Happy Birthday Denese Brown

I just wanted to wish one of my favorite people on the planet a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AND MANY, MANY MORE. I hope and pray that God grant you the desires of your heart. It's nice to have a sister that's always looking out for you. Thank you for being there. Love you much!

DR. OZ WELCOMES 'BEAUTIFUL GRANDDAUGHTER!

Daphne Oz is first-time mom, and Dr. Oz is a first-time grandpa! Mehmet Oz's eldest daughter welcomed her first child with husband John Jovanovic on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in New York, her rep confirmed to Us Weekly. PHOTOS: Celebrity pregnancies The 28-year-old Chew host and investment fund analyst Jovanovic, who wed in August 2010, announced they were expecting back in September. Their daughter arrived at 10:03 p.m., weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz., and is 20.5 inches long. Grandpa Oz wasted no time meeting his first grandchild. "My daughter @DaphneOz delivered her first child!" he tweeted Thursday, Feb. 27. "I'm holding my beautiful granddaughter now. Thank you for all the well-wishes & prayers!"

SPOTLIGHT: Lupita Amondi Nyong'o

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (born 1 March 1983) is a Mexican actress, Of Kenyan descent film director, and music video director. She made her American film debut in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) as Patsey, for which she received critical acclaim. For her role Nyong'o won the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

ASHTON KUTCHER AND MILA KUNIS ARE ENGAGED, REPORT SAYS

After months of rumors, Mila Kunis was spotted shopping on Thursday in Los Angeles sporting a giant rock on her ring finger. E! is reporting that the bauble is indeed an engagement ring because Mila said yes. Ashton and Mila have been dating for approximately two years. It will be the first walk down the aisle for the actress and the second for Ashton. He was previously wed to Demi Moore.

BOBBY'S OSCAR PICKS

The country is in an uproar over who will take home an Academy Award this year. This is the first time I can remember that the Academy did it right with whom they chose to honor. The 86th annual Academy Awards will air at 7 p.m. EST Sunday on ABC. The list of nine Best Picture nominees showcases how impressive the film industry was over the past 12 months. The artistry, subject matter, stories and performances that make up these hopefuls are some of the best ever captured on film. Best Picture nominees include “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena,” “12 Years A Slave” and “The Wolf Of Wall Street.” “12 Years A Slave” illustrates the power of the human spirit. My pick would be 12 Years A Slave Up for Best Actress this year with Bullock are Amy Adams (“American Hustle”), Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”), Judi Dench (“Philomena”) and Meryl Streep (“August: Osage County”). I’m going with Amy Adams for her role in American Hustle, Her body of work could warrant her the win, as Oscar voters tend to look beyond the nominated role when handing out Academy Awards. For Best Actor Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale (“American Hustle”), Bruce Dern (“Nebraska”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf Of Wall Street”) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years A Slave”). Matthew McConaughey has Best Actor in the bag for “Dallas Buyers Club. Best Supporting Actress nominees, including Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), Jennifer Lawrence (“American Hustle”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years A Slave”), Julia Roberts (“August: Osage County”) and June Squibb (“Nebraska”). Lupita Nyong’o will win. Supporting Actors are Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”), Bradley Cooper (“American Hustle”), Michael Fastbender (“12 Years A Slave”), Jonah Hill (“The Wolf Of Wall Street”) and Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”). Leto was amazing, and will win! WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN?

'Friends' Star Lisa Kudrow Loses $1.6 Million Lawsuit

A verdict has been reached in the civil lawsuit filed against Lisa Kudrow by her former manager, who claims he is owed residuals from her days on "Friends." A 10-2 decision was reached in favor of Scott Howard, who was Kudrow's manager from 1991 to 2007, saying the actress was liable for breach of contract, KABC reports. The jury awarded the plaintiff $1.6 million for past and future economic losses. The legal dispute began in 2008, a year after they parted ways, when Howard, sued Kudrow for refusing to pay him more than $50,000 in fees from her earnings. Howard claimed in court last week that in 1991, the two made an oral agreement that Howard would receive a 10 percent cut of Kudrow's income she obtained or performed while he was her manager.. He added that when he and Kudrow split after 16 years of working together, the actress stopped paying him. He argued that Kudrow owes him a percentage of what she earns on "Friends" reruns and other projects. In a statement, Kudrow’s attorney Gerald Sauer said, "The jury’s verdict is merely one step in the legal process. This case ultimately will be resolved at the appellate level. Ms. Kudrow has faith in the judicial system, and she believes that the eventual outcome of this contractual dispute will be in her favor." In a statement of his own, Scott Howard’s attorney Mark Baute countered, "What generally happens now with unsophisticated actress clients is they overpay for filing a frivolous appeal that has no chance for success. The verdict is rock solid, and we look forward to collecting 10 percent, 16,000 dollars a month, in post-judgment interest while their frivolous appeal is pending. We will collect that interest for two years, which is how long it will take for the Court of Appeal to affirm this jury's righteous verdict." In court documents, Kudrow had claimed she had "no obligation to pay Howard" a commission after the two ended their professional partnership. Attorneys for Kudrow countered that Howard was the actress's manager, not her agent, and thus is not entitled to a commission. Kudrow, 50, starred from 1994 through 2004 as Phoebe on "Friends." She began the show as one of the lowest-paid actresses among the show's six stars – earning $13,500 per episode. Starting in 2004, Kudrow earned over $1 million for each of the show's final 18 episodes. ABC News'

God's Amazing Grace!

God is good, and it's because of his Amazing grace that brings us through our ups and downs. Mountains and Valleys! He didn't say that the journey would be easy. On the contrary, he said love them that curse you, love then that persecute you. So he warned us that we would not always have it easy. Always remember to LOVE YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT!
To purchase download go to:
Amazon

Great review of this recording:
http://www.theblackgospelblog.com/2010/08/amazing-grace-bobby-hardy.html

Jim Lange, 'The Dating Game' host, dies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," dead at 81. He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday. Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin. He also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants. Even a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Farrah Fawcett appeared on the program, introduced as "an accomplished artist and sculptress" with a dream to open her own gallery. The show's format: a young man or woman questions three members of the opposite sex, hidden from view, to determine which one would be the best date. The questions were designed by the show's writers to elicit sexy answers. "I've never been out on a date before. What do two kids like us do on a date?" a teenage Michael Jackson asked one of his potential dates on a 1972 episode of the show. "Well, we'd have fun," the girl answered. "We'd go out to dinner, and then I'd go over to your house." Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where at 15 he discovered a passion for local radio after winning an audition at a local station. "They wanted a boy and a girl," he said in a 1992 interview with the Bay Area Radio Digest. "They wanted the boy to do sports and the girl to do the dances and stuff that was going on in the Twin Cities — very sexist — and play music once a week." He hosted that show for two years before attending the University of Minnesota and doing a three-year stint in the Marines, according to the Bay Area Radio Museum. His big break on network TV came in 1962 when he was made an announcer and sidekick on "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show." Later, after "The Dating Game" brought him national recognition, he also hosted the game shows "Hollywood Connection," ''$100,000 Name That Tune" and "The New Newlywed Game." Lang also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s. "As much as he's known for his television work, his real love was radio," his wife said. "He loved doing local radio, especially before it was computerized." Lange himself once told the Bay Area Radio Digest that his favorite aspect of the medium was that "you don't have to worry about lighting directors and cameramen or script writers and all that." "Good radio is still the most fun," he said, "It always will be. Plus, you don't have to wear makeup and you don't have to shave." Lange is survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren. Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this story,

The Restaurant Guy, a plate of goodness!

I did not want to stop reading this book. It was like drinking an expensive bottle of Merlot. Fantastic book, fantastic people. Noel is the best restaurant guy around, and you really need to hear some of his stories from back in the day, and I promise you won't be bored... I couldn't wait for the next page to start. Noel Stein knows the restaurant business like noone else. An exceptional raconteur, he gives the reader an inside look of how restaurants operate and packs the book with great gossipy tidbits about everyone from Hugh Hefner to Bill Cosby. This book should be made into a movie.

Marina del Rey to get a modern makeover

The marina remain trapped in era when kitschy nautical and Polynesian themes were in vogue. Now county planners are pushing to make it relevant once more. But some older parts of the marina can feel like an anachronism. Wood-shingled buildings sit empty behind caution tape on Panay Way. Water drips over the buzz of a freezer at a neglected ice cream shop hidden inside Fisherman's Village. The county's new planning document for Marina del Rey acknowledges that the area's architecture and infrastructure is "dated" and said a key goal is to "create a vibrant destination." All of the marina's restaurants, retail and other attractions are on L.A. County-owned land, with merchants operating on long-term leases. Consequently, government officials can play a major role in the future look of the area. The vision statement is expected to guide the county's lease negotiations in the coming years. More than a third of the marina's leases are set to expire over the next decade, and officials can demand that lessees revamp their property to match the new plans. For some longtime business owners, deciding exactly how to modernize is a struggle. More than 40 years after it opened, fishing nets still form a tangled web over the weathered wharf posts that stand at the entrance to the Warehouse. Inside the restaurant's dimly lit waiting area, faded pictures framed by tiki wood show people from around the world holding up the restaurant's menu and grinning in their straw hats and oversized sunglasses. The drinks come with stirrers made to look like tiny mermaids. Owner Marti Spencer said that the restaurant was a hot spot for first dates in its heyday, but "it was a time and place that I don't think will probably ever exist again." Today the Warehouse still has loyal customers, most of them older. Spencer said she knows she needs "to appeal to the young." But Spencer said the restaurant's lease expires in 2022 — and she wondered how management can balance the needs of longtime clients and new diners. "It is what it is. It's an old warehouse, and all we do is refurbish the furniture. The structure as it stands is how it was originally built," she said. "How much can you really change the Warehouse without the public that has grown up with the restaurant saying, 'Oh you took that away, or changed that?'"

X-Factor BOOTED by FOX

It's official. Fox has decided to cancel The X Factor after three seasons. The network announced it's decision on February 7. Though the original X Factor has been a solid hit in the U.K. for years, the show never quite caught on when Simon Cowell tried to make the jump across the pond. All three seasons saw fairly low ratings, with this most recent season's numbers coming in particularly low. "I've had a fantastic time over the last 12 years, both on The X Factor and American Idol," Simon said in a statement. "And apart from being lucky enough to find some amazing talent on the shows, I have always had an incredible welcome from the American public (most of the time!)." Up next, the music mogul is heading back to his homeland. "Last year, for a number of reasons, I had to make a decision to return to the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2014. So for now, I'm back to the U.K. and I want to thank FOX for being an incredible partner and I also want to thank everybody who has supported my shows. America, I’ll see you soon!

Robin Thicke Thanks his FANS for their support!

Robin Thicke is thanking his fans for their support following his separation from his wife and canceled tour dates. The "Blurred Lines" singer said that he'd like to "thank everyone for the well wishes these last few days." Thicke and Paula Patton announced they are separating after nine years of marriage. They have a 3-year-old son, and Patton was the inspiration behind much of Thicke's music and appeared in some of his videos. Thicke was set to kick off his tour last week, but he canceled the first two dates because he lost his voice. He also canceled Tuesday's show in Cherokee, N.C., due to "unforeseen circumstances." The 36-year-old says in his post he's looking forward to Thursday's show in Washington, D.C. Patton and Thicke began dating at a young age and were married in 2005. In recent months, their marriage was plagued by rumors of Thicke's infidelity. He was photographed multiple times spending time in nightclubs with other women. The couple stated that their separation was a mutual decision. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jan Brewer Announces Veto Of Arizona Anti-Gay Bill SB 1062

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced her decision to veto legislation on Wednesday that would have allowed businesses to legally refuse service to anyone on "religious freedom" grounds, effectively allowing them to discriminate against same-sex couples. Brewer said the bill had "the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve." "Senate Bill 1062 does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona," she said. "I have not heard one example where business owners' religious liberty has been violated." The state legislature passed the bill, known as SB 1062, last week. But in recent days, it has come under intense criticism from activists, lawmakers and business interests both in Arizona and nationally. The state's two Republican senators, Jeff Flake and John McCain, called on Brewer to veto it, and major corporations like Marriott, Apple and American Airlines all wrote to the governor and expressed their opposition. Businesses in the Phoenix area were also especially worried, with the Super Bowl set to be held in Glendale, Ariz. in 2015. On Monday, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee came out against SB 1062, stating,

We have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential. We do not support this legislation." Arizona hasn't been the only state pushing a bill that would allow open discrimination against same-sex couples; similar bills have been popping up in states including Tennessee, Kansas, South Dakota and Maine.