The Charm School ladies forgot all
of their "charm" and Mo's "life
lessons on TV last night.
Unfortunately, it was a poor
representation of the purpose of the
television show. Equally as
unfortunate was Mo'Nique's
confrontation with Larissa and her
mother (who was the guy that ran up
on the stage?). Mo'Nique
attempted to bring some calm to her
"running up on Larissa", but it was
a sad moment for women of color.
Why, since reporting on the Flavor
of Love installments, there's been
entertainment, but there has been
irresponsible behavior on all
parties. From the reality show
participants to the network.
However, we all are responsible for
being considerate of others and
tempering our emotions.
Mo' lost her cool with Larissa.
Shay got baited into a silly and
incomprehensible debate with Larissa
and Saaphyri. Becky and
Brooke. (I don't know where to begin
with them; what's up with Becky's
two new friends!)
For one shining moment, Saaphyri did
demonstrate some class and dignity
in her segment. Poor LaLa.
Always in the midst of the battles.
The cursing and over dramatics must
end. I hope that the next I
Love New York and Charm School will
be..., just forget it.
Flavor Flav, Chuck D., and PE
performed at the Essence Music Festival this weekend in
New Orleans. PE had drums, guitars, and a bass
accompanying them with their DeeJay. Chuck D.
dropped some knowledge on the crowd giving them some
history of rap and music.
June 25, 2007
-- A state judge has ruled that rapper Flavor Flav has
to cough up $1.8 million to a neighbor he allegedly shot
at 10 years ago in their Bronx apartment building.
But the TV star's lawyer plans to
appeal this week, charging that Judge Dianne Renwick had
no business handling the case because she's married to
Bronx DA Robert Johnson, who tried but failed to put
Flav behind bars for the shooting a decade ago.
"Her actions were retaliatory because her husband lost a
series of cases to Flav," said attorney Charles Johnson,
who is godfather to two of Flav's kids and is not
related to the current Bronx DA.
Renwick had verbally recused herself
in January to "avoid the appearance of impropriety," but
that could've sent the case back to square one. She did
an about-face in writing recently after reviewing
previous case law.
In an eight-page decision, Renwick
noted a similar case in which a civil court judge wasn't
forced to step off the bench in a case that involved a
man whom the judge himself, as a former prosecutor, had
once pressed criminal charges against.
Flav, whose real name is William
Drayton, allegedly shot at Thelouizs English at
Executive Towers, the Bronx apartment building where
both lived, in 1993. It's just a few blocks from Bronx
Supreme Court, where the civil case is pending. Flav -
a member of the politically conscious hip-hop group
Public Enemy who fell out of the public eye but now has
his own VH1 reality TV show, "Flavor of Love" - faced
attempted-murder and other charges.
He was convicted in 1995 of criminal
possession of a weapon and sentenced to two months in
jail and three years of probation, court documents show.
The following year, English, a social
worker, filed an assault-and-battery civil suit against
Flav, notifying the performer about the action by having
a process server drop the papers off with a doorman of
their building.
Flav never responded, later claiming
he hadn't received the papers.
A default judgment of $850,000 was
issued against him in 1997 for civil assault and battery
- $350,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in
punitive damages.
Flav had few assets then anyway, by
all accounts. "At that point, it was post-Public Enemy
days, but pre-reality-TV days," said a lawyer for
English, Corey Kupfer. "He's obviously making some money
now." With interest over 10 years, English's
lawyers say the amount has risen to a whopping $1.8
million, while Flav's lawyer estimates the sum to be
$1.4 million.
