VH-1 has renewed another season of “What Chili Wants”.  That’s great but my problem is: why didn’t they wait until after the first season ending to make the announcement?  So now we all know even after watching Chili walk off into the sunset with the guy she picked – it won’t work out.  Way to go VH-1.

Serena Williams set the tennis world on its ear with her racy black and red LACE tennis dress.  Oh but sista girl didn’t stop there.  Underneath the dress the sported flesh colored skin tight shorts.  So when her dress flew up during the course of a game, it looked like she was mooning everyone.  It literally looked like her butt was exposed. It was just WAYYYY too much.

Jermaine Dupri and The Brat are still close despite what you heard.  She had a weekend pass from jail and went to see him in the studio.  She said she makes windows in jail. When she gets out she said she will make windows, music, movies and whatever she can get her hands on.  She said she “loves her fans to def.  So So Def, that is.”

50 Cent has lost around 50 pounds for his new movie that he wrote and produced.  He was on a liquid diet for 9 weeks and exercised 3 hours a day.  He will play a cancer patient.  He looks very scary and unhealthy.  I pray this movie wins some type of award because if he did all this for nothing, then that would be tragic.

Ellen has decided to go into the music business.  Why? I have no clue.  Her label is called eleveneleven.  Her first artist is a 12 year old named Greyson Chance.  She discovered him on YouTube playing Lady GaGa’s “Paparazzi” on the piano.

Rumor has it that there is beef between Ciera and Keri Hilson.  Ciera said that she hasn’t been I the studio the  way that she should have been.  She said that she was too busy walking on the red carpets instead of being in the studio.  She’s trying to make sure that Miss Keri Baby doesn’t knock her out the game.

Rihanna paid a personal trainer $26,000 in advance and is suing for services NOT rendered.  Now the trainer is countersuing saying that Rihanna actually owes her $26,000.  My question is: who pays trainers in advance?

“American Idol” ended its 10^th season with Simon Cowell leaving the show.  This was the biggest season finale ever and I just couldn’t find anything wrong with it so I have my Good, Better and Best moments from the show.

Good: All of the “American Idol” winners from all seasons except David Cook  were there.  There were also many that made the top 10 that came back to perform but Adam Lambert was missing from that crew.  It was great to see all the familiar faces up there singing together.

Better: Janet Jackson performed.  She looked incredibly sexy sporting a new cropped cut hair do and a black cat suit.  She was hot to death.  She was actually singing and not whispering.  She even performed “Nasty” and danced.  Some people wondered if she was wearing butt pads though because her gluteus maximus was extremely maximum.

Best: Bret Michels was the surprise performance.  When he came out I almost cried.  He is the picture of inspiration and strength.  Just seeing him lets you know that God IS still in control and it wasn’t his time yet. Bret is still working keeping up with his appearances in spite of still being in pain and under doctors’ orders.  That was the icing on the cake.

Questions? Comments? Gossip?
E-mail me at patriciaj@inknewsonline.com

Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Much to your spouse’s chagrin, you can’t remember your anniversary.

When asked, you can rattle off your phone number if you think about it first. Your birthdate is an easy one, but your kids’?  Not so much.

Now, your favorite baseball player’s batting average, you know that. And your team’s league standing? Piece o’ cake.

If you’re a die-hard baseball fan, you probably barely notice what your player looks like, focusing instead on what he can do with a bat, ball, or glove. In “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert” by Timothy M. Gay, you’ll read about men whose careers proved that stats speak louder than skin.

Although Jackie Robinson is usually credited for breaking baseball’s color barrier, the fact is that black ballplayers and white ballplayers shared the field for years before Robinson’s time. Traveling around the country to various communities, all-black “barnstormers” challenged all-white teams and drew crowds that were often bigger than Series attendance. And three headliners drew the biggest crowds of all.

Leroy “Satchel” Paige, one of the best (and perhaps best-known) pitchers of the Negro Leagues, was born into poverty. Because his family needed the income, Satch didn’t go far in school; instead, he took a job that exposed him to baseball. Intrigued, and too poor to afford a ball, Satch practiced by lobbing rocks.

When he was 12 years old, Satch was nabbed for petty theft and sent to the Industrial School for Negro Children at Mount Miegs, Alabama. The discipline he learned there changed his life. The coaching he got there made his career.

Satch’s foe and friend Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean also came from lean roots.

Born of sharecroppers, Diz was too poor to afford shoes as a boy, and learned to perch on the pitcher’s mound, barefoot. But once his talent was discovered, he never had to worry about shoes again. Dizzy Dean became a star, although not a humble one: he was known for driving his car around town, offering autographs.

But as Dizzy and Satch aged, there was a newcomer on the horizon.

Bobby Feller was apple-cheeked and perfect, every mother’s dream. He was a baseball manager’s dream, too, because Feller could pitch a ball so fast it almost sizzled. A life of baseball was what Feller had wanted since he was young. Signed to play while he was still in high school, “Rapid Robert” couldn’t wait to start barnstorming.

Does summer = baseball in your mind? Then “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert” will be a big home run for you.

With a fans-eye view, fast-play excitement, and a casual 1930s feel, author Timothy M. Gay puts readers in the bleachers with this well-researched book. What I particularly liked is that Gay told the story of his three subjects, but he didn’t ignore those of other key people of the era. That information sometimes goes missing in books of this genre, but not here.

If you’re root-root-rooting for something good to read, catch “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert.” For baseball fans, this is a book to remember.

“GrownFolkJAMZ.com is the ultimate urban listening experience,” said Sherman, Director of Operations for Intrepid Communications.

Reynolds, who reprises his role as Program Director for Intrepid, says “The urban radio listener is not one dimensional. GrownFolkJAMZ.com features every format that the urban listener enjoys, professionally positioned in to one hour, every hour. We change the channel for Ya!”

To target the urban listener, GrownFolkJAMZ.com features:

* Song of Celebration Mini-Mix! – Top of every hour (Uplifting Gospel Tracks)
* Old School Hip-Hop & Funk Throwback JAMZ! – Bottom of every hour
* Music sweeps that include R&B, Classic Soul, and Smooth Jazz
* Gone! – Hourly showcase of a track by an artist who has unexpectedly passed
* The Flow! – A Comedy or Spoken Word Minute
* The Real Quiet Storm! – Overnight…Every Night
* Joyful Sounds! – Every Sunday Morning

Veteran urban radio imaging maestro Al Twitty was chosen to be the big voice of GrownFolkJAMZ.com. Reynolds and Sherman assumed on-air duties in the morning and afternoon, respectively.
For more information, visit www.GrownFolkJAMZ.com, or send e-mail to Grown@GrownFolkJAMZ.com, or call the Toll Free JAMZ Line: 1-888-22-GROWN.

By the time Franklin was fifteen years old, he was a young father and just another statistic. He explains in THE BLUEPRINT, “The street corner was my classroom. The hood was my Harvard.” He went through life thinking he knew it all, and blamed his failures on not having a role model, until he realized he had to become the man he needed to be on his own. Franklin wants to help young men and women out there by providing them with THE BLUEPRINT he wished he had-advice and tips for how to become the person they need to be, no matter what the situation, or background.

Today, Franklin is the proud father of four and devoted husband of fourteen years, as well as one of the biggest multiplatinum-selling gospel artists of all time. He credits his faith in God and a very close mentor he found later in his life for his success.

A PURSE OF YOUR OWN by Deborah Owens
c.2010, Fireside Books • $15.00 • 290 pages

Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Nobody has to tell you that the economy is uncertain. You live it. The job (if you have one) is shaky. The savings account (if you have one) is emptying. Debt (you have that!) is growing. You’d like to make your money go in a different direction but as far as you’re concerned, financial information might as well be written in Greek. But there’s help: if you just don’t get it, get A Purse of Your Own by Deborah Owens.

You’ve never invested in stocks because it’s scary, right? It’s hard to understand, and besides – you don’t have the money in the first place. Wrong, says Owens. Take baby steps. Begin by looking at your assets, liabilities, and overall budget. When everything’s written down, you might be surprised to see that you can shave a little money here or there to invest. Even $5 a week can turn into thousands of dollars in profits if you have the patience.

So how to get started? You can buy stocks online or you can use a broker; there are advantages and disadvantages to both. In either case, Owens says, a financial advisor may be your portfolio’s BFF.

Using analogies that are easy-to-understand, author Deborah Owens starts from the beginning with a family that was shocked to see the small size of their net worth. From there, she moves through the various ways to invest and save, how to start and utilize an investing club for support, and how to think like a wealthy woman. Owens’ advice is solid, real, and a little outside-the-box and the quizzes she includes (what is your Purseonality?) are eye-opening, all of which makes the entire finance industry seem seriously fun.

Even if you’ve only got a few dollars to spare but you want to see it grow, “A Purse of Your Own” is a book to bag. Invest a few dollars in it, and you’ll soon be investing like a pro.

“We’re looking for a culture change.”

In a measured, methodical and musical manner, Elise Entertainment is plotting nothing short of a revolution in Fort Wayne.

Bassist Darron “Cookie” Moore, the musical force, and Michelle Moore, the marketing and finance component, are the husband and wife team behind Elise Entertainment, producer of  Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street – a twice-monthly, live jazz initiative adding a new spark to the local music scene.

“I think we have a great market here that likes smooth jazz,” Darron says. “So, when it came down to the venue, we thought, ‘Why not create a venue.’”

In fact, more than music, more than even a venue, Darron and Michelle want to create an experience that people remember and look forward to time and time again.

“You will get a show but we really are creating a culture – an experience that people have not seen here in Fort Wayne,” Michelle explains. “I want people to feel that they’ve experienced something that’s going to make them enjoy the rest of their week.”

“I want them to remember the sounds, the atmosphere, the connections they’ve made with the music and the people,” she adds. “I want them to smile when they remember the experience.”

Both Darron and Michelle are Detroit natives. Compared to their hometown they say there are too few places to enjoy live, smooth jazz in Fort Wayne. Like others who enjoy the music, the Moore’s travel to bigger cities like Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit for smooth jazz shows. However, with the presence of Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street, Darron and Michelle want the road to a quality smooth jazz performance to have to go no farther than 1915 Calhoun Street, the address of Calhoun Street Soups, Salads & Spirits, and the home stage for Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street.

“The experience that we’re bringing is a place that you can come and just chill, network, have a good time, dance if you want to, just sit back if you want to relax, eat a little food, or have a drink, and just have a good time and really enjoy the music and the environment,” Michelle says.

“I want them to have a sense of relief,” Darron says. “We no longer have to drive to Detroit or Chicago or Indianapolis to have live entertainment.

Elise Entertainment presents Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street every second and fourth Sunday of every month. Performances begin at 6:00 p.m. and run until 8:00 p.m. and are reasonably priced at $10 per person. Food and drink are available for purchase. Darron and Michelle promise that every detail is aimed at producing a relaxed, enjoyable, high quality experience.

“Everyone who is a part of this – from the ladies at the door to the people on stage – I want them to know that we’re putting on a production,” Darron says. “You can’t just come in with blue jeans and a raggedy t-shirt. We’ve got to look a certain way so that everybody who comes to the venue knows that this is at a higher level.”

Since arriving in Fort Wayne nearly four years ago, Darron “Cookie” Moore has been making a name for himself as a performer and recording artist. Michelle, who has been in Fort Wayne for the past 14-years, is a vocalist and musician, too, but her career has been in finance and marketing communication. The couple has been married for about a year-and-a-half. They say they are enjoying the added dimension that the business collaboration brings to their relationship, but the spiritual side of their bond is what guide them.

“We both love God and we put God in the forefront of everything that we do,” Darron says.

As the owner/operators of a new business in a sometimes fickle town, the couple didn’t into this project with any illusions. They were well aware of the fact that music promotion is a tough business, and smooth jazz in particular has had a rough road in Fort Wayne. A smooth jazz radio station came and went. Major concerts by nationally-known smooth jazz artists have struggled. And while diehard fans are devoted to the genre, there are still those who don’t quite understand what smooth jazz is really about.

“I’ll never forget – the first year I was in Fort Wayne, I asked a young lady, ‘Do you like smooth jazz?’ She said, ‘I don’t like that stuff.’ I never got that reaction before, so I asked her what she considered smooth jazz. She said, ‘Frank Sinatra,’” Darron chuckles. “I’m bitting my lip thinking, Frank Sinatra is not smooth jazz. No wonder she would says she didn’t like smooth jazz.”

But Darron and Michelle remain convinced that there is a core fan base for smooth jazz and an even larger audience of adults who will come out for a unique experience. Part of the strategy for drawing both audiences to Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street will demand consistently high-caliber performances. To that end, Darron consistently works to book some of the region’s top musicians.

“If you go to a live show, you go to be entertained. Let’s be real,” Darron says. “There is level of showmanship, professionalism and musicianship that I’m looking for.”

Again, however, Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street is about more than just the music. It’s about a sense of place. It’s about atmosphere. It’s about feeling. Realizing the challenges, Elise Entertainment has been working on the project since last fall working months in advance of the series’ debut show back in February.

“This isn’t something where we woke up one day and said, ‘Hey, let’s put on a show next week,” Darron says. “We’ve been working on this since October.”

They also enlisted the help of partners and sponsors. Local media expert Geno Burgess of Frequency, Inc. is providing his expertise in marketing and promotion, while local businesses like Freeman Jewelers have signed on as sponsors.

“We need our community to be involved,” Darron says. “We need our smooth jazz lovers who are business owners to get behind our sponsorships.”

“We have an opportunity to have something great here,” Darron adds. “It’s going to take the community’s help to sustain this at a high level.”

Sustainability is another key goal for Elise Entertainment. Understanding that some people in Fort Wayne tend to take a “wait-and-see” attitude toward new initiatives, Darron and Michelle understand that maintaining a consistent, sustainable showcase is critical. That will require maintaining high standards and always working to meet high expectations.

“We welcome people’s higher expectations. We’re not trying to lower the bar. You’re going to feel good at every stage of this experience. We’re looking for excellence,” Michelle says.

“If you grade us from one to ten – ten being the highest – I want to be eleven,” Darron laughs.

“In the long run, this is for our community. When you spend money here, it helps Fort Wayne,” Darron explains. “If you’re spending your money in Indianapolis or Chicago, they’re not sending anything back to Fort Wayne.”

However, if the Moore’s have their way, Fort Wayne will soon be the destination spot for smooth jazz lovers from Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis – not just the other way around.

“We plan on being consistent and staying connected to our community,” Michelle says. “We want people to be proud that Smooth Jazz @ Calhoun Street is part of the community.”

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, call (260) 255-4701.