Radio Ro Blog

Kitty Kelley’s unauthorized biography of Oprah Winfrey, “Oprah: A Biography”, has spurred the queen of daytime TV to publish her own account of her life and set the record straight. The long-awaited book has already been written, but had been put on the back-burner by Oprah on the advice of friends and family. According to the National Enquirer, the blockbuster autobiography will expose all of her deepest, darkest secrets, including the gay rumors that have surrounded her longtime romance with Stedman Graham and intimate friendship with Gayle King. According to a source familiar with the content of Oprah’s book, the media mogul will also confess to having spent more than $5 million in her never-ending quest to control her weight. But the biggest bombshell in the book has to do with the agony Oprah has endured over the years which began when she started dating Stedman in 1986. Sources say: “Oprah has long shrugged off the persistent story that she and Gayle are lovers, and that Stedman was just a cover for their secret relationship.” The book was written years ago, but now she’s ready to release it to lessen the impact of Kelley’s unauthorized book. Kelley interviewed more than 850 people, including former loyal friends of Oprah, for the 544-page tell-all book. One can imagine that once Oprah releases her own book, there will be few looking to buy Kelley’s account. Source

Teairra Mari & Bow Wow We’re actually very good friends. I wouldn’t say we are in a relationship but we do have a very good friendship. It’s strictly platonic at the present moment but we do have a lot of fun together when we hang out. So, I’ll leave it at that. I’m not dating anyone right now so hopefully in the future someone can lock me down. I look at myself as very romantic. I call myself a Siren. I’m not sure if you’ve ever read The Art Of Seduction but a siren is someone who is romantic, sexy, with very strong sexuality.

Drake recently spoke with Complex about his relationship with Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and his highly-anticipated debut album entitled “Thank Me Later.” “The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don’t write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there’s so much of me I have to give that I don’t know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I’m a great rapper. There’s two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the shit that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don’t feel like I don’t belong there. When I listen to “Forever,” with three of my heroes, I fit right in…” COMPLEX: Around the time that Kanye directed “Best I Ever Had,” it seemed like there was strife between your camp and Cudi’s camp because Kanye was so enamored of you while Cudi’s project was being worked on. Drake: I wasn’t aware of that. Even so, I could understand. If Wayne were to be enamored—which is a great word—of another young artist, I would be like, “Damn, I’m here too!” But at the same time, it happens in more than one situation. It happens with ‘Ye, and I have a great relationship with Jay, and Jay’s got Wale and J. Cole, who’s one of my favorite dudes rapping right now. I’ve happened to have had more success. I made the most money, I have number-one records, those guys don’t have that shit. And it’s just facts, it’s not even my feelings or that I feel I’m more talented. That’s what the game is about, making great music that earns profit. When it comes to my relationship with the new dudes, I’m just excited for them. I get to sit back in a cool position and be like, “Yo, I’m excited to see you do it now because I know what it’s like, it’s gonna be so much fun for you…” COMPLEX: You feel like you’re at the finish line? Drake: I’m at the starting line. Those guys are at home, putting on their tracksuits, getting ready to make their attack. When J. Cole gets it super-right, I think he’s gonna have a place as a Nas-type character who really stands for hip-hop, but still makes ill records that everybody fucks with. If J. Cole is Nas, then who are you? Drake: [Laughs.] I’m the young big homie!

“The thing that’s interesting is I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and I’m now able to merge the two,” says Beyonce. Long described by Beyonce as an onstage persona that is far from her personality off stage, the “Diva” singer gave Sasha a last name (Fierce), stating: “Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people [who] only know me see.” Now that those risks have been taken, Beyonce wants people to see her as one person. Source

The loss of Legendary R&B/Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass saddened the hearts of millions. The man was an inspiration for many today but for one Tyrese Gibson, the loss had hit deeper than the memories the two close friends once shared together. Tyrese hopes to bring Teddy to life in a new biopic that is currently in the works: “I started going to Philly (for) a week at a time because I was doing the research for the life story of Teddy Pendergrass. I never sung in a movie so it would have been my first time singing in a film. It’s (the film) still in motion. We ended up getting really close and that’s like my step-pops. It was a big loss. This is the role of a lifetime for me! He’s one of the original Raspy R&B singers out there and he had a real passion for life.I know he’s watching down. Teddy aka Pops I will honor you and do right by you.. RIH “Rest In Heaven”

Rihanna, 21, is currently dating LA Dodgers star Matt Kemp, and an ex-girlfriend of his, actress Felisha Terrell, 30, has revealed his violent past and claims that she took a restraining order out against him in June 2008. “He is violent and I am afraid. He repeatedly made me scared and gets in my face. He is threatening to take all the items I purchased and try to destroy my property,” the Mirror quoted her as saying. “He brings his friends driving up and down the street to try and intimidate me. I am very fearful. He has other people calling me and stalking me,” she added. Terrell had in her application for the restraining order claimed that Matt was “kicked out of a club for fighting with a woman - I am afraid his behaviour will turn towards me since we are no longer dating”. Shortly after this rumor hit the net Felisha released a statement regarding these allegations: “Felisha Terrell and Matt Kemp lived together and were in a relationship for over a year where they both cared for one another. During the course of the relationship there was a restraining order filed by Felisha but it had nothing to do with domestic violence and to be clear Matt was never physically abusive to Felisha, nor did she fear for her life. The restraining order was subsequently vacated. They both have moved on separately but remain amicable.” This is what Kemp had to say: “Matt dated Felisha about two years ago and decided to end their relationship. She chose to file a complaint and shortly thereafter, on her own accord, decided to drop it…. She has very recently said that she has no issue whatsoever with Matt and that she and Matt consider this to be a non-issue. Matt Kemp is a consummate Midwestern gentleman who has never displayed any act of violence towards a woman.”

Call the goodfellas the Mob Squad. Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and Trey Songz are getting ready to start the next leg of the BP3 tour and have adopted a nickname. “The way Jay explained it to me, he wanted to give people the best show possible,” Songz told Mixtape Daily Thursday. “They could have easily done it by themselves and it’d be great. But [Jay] wanted to give the best show. All of us bring a separate aspect to the table, making it a great show all the way. I’m there for the ladies, of course. Then I bring an R&B soul vibe and my hip-hop. Jeezy got the streets. And Hov is Hov. “You gotta be there because it’s action-packed from the jump,” the singer added. As big a venture as the trio will have onstage, they just might be doing it big offstage as well. Songz said they may do at least one record together. “It’s definitely all in the talks,” Trigger Trey admitted. “It’s the Mob Squad. Me, Jay, Jeezy, we plan on working together while we on this tour because the energy we have together when we get around each other is amazing. And like I said, all aspects like that on a record is amazing. Maybe while we out on the road we get it done.” Songz will definitely be working on his new mixtape and putting it out soon. “I been in the studio. The first thing I did when I got back in the studio was the Rihanna ‘Hard’ [remix]. I explain how I go hard. As far as music is concerned, the grind is concerned, as far as women are concerned, I go hard. Then I went in and got four or five great records. That’s actually four or five original records. I definitely want to release a mixtape to show people that [the skills] ain’t went nowhere.” Source

According to The Huffington Post, a 6.1 earthquake hit Haiti this morning. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The most powerful aftershock yet struck Haiti on Wednesday, shaking more rubble from damaged buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake. The extent of additional damage or injuries caused by the magnitude-6.1 temblor was not immediately clear, AND Prime Minister Jean-Max said the government was sending a plane and an overland team to check on the situation in Petit-Goave, the center of this morning’s aftershock. “We know they are going to need some help,” he said. At least one woman died of a heart attack, according to Eddy Thomas, a private undertaker. “She had a heart condition, and the new quake finished her,” he said while pushing her body along the street on a mobile stretcher. Wails of terror rose from frightened survivors as the earth shuddered at 6:03 a.m. U.S. soldiers and tent city refugees alike raced for open ground, and clouds of dust rose in the capital. The U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday’s quake was centered about 35 miles (60 kilometers) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince and 6.2 miles (9.9 kilometers) below the surface – a little further from the capital than last week’s epicenter was. “It kind of felt like standing on a board on top of a ball,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Payne. The 27-year-old from Jolo, West Virginia was preparing to hand out food to refugees in a tent camp of 25,000 quake victims when the aftershock hit.

Conan O’Brien is close to finalizing his exit from The Tonight Show, with his last episode suspected to air next Friday. According to Variety, Jay Leno will once again sit in the host’s chair starting March 1st, the night after the Winter Olympics conclude. Details of the agreement between Conan O’Brien and NBC were not disclosed, but it is known that an concord was hammered out late Friday night, with O’Brien suspected to sign over the weekend. It’s believed that O’Brien will receive between $30 to $40 million for exiting the show, but it could be less if he decides to jump to another network. Conan currently has the opportunity to launch another late night show elsewhere by fall or early 2011. The agreement will allow Leno to retake his 11:35 pm time slot several months before Conan is back on the air. At this time, Fox is the most viable option for Conan to return to the airwaves. He also has the option to move to cable, but his late night budget would be drastically reduced in that playing field. More details to come after the weekend. Source

Mo’Nique won a Best Supporting Film Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal as abusive Harlem welfare mother, Mary Jones, in the smash hit drama Precious. “I celebrate this award with all the Preciouses, with all the Marys — I celebrate this award with every person that’s ever been touched,” she said. “It’s now time to tell. And it’s okay.” Mo went on to gush praise for Precious director Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe, a Hollywood newcomer who played the abused and illiterate Precious. “Lee Daniels, the world gets a chance to see how brilliant you are. You are a brilliant, fearless, amazing director who would not waver, and thank you for trusting me,” Mo’Nique said. “To Gabby, sister, I am in awe of you. Thank you for letting me play with you.”

NBC has been the butt of nearly every joke in late night this week, and many of them were aired on NBC itself. The jokes, about the late-night positioning involving Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien following the announced cancellation of "The Jay Leno Show," have been a mixed blessing. Ratings, at least in the last few nights, have been up. But will the jokes hurt the brand? Kicking the network while it's down appears to be working especially well for O'Brien and his "Tonight Show," which, after having lackluster ratings for months, has seen a serious uptick. "Conan's ratings were way up Tuesday," said Bill Gorman of TV by the Numbers. Those ratings came in the same day he released a statement to the "people of Earth" vehemently disagreeing with NBC's decision to move his show back half an hour to accommodate a slice of late night for Leno. "The Tonight Show" had a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 Tuesday, pulling in a slightly higher rating of 1.8 with Wednesday night's show. It increased again Thursday night with a rating of 1.9. "The Tonight Show" averaged a 1.0 rating the week prior to the late night debacle, according to an NBC Universal press release, which also said O'Brien was on top of all broadcast and cable competition that week. Leno's ratings for the primetime "Jay Leno Show," by contrast, have been doing well, but not as well as O'Brien's, Gorman said. So yes, he added, O'Brien definitely has gotten a boost, but how much longer can this realistically last? The rest of the week, maybe, but not for much longer than that. "The reality is that there's no new news; there's only going to be the jokes," Gorman said. "There's the whole 'Team Conan' thing, with people riled up about Conan getting the bad end of the deal, but it's a small number of people." Both comedians have been taking repeated swipes at the network that feeds them. Leno opened his monologue Wednesday night with another knock at the Peacock Network. "Good news from Afghanistan," he began. "Critics of the war have stopped referring to it as 'another Vietnam.' They are not calling it that anymore. The bad news: They're now calling it 'another NBC.'" O'Brien responded with his own bit of NBC snark during Wednesday night's "Tonight Show," getting in a dig at Leno, as well. "I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life," the comedian said in his opening monologue. "Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too." Leno and O'Brien both kept at it again on Thursday night, each taking a dig at the other, as well as their network. NBC has been mum during its battering; the network hasn't even stopped the monologues from their regular appearances on the Web site Hulu.com, which has boosted the shows' profiles. "The genie is out of the bottle, and if they decided to take that down, it would be incomparably worse than leaving it up there," said Adam Hanft, a marketing and branding expert. There are some positives to the strategy, Hanft said. Not only are ratings up, but NBC will "have another bite of the apple because the replacement shows are going to get a lot of attention and scrutiny than normal pilots would." Eileen Koch, CEO of entertainment public relations firm Eileen Koch & Co., thinks that NBC's suspicious silence while the network's reputation gets mocked is the best move to make. "NBC has handled this as best as they can. At the end of the day, this is entertainment and this is a business," Koch said, "so the strategy is, two of our top comedians make fun of us." But even if this was a part of NBC's master plan, they're still not using it to their advantage, Hanft said. "The bigger long-term issue is that clearly the NBC brand has been damaged. When you have your talent mocking you, it's embarrassing," Hanft said. "Being an old brand doesn't give you any insulation anymore. They're making a big mistake by not being visible and vocal and engaging in the conversation. There's nothing to be embarrassed about because something didn't work." He said if NBC was smart, it would find a way to make even more fun of itself, arming Twitter with comedy writers and emphasizing the idea that while they made a misstep, at least they took a risk. "Then they would come across as the network that's so transparent and open-minded they don't mind their talent railing against them," he said. Still, regardless of the results of the late-night battle, Koch thinks the network will recover. "It's not like NBC is some new company. My gut feeling is that [NBC] is keeping quiet because they're in the mix still, trying to figure things out," she said. "And common sense is that you don't say anything when you don't know what you're doing."

Legendary singer Teddy Pendergrass, dead after a long illness at age 59, spent his last 28 years in a wheelchair, left to wonder what life might have been like had a car crash not completely altered his destiny. Before the crash, Pendergrass was one of the most electric and successful figures in music. He established a new era of R&B with an explosive, raw voice that symbolized masculinity, passion and the joys and sorrow of romance in songs such as “Close the Door,” “It Don’t Hurt Now,” “Love T.K.O.” and other hits that have since become classics. He was an international superstar and sex symbol. His career was at its apex - and still climbing. Source

In a recent interview with radio personality Ed Lover, Jay-Z speaks on allegations that he worships Satan… “I think I need to remind people I’m from Marcy Projects. You can’t get into those prestigious clubs. I can’t even get into the golf club in Palm Springs.” “This rap music and the competitive by nature, nothing really surprises me anymore but I’ll honestly say, that was one that was like a shocker. When you from a certain place, cut from a certain cloth, there’s certain things that’s just off limits. When you cross that line, it puts you in a different box.” I think people are running out of ideas and it’s all marketing at this point. Source

Nerds and geeks can breathe a sigh of relief: The world’s first life-size robotic girlfriend is finally here. Complete with artificial intelligence and flesh-like synthetic skin, ROXXXY the sex robot was introduced to the world at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. “She can’t vacuum, she can’t cook but she can do almost anything else if you know what I mean,” Douglas Hines, the president of ROXXXY manufacturer TrueCompanion, told the AFP. “She’s a companion. She has a personality. She hears you. She listens to you. She speaks. She feels your touch. She goes to sleep. We are trying to replicate a personality of a person.” The Roxxxy is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 120lbs, and “has a full C cup and is ready for action,” according to Mr Hines, who was an artificial intelligence engineer at Bell Labs before starting TrueCompanion. The anatomically-correct robot has an articulated skeleton that can move like a person but can’t walk or independently move its limbs. Robotic movement is built into “the three inputs” and a mechanical heart that powers a liquid cooling system. TrueCompanion has been developing ROXXXY for nearly two decades, according the company’s Web site. In 1993, Douglas Hines designed “Trudy,” his first sex robot that the inventor admits was not as “user friendly” as the current model. It was during his work at Bell that Hines learned the latest artificial intelligence systems, which assisted him in the development of the robot. Source

Allegations began to bubble Friday after Banks performed at Club NV. Sergeant Brag Finucan of the Waterloo Regional Police’s Criminal Investigations branch spoke with MTV and stated that Banks, real name Christoper Lloyd, had a verbal dispute with a promoter over receiving dividends for the performance along with a fee for his appearance. According to reports, Banks and three other men assaulted road manager Chris Hines of Chris Hine/ Ultimate Entertainment and brutalized him to the point where he was hospitalized. Hines suffered some lacerations, although minor, along with a bruised eye and possible head trauma. Speaking on the incident Saturday morning, the promoter confirmed the allegations and pointed the finger at Banks, along with his associates Nicklas Sloane, Shawn McGee and Tyrell Coopers, as the culprits behind his beating. In his account, they held him in his hotel room against his will, assaulted and robbed him. The four men all appeared in from of the court Sunday afternoon and will make their next cameo within this week. The men are being charged with forceful confinement, aggravated assault and robbery. As of now, they are still within police custody. Source

To all my friends and fans – It’s time that I clear the air. It’s not a secret that I haven’t been in contact with my mother Frankie, and my sisters Neffe and Elite and I never wanted to air out our differences to the public. While I won’t go into detail here I find it necessary to let you guys know I decided to stop communication with them because I was at a point in my life where I needed serenity and peace to move forward. Please know I love my family very much but it was time to let it go. You guys are a witness to a lot of what was happening from watching on air and online. Now that I am becoming a mom my passion for having a loving and peaceful home for my child is my #1 priority. It’s very important to both Daniel and I. My plate is very full; I have a new baby coming, we are planning our wedding and I am working in the studio on a new album that I am close to completing. The stress that my family is giving me with their constant false reports is not healthy and it’s not what I need at this time in my life. Please understand that there are only a few people that can officially confirm or deny anything that’s happening in my life and that’s me, Daniel, and my publicist, Tresa Sanders. And my girl Monica never lies. Love Your Girl, KC Source

Denzel Washington and Will Smith will work together for the first time on a remake of Uptown Saturday Night, according to Pajiba. Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier starred in the original 1974 film, which centres on two friends who lose a winning lottery ticket on a night out and set out to recover it. Poitier also directed the comedy, which featured Harry Belafonte and Richard Pryor in supporting roles. Smith picked up the remake rights to Saturday Night in 2002 and had allegedly considered teaming up with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence on the picture. Backers Warner Bros and Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment firm are currently searching for a writer to update the script for the remake. Source

A few weeks prior to Jay-Z’s release date for “Blueprint 3,” the album was unfortunately leaked and spread like a wildfire across the Internet. Rumors sparked that this “leak” sourced from Timbaland’s camp and faded his friendship with Jay. Timbo recently sat with MTV News to discuss his “weird” relationship with Jigga: “Me and Jay is kinda weird,” Timbaland said recently in New York, when asked when he and Young Hov would work together again. “Musically, I take friendship very serious. Me and Jay, sometimes people think we have falling-outs. We don’t have falling-outs, it’s that we don’t communicate at the proper time. I take friendship very seriously. I wanna tell him how I might feel about a situation. The last time we talked, he understood how I felt. He saw my point with the Keri stuff being leaked out and everything. I had nothing to do with that. I would never do that to him. Nothing against his wishes. It bothered me so bad, I went on hiatus for a minute, because I would never disrespect his wishes. Like, ‘I’m trying to do this with my album, please don’t let that song get out or no leakage.’ … Four months later, the song is leaked. I felt so bad, because I would never want my friend to feel like we had some miscommunications.” He went on to talk about the Blueprint 3 track leaks: “I felt like, ‘What in the world? Who is trying to sabotage our friendship?’ ” Tim recalled. “That bothers me. I respect my friends, because I don’t got a lot of them, and he’s one of my friends in the music industry. I felt like, ‘I’ll remove myself. If people wanna play us against each other, I’ll bow out.’ We talk about personal stuff. I don’t want him to feel like he can’t talk to me about certain things. We both said to [each other] one day, we know we don’t need each other musically, but we are friends. I’m like, ‘I hope you realize that. But I want you to realize that me and you are like Dre and Snoop.’ Sometimes I don’t think he understands that. When we get together, we do make magic.”

A source says, “Things are really starting to heat up for the two.” It’s a new year, which means a fresh start. Pop star Rihanna is putting her boy drama of 2009 behind her and moving on with a new man – LA Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp — and it looks more and more like the real thing. Things are seriously starting to heat up for the two, says a source close to the songbird. In fact, Oklahoma-native Matt, 25, followed Rihanna, 21, to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where she performed at the Emirates Palace on New Years Eve. “Rihanna and Matt are starting to get serious – he even followed her to Dubai for New Years,” the insider tells Hollywoodlife.com, adding, “Rihanna likes him because he’s such a gentleman…and super sexy!”

“Everyone is worried about her,” a source said. “Whitney seems to go from being a nervous wreck to being completely out of it in a short period of time — just like she did when she was freebasing and using crack cocaine. “She is still drinking and with Whitney, alcohol and drugs have always gone hand-in-hand. She’s worked so hard to get back on top. It would be tragic for it to go up in smoke because she can’t stay clean. “You can’t help worrying that she’s slipped back into some of her bad habits.”