…LIL’ WAYNE  doesn’t.  He says he doesn’t even believe the Bible!  Why?  “… because nothing that’s written is to be believed.”  BUT there is one book he does have faith in.  That book is the dictionary!  That’s right!  When he’s fussing over a word in the studio, he knows that’s the one place he can turn to for the truth! 

While we’re talking about LIL’ WAYNE, how about he’s dropping a rock album on April 7th!  The name of the project will be REBIRTH and will be completely different and in addition to THE CARTER FOUR.  If you’re curious how it will sound, check out the first single, “Prom Queen,” via a live stream on Myspace.com tomorrow night!

NAS and KELIS are celebrating!!  They are happy to be expecting their first child.  KELIS will be a first time mom, but I’m sure she’s had plenty of practice spending time with her step-daughter DESTINY.  DESTINY is NAS’ 14 year old daughter from a previous relationship.

That’s the name of KEITH SWEAT’s new reality show that will premiere February 23rd on Peachtree TV.  But this isn’t a show that’s focuses on following KEITH around.  No ma’am, this show is about KEITH SWEAT trying to help DRU HILL “rekindle the magic.”  DRU HILL will spend 30 days living together and working on resolving their differences and possibly getting back in the studio!  Now this concept comes from KEITH’s experience working with R&B groups from the late 80’s and 90’s and his belief in their talent.  He wants to help these groups overcome whatever obstacles kept them from surviving.  I’m sure DRU HILL is up for the challenge!  BABY, when they performed at WANDA SMITH AND FRIENDS last month, the audience went crazy!  We are ready and rooting for you!

For those of you headed to the inauguration without any tickets, there’s at least one event you can participate in.  The inaugural festivities will officially kick-off with a freee concert at the Lincoln Memorial!.  The concert is open to the public and will feature over twenty performers from various music genres.   You can expect to see performances by big-timers like BEYONCE, USHER, MARY J BLIGE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN, STEVIE WONDER, BONO, JOHN LEGEND, GARTH BROOKS, SHAKIRA, WILL.I.AM, HEATHER HEADLEY…. The list goes on!!  All for FREE!!  Now if you can’t make it to D.C. and you’re feeling left out, I’ve got good news for you too.  The concert will broadcast on HBO.  Now you know HBO has exclusive rights to broadcast the event and has agreed to make it available on an open signal.  That means if you have cable or satellite, you will be able to watch for free, even if you aren’t an HBO subscriber.  Well, hold up!  What about them folks who don’t have cable or satellite?  Hmmm…  I don’t have good news for yall.  Guess you better go to a friend’s house….

We all know KANYE WEST has a reputation for being cocky.  Remember how he complained that his talents weren’t being acknowledged and appreciated?  Well how about now he has a new complaint.  KANYE WEST tells VIBE MAGAZINE, ” I want the freedom of having less fans.  It’s like the freedom of having less money… If you have less money, you have less responsibility.”  Excuse me?  Come again, KANYE?  Basically he said thanks for supporting the album, but no thanks!  Glad I got the bootleg!

That’s not all,  KANYE also expressed his aspirations to “break every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of Black culture, of American culture.”  How you ask?  Well by posing nude of course!  KANYE explains to VIBE, ” It’s like BJORK.  If she wants to pose naked, you’d be like ‘Oh that’s BJORK.’ But if I wanted to pose naked people would draw all type of things into it.  I definitely feel like, in the next however many years, if I work out for two months, then I’ll pose naked. ”  Well go head KANYE!  That’s an excellent strategy for cutting down your fan base!…  Even though naked would be a big improvement from some of your other fashion statements….

This poor child.  Someone give him a hug!

Lookin’ like 3 Forest Gumps!

I don’t know about “Soul Sister.”  Maybe Soul Grandma…

Waited til’ the last minute? Wear your curtains and WORK it!

Being a supermodel does not mean you can wear ANYTHING!  Is that a bouquet of roses?

Congratulations to JILL SCOTT who has revealed that she is 6 months pregnant and due to have her baby April 25th.  She was unable to hold the secret any longer after showing up at a Television Critics Association conference to promote her new HBO series.  “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” was filmed in Botswana and will premiere in March.  JILL SCOTT reveals that spending the first trimester working 14 hour days in Botswana was one of the “biggest challenges” of her life.  Well JILL, you just wait til’ you have that baby!  It’s only just begun.  If you’re wondering who the baby daddy is, it’s her fiance , LIL JOHN…. YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH    Haha LIL JOHN ROBERTS, her drummer, that is….  : )

It is “Best Life Week” on the OPRAH Show.  All week long OPRAH will be helping you start your year off right with advice from experts on various life topics.  Yesterday’s show was “Spirituality 101.”  Her panel of guests included REVEREND BAKER (rector of All Saints Episcopal Church), MICHAEL BERNARD BECK (spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center), and ELIZABETH LESSER (co-founder of Omega Institute). During the show the two guest ministers dropped a bomb when they agreed that “Being gay is a gift from GOD…”  Wow!  Oprah was not ready for that comment.  The topic was sparked by a viewer named SEDRICK, who participated live from his home here in Decatur, GA.  SEDRICK spoke on how his homosexuality made it hard for him as a teen growing up in Alabama.  I wish I had the video for you, but here’s the quote feedback he received from the panel:

REV. BACON

“Being gay is a gift from God, but our culture doesn’t understand that, and consequently the culture sends messages that you ought to isolate.  And isolation is the antithesis of what all of us need.  We need community.  We simply can’t do spirituality,  we can’t be our best self,  we can’t be fully alive without a community.”

OPRAH commented that she’d never heard a minister speak those words before and MICHAEL BECK quickly chimed in and said “Now you’ll hear two…”

He continued to offer his perspective in support of REV. BACON’s statement.

It was refreshing to hear an alternate perspective on such a controversial subject coming from such an unlikely source.  The reality is there is a community of people that are made to feel they are tolerated rather than accepted.  Could you imagine how it would feel to be constantly judged by your peers just for being who you are?  It’s sad that the gay community is forced to have thick skin.  Once religion and homosexuality are introduced in the same sentence we already know what to expect…  It’s important to mention that this discussion on OPRAH was separating the idea of spirituality from religion.  The ministers acknowledged that various religions have a different outlook on the topic.  However, when it comes to spirituallity, they validated the right for the gay community to have pride in who they are.  I understand that many people’s beliefs are so strong that they were disturbed and even offended by the comment that “Being gay is a gift from God.”  Everyone has a right to their opinions and beliefs.  My focus is not the religious debate on the matter, but instead that these ministers were bold enough to deliver a lesson on love, acceptance, and unity.

I give this movie a big YES MA’AM! All I can say is it is a roller-coaster! It will make you laugh out loud, shed tears, and laugh some more.   I also love that it isn’t predictable.  There are a few surprising moments.  One scene caught me so off guard I swear my heart skipped a beat!

The film is based on the book written by T.D. JAKES.  The main focus is MORRIS CHESTNUT’s character, DAVID.  He struggles to remain a good man despite the challenges of his troubled marriage. TARAJI HENSON does a great job playing the role of his career-driven wife, CLARICE,  who completely lacks compassion and doesn’t seem to realize she’s driving her husband away.  In addition to the main plot, there are several sub-plots which explore other extreme circumstances life can throw our way.

Although everyone’s performance was phenomenal, two supporting roles I feel really stole the movie were played by JENNIFER LEWIS and KEVIN HART.  JENNIFER LEWIS plays the role of CLARICE’s mother who is basically the third member of the marriage. Baby! She is so mean, she’s funny! I’m telling you that woman is no joke… KEVIN HART played one of DAVID’s two best friends.  Every line he had was a punchline! Those two characters brought balance to an otherwise heavily dramatic film.

I am so glad the movie was that enjoyable to watch, because the lesson is so important. The films’ message of strength, faith, and hope is sure to have you feeling like you can tackle any obstacle you may currently have.  If you’re married this is a must see! If you’re single, this is a must-see. If you’re human you must-see! Just make sure you support this film this weekend!!!