Page 41 - 2-20-15 Friday's Edition

Entertainment
Old School Rap Is Back?
Afroman Arrested For Punching Fan Onstage
Afroman in the video for his remix to his 2001 hit "Because I Got High."
Afroman was arrested Tuesday in Biloxi, Miss., for punching a female fan during his set.
The "Because I Got High" rapper was performing when a woman got on stage and ap- proached him.
As a video shows, Afro- man was playing guitar and without warning he turned and socked her right in the head.
Afroman continued to play even after the woman hit the ground hard, bleeding and crying, until the house lights came on and the music stopped. Then security report- edly helped the woman off- stage, while police took Afroman away and hand- cuffed him outside the venue.
The musician's rep told Bill- board Afroman was surprised by the person onstage, his back was turned and he didn't see her and reacted with the punch.
Despite Ratings: Fifty Shades Of Grey Cashes In At Box Office
The only real box office question on Valentine's Day weekend was just how high the R-rated Fifty Shades of Grey would go.
The answer was a resound- ing $81.7 million for the three- day weekend, according to studio estimates.
The record-setting began with Friday's $30 million opening, the biggest for any film released in February (beating out 2004's The Pas- sion of the Christ with $26.6 million).
Fifty Shades easily became the highest-grossing Valen- tine's/Presidents Day weekend opener of all time.
Pharrell Signs Deal To Do ‘Happy’ Children’s Book Series
Kendrick Lamar’s “The Blacker the Berry” is all any- one can talk about today.
It’s the hungriest vocal de- livery from Kendrick of late, his breath control never slip- ping as he snarls in deserved indignation.
And the whole thing just goes hard in a way that up- dates the old-school — in a nod to the music’s roots
KENDRICK LAMAR
So is it time for hip-hop purists to rejoice, thanks to Kendrick Lamar.
Pharrell Williams has a “Happy” deal for a series of children’s picture books.
The Grammy Award-win- ning performer has an agree- ment with Putnam Books for Young Readers for four pic- ture books, starting with one inspired by his hit song.
Putnam announced Tues- day that the book, “Happy,” will be published Sept. 22 and will feature photographs of children from around the world “celebrating what it means to be happy.” It plans a first printing of 250,000
PHARRELL
copies.
Pharrell has won 10
Grammys, including two for “Happy,” which was featured on the soundtrack of “Despi- cable Me 2” and was an Oscar nominee last year for best song.
Keyshia Cole Is Back On BET
Keyshia Cole is making her return to reality TV and BET. Her new show is set to premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, at 9 p.m. ET.
And her family (as usual) will be starring on the show with her — including her sis- ter, Neffeteria Pugh and her mom, Frankie Lons — and they are bringing the drama. “Keyshia Cole: All In” will fol- low along the lines of her pre- vious shows, “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is” and “Keyshia & Daniel: Family First.”
Cole is now a single mother after breaking up with estranged husband, NBA
Lester Holt To Anchor In Brian
Nick Cannon And Nicole Murphy Share Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner
What was Brian Williams’ big mistake has become Lester Holt’s big opportunity. Since Williams was suspended for six months by NBC for "misremember- ing” events in Iraq and during Hurricane Katrina (and possi- ble others) that did not hap- pen, his chosen replacement for The NBC Nightly News will be Holt, a long-time cor- respondent of the show.
Following Williams’ shocking fall from grace, nat- ural curiosity of who would take over Nightly News reached a fever pitch. Critics cited Holt as the next best
LESTER HOLT
choice and NBC confirmed that Holt will succeed Williams’ 22-years career. However, Holt’s new posi- tion comes with a 6-month audition process.
This year marks Holt’s second-time in being the first Black anchorman hosting full-time for night time news since 1983.
Rebounding Nick Can- non has always liked older women. Cannon, 34, is now being romantically linked to Nicole Murphy, 47.
The couple went on a ro- mantic late-night Valentine’s Day date together. Cannon — in the midst of a divorce from Carey — and Murphy’s en- gagement to Michael Stra- han was called off in August. “The couple was holding hands across the table, and gazing at each other through- out their meal.”
They were were spotted to- gether early last week, each ar- riving separately—where “Nick and Nicole and their friends were dressed to the
NICK CANNON AND NICOLE MURPHY
nines” and “laughing and hav- ing a great time.” But sources at the time played down any romance. This time, however, the pair sneaked off for a ro- mantic dinner themselves.
Nicole said lately, “I am having fun right now being single.” And “I am not dating anyone special, but I do love being in a relationship.
CBS Special Honored Stevie Wonder
KEYSHIA COLE player Daniel Gibson, and
the show will feature her struggles with an unstable marriage and raising a son.
Cole serves as executive producer of the docu-series, which will feature plenty of family drama (and fighting) as well as struggles with her record label.
Williams’ Spot For 6-Months
Empire’s Success Opening Doors For Others
Gary Clark Jr. took part in “Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life – An All-Star GRAMMY Salute” – a prime- time entertainment special that celebrated the iconic songbook and remarkable legacy of 25-time GRAMMY winner Stevie.
The two-hour show, which was taped at the Nokia The- atre L.A. Live on February 10th, aired on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Monday.
The show featured several of today’s top artists covering Wonder’s songs. Clark per- formed the 1973 classic
Beyonce performed with Gary Clark, Jr.
“Higher Ground” with multi- platinum artist, Beyoncé, and Ed Sheeran. They joined performers Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Jennifer Hudson and many others.
Fox’s breakout drama, ‘Empire,’ has grown its viewer- ship to nearly 12 million view- ers since its initial January premiere. The show’s loyal au- dience isn’t the only group paying attention every week.
‘On top of just wanting to reflect how the world looks, di- versity is good business. And I think that’s finally started to sink in during the last two years,’ NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke re- cently told The Hollywood Re- porter. ‘A show like ‘Empire’ is a turbo boost to the change. It’s a wake-up call that there’s a gigantic audience that doesn’t want to see themselves reflected in token casting. They want authenticity.’
EMPIRE CAST
In an article for The Holly- wood Reporter, Michael O’Connell wrote Meagan Good, Paula Patton, Daman Wayans Jr., and Sandra Oh were all being considered for various proj- ects.
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