the sky. When it's your time to go nothing can stop that. Just enjoy life and don't get hung up on what will kill you or what you will die from. From the moment we come into this world the body is constantly getting affected by many different viruses and bacteria’s. You just have to take care of your body. HIV is just something that's in your body--don't let it become you or your life. Ultimately, you should know what's going on with your body no matter what. When I was 13, my favorite aunt died from a brain tumor. She was a wonderful soul who loved life and lived her life for God. She wouldn't have hurt a fly. Before she left this earth she told me that she loved every second of her life and had no regrets. She left in peace. I live my life with the belief that regret gets you no where. Just give life your best and live for The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours. Don't live for other people: It's your life not theirs. DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER...LIVE AS THOUGH YOU WILL DIE TODAY! Cleavester: Is there anything special that you want to tell our readers? Mariah and Whitney both have new albums coming out:) And Precious is out Nov, 6, 2009 And the new season of ADTV is coming October, 09. Please watch! Cleavester: What is it about Black Men that you love? Mind, Body, Soul. What's not to love? Every time I let you in, abracadabra magic happens as we swim Higher and higher finally we reach heaven Come back to earth and then we do it all again Yeah. Brown skin, you know I love your brown skin I can’t tell where yours begins, I can’t tell where mine ends Brown skin, up against my Caucasian skin Need some every now and then: oh hey:
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Skin so brown, lips so round Baby how can I be down? Beautiful mahogany, you make me feel like a King Tell me what's that thing you do that makes me wanna get next to you. Cleavester: Will we hear more of you on the show or less? Cause two of your co-host are very vocal. Just as much. I'm very vocal and outgoing. Sometimes I don't have a filter. Cleavester: What do you what to become of this? Do you want to be in the Entertainment Industry? Yes! I would love to work in the music world or film or both Cleavester: What do you have to say to critics that say they are trying to whiten up the show? It's 2009. Are we still hung up on color??? Cleavester: What are you listening to now music wise? V.V. Brown, Traveling Like the Light. Maxwell, Blacksummer's Night. Noisettes, Wild Young Hearts. Alice Russell. Ledisi. Melanie Fiona-the bridge. Electrik Red, How To Be A Lady Volume 1. Little Dragon. Always go back to the greats Nina Simone, Sade, Anita Baker, Mariah, Whitney, Annie Lennox, Jill Scott, D'angelo, Jennifer Holliday, Shirley Bassey, and Nat King Cole. Mos Def, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Lisa Fischer, Lamb, Kylie Minogue. Ok I must stop. I could go on all day about music. Cleavester: What is your guilty pleasure? Wendy Williams. HOW U DOIN!!!!!!! Cleavester: Do you know how to cook or are you one of the cute ones who know how to microwave? Lol I love to help out in the kitchen but you have to tell me what goes in what. Cleavester: Thank you, Matthew. Much Love and Success. Do you have any final words? TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED TO US SO MAKE IT YOURS EVERY MINUTE OF YOUR LIFE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! BUT SHARE YOUR LOVE AND KNOWLEDGE WITH EVERYONE YOU HAVE CONTACT WITH YOU NEVER KNOW whose LIFE YOU CAN CHANGE JUST WITH SIMPLE LOVING WORDS.
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When We Assume... We're Just like Everyone Else... By: Adam Benjamin Irby Dear Adam, I met a guy about three weeks ago. He is really cool older guy, we communicate well, we share the same hobbies, my future goals are ones that he's already accomplished, and I had a good connection with him. So we had sex. A couple of days ago, five days after we had sex, he sent me a text message saying that he had "something to tell me". I was worried; I figured that he was going to tell me that he had a boyfriend because the boy is fucking fine. So I was in the mall just looking at my phone like 'come on boy just tell me you already got a man' but he hit me with "I'm HIV positive" I wanted to breakdown and cry in that mall, but I'm not one for causing a scene. We had protected anal and unprotected oral sex.
I asked him why he didn’t tell me this in person or when we first met. He said that he didn't know if I would be a one night stand, but he sees that what we have will last so he decided to tell me. Adam I am really confused. Should I try to be in a relationship with this guy? He didn't lie to me; I just assumed he was negative. I am dumb and foolish and should have known better, but right now I am LOST.
Signed, Waterfall
Dear Waterfall, The part of your letter that sticks out most to me is the second to last sentence where you said "He didn't lie to me, I just assumed he was negative." With that I'm going to get the public service announcement part of my reply out of the way first. See, there my dear Waterfall is where you went wrong. When out here having sex and what not we must always assume that everyone is positive and protect ourselves accordingly. People, o people, my people, my people, my people every time you lay down with someone there is the possibility of that person being positive. What we're the last statistics, that like 46% of gay black men are positive (correct me if I'm wrong), that's almost half. That's almost like saying any time two gay black men are in a room, there's a pretty 15
good chance that one of us is positive. And that's yet another reason why you should treat everyone you sleep with as though they were positive. In response to the last sentence of your letter you are not dumb, nor foolish; you just never opened yourself to the possibility that this fine man could be positive. Nothing to go beating yourself up over. Basically, we pretty much have all made that judgment error; myself included (I even wrote a blog post about it). The moral of the story is to always, always, always protect you.
As far as what you did sexually with him is concerned, I'm no doctor, I'm no medical expert, you should definitely consult with one and be tested but, more than likely you're okay. HIV out of all the other STD's and STI's isn't the easiest thing to catch. You used a condom for the anal which lowers your chances drastically, I can't say it's foolproof, but you're probably good. The oral, you're probably good on that as well, especially if no one was swallowing anything. From my knowledge, and remember I'm no expert, catching HIV from giving/receiving some head (I'm not sure who did what but I pretty much have already figured it out) is pretty unlikely as saliva is not the best carrier of the virus. If no one had any cuts anywhere and no one came in anyone's mouth you're probably okay. But of course you should go and get tested. Now to the deeper issue at hand, should you try to build a relationship with this guy? Some would say no, absolutely not, some would say sure, at least you got into the game knowing he's positive and you'll definitely take all the proper precautions. But your question seems to be how could he not tell you that he had HIV and if he could omit that truth what else could he hide or lie about? I say before you can make a decision about his character you need to put yourself in his place and then ask yourself a few questions. I know quite a few people who are HIV positive, from what I see, they all are reasonably healthy and live regular lives, working, going out, socializing and dating, some of them don't even have to take medicine. One thing I often wondered about as an HIV negative person about people who are positive is when, how, or do they ever tell the person(s) that they are dating that they are positive. I mean, that's very sensitive information and you just can't go blabbing that shit to any ol' errant homo that comes along. Let's take my example from the blog post I linked you to a few paragraphs ago (if you didn't read it, click here). To summarize, I met a guy, he was cute, we go back to his place, I go to fuck him with no condom, he stops me and says, wait, no, I'm positive. I mean, think about how hard that must have been for him. In the heat of the moment, we're getting it in (or at least I was about to), for him to stop things, to say that he was positive, to tell a total stranger the most intimate detail of his life. What if I had wiled out and tried to kill him or something? What if I was the errant homo who had decided to tell all his business to everybody? He did me a favor in letting me know his status, but it was really my responsibility to take precautions for my health's sake. I mean, yeah he could a never told me, but I 16
never asked either. I was just so anxious to get it in right then that I didn't think to protect my health in the long run. I never asked him whether he had HIV because I didn't think he had it. He was so young and fine and he looked so good that I never opened myself to the possibility of this fine man being positive. Sound familiar? If I had caught HIV from him that day it'd essentially be my fault because I failed to protect myself. I couldn't blame him because he never lied to me. How could I blame someone for never answering a question that I never bothered to ask? And you can't realistically expect someone to tell any and everybody that they have HIV upon first glance. 'Hey I'm Adam, how are you?' 'Great. I'm Tommy and I have HIV.' It just doesn’t work like that. So your reasoning for not dating him shouldn't be based on the fact that he has HIV. That was the basic answer to your question. Now I could be very politically correct about it and end things here, capping it off by saying 'just listen to your heart' or some bullshit like that. But something tells me that you sent me this letter because you wanted really know what I thought, what I would do if I were in your situation. The real shit. I'd dump his ass, I’m a tell you why. It's not because he has HIV, no, no, not that. It's because he waited so long to tell you he had HIV. According to your letter, y'all were kicking it a few weeks before y'all even had sex. Now on some one night stand shit, hey, that is what it is, that's every man for himself tryna get his nutt, wham, bam, slam, never see you again, no questions asked. I get that. But y'all we're talking and dating and what not, even if it was for a few weeks, he had the opportunity to say something, something before y'all did it. Knowing the people I know who are positive, one of the biggest struggles they have is trying to avoid sex until they are ready to tell the person they are dating that they are positive. He says that he didn't know whether y'all would just be a one night stand or not, but the second week around you obviously wouldn't be a one night stand. It took him three weeks and y'all fuckin' for him to magically realize that y'all are gonna "last"... That sounds crazy, what mature adult would say that? He has no idea in that little bit of time whether you're gonna last or not but what he should have is enough respect for you to say something to you in that time, before the sex. Then the nigga gon' have the nerve to tell you he's positive via a text message. Are you fuckin' serious? And isn't this guy supposed to be older than you? Obviously, he has a lot of growing up to do.
I feel bad for the guy, I know that having HIV isn't easy but I still can't give him a pass. Especially because this same thing happened to me, I was right in your shoes a few years ago. Slept with someone on the first day I met them for them to tell me later that they were positive. The difference between my person and your person is that my person took the time to sit me down and tell me in person and didn't have sex with me again until he told me. Because he was so forthright the way he went about telling me, I wasn't mad at all. I wasn't mad because he told me after we hooked up and started seeing each other, not after we started seeing each other for a few weeks and had sex and he sure as hell ain't send me no damn text message. I can't get over that shit. Sorry, but this dude is a loser and I don't think he's as into you as he's putting on.
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As for you, go out and get yourself tested. Hopefully for you, this experience will just turn out to be a lesson learned rather than something you have to live with for the rest of your life.
God Bless You, -Adam PS: USE A CONDOM EVERY TIME!
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DVD’s
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Based on the best-selling novels by Alexander McCall Smith, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency tells the uplifting fictional story of a Botswana woman who fulfills a longtime dream – and bucks daunting odds – by opening her country’s first and only female-owned detective agency.
Gifted Hands Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996) stars in this true story about a renowned brain surgeon who overcame obstacles to change the course of medicine forever. Young Ben Carson didn't have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, his grades suffered and his temper flared. And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him. Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and, most importantly, his belief in him. That faith would be his gift - the thing that would drive him to follow his dream of becoming one of the world's lead-
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ing neurosurgeons.
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Music
Trey Songz-Ready Since making his recording debut in 2005, Trey Songz has patiently and artfully crafted some of the most acclaimed and compelling R&B music of the decade. His first two Songbook Entertainment/Atlantic albums, 'I GOTTA MAKE IT' (2005) and 'TREY DAY' (2007), yielded a trio of top ten singles, 'Girl Tonight,' 'Last Time,' and 'Can't Help But Wait.' And when the latter song garnered Trey a coveted Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, it marked the validation of the faith shown in Trey by the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who hailed him as one of 'the most promising R&B artists we have had since we started the company 60 years ago.' Now, with the 2009 release of 'READY,' Trey Songz is more than ready to claim his place in the pantheon of R&B greats. From the street single, 'Brand New,' to his self-described male version of Mary J. Blige's 'Be Without You' in 'One Love,' the Virginian draws on a range of influences to craft an album that will thrill his longtime fans and happily surprise all newcomers to the Trey Songz story. Indeed, with its blend of hip-hop, R&B, and pop - exemplified by tracks like 'Black Roses,' where Trey croons over a distorted guitar - 'READY' demonstrates his growth on every front. The third time around, Trey displays a new vocal maturity combined with his renowned ability to twist notes and keys effortlessly, while presenting an increasing breadth of subject matter. Latoya Luckett-Lady Love Latoya Luckett, professionally known as Latoya, is an R&B singer-songwriter and actress, and a founding member of the multi-platinum-selling female R&B group, Destiny's Child, with whom she won two Grammy Awards and released many successful commercial recordings. Latoya’s 2006 debut self-titled solo album for Capitol Records reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums in July 2006 and was RIAA-certified Platinum (Dec 2006). The first single, "Torn", heated up BET's 106 & Park Top 10 video countdown, eventually closing out at #2, and that year Latoya was named "one of the best new artists of 2006" (AOL) and "Top Songwriter of 2006" (ASCAP). In 2009, Latoya returns with her sophomore album, Lady Love. An intricate web of lyrical & melodic fiber that weaves in and out of the good, the bad, and the indifferent, Lady Love is a true testament to the ups and downs that come with love and relationships. "Not Anymore", written and produced by Ne-Yo,
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is an empowering mantra about being fed up with toxic relationships with a cleverly-scripted, powerful video set in the revolutionary period of the 1960s (directed by Bryan Barber). Other album highlights include Latoya’s heart-wrenching, soulful rendition of the ballad "Regret", and works her way up from mid- to up-tempo tracks like the title track "Lady Love". Pop-influenced songs like "Drained" and the follow up track "She Ain't Got...” written by Chris Brown display Latoya’s passion and vocal range. Latoya lays down a new chapter in her musical diary with Lady Love.
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What’s The T? Entertainment Report
Mike Epps Tapped To Host BET Hip Hop Awards! Well, it looks like Katt Williams is out, and Mike Epps is in. Yep, after all of the back stage drama from last year's Hip Hop Awards, we discovered today that comedic actor Mike Epps has been named host of the 4th Annual BET Hip-Hop Awards slated to air Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. The award show will be taped Oct. 10 at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta. What is strange to us is that Katt Williams has hosted the three previous seasons and we were told he was not asked to host this year's event. That's not all for Mike Epps, as we have also learned that Epps will star in Showtime's one-hour standup comedy special, Mike Epps' Under-rated and Never Faded: Live from Detroit premiering on Saturday, Oct. 3. There is more news about to be released soon and we will have more info on this shortly.
Big Momma's House 3 Is Set To Begin Today our sources have disclosed to us that not only has Martin Lawrence verbally agreed to do Bad Boys 3 with Will Smith (as long as the deals can be worked out amongst Smith, and Director Michael Bay with Columbia Pictures), but we also have discovered that FOX Studios has begun the process to get Big Momma House 3 underway. It seems that FOX has hired writer Randi Mayem Singer (of The Tooth Fairy fame) to pen the film. Big Momma's House was originally released in 2000 and Big Momma's House 2 was released in 2006. The film was originally about an FBI agent (Lawrence) who disguises himself as an old lady to protect a beautiful federal witness and her son. The film grossed $174 million worldwide in 2000 while Big Momma's House 2 pulled in another $138 million in 2006.
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Faizon Love to Join the Late Nite Line-Up Our sources have disclosed to us that comedian Faizon Love is about to jump into the crowded late night arena with his own late night talk show which we hear will be syndicated and is set to begin this fall. Unlike his competition- all of which who are starting their own late night talkers this seasonLove's show will not be dedicated to the Urban audience. Word is comedians Wanda Sykes, Mo'Nique and comedian George Lopez are going after their audiences with an urban driven show, but Love is compiling a guest list that looks like another Jay Leno type show. We hear that there will be an official announcement on Friday.
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