Michael B. Jordan is single and ready to mingle.

The Black Panther star jokingly addressed his highly publicized split from Lori Harvey while hosting Saturday Night Live over the weekend – and admitted he’s now on the dating app Raya.

The actor told the story during his opening monologue as he reflected on directing his first feature film, Creed lll.

“But right after that, I went through my very first public breakup,” Jordan said, referencing his split from Steve Harvey’s daughter last June.

“Most people after a breakup are like, ‘I’m going to get in better shape.’ But I was already in Creed shape. So I had to be like, ‘All right, I guess I’ll learn a new language.’”

Jordan then said, “Anyway, estoy en Raya.”

SNL cast members Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Punkie Johnson then joined him on stage, each shooting their shot with handsome actor.

“I was just taking a walk around the studio, and I just threw this on,” Nwodim, who donned a frilly wedding dress, exclaimed.

“Oh my God, Is this a wedding dress? I guess we could technically get married now then, huh?”

“That’s not how that works,” Jordan shot back, with Nwodim quipping back, “Aww, our first fight. Makeup sex?”

Jordan and Harvey began dating in fall 2020. The couple split after less than two years together.

Harvey also confirmed the pair broke up on his morning radio show last summer.

“Look, as long as everyone can walk away in peace, be friends … I ain’t heard nobody say they busted no windows or nothing,” he said at the time, implying that the relationship ended amicably. “As long as you don’t put your hands on my daughter, I don’t give a damn what you do.”

“He’s still a cool guy, you know, from what I know,” Harvey said of Jordan. “It’s a breakup. I’m pretty sure they’ll be fine. People break up all the time.”

Candace Parker chose to leave the Chicago Sky for the same reason she joined the team in 2021 — to go home.

The Naperville native and two-time WNBA champion on Saturday announced her decision to sign with the Las Vegas Aces as a free agent. In an Instagram post, she cited her family as her primary decision for returning closer to the West Coast.

“My family is my reason and my purpose,” Parker, 36, wrote. “They have given me the greatest joys I’ve ever experienced and continue to show me new levels of love and devotion I never knew existed. … While Chicago will always be my home, my family’s home is on the west coast.”

 

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A post shared by Candace Parker (@candaceparker)

Parker will sign a one-year contract with the Aces when free agents are cleared to sign beginning Wednesday, according to ESPN.

When Parker came home to Chicago in 2021 after spending the first 13 seasons of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks, she unlocked the final piece of a championship-seeking puzzle alongside stars Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper. After leading an unlikely 16-16 team to a WNBA title in 2021, Parker returned to cement a franchise-record 26-win season in 2022.

Parker wowed her hometown crowd, earning back-to-back All-Star appearances in her two seasons with the Sky. She is a seven-time All-Star and two-time WNBA MVP.

“When I made the decision to go to Chicago in 2021, I made the decision to go home and be with my family in the place where it all began,” Parker wrote. “I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to win a championship in my hometown and parade down the same streets I watched the Bulls parade down as a young girl first falling in love with the game of basketball.”

Center Emma Meesseman and backup guard Julie Allemand are also uncertain to re-sign with the Sky while Azurá Stevens continues to garner interest throughout the league as a versatile stretch big. The loss of Parker leaves a gaping hole in the frontcourt, making the Sky’s negotiations with Stevens a priority.

“Candace has done so much for our franchise in her time here,” Sky coach/general manager James Wade said in a statement. “I understand her reasons for wanting to be closer with her immediate family. We wish her nothing but the best. She will always be a part of the Sky family. We will celebrate her time here as she deserves.”

For Chicago, Parker’s two years symbolized the realization of a decades-long battle for a foothold in the WNBA.

“I’m forever appreciative of everyone in Chicago — our fans, teammates, coaches, and ownership,” Parker wrote. “But more than the past two seasons, I’m thankful to the city that raised me, the childhood friends I still have to this day, the teachers I still am learning from, and the moments in time that will forever be in my heart.”

Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills defensive back who went into cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game on Jan. 2 and narrowly avoided death thanks to a swift medical response, spoke publicly for the first time since his on-field collapse shocked millions of viewers.

In a video posted on social media on Saturday night, Hamlin, who was discharged from a Buffalo hospital on Jan. 11, said that he had waited until the Bills had finished their season and until he had made further progress in his recovery to speak. “It was just a lot to process within my own self, mentally, physically, even spiritually,” he said.

A special message from our guy @HamlinIsland. ❤️💙#LoveForDamar | #ForDamar pic.twitter.com/YF28bzeLJA

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 28, 2023

In the video, Hamlin said he was thankful that his medical emergency had unexpectedly provided him with an opportunity to make a difference.

“What happened to me on ‘Monday Night Football,’ I feel, is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world,” he said. “And I’m able to give it back to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most, and that’s always been my dream. That’s always been what I stood for and what I will continue to stand for.”

He offered no details on his condition, but he appeared to be speaking and walking without issue, and Hamlin’s doctors have said he has shown no signs of neurological deficits. Hamlin has posted on social media over the last three weeks, but this was the first time since his hospitalization that he had spoken to the public on camera.

Hamlin’s medical emergency, which occurred during the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, led to an outpouring of support. More than 200,000 people donated more than $9 million to a toy drive Hamlin had previously established on a GoFundMe page. A representative for Hamlin has said the money will go to Hamlin’s charitable foundation.

Hamlin, 24, made what appeared to be a routine tackle in the game in Cincinnati in early January, after which he stood up briefly and then collapsed to the turf. As it became apparent that Hamlin’s condition was dire, doctors, athletic trainers and emergency personnel worked to save his life. He received CPR and was rushed to a Cincinnati hospital, where he spent nearly a week in the intensive care unit. He was later transported to a hospital in Buffalo.

Dr. Timothy A. Pritts, the chief of the section of general surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where Hamlin was treated, has said that Hamlin “was dead” when he fell to the ground. The swift response by medical personnel helped save Hamlin’s life during his cardiac arrest, a condition in which every minute counts.

In the video, which is nearly six minutes long, Hamlin rattled off a long list of thanks for the medical staff who had treated him, naming at least 20 doctors and other professionals from the Bills staff and the hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo. He also thanked his family, fellow players, Bills fans, the Bengals, the N.F.L. and children who had sent him letters of support.

Ye, formerly Kanye West, is in big trouble after getting into a verbal altercation with a woman and throwing her phone on the street after she wouldn’t stop recording him.

According to a TMZ report, published on Friday, Jan. 27, Ye, is now named a suspect in a battery investigation with deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in California. This is after Ye got into a shouting match with a woman while on his way to his children’s basketball game. The altercation was captured on video.

Kanye snatched paparazzi’s phone and chucked it into the street 😭 pic.twitter.com/mwqVJD4MWk

— Bobbalam News | Hip-Hop News (@Bobbalamnews) January 28, 2023

In the clip, Ye confronted the woman and questioned her for filming him in addition to invading his privacy. “Ya’ll ain’t gonna run up on me,” he told her as continued to film him with her phone. After exchanging more words, the Chicago rapper-producer grabbed her phone and threw it out onto the street. Ye then confronted another person and demanded that he turn off his camera. The man obliged him and put down the camera.

It’s unclear if the woman in the video filed a police report against Kanye. However, police were reportedly called to the scene around 4:30 p.m. and were provided video evidence of the incident. The altercation apparently happened near a sports complex where North West was scheduled to play a basketball game.

In other Ye news, the reportedly married to Yeezy designer Bianca Censori. 

According to The Daily Mail, Censori’s sister asked members of the press to respect the privacy of the family. But, she did state that it was “very exciting news” to hear about the nuptials between the new couple.

Legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was shocked after finding that $12.7 million of his money had vanished from a local private investment business, presently under investigation for a significant fraud that occurred over a decade ago.

Now the Jamaican runner has fired his business manager, saying that it was not an amicable split.

“It’s tough you know, but I think through the years I’ve competed it has helped me to understand and focus on what matters,” Bolt told reporters on Friday, while speaking at the Gibson McCook Relays launch in Kingston where he was unveiled as the ambassador of the athletics meet, now in its 50th year.

“I will leave the matter in my lawyer’s hands and focus on my family, try not to think too much about it because it’s a stressful situation,” the 11-time world champion added.

Stocks and Securities Limited, a Jamaican stock broking company,  said in a Jan. 12 statement that it had become aware of fraudulent activity by a former employee and had referred the matter to law enforcement, adding it had taken steps to secure assets and strengthen protocols.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said its fraud and financial investigation teams were probing “alleged fraudulent activities at SSL which are said to have affected the accounts of Mr. Usain Bolt among other individuals.”

Nigel Clarke, the finance minister of Jamaica, announced the resignation of the director of the Financial Services Commission and the transfer of responsibility for managing the nation’s financial sector to the Bank of Jamaica.

Bolt retired in 2017 after dominating global sprinting for a decade, reviving a sport plagued by doping scandals and becoming a household name like Brazilian soccer great Pele and American boxing champion Muhammad Ali.

• News

by Booker Jones

January 29, 2023

A Jury Denies Lawsuit Filed by Family of 13-year-old Tyre King, Killed by White Ohio Cop

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A Columbus police officer has been acquitted in a federal case in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy in 2016.

According to AP news,  a verdict was delivered on Wednesday, Jan.25. A  jury ruled that Columbus police officer Bryan Mason did not violate Tyre King’s constitutional right to be free from unjustified deadly force.

Mason, who is white, shot and killed King, who was Black, on Sept. 14, 2016, after King and another teenager were involved in an armed robbery. During a foot chase, King pulled out a gun, which was later determined to be a BB gun, from his waistband. Mason shot King three times.

King’s grandmother, Dearrea King, filed the lawsuit on behalf of King’s estate in September 2018.

The lawsuit claimed Mason used excessive force when he shot King as he was running away. It also claimed a witness said he never saw King holding a gun, and that Mason used a racial slur after the shooting.

In a statement to detectives, Mason said he feared a “gun fight” with King and that Mason fired when he saw a laser sight on the BB gun. Mason also claimed that King refused Mason’s commands to “get down” and pulled at the BB gun in his waistband a few times as if it was stuck on something. Mason also denied using a racial slur.

A grand jury declined to indicate Mason on criminal charges in May 2017.

According to Wednesday’s ruling, Mason was found not to have “violated Tyre King’s constitutional right to be free from excessive force,” and Mason did not act “recklessly and battered Tyre King.”

The other teen involved in the armed robbery, Demetrius Emanuel Lee Braxton, pleaded guilty in November 2016 to robbery charges related to the shooting.

• News

by Booker Jones

January 29, 2023

HBCU Tennessee State University Earns Two Grammy Nominations

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Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands received some great news this week, adding to the school’s legacy.

On Tuesday, the Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 65th Grammy Awards and Tennessee State University appeared on the list two times.

According to AP news, the first nomination is for the marching band’s album The Urban Hymnal in the Best Roots Gospel Album category. The Urban Hymnal is a lively 10-song gospel album featuring gospel music powerhouses such as Jekalyn Carr, Fred Hammond and Kierra Sheard.

The Aristocrat of Bands received a second Grammy nomination for their collaboration on a spoken word single with artist J Ivy.

Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands is the first collegiate band in history to earn a Grammy nomination. Dr. Reginald McDonald, director of bands, said the nominations are a huge accomplishment for the university.

“This is a tremendous day in the history of our beloved Tennessee State University,”  Dr. McDonald said to AP news. “This is not just a band accolade, but a university-wide accomplishment. I personally appreciate our President, Dr. Glenda Glover’s vision for our University.”

Tammy Kernodle, a distinguished professor of music at Miami University spoke to AP on the importance of Black and HBCU bands. “

You went to the game not so much to see the football team as to see the band,” and the halftime show was “the moment where everything stopped,” Kernodle, who attended Virginia State University.

She added that HBCU marching bands are “the epicenter of student life, especially during football season.” “You went to the game not so much to see the football team as to see the band,” and the halftime show was “the moment where everything stopped.”

Even when there weren’t games, the drumline or horn sections practicing in the evenings formed the soundscape of university life, Kernodle said.

TSU student, Logyn Rylander, who said she almost cried when she first heard the album. She loves the way it blends old and new while staying true to the spirit and culture of TSU, where she is a music business major and saxophonist in the Aristocrat of Bands.

“Staying original, staying true to yourself: If I’m being fully honest, that’s what being an Aristocrat is about,” Rylander said.

“We don’t ever switch up what we’re doing because we see another school doing it. We always stay true to who we are. And that’s something the album has allowed us to represent on a global scale.”

“Even if we don’t win that Grammy, we know people saw what we can do,” she said. “I look forward to seeing what opportunities come knocking at our door. … Grammy or not, we’re still going to be the Aristocrats at the end of the day.”

The Grammys will take place on February 5, 2023, at Cypto.com arena in Los Angeles.

• Lifestyle

by Booker Jones

January 29, 2023

Virginia Taxpayers Spark Rage Over Nikole Hannah-Jones’ $33,350 Speaking Engagement

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A Virginia public library system is reportedly paying 1619 Project creator and anti-racist author Nikole Hannah-Jones over $35,000 dollars for an upcoming, hour-long speaking engagement.

According to the Fairfax County Times,  the hefty price tag amounted to $589 per minute of Hannah-Jones’ speech, where she will be speaking on themes from the 1619 Project.

A program agreement form provided to Hannah-Jones by the county noted the title of the event speech, “The 1619 Project – A New Origin Story.”

Some Fairfax residents were unhappy with Hannah-Jones appearance. Michael Albin, a member of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, called it a “misuse of public funds for propaganda programming.”

He added, “She’s invited to sabotage American history and ideals at a library talk, and when? … get this, on Presidents’ Day weekend, a patriotic national holiday. If that isn’t sabotage of our values, I don’t know what is.”

The Times noted that the combined payment amounts to “$57,850, or about the annual starting salary of about $54,421 for a librarian in Fairfax County.” The piece also claimed that last August, “library officials announced they were curtailing operating hours because of ‘ongoing staff recruitment challenges.’”

Hannah-Jones is most well known for her polarizing 1619 Project, a collection of essays published by The New York Times that insists that America’s founding history is steeped in more racism than has been traditionally taught.

One of the narratives established by the project is that the Revolutionary War was fought to protect and preserve the institution of slavery from the British crown.

Historians have heavily criticized the work over such claims, among others, though Hannah-Jones stands by it. She recently defended the controversial journalistic project during a Good Morning America interview on Wednesday.

After GMA host Robin Roberts  asked Hannah-Jones to sum up her work, the writer described it up in one work:, “Truth.”

The 1619 Project is now a six-episode program on Hulu. The first two episodes premiered on Jan. 26. The show is hosted by the project’s creator, Hannah-Jones, and it features some of the journalists and historians who contributed to the original 1619 Project.

Oprah Winfrey serves as the show’s executive producer. There’s also a talented team of producers and writers led by the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams.

• Celebrity News

by Booker Jones

January 28, 2023

Matt Barnes is Being Sued by Fiancée’s Ex-Husband Over Spitting Incident

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Matt Barnes’ feud with the ex-husband of his fiancée is reportedly headed to the courts.

David Patterson Jr., who was previously married to Barnes’ fiancée Anansa Sims, filed a lawsuit against Barnes in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday.

Patterson alleges the former NBA player committed battery, assault and emotional distress during an incident at last weekend’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys game, according to TMZ.

Video emerged of Barnes spitting on Patterson during a heated exchange earlier this week.

In his lawsuit, Patterson reportedly claims he was not aware Barnes would be attending the NFL divisional playoff game between the Niners and Cowboys on Sunday, but the two coincidentally ran into each other on a Levi’s Stadium concourse.

Patterson, who is reportedly seeking unspecified damages, alleges the two started yelling at each other from about 20 feet away, at which point Barnes allegedly walked up to him and spat in his face. He also claims multiple cell phone cameras captured the incident and that Barnes has harassed and threatened him repeatedly in the past.

Those claimed threats allegedly include text messages calling Patterson a “bitch,” “clown” and “fat f***” as well as one message in 2022 that said, “Pull up & get your ass whooped in front of your kids. I’m done talking.”

Matt Barnes got into it w his fiance’s ex outside the 49ers game Sunday. Matt spits on him.
Matt says guys been harassing him. MB filed for restraining order Tues. Ex “hunted me down & aggressively confronted me”. Matt also says the ex once threatened to shoot him w his “Glock” pic.twitter.com/Q7UgEhlP9V

— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) January 25, 2023

Barnes, a host of the popular “All the Smoke” podcast with fellow ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson, was granted a temporary restraining order against Patterson after claiming that basically the opposite sequence of events occurred.

According to TMZ, Barnes alleged Patterson has been harassing him over the past few months, at one point threatening to shoot him with a gun, and “hunted” him down during the Niners game. It was only after Patterson “aggressively confronted” him and allegedly shoved him that Barnes claims he spit at Patterson, whom he claims has been “trying to bait me to damage my reputation and hurt my career.”

Under the temporary restraining order, Patterson is reportedly required to have no contact with Barnes and stay 100 yards away from him. He has also been ordered to have no firearms.

The temporary restraining order will reportedly run through Feb. 16, at which point a hearing is scheduled to determine if Barnes should receive a permanent restraining order.

Barnes himself has received a temporary restraining order in the past over the situation, as Patterson’s girlfriend  alleged last October that he was mistreating Patterson’s three older children with Sims. He has also had disputes with Sims, with whom he later reconciled, and his ex-wife.