By Tim Kenneally

Posted February 8th 2012

Fox’s recently minted competition series had a major shakeup last week, with judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paul Abdul — along with host Steve Jones — getting the heave-ho. And while the rumor mill swirled with scuttlebutt about Cowell offering “Single Ladies” singer Knowles an astronomical sum to come aboard, the famously cantankerous Brit says it’s not happening.

Also read: “X Factor” Shakeup an Admission of Failure; Enter Mariah?

“I have no idea where this rumor came from,” Cowell said in an interview with “Extra.” “I read it online that I offered her $100 million a year. It’s complete nonsense.”

Cowell also revealed that executives at Fox began talking to him about a shakeup “[a]t the beginning of the year– and we were told it had to happen straight away.”

Also read: “X Factor” Implosion: Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, Steve Jones Out

He also took responsibility for the perception that “X Factor” has been a lukewarm success, admitting that his declaration that the show would be bigger than his last gig, “American Idol,” set the bar too high.

“It’s only because I opened my big mouth and said we were going to get 20 million [viewers],” Cowell said. “If I hadn’t said that, everybody would be saying the show was a huge success.”

Posted February 7th 2012

Jay-Z‘s various successes include sold-out concerts, singles that reach chart-topping success in days and January birth of his newborn daughter, Blue Ivy (with wife Beyonce Knowles). But one area that hasn’t been so great for the star is his Rocawear clothing line.

Which is why the supermogul decided to revamp the menswear line after a “rocky winter” where “Roc Apparel Group LLC laid off 28 of its 56 employees at its Manhattan headquarters,” Women’s Wear Daily reported.

The solution: a commerical with a big name.

Jay-Z, 42, is lending his A-list status and will star in the brand’s first-ever television campaign. Filmed in November, the spot will begin to air on outlets including MTV, BET and TNT, most prominently during NBA basketball games.

“Titled ‘From Marcy to Madison Square,’ the black-and-white spots track Jay-Z’s rise from selling CDs out of the trunk of a car in the Marcy Projects of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, to headlining concerts at Madison Square Garden. The spot uses footage from Jay-Z’s ‘Watch the Throne’ concert at MSG in November,” WWD writes.

PHOTOS: How Beyonce and Jay-Z fell in love

Other efforts to help the brand, which saw global sales dip with a $500 million loss, get back on its feet include expanding its children’s clothing and nternational markets reach.

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By Henry Louis Gates Jr

Posted February 6th 2012

An exclusive peek at photos from Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s compendium, Life Upon These Shores.

How do you tell the entire story of the black experience in America? Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008, by The Root‘s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., dares to capture its scope and breadth, from the era of 16th-century conquistadors to ascendance of 21st-century politicians. This exclusive slideshow includes a fraction of the more than 700 photos of events, documents, posters, maps, art and people who grace the book’s pages. Some are startling; all are fascinating.

CLICK HERE FOR A PEEK AT LIFE UPON THESE SHORES BY HENRY LOUIS GATES JR

Posted February 5th 2012

Tracy Morgan’s mom is going public with her battle against the 30 Rock star saying, “He would rather see me homeless than help his own mother.”

Alicia Warden tells Inside Edition she can’t pay her $25,000 mortgage, her house leaks and she can’t put metal bars on the front door to protect herself from the high-crime neighborhood.

“I’m in dire straits right now, I need help, I’m not ashamed to ask my son for it,” she says.

The  last time Alicia  saw her son was on Mother’s Day 2001 when she appeared with him on SNL. She claims she’s not trying to hurt his career — she just needs help.  The Ohio woman says Tracy had one of his assistants call mom saying he’s willing to give her $2,000 — a one shot deal.

Tracy released this statement to RumorFix:

“For reasons that are between us, I have not seen my Mother in 11 years and outside of a random call here and there have had little to no contact with my sister. We all have personal family issues that we have to deal with in life, but I choose to deal with mine in private and not through the media.”

By Contessa Gayles

Posted November 12th 2011

“Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” Apparently wherever Jennifer Lopez is. The singer-actress has reportedly been pegged to play the retro computer game and TV character from the Carmen Sandiego franchise in a new action movie!

According to Deadline, J.Lo is producing and possibly starring in the live-action film remake of the iconic educational franchise, which followed the ever-elusive international detective all around the world and through time.

The film — set to be co-produced by Lopez, her Nuyorican Production partners Benny Medina and Simon Fields, along with Underground Films’ Nick Osbourne, Trevor Engelson and Devin Andre — will tell the story of the international agent-turned-most-wanted thief. The producers will work with Walden Media, which has been a part of such classic movies as the ‘Narnia‘ franchise, ‘Bridge to Terabithia‘ and ‘Charlotte’s Web.’

The first ‘Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego’ educational game was released in 1985, and inspired a children’s game show on PBS that aired from 1991 to 1995. Reportedly, Disney previously optioned a film incarnation of the franchise with actress Sandra Bullock in mind for the lead role. The project never took off, but hopefully the alleged Lopez version will come into fruition and hit the silver screen!

Do you think J.Lo will make a good Carmen Sandiego? She already has the over-sized wide-brimmed hat thing down!

Posted October 13th 2011

By Lindsay Powers

Posted September 20th 2011

Lester Holt will replace Ann Curry as anchor of Dateline NBC, the network announced Monday.

Holt will continue to host Weekend Today, and contribute to NBC Nightly News and Today.

“He’s a terrific anchor, he’s an excellent reporter and a great team leader – all the things you need to do to run a show,” said David Corvo, senior executive producer of NBC’s newsmagazines.

Holt isn’t concerned with competing against Brian Williams, who is launching his own newsmagazine Rock Center this fall.

“There’s room for both, and there’s room for both to grow,” he said.

“There’s a lot more creative energy in the building, which can only be good,” added Liz Cole, Dateline’s EP. ”

The 20th season premieres Sept. 23.

By Chris Harnick

Posted September 4th 2011

Dr. House is going to have one very familiar-looking prison mate: None other than ‘Family Matters’ star Jaleel White. Yes, Steve Urkel.

We can only hope White utters “Did I do that?” at least once.

According to TVLine, White will guest star in the Mon., Oct. 3 ‘House’ season premiere (9PM ET on Fox). Picking up one year later, House is in prison after driving his car into Cuddy’s house.

Besides ‘House,’ the ‘Family Matters’ veteran has stayed busy popping up on a variety of shows including ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘Psych.’

White is also a busy voice actor, recently providing his voice to an episode of ‘The Problem Solverz.’

White’s casting comes hot on the heels of a fellow TGIF alumnus heading back to primetime. ‘Boy Meets World’ star Ben Savage will guest star on an episode of ‘Bones.’ ‘Step by Step’ star Christine Lakin, please stand by your phone!

Posted August 29th 2011

Beginning August 29, the program will air at 6 p.m. ET!

Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist and minister, has been named host of “PoliticsNation,” a nightly program airing weeknights live at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC. “PoliticsNation” will debut on August 29. In his new role, Sharpton will lead a lively and informed discussion of the top headlines, bringing viewers his take on events in his signature style.

“I’ve known Rev. Sharpton for over a decade and have tremendous respect for him. He has always been one of our most thoughtful and entertaining guests,” said Griffin. “I’m thrilled that he’s now reached a point in his career where he’s able to devote himself to hosting a nightly show. ‘PoliticsNation’ is going to be an incredibly strong kick-off to our evening schedule.”

In addition to being a frequent guest on MSNBC throughout the network’s history, Rev. Sharpton has also served as an occasional guest host on several programs, most recently on “MSNBC Live at 6PM” and “The Ed Show.” He joins the network at a time where MSNBC has experienced tremendous ratings growth, consistently topping CNN in primetime programming.

“I am very happy and honored to join the MSNBC team as we collectively try to get America to ’Lean Forward,’” said Sharpton. “It is a natural extension of my life work and growth. We all learn from our pain and stand up from our stumbling and one must either learn to lean forward or fall backwards. I’m glad they have given me the opportunity to continue my forward lean.”
With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, the

Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Sharpton’s highly visible career began at the tender age of four when he preached his first sermon. A successful civil rights career soon followed, helping Sharpton hold such notable positions as the Youth Director of New York’s Operation Breadbasket, Director of Ministers for National Rainbow Push coalition, and founder of his own broad-based progressive civil rights organization, the National Action Network (NAN), one of the leading civil rights organizations in the world. Since its inception in 1991, NAN has expanded to encompass chapters throughout the United States and maintain important regional offices in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Las Vegas, NV; and Los Angeles, CA. Sharpton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004. Rev. Sharpton also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show that broadcasts in 40 markets, five days a week. He resides in New York and has two daughters, Dominique and Ashley.

“PoliticsNation” will air weeknights from 6:00-7:00PM ET on MSNBC. Matthew Saal is Executive Producer.

Posted August 28th 2011

Iman doesn’t mince words when asked her opinion of the “Slave Earrings” story Vogue Italia published: “I didn’t like it. Slave does not make it ethnic. Mind you, it’s not lost in translation — the word slave, we know what it is. They might as well have called them ‘n***** earrings.’” Vogue pulled the big-earrings trend story, which read in part, “If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women of colour who were brought to the southern Unites States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom.” The magazine subsequently apologized for “the inconvenience” and blamed the outrage on poor translation. [Fashionista]