JANET PREGNANT?

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Morning Show Update

November 22, 2006

Welcome to the Update

Freddie Bell, velvet morning voice talent and General Manager of Z 1470 Totally Gospel (KZTG – 1470) is a mellifluous voice actor, broadcast-journalist and speaker who is also a National Voice Actor. His vast voice over credits, include hosting several radio programs including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Love Train, It’s The Gospel in Tampa, The Freddie Bell Morning Show in radio on KSGS – 950AM, Solid Gold Soul in Minneapolis, plus This is Music, The Freddie Bell Countdown Show and The Minneapolis NAACP Community Affairs television Programs in Minneapolis.
Invite Freddie to your next event or seminar as a Keynote Speaker, covering topics including You Gotta Have H.E.A.R.T., Tuning In to R.A.D.I.O, Maximizing Your Potential, Imagination, The Secret Key To Success, Winning Through Community Service, Dreaming Your Way to Success and a variety of topics related to sales and sales management. Freddie shares ideas and techniques he used to propel Solid Gold Soul Radio into a household name and the launch of Totally Gospel radio in the Twin Cities. Call today for booking details. 888-639-9738.

Listen to the Freddie Bell Show, 4 to 7pm, weekdays on Z 1470 KZTG, Totally Gospel, or on the web at www.totallygospel.com.

Totally Gospel On the Internet

To enhance your gospel listening experience, you can now hear Z 1470 Totally Gospel on the new www.totallygospel.com website. Click on the web stream and then click on the link for KZTG.
No matter where you are, lock it in and write it down. The dedicated Minnesota stream for Twin Cities listeners is up and running. Tell a friend that Z 1470 Totally Gospel is now on the radio and on the internet. Churches, Pastors, Ministers and Evangelists in the Twin Cities and from around the country looking to expand their electronic ministries are invited to partner with Totally Gospel. Call 888-639-9738 today for rates and availabilities.

THE GAME SAYS HIP HOP POLICE ARE ON HIS TAIL

The Game has issued a statement in regards to his November 16th arrest for allegedly jumping into a cab in midtown Manhattan and pretending to be a police officer. The rapper told SOHH.com, “This is a ploy by the hip hop police to humiliate me because they harass and follow me every single time I come to New York. I was in town this week to work and promote my new album, Doctor’s Advocate. I never impersonated anyone, especially and absolutely never a police officer.”

The Game was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer after the cab he was riding in blew through several red lights. According to the driver, the rapper flashed a badge and ordered him to run the lights.

The Game was issued a desk appearance ticket and ordered to appear before a judge in 30 days. The rapper’s latest album, The Doctor’s Advocate, is scheduled to debut atop the Billboard 200 albums chart this week.

The Game explained how the new album differs from his multi-platinum debut, The Documentary. He said: “I mean this album is a very hard album. The Documentary was definitely a good album, feel good music. Letting people know, you know, where I come from, what I’m about.”

The rapper added: “This album I’m not taking no shorts, cutting no shorts, no losses and I’m not f***ing playing. It’s a hard f***ing album. It’s hip hop. It’s gangsta rap. It’s a universal MC by the name of The Game.”

50 CENT TAPS RICH HARRISON FOR NEW ALBUM

Rapper 50 Cent is headed back to the studio to work on his next album and he reached out to producer Rich Harrison to helm the project. What’s surprising about his choice is that Harrison is best known for his work on such R&B hits as Amerie’s “1 Thing” and Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love,” not as a hip hop producer. Harrison told MTV.com, “I’d [wanted] to do some more hip-hop stuff, but someone’s got to trust it. Someone’s got to believe.”

In addition to his upcoming work with 50 Cent, Harrison is also scheduled to work with Usher and Missy Elliott.

He’s also in the process of launching his own Maryland-based label, Richcraft Records, in conjunction with Atlantic Records. Harrison explained, “There’s been some really successful labels, but most of them are rap-based. I really want to bring back the LaFace model. Rap just took over the world, dude. It’s so prevalent, and from a label standpoint so much cheaper to make. The business model is just easier. But R&B has been practically watered down by pop. There used to be black music, but that doesn’t exist today like it used to do.”

So far, the label’s roster includes former Roc-A-Fella artist Young Steff and Jaiden James.

NAS PLANNING TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

Nas is scheduled to release his new album, Hip Hop Is Dead…The N, on December 19th and fans are wondering if he will fire any shots at 50 Cent or the Diplomats especially in light of the fact that Jay-Z recently released a response to Jim Jones and his album includes a response to Cam’ron on the song, “Dig A Hole.”

Both Cam’ron and Jones have publicly taken shots at Nas, and 50 Cent included a dis track, “Piggy Bank,” on his last album, The Massacre.

Nas told MTV.com, “I’m trying to uplift the unity. You listen to [Cam'ron's dis], that was just pieces of ‘Ether’ put together. You have to make a certain amount of albums to be in the ring with me. You can’t have one album or two albums or went platinum one time, or you may have performed in front of 6,000 people once in your life. You have to be somebody in my weight class. You can’t fight like that. That’s not really a battle.”

Nas added, “But there are spankings I can do. Lyrical, verbal assaults I can do on some of you clowns. But the take on this album is more of a unity thing. I don’t really know if I’m gonna let some of those records fly where I do answer a thing or two. Maybe, maybe not.”

Hip Hop Is Dead features guest appearances by The Game, Jay-Z, and Kanye West with production by Dr. Dre, Will.I.Am, Kanye West, and L.E.S.

KANYE WEST SPONSORS RACE CAR

Grammy Award-winning rapper and producer Kanye West has agreed to sponsor a race car at the BMW World Finals, which will be held from November 24th-26th in Valencia, Spain. The rapper’s car will feature the bear mascot from his two albums as well as the logos for the two charities West is supporting, The Kanye West Foundation and the UN World Food Program.

West said in a released statement, “The ability to make a positive difference in the world has always been a dream of mine, and Kanye West Foundation is the realization of that dream. To be able to spread the word about both the Kanye West Foundation and the UN World Food Program in such an exciting setting is particularly gratifying.”

West’s car will be driven by Philip Major, a 17-year-old driver from Ottawa, Ontario.

Former NFL quarterback turned sports commentator, Rodney Peete, is also sponsoring a vehicle in the event that will benefit the United Nations World Food Program.

The race and event is being put together by TAOW Productions. The company’s Scott Taylor explained, “Open wheeled racing has the potential in America to be what it is to the rest of the world. It is my hope that the program will not only raise awareness for great causes, but also assist in the development of the next great Formula 1 champion. We are quite excited to have both Kanye and Rodney support our efforts of using this platform to spread the word about these charitable organizations.”

RICK ROSS ALREADY WORKING ON NEW ALBUM

Miami-based rapper Rick Ross plans to release one more single, “Get Away” featuring Mario Winans, from his gold-certified album, Port Of Miami. But the rapper has already begun work on two other projects including a group album with his crew, the Carol City Cartel, and his own sophomore album, Triller.

Ross is hoping to release Triller soon and he shared his wish list of collaborators. He told MTV.com, “Dr. Dre, you know what I’m talking about? Jay-Z, Pharrell, R. Kelly. It’s gonna be legendary. I’m going back in.”

BEYONCE, MARY J. BLIGE, CHRIS BROWN, TYRESE & MORE ON AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS TONIGHT

Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, the Pussycat Dolls and Nelly Furtado are among the performers, and Chris Brown, Tyrese, Taye Diggs, Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight and Kirk Franklin will be among the presenters on tonight’s live broadcast of the 2006 American Music Awards.

Mariah Carey, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Eyed Peas and Nickelback lead the nominations with three nods each at the awards. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Jamie Foxx, Pussycat Dolls, Rascal Flatts, T.I., Carrie Underwood and Kanye West each received two nominations.

The 2006 American Music Awards, which will be hosted by late night personality Jimmy Kimmel, will air tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

JANET JACKSON’S REP DENIES PREGNANCY RUMORS

Janet Jackson is not pregnant, according to her rep, who denied recent Internet rumors claiming that the 40-year-old singer and her longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri were expecting their first child together. According to Us Weekly, Jackson’s rep said, “No, she is not pregnant and she is not canceling her tour.” Jackson plans to hit the road next year behind her new album, 20 Y.O.

A baby may not be too far off for Jackson though. She told Us Weekly in October that she’d love to have children, but that it’s up to the 34-year-old Dupri.

RUBEN STUDDARD STAYS IN TOUCH WITH FORMER ‘AI’ MATES

Vocalist Ruben Studdard is basking in the warm reception for his new album The Return. With plans to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends this week, will the singer exchange holiday greetings with his former American Idol cast mates from Season Two? It’s likely, since Studdard says that that he bonded with his fellow contestants — which included winner Clay Aiken, Trenyce, Kimberly Locke, and Kimberly Caldwell — in the final 10.

Asked about keeping in touch with his American Idol pals, Studdard said: “Yeah, we talk a lot … often, that’s like my family, like being removed from my favorite cousin, ’cause we lived together for six months and then we were on the road for another three months together. So basically 10 months out of 2003, the 10 of us were together for the whole time.”

Studdard’s single “Change Me” remains at Number Two on the national urban adult airplay charts.

HIDDEN BEACH ‘UNWRAPPED’ BOX SET IN STORES NOW

Hidden Beach Recordings is releasing a special four- CD box set of its ground-breaking Unwrapped CD series. The set, officially titled Hidden Beach Recordings Presents: Unwrapped The Ultimate Box Set, includes re- sequenced and re-mastered songs from the four previously released Unwrapped CDs. In addition, the 50-track collection is grouped into “old school” and “new school” sections, with bonus tracks and music videos culled from the life of the project.

The jazz-meets-hip-hop project features such notable instrumentalists as keyboardists Frank McComb, Jeff Lorber and Patrice Rushen; guitarists Paul Jackson Jr., Everette Harp and Dennis Nelson; violinist Karen Briggs; bassist Andrew Gouche; and flautist Louis Van Taylor, as well as Hidden Beach saxophonist Mike Phillips, trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, and guitarist/singer Peter Black, among other leading musicians.

The set covers some of the biggest and best-known hip-hop hits from the ’80s through today, including Notorious BIG’s “One More Chance,” 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” Outkast’s “The Way You Move,” Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story,” The Roots’ “I Got You,” Tupac’s “I Get Around,” and more.

The first volume of Hidden Beach Recordings Presents Unwrapped bowed in the Number One position on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart when it was released in October 2001. Subsequent editions followed in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

CHAKA KHAN TO GUEST ON QVC NETWORK

Chaka Khan is one of the best-known recording artists in the world, but she is also in the business of branding herself through a number of ancillary products. The former Rufus front woman will debut November 29th on the QVC network to promote a network exclusive CD package that includes the 1996 CD Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan Volume One with an unreleased Christmas album. The package will retail for $20

Khan’s appearance on the direct-shopping network is the latest move by the singer to promote her wares. She is currently in partnership with W Hotels for its Wonder Women package, where guests find a copy of Khan’s memoirs, Chaka! Through the Fire, on their pillow, along with an exclusive CD of her greatest hits and two “Chakatini “cocktails waiting for them. Khan is currently completing a new album for the Burgundy Records label. For more information, go to chakakhan.com.

FOX PULLS THE PLUG ON O.J. SIMPSON SPECIAL

O.J. Simpson no longer has a venue to tell the public how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman “if he did it.” News Corp. — the parent company of Fox television and HarperCollins publishing — pulled the plug Monday (November 20th) on Simpson’s If I Did It book and TV special, saying it was “an ill-considered project.” The cancellation was caused by a slew of criticism about the book and the TV program, which was characterized as a “confession” by the book’s publisher, Judith Regan.

Before News Corp. killed the project, several Fox affiliates had already said they wouldn’t broadcast the program. Goldman’s father Fred was one of the most outspoken opponents of the Simpson deals and complained to CNN that Simpson was “willing to tell the world how he ‘would’ murder his children’s mother and Ron. Sick.”

News Corp honcho Rupert Murdoch apologized “for any pain this caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson.”

The special was scheduled to air on November 27th and 29th. The If I Did It book was supposed to come out on the 30th.

Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of Brown and Goldman. He was later found responsible for both deaths in a civil court but still owes $33.5 million to the families of the deceased.

TYLER PERRY HAS TWO MORE FILMS COMING TO SCREENS

Multi-media artist Tyler Perry has extended his partnership with Lionsgate Films. His next two projects to hit the screen will be Why Did I Get Married? and A Jazz Man’s Blues.

Perry has adapted his successful stage play about the joys and tribulations of matrimony for Married, which will begin production at Perry’s new state-of-the-art film production complex in Atlanta.

Blues, which will go into production at the complex this summer, is the story of a young jazz singer who left his rural town to find fame but returns to help a former love.

Meanwhile, Perry’s third film, Daddy’s Little Girls, will hit theaters February 14th, after a special world premiere February 3rd at the studio.

The actor-director-writer’s last two movies, Madea’s Family Reunion and Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, have grossed a combined $113 million.

CHI McBRIDE A RELUCTANT THANKSGIVING HOST

Chances are that The Nine actor Chi (pronounced “shy”) McBride is up and about today (November 21st) putting the finishing touches on his Thanksgiving celebration. McBride’s not a holiday guy per se, but he’s in charge of coordinating a Turkey Day extravaganza that includes Neiman Marcus catering and a house full of relatives. McBride told me that he’s dealing with the particulars of the day to keep his wife of 24 years happy: “I gotta do all of that stuff ’cause my old lady, she’s into it. I’m having her whole family over to the house for Thanksgiving so I’ve been dealing with caterers and all of that jazz, and then, you know, we’re probably going to take a nice vacation during Christmas. But mostly everything I do in that regard is for her. I pretty much do everything for her.”

McBride added that if it were up to him, he’d do a low-key Thanksgiving with none of the trimmings that he’s got in store for his in-laws this year.

McBride can currently be seen on the ABC drama The Nine and in the big screen comedy, Let’s Go To Prison.

‘SEINFELD’ STAR MICHAEL RICHARDS IN HOT WATER FOR USING ‘N’ WORD, APOLOGIZES ON ‘LETTERMAN’ SHOW

No one is laughing at what was supposed to be a comedic performance from Seinfeld star Michael Richards Friday night (December 15th) at Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory. That’s because he unleashed a tirade of expletives — including the “n” word — against a couple of African American audience members who had heckled him during his routine. The men had shouted out to him that he wasn’t funny and Richards retorted with a lynching reference, saying, “Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a ******** fork up your ***.”

Richards continued along those same lines, calling the men the “n” word at least five more times and ending his rant by saying, “They’re going to arrest me for calling a black man a ******.”

Community activists gathered at the Laugh Factory Monday (November 20th), demanding an apology from the man best known as Kramer. The club said it wouldn’t book him again until he said he was sorry. He did, however, perform there on the Saturday following the incident.

Richards’ Seinfeld buddy Jerry Seinfeld issued a statement in defense of his friend. Seinfeld said, “I’m sure Michael is also sick over this horrible horrible mistake. It is so extremely offensive. I feel terrible for all the people who have been hurt.”

George Lopez told a local Los Angeles news station that Richards’ tirade was probably due to inexperience as a stand-up comedian, “The question is you have an actor who is trying to be a comedian who doesn’t know what to do when an audience is disruptive. He’s an actor whose show has been off the air, he shouldn’t ever be on a stand-up gig.”

Richards himself appeared via satellite on Late Night With David Letterman on Monday night (November 20th) and apologized for his tirade. “For me to be at a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, I’m deeply, deeply sorry,” he said. He also said, “I’m not a racist. That’s what’s so insane about this.”

Here is the rant:
(Michael Richards) “Shut up, 50 years ago we’d have you upside down with a f****** fork up your a**. You can talk, you can talk, you can talk, you’re brave now motherf*****. Throw his ass out, he’s a n***** He’s a n***** ! He’s a n***** !” (Woman) “Oh my God.” (Richards) “A n***** , look there’s a n***** .”

Freddie’s Note: Kramer need not apologize. He presented who he is plainly and clearly. For the record, Seinfeld did too in trying to come to his rescue.

THANKSGIVING BREAK
The update will go on a brief break for the rest of the week. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and if there is significant breaking news, I’ll be sure to supply an update!

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Words To the Wise
Hang in there
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Contact Information
Freddie Bell
PO Box 650961
Sterling,VA 20165
newsletter@voiceunique.com
888-639-9738