Mary J. Blige has accomplished a lot in her 52 years of life. But having children is one milestone she has yet to experience.

While becoming a mom is a common goal for many women, the Grammy-winning singer would rather serve as an aunty than a mommy. E! Daily Pop recently asked Blige if she regretted not bringing any children into the world.

“Oh, I’m not there yet. I am not there yet so I’m good,” she said. “Listen, I have nieces and nephews forever. I’m always watching how people are scrambling around for babysitters [laughs]. I don’t wanna go through that.”

When it comes to why the “No More Drama” singer is comfortable not being a mom, she enjoys living life with no limits in comparison to her friends who do have children.

“I like my freedom. I like being able to get up and go and move and do what I want to do,” she explained.

“I don’t want to have to tend to someone all the time. Right now, that’s where I’m at. I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

The closest Blige has gotten to being a mom was during her time married to ex-husband Kendu Issacs and serving as a stepmother to his three children Briana, Jordan, and Nasir.

“I’ve been a stepmother for three years now and I love them so much,” she told Redbook in 2007. “They would ask me questions like, ‘What do we call you?’ I said, ‘Call me Mary, call me what you want. You don’t have to call me Mommy until you’re ready.’”

It was important to Blige to make her stepchildren feel loved and not experience the trauma she did during her childhood.

“There was a lot of damage done to [my mother] by my father. I don’t want my children — my stepchildren — to see that kind of anything or to feel that kind of energy,” she shared. “I want them to always feel loved and secure.”

50 Cent is taking over the NBA.

According to The Indianapolis Recorder, the Queens-born rapper has partnered with the Indiana Pacers for a multi-year deal with his nonprofit organization, The G-Unity Foundation. According to Rick Fuson, Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO, the partnership will let Indianapolis “deliver new world-class experiences not only to our premium guests but to all visitors to Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indianapolis community, at large.”

His foundation will be highlighted during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, as Sire Spirits recently became the official alcohol partner of the Indiana Pacers, and the game will be held in Indianapolis.

Fuson said he is “excited” to work with 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, and the G-Unity Foundation and hopes the partnership will “improve the lives of our city’s young people while bringing Pacers fans Sire Spirit’s award-winning premium products.” Pacer fans can enjoy the spirits, including Branson Cognac and his award-winning champagne, Le Chemin Du Roi, at The East Sideline Club, the courtside bar soon to be renamed the Sire Spirits ‘67 Club.

Jackson is dribbling through the NBA with all kinds of deals. As sources say he’s been working to get his brand into all 30 NBA arenas, news broke that fans of the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves will also be able to indulge in Sire Spirits. Making that announcement via Instagram, the Power executive is ready for his brand to be highlighted during the playoffs, saying his partnership with the Timberwolves is “perfect.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent)

“I had the opportunity to meet with the Timberwolves and knew they were the perfect partners for Sire Spirits,” 50 Cent said in a statement. “I am a big fan of the team, and I am excited to spend more time in Minnesota and get to know all the fans.”

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 28, 2023

University of Texas at Austin Honors First Generation Black Students With Public Exhibit

---

The University of Texas at Austin is paying homage to the school’s first Black students.

A temporary exhibit is being displayed on campus to honor Black students who enrolled in the 1950s. Titled “Precursors — We Are Texas East Mall,” KXAN reported the display tells the story of UT’s first black undergraduate students. Created by the Contextualization and Commemoration Initiative, students can see the display located near the Martin Luther King Jr. statue.

With 118 wooden posts, each one shares a name and photo with a QR code that goes to the Initiative’s website. Executive Vice President and provost, Sharon Wood, said the purpose of the exhibit being open to the public is to boost community morale. “The exhibits are open to the public with the purpose of engaging our campus community on the social and environmental histories of the East Mall site, as well as offering a glimpse into what the site will become,” Wood said, according to The Daily Texan.

Started in 2020, the initiative was formed to renovate the entrance of Painter Hall, honoring Heman Sweatt, the first Black student allowed admission to Texas Law in 1950 after suing former university president, Theophilus Painter.

Sweatt was one of only a few Black students allowed to attend before the historic 1954 ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education desegregating schools across the country. The first generation of Black students at UT enrolled in 1956. Those students enrolled in the school’s law school and other graduate programs that weren’t available at historically black colleges, Texas Southern or Prairie View.

Almost 10 years later, other parts of the school, including the student health center, dorm, and athletics, began to integrate. Julius Whittier, the university’s first African American football player, was recruited in 1970, and before that, Gwen Jones, the first Black student assembly member, was elected in 1962.

The exhibit is free and open through March 31.

Jennifer Hudson took a break from fueling dating rumors with Common to enjoy a courtside NBA game with her teenage son.

Hudson and her 13-year-old son David Daniel Otunga Jr. were all smiles while watching her hometown team Chicago Bulls defeat the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com arena on Sunday. Cameras captured the happy faces Hudson and David Jr. sported while watching LeBron James play after missing 13 games due to an injury, Pop Sugar reported.

The Jennifer Hudson Show host looked cozy in jeans and a matching denim jacket that she paired with a large white scarf. Her son kept it casual in all-black streetwear featuring a bomber jacket, hoodie, and black jeans.

Hudson clearly enjoys taking her son to enjoy NBA events. The mother-son duo has attended the NBA All-Star Weekend events for two years in a row. In February, Hudson shared highlights from their time in Salt Lake City for the 2023 All-Star game.

“Now when did my son get taller than me?!!” she captioned her post.

“We celebrated my brother Jason’s birthday in style at @nbaallstar weekend in Salt Lake City ! I had to put on my good shoe my boys got me for the game! Thank u @nba for such an amazing time !”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud)

Hudson shares David Jr. with her ex-fiancé David Otunga, a former WWE wrestler, and actor who competed on VH1’s I Love New York under the name “Punk.” The two parted ways in 2017 after 10 years together, with Hudson filing an emergency order of protection against Otunga that she later dropped.

These days, Hudson has been romantically linked to fellow Chicago native Common. The two first sparked romance rumors while filming their upcoming action-thriller Breathe.

Last month they were photographed leaving Malibu hotspot Nobu together. Earlier this month, Hudson took to Instagram to wish Common a happy birthday.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud)

“Team Jhud pls help me wish one of the brightest lights, a Chicago and hip hop legend, the one and only @common a very happy birthday on today !” she captioned the post.

Whitney Houston will forever be remembered for her angelic vocals and for being one of the greatest singers of all time.

As the six-time Grammy-winner’s legacy continues, Houston’s family is placing an emphasis on her gospel roots through her new posthumous gospel album and documentary, I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston.

“Gospel was in her heart,” Houston’s brother, Gary Houston told NBC News, recalling their childhood. “We woke up to and went to sleep to gospel. She would sing exactly what she heard my mother and her siblings [sing]. No secular music. It was all gospel.”

Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney Houston’s estate, is proud of the message of faith and hope presented in the two projects that salute Houston’s foundation in gospel, a genre that was an influential mark on both her life and career, even as she moved into secular music.

“You heard the innocence of her voice,” Pat said. “You could see where she started and how she ended up with all her hits throughout her career. Any song is a great song of Whitney Houston’s. You heard her gospel roots all wrapped up in her music.”

The album features 14 tracks of songs from soundtracks including “Jesus Loves Me” from The Bodyguard, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” from Sparkle, in addition to “I Go to the Rock” and “Joy to the World” from The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack. As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the project features six unreleased tracks that include the song “Testimony,” which was released ahead of the complete album.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Whitney Houston (@whitneyhouston)

“We’re doing this all through Whitney’s lens,” Pat said, referring to the Easter project Houston always wanted to do.

“Hopefully one could have peace and knowing that Whitney Houston was a woman of God,” Pat added, with hopes that fans find closure through the documentary. “No one is really exempt from the harsh realities of the world. She certainly understood that. But Whitney expressed her love for God. She knew where her strength was coming from and she showed it throughout the documentary.”

Both projects were released on March 24. The documentary, hosted by CeCe Winans, aired on UPtv and AspireTV and will be available on DVD.

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 28, 2023

Triggered: Niecy Nash Gets Emotional About Nashville Mass Shooting And Remembers Late Brother, ‘We’re Losing Our Way’

---

Niecy Nash couldn’t hold back her emotion while speaking on the mass shooting in Nashville on Monday that took the lives of three children and three adults.

The Emmy-winning actress took to TikTok on the same day as the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville to send her prayers and share her heartbreak over the tragedy. The latest mass school shooting comes 30 years after Nash lost her brother to a school shooting back in 1993.

“In 1993, my only brother was killed on his high school campus because somebody brought a gun to school,” she said through tears.

“It’s 2023, and there [are] babies who will never make it home to see their parents.”

@niecynash_💔💔💔♬ original sound – Niecy Nash

“And those parents will forever be in a space where they’re like, ‘What was the last thing I said? What was the last lunch I made? What was their last thought [or] experience? Did they call out for me?'” she continued.

The Claws star urged for more attention on the safety of children than the current political controversy in Tennessee surrounding drag queens.

“These are the wrong things. It’s the wrong thing, and it is indeed the wrong time. We are losing our way,” Nash said.

“Some political groups are so focused on the wrong thing that our children are dying. And there ain’t no coming back from that… Not even a little bit.”

Nash ended her emotional plea by sending her prayers to those directly affected by Monday’s mass shooting.

“I am so sorry. And my prayers go out to those families, ’cause it’s a pain that I don’t wish on nobody,” she said. “School is the one place where children should be safe. Now, they’ll be safe getting on an airplane. But school? That’s another thing. And it shouldn’t be.”

Nash’s brother was shot to death at Reseda High School in Reseda, CA on Feb. 22, 1993, People reported. In response, Nash’s mother Margaret Ensley founded Mothers Against Violence in Schools (MAVIS) in which the actress remains an active member.

The gunman of the Nashville shooting was identified as Audry Hale, 28, who purchased seven firearms legally, despite being under care for an emotional disorder, CNN reported.

Tiffany Haddish confirmed her relationship with Bitcoin investor Marvin Jones after photographers caught the pair kissing in Los Angeles.

The Girls Trip star was photographed sharing a lingering kiss with Jones over the weekend following a brunch date in Studio City, The Daily Mail reported. The pair were casually dressed, with Haddish sporting a gray hoodie, black leggings, and sneakers while Jones wore a black hoodie and shorts.

The kiss comes after Haddish and Jones have attended public events together in recent months. In January, the pair posed for photos together at the Sundance Film Festival.

It’s the first confirmed romance for Haddish since she parted ways with rapper/actor Common in December 2021, Us Weekly reported. The pair had been going strong for over a year after going public in 2020.

They met while filming The Kitchen in 2019 before quarantining together following a virtual date the following year. At the time, Haddish described the then-budding romance as “hands down the best relationship” she had ever been in.

“So then we’re, like, FaceTiming all the time and then he got tested for everything,” she said on the Wild Ride! With Steve-O podcast. “I got tested for everything. And yeah, we’ve been f–king.”

However, after one year of dating, the pair confirmed their split, with Haddish saying the breakup was “mutual.”

“It probably was the most mature relationship I have been in … meaning the communication, the respect, just all around,” he said on Hollywood Unlocked With Jason Lee Uncensored.

The Oscar-award-winning rapper/actor credited their busy schedules for the split.

“It really didn’t allow for us to spend as much time and put as much energy into our relationship,” he explained. “I don’t think the love really dispersed … [but] we weren’t feeding the relationship. … Neither one of us is gonna stop.”

Haddish responded to his comments a few weeks later saying Common might not be the type to really settle down.

“He might be the type of person that never really settles with somebody, maybe he’s like, you know, like a bee going from flower to flower to flower,” she said on Hollywood Unlocked Uncensored with Jason Lee. I don’t know. I wish him nothing but joy and happiness, you know. He will always be cool.”

Common is currently linked to Jennifer Hudson. The two have been sparking romance rumors since filming their upcoming flick Breathe.

• News

by Booker Jones

March 28, 2023

California Woman Settles $10 Million Lawsuit After Being Shot by Police Beanbag Left Her Partially Blind

---

In 2020, Leslie Furcron filed a lawsuit against the city of La Mesa, CA after she was hit with a beanbag round fired by a police officer during a protest. The incident left Furcron partially blind. Recently, Furcron settled with the city for $10 million. 

According to The San Diego Tribune, the incident resulted in headaches so severe that she dropped out of college. The report added that the 61-year-old is happy with the outcome of the lawsuit, but she doubts she’ll experience the normalcy that she was once accustomed to. 

“I wish that it had never happened,” Furcron said to The Tribune. “I thank God that I’m living, but not every day is a good day for me.”

The report added that Furcron will need reconstructive surgery to seal the hole the beanbag left in her skull and that she will never have vision in her left eye. 

Despite the incident leaving her blind, Furcron said she doesn’t regret protesting police brutality. 

“I’d do it again,” Furcron said to The Tribune. “Because I’m not OK with police brutality. I have a voice. I have a First Amendment right.”

Erick Knudson, a former detective with La Mesa Police Department shot a beanbag during George Floyd protests on May 30, 2020, the report read. 

In addition to protesting the murder of Floyd, La Mesa residents were also protesting the arrest of Amaurie Johnson, in which an officer allegedly pushed Johnson, a woman, onto a concrete bench, The Tribune reported. 

Furcron’s lawsuit alleged that Knudson violated her First Amendment right to protest, The Tribune said. 

Although Furcron walked away with a win, neither San Diego County’s District Attorney nor the La Mesa Police Department admitted Knudson’s wrongdoing. The county decided not to file charges against Knudson before sending a 25-page letter to La Mesa’s police chief, saying Knudson did violate his duties as a police officer. 

“Detective Knudson believed Ms. Furcron had thrown a rock. He was incorrect. Ms. Furcron threw a can, but his belief was not unreasonable given the totality of circumstances the officers were dealing with over several hours of protesting and rioting where they were subject to rocks being thrown at them continuously,” the letter read, according to The Tribune. 

• Media

by Stacy Jackson

March 28, 2023

Gayle to the Rescue! CNN Settling Deal For Primetime Show With Gayle King As Network Ratings Take A Hit

---

CNN is facing the lowest ratings the network has seen in decades, and its solution is CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King.

The network is reportedly finalizing an arrangement for the broadcast journalist to host a primetime show with former NBA star Charles Barkley. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, CEO Chris Licht is doing everything he can to reverse the downfall in the network’s viewership, and finalizing a deal with King is a major target.

Sources reported that the slide in ratings comes amid the firing of Chris Cuomo in December 2021, who hosted his show at 9 PM during one of the most competitive time slots on cable news. The position has been filled with temporary hosts for the time being.

People reported that King discussed her future with CBS and the possibility of a move to CNN during the 2023 Adweek Convergent TV Summit in New York.

“I’m very close to [CNN head] Chris Licht. I like him very much, but on that question, ‘Me no speak English,'” King stated, according to an Adweek story published on March 22. “Let’s just say I have two years left on my contract with CBS, and I have no intention of leaving CBS.” Barkley said he is only considering the deal for one reason. “I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle,” he told The New York Post.

Although the duo wouldn’t be the typical choice, Licht isn’t against taking a different approach to the nighttime slot. Reportedly, CNN has been in communication with various names to fill the slot throughout the week. Other plans include using the time for special events, town halls, and major interviews with CNN correspondents.

Licht is no stranger to King, as the CNN CEO worked with the television personality as executive producer of CBS This Morning, which she has recently renewed her contract for the CBS show.

Actress Jodie Turner-Smith is opening up about motherhood and how her biracial daughter helped “heal” her feelings about colorism.

Turner-Smith shares her toddler daughter with actor Joshua Jackson. The Hollywood couple have been going strong since meeting at Usher’s birthday party in 2018, People reported.

They tied the knot a year later and went on to welcome their daughter Janie in April 2020. As their little girl approaches her 3rd birthday, the British film star is speaking on how “different” her daughter’s life will be compared to how it was for her Black mother and white father.

“She is going to have a completely different experience in the world than I did, because I have given birth to a mixed-race girl,” Turner-Smith told Elle UK.

The Queen & Slim star has been open about how quickly she fell for Jackson after having a one-night stand on the night they met. But she didn’t always expect to start a family with a Caucasian man.

Turner-Smith admitted she had initial hopes of welcoming a child with a Black man.

“It’s interesting because I had a lot of resistance to becoming a mother and, throughout my life, I always said if I were to have children, I wanted to have Black, Black babies so that I could affirm them as children with the love that I felt I needed to have been affirmed with by the outside world,” she explained.

But after falling in love with Jackson, Turner-Smith’s views on interracial relationships and biracial children completely changed.

“To decide not to have a child with somebody you love, just because they’re white, was insane to me,” she said.

“But, at the same time I did have this mini pause, where I was like, ‘She’s going to be walking through the world not only having an experience that I did not have, but looking like people that, in a way, I’d always felt a little bit tormented by.'”

Now that Turner-Smith is raising a biracial daughter that she brought into the world, the White Noise star had a change of heart.

“Now that I’ve got this little, tiny, light-skinned boss, I feel like it’s the universe teaching me lessons,” she said.

“I’ve been given a daughter who looks this way to heal my own conversations around colorism.”