Kevin Clash, the voice behind “Elmo,” has resigned from Sesame Street after almost 29 years. Another young man came forward with charges of sexual abuse. Cecil Singleton said he was lured with dinners and money when he was 15 and Clash was 32. Singleton says Clash preyed on teenage boys with his “Elmo” connections. Singleton said they met on a gay chat line. Clash's troubles started with the first accusation brought by Sheldon Stephens, the 23-year old model who said he was involved with Clash when he was 16 and Clash was 45. Stephens got $125,000 in hush money when he recanted his story. Then a couple of days later, he said he was forced into a settlement. The second accuser says he wants $5 million. Will more young men come forward? The first accuser, Sheldon Stephens has quite a past which includes armed robbery, wreckless driving and writing bad checks. Sources say Stephens' mom tried to murder her boyfriend, and Stephens was trying to get money to help her out. Meanwhile, Clash's career is done. Sesame Street has issued a statement saying Clash's personal life has become a distraction. The sad part about all of this: Clash had great success with his “Elmo” character, and now it has all come crashing down.
The Miami Basketball Wives want more money. Shaunie, Evelyn Lozada and
Tami Roman say they want more money for their part in the reality show. As the ladies enter the fifth season, they are working without contracts. Will VH1 cave in, or will the ladies walk away from the show?
The new season of American Idol kicks off January 16th on FOX, and it looks like new Judge Nicki Minaj will be the mean one, the new Simon Cowell. The new season should be interesting with fellow Judges Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson and Host Ryan Seacrest.
Keenan Thompson from Saturday Night Live is working a new TV show for NBC. Thompson became a star as a teenager on Nickelodean with The Keenan &
Kel Show.
Angela Bassett has signed on the co-produce and star in the NBC TV show
Vanishing Point.
It wasn’t a good week for Vanessa Williams. Her ABC TV Show 666 Park Avenue has been cancelled.
December is going to be a big month for Jamie Foxx. He is going to be hosting
Saturday Night Live on December 8th special guest Ne Yo. His new movie Django Unchained with Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson opens Christmas Day. Speaking of Kerry Washington, she's is also the new cover girl for Elle magazine. The Scandal star talks about her hit ABC show.
Will the Houston family reality show, On Our Own, make it to a second season on the Lifetime network? The show basically chronicles the bad behavior of Bobbi Kris, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, but there has been no buzz on this show. People just don’t seem to be interested.
Season 2 of the NBC show Smash kicks off Tuesday, February 5th. Jennifer Hudson and Sheryl Lee Ralph will be featured in the second season. Wait until you see Jennifer Hudson. She looks and sounds amazing.
Tyler Perry is lining up the cast for his next movie Single Moms' Club. The
movie is set for a May 2014 release.
A movie is being made based on the life Marvin Gaye. Rocker Lenny Kravitz is set for the starring role. The movie will focus on the Motown legend's life when he lived in London dealing with his drinking and tax troubles. Kravitz has appeared in the movie The Hunger Games and Precious.
Jackie Chan says he is retiring from action movies. Chan, 58, became a US star
with his Rush Hour movies with Chris tucker. He says his latest film, Chinese Zodiac 2012, will be his last because at his age, he is getting tired.
Is R Kelly bringing Trapped In The Closet to Broadway? Kelly says maybe. He has been approached, and he says he has 85 chapters written. Kelly started the Trapped In The Closet series in 2005 with a series of music videos.
Remember the 1975 movie Mahogany starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams? Now a remake could be in the works with Beyonce starring in the role made famous by Ms. Ross. Beyonce has a huge 2013 coming up. She’s performing halftime at the Superbowl, and she has a new album featuring Kanye West, Miguel, Songwriter Dianne Warren and hubby Jay-Z.
Speaking of Billy Dee Williams, the actor is coming to the ABC show Modern
Family. He is appearing on the New Year's Eve episode. Modern Family
airs Wednesday nights at 9pm on ABC.
Halle Berry channels “The Boss,” Diana Ross on the cover of this month's interview magazine.
At the movies this week, it’s Chris Tucker’s return to the big screen in the movie Silver Linings Playbook. The movie starring Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper. He is also working on a stand up comedy film which is due out next year. It's a near naked Rihanna on the latest issue of GQ magazine. The pop princess is also on the latest issue of Vogue magazine.
Adam Lambert will be hosting VH1’s Divas Live. This year's show will pay tribute to two Divas we lost this year: Whitney Houston and Donna Summer. The show airs December 16th.
The Braxton sisters, Toni, Trina, Towanda and Traci, are branching out beyond their reality show. The sisters are working on a pilot for a talk show, which is being modeled after The View.
Changes are coming to the BET late night show Don’t Sleep starring TJ Holmes. The show is expanding to an hour and will air on Wednesday nights. In more TJ news, he and his wife Marilee are expecting their first child in January.
Good news for Cedric The Entertainer. His TV Land show Soul Man has been renewed for a second season. The show also stars Niecy Nash. Look for Cedric hosting the Soul Train Awards this Sunday, November 25th. New Edition is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award. The show will air on the BET and Centric networks.
The Beverly Hills Cop movie franchise is turning into a TV show. Actor Brandon T. Jackson (Lottery Ticket, Percy Jackson And The Olympians) will star as the son of Eddie Murphy's character “Axel Foley” on the show.
Alicia Keys is going to profiled on the CBS show Person To Person on Friday,
November 23rd. She’s also the Cover girl for the latest Jet magazine.
Actress Sharon Leal will be the leading lady in the movie Addicted. Based on
the best-selling erotic novel by Zane. The book is being made into a movie. Leal, who is best known for her work in the Tyler Perry movie series Why Did I Get Married, snagged the role after producers launched an intense search for a leading lady. The movie is about a married businesswoman who is a sex addict. Tasha Smith also stars as a sex therapist along with Boris Kodjoe, fresh off the Resident Evil movie franchise, playing Leal's husband.
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are joining the forces for the movie Ride Along. Tika Sumpter (Sparkle) plays the love interest to Hart, who has to prove himself worthy to her brother (Ice Cube). Director Tim Story, who did the movies Think Like A Man and Fantastic Four, is directing. Hart's got a busy 2013 because along with Ride Along, his BET show The Real Husbands Of Hollywood debuts in March.
Get ready for a sequel to the 1999 movie classic The Best Man. The movie made Terrence Howard and Taye Diggs stars. Nia Long, Monica Calhoun, Sanaa Lathan, Harold Perrineau, Jr., Regina Hall, Melissa De Sousa and Morris Chestnut were all in the original cast and are returning for the sequel.
Gold Medal Winner Gabby Douglass is the covergirl for the December issue of Essence magazine. She’s going to be featured as one of the most fascinating people of 2012 on Barbara Walters TV Special on December 12th on ABC.
NeNe Leakes from The Real Housewives Of Atlanta is the covergirl in diamonds on the December/January issue of Ebony magazine. Speaking of The Real Housewives, the new season kicked off with great ratings, the highest in Bravo TV’s history. Newcomer Model/Actress Kenya Moore is causing quite a stir with her behavior on the show.
Mary Mary will return for a second season of their reality show on December 6th on the WE network.
The Michael Jackson BAD documentary directed by Spike Lee will air on ABC
on Thanksgiving night.
In Whitney Houston news, get ready for tributes to her this fall. First up, the 18-track tribute album, I Will Always Love You: The Best Of Whitney Houston, is now available. The coffee table book, Whitney: Tribute To An Icon, comes out November 27th. The Lifetime network presents their TV special remembering Whitney Houston, which will feature home videos and interviews with mom Cissy Houston, brother Gary, daughter Bobbi Kris and sister-in-law Pat Houston.
Apollo Live is the Centric network's singing reality show, and it kicks off Saturday, December 1st. Comedian Tony Rock will be hosting and the judges include Gladys Knight, Michael Bivins, and Doug E Fresh.
Jill Scott has been added to the cast of David E. Talbert's film Baggage Claim. Paula Patton stars in the movie about a flight attendant who has 30 days and 30,000 miles to find a husband. Derek Luke and Octavia Spencer are also part of the cast. Trey Songz, Djimon Hounsou and Tia Mowry-Hardrict have also been added to the cast.
Come See About Me: The Mary Wilson-Supremes Collection kicks off in January at the African American Museum. The collection will be on display from January 25th until June 22nd, and it features over 30 of the Supremes' most glamorous gowns. The African American Museum is located at 7thand Arch Streets.
Singer Kem is getting ready for the holidays. He has a new CD, What Christmas Means, in stores now.
