Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 10-23-18

Entertainment
Songwriter Wins $44M In Usher ‘Bad Girl’ Lawsuit
Ashanti Concert Canceled After Selling Only 24 Tickets
A Philadelphia songwriter is finally reaping the benefits of what he claims he was owed regarding the second-best sell- ing album of last decade.
Billboard reports that last week, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury awarded Daniel Marino millions for a song he largely created by lay- ing the guitar hook, tempo and chord progression named “Club Girl” that would go on to become Usher’s “Bad Girl” off of his monster 2004 album, Confessions.
Marino’s former co-writer William Guice was ordered to pay $6.75 million in com- pensatory damages, $20.25 million in punitive damages and co-defendant Dante Bar-
USHER
ton’s Destro Music Produc- tions agreed to fork over $17.35 million.
That, ladies and gentlemen, brings the grand total to $44.35 million.
Luckily for the now 40- year- old superstar, none of the shillings will have to come from his piggy bank, for he wasn’t named in the lawsuit.
Pop queen Ashanti may have 3.8 million followers on Instagram and 1.92 million on Twitter but evidently that doesn’t mean much when it comes to getting fans off so- cial media and into stands.
The Murder Inc. royalty was expected to perform at Stony Brook University’s Back To Brook event later this month. But according to Bossip, that show was axed after they sold just 24 tickets to the concert.
ASHANTI
A statement from the school read, “As an organiza- tion, we do our best to host
programs for students while providing diversity and inclu- sion. However, we have strug- gled to execute certain aspects. With a week before the concert, only 24 tickets are sold to students.
The school went on to ex- plain they had originally booked Teyana Taylor for the gig but she pulled out last minute, leaving the organizers to scramble to properly pro- mote Ashanti as the new headliner.
Rihanna Turns Down Super
Tia Mowry And Loretta Devine’s New Netflix Show Has All Black Writers
Bowl Halftime To Support
Earlier this year we won- dered if Netflix is a mecca for Black creatives, and with part- nerships with Shonda Rhimes and Kenya Barris, it might just be true.
While the streaming giant continues to ink deals with some of Black Hollywood’s biggest talents, its new se- ries, Family Reunion with Tia Mowry and Loretta Devine, even boasts an all-Black writ- ers room.
“So freaking excited!!!! This is a dream job,” Mowry tweeted about the new project. “Let’s do this!”
The talented pair are team- ing up for Family Reunion, a multi-generation sitcom about a busy big city family, who travels to small-town Georgia
Colin Kaepernick
Singer/actress Rihanna has reportedly turned down a chance to headline the half- time show at Super Bowl LIII because she supports former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has a collu- sion lawsuit against the Na- tional Football League.
Kaepernick is out of the NFL after becoming a free agent two years ago and not finding a new team. He claims that he has not been picked up because of his political stances. He was the first player to kneel during the national anthem,
LORETTA DEVINE AND TIA MOWRY
RHIANNA
allegedly as a protest against injustice.
to reconnect with their ex- tended family. Mowry plays Cocoa McKellan, the free- spirited wife and mother, who butts heads with Devine’s M’Dear, the strict matriarch of the entire clan.
While they may end up clashing on screen, both Devine and Mowry are ex- cited about the upcoming show.
“I am so blessed to be part of this new and exciting mo- ment in time that will touch and bring laughter, smiles, and joy to everyone who sees it,” Devine said in a statement announcing the sitcom. “That is Family Reunion for me right now. When you see it, I think you are gonna love it, because it is all about family ... The core of everything.”
Steve Harvey Claps Back At
Rumors He’s Leaving His Wife
For Kris Jenner: ‘I’m Sick Of It’
Steve Harvey is “clapping back” at the rumors that he’s leaving his wife, Marjorie, for Kris Jenner, “I’m sick of it,” he said during a media tele- conference this week, ajc.com reports.
Harvey joked about the on- line rumor that he was divorc- ing Marjorie for Jenner and his $400 million fortune was at stake.
“My wife came to me and said, ‘Do we have $400 mil- lion?’” he said. “Nah. Not yet.”
The comedian and TV host finds the slander ap- palling.
“They act like I don’t have family. They act like my kids
Kris Jenner, Marjorie and Steve Harvey
can’t read. They don’t care. They just go out to destroy people with no facts behind it.” He also addressed The Na- tional Enquirer’s “false” report
that he was “fired” from his own talk show. Harvey could fight ’em, but it would cost him a fortune in legal fees... and the publication knows this.
PAGE 16 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018