Somebody is going down for this one (Dr. Conrad Murray). The final ruling of the Los Angeles County coroner was that Michael Jackson’s death was a homicide. The coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson hours before he died in his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released.

I guess this is the reality of what money can make happen. If you have it, people are willing to do things for you that don’t make any sense at all. I think they are really going to try and make an example of Dr. Murray. The list of celebrities going to prison is growing and people are being reminded that no one is above the law. No matter how much you’re worth. He’s definitely not helping the cause.

Here’s the article from the Associated Press.

Why can’t we just all get along? I’m sure you’ve heard by now on the national news that there was a shooting at a community-sponsored event yesterday on the campus of Texas Southern University. I think what bothers me the most is that I thought from the media coverage that it was a school-sponsored event gone bad. The college has already had issues with it’s reputation, so an event such as this cannot help in any way. I grew up on the campus of Texas Southern. My dad spent most of his career working in the Law School, so I hate to see news like this come out of good school. This is why I felt the need to blog some of the information I’ve gathered.

The event was on Trae Day, a day awarded to Trae Da Truth by the mayor of Houston, Bill White, and Council Member Peter Brown, in honor of his outstanding work within the community. The day was to feature various hip-hop artists and pass out school supplies to kids within the community. Families were encouraged to attend and prominent members of the community were invited. In a statement from TSU’s President, John M. Rudley, some additional information was shared via their website:

Dear Texas Southern University students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends:
You may have heard that an incident occurred on the edge of the Texas Southern University campus Wednesday night, which is currently being investigated by the Houston Police Department. According to detectives, six individuals attending a community-hosted event on the campus were shot in what is believed to be the result of an earlier altercation that took place last week between individuals from the Fresno and Missouri City area, which are 20+ miles southwest of Texas Southern. The injured were taken to area hospitals where their injuries were deemed serious but not life-threatening. A TSU student was among the injured. He was wounded in the leg and was released to his home from the hospital. All the other individuals wounded in the incident are from Missouri City.

Though this appears to be an isolated incident that unfortunately grew from an occurrence 20 miles away from the campus, it has a direct impact on our university and may raise some concerns on the part of our students and their parents, as well as faculty and staff. We want to assure our University community and the students and parents who are about to become part of Texas Southern University that we are working diligently to strengthen our campus security and enhance the safety of everyone attending classes or visiting our campus.
During the past year, we have made the following improvements to our security systems:

* increased lighting across the campus, both the interior and the perimeter areas
* increased video surveillance cameras across campus, including new sites around the perimeter of the university
* increased police presence and patrols during peak hours
* increased foot patrols across the campus
* added bicycle patrols
* provided continuous inspection of the emergency call boxes to ensure functionality
* provided escort services for students, faculty, staff and visitors
* increased building access security measures
* increased specialized training for all police officers, including criminal investigation training, and training for police leadership through the FBI National Academy.

The Department of Public Safety at TSU will continue to assist Houston Police in their investigation of the incident.
Wednesday’s incident occurred just after the completion of a community event developed and hosted by private citizens and community organizations that included the distribution of school supplies and other community-based resources.
Texas Southern University is proud to serve as a venue to important community events, particularly those benefitting our students and academic programs. Nonetheless, a moratorium is being placed on all outside groups requesting use of Texas Southern facilities while we undergo a complete review of our policies and requirements for use of our facilities and campus.

We absolutely believe that the Texas Southern campus remains safe and that this is an isolated tragic incident. We are committed to ensuring the safety of all members of our community and will continue to identify ways that we can increase the security of our campus.
Sincerely,

John M. Rudley, President

In my opinion, it’s an event that was meant for good, gone bad. I can’t comment on any of the featured artists because I haven’t even heard of most of them. The main purpose of this post was to share this statement with the readers of this blog. There are two sides to every story. As a blogger, when I’m able, I just want to see both sides get attention.

Here are some additional links that I’ve found regarding the incident:

• Trae Day Slide Show
• Coverage on 97.9 The Box website
• Statement regarding the incident from Low Down Family Entertainment (see comments)

Last year, I blogged about the winners of Here Come The Newlywed Season 1 and was shocked at how fast the post gained popularity. The post even led to me getting an actual interview with last year’s winners, Johnnie and Crystal Moutra. So it was only fitting that I write a post on this year’s couple. The final couples were Marlo & Mark Corliss from Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts and Makayla & Kenny McMorris from Omaha, Nebraska.

I honestly feel each couple on the show learned something new about their spouses. Before the final decision was made, both husbands gave a heart-felt speech about what they’d learned in the house about their wife. Both husbands gave great speeches, but in the end it was the Corlisses that ended up winning over $400,000. That’s a nice chunk of change for a newlywed couple and it’ll definitely allow them to get started on the right track financially. I thought all of the couples this year were great and it’s good to see a show about marriage, relationships and getting to know the one you’ve married be the focus of a reality television show. This is only the beginning for all the couples. I wish them all the best and thanks again ABC for another great season.

I always get nervous when I see news like this come across a social networking site before news confirms it because you never know if it’s true. This has been a tough couple of months for a lot of celebrity families who have lost love ones and this is not the first time that I found out about it via Twitter.

I first saw a tweet by @AroundHarlem (twitter.com/AroundHarlem) and thought it may have been someone else because I hadn’t seen it on the news yet. But just like the Michael Jackson passing, the news started reporting after it moved through the Internet. It’s amazing how fast news travels today, which is why we have to be careful to decipher between rumor and fact. But most of the people I follow are good at making sure the right information is posted. It wasn’t until I noticed an update in Wikipedia that I decided to post on his passing. I’m sure if you start googling it now, you’ll find a lot out there.

I remember when Steve came to the Houston Oilers. I was exited because we REALLY needed a quarterback, but they wouldn’t let him play. I was upset about it, but the Oilers left for Tennessee and I had to get over it. Along with Warren Moon, I consider him to be one of my favorite quarterbacks and pray the best for those survived by him. It’s sad to hear this kind of news, but it reminds us how precious life really is.

Last night during our church instrumental rehearsal, I had the opportunity to speak to some of our soon-to-be high school Juniors about my education and career. While the purpose of our ministry is to use the talents we’ve been given to glorify God, the adult leaders in the group felt it was also important for us to make sure the youth could benefit from some of our life experiences as they prepare for college. We didn’t want to lecture them about the “old days” and we wanted it to be in a relaxed environment where they could ask questions.
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In the world of blogging, you never know how people will react to something you post. Blogging has allowed me to meet a lot of great people and this is no exception. When the Johnnie & Crystal Moutra won the show, I have to admit I was pretty happy for them. Not only did they look like a good couple, the played the game the way it should have been played and earned the respect of everyone on the show. Even better, they were from my hometown, Missouri City, TX (the place where dreams come true), so you know I had to show them some love. Well, the post got picked up by some other sites and became pretty popular. Fans of the Moutras from all over the world left comments, one being from Johnnie’s mom. I contacted her and she put me in contact with Johnnie (thanks Momma Moutra).

I want to thank Johnnie and Crystal for taking the time to answer the questions. I’m hoping this won’t be the last you all get to hear from them on this blog. Also thanks to the folks at ABC for getting us set up. Season 2 of Here Come the Newlyweds will air Mondays on ABC at 9pm Central. I just watched the second episode last night and like season 1 will make for a night of good TV.

When my wife and I got married, everyone called us honeymooners for at least the first five years. How has life changed since the finale of “Here Come the Newlyweds? What have you all been up to?

We purchased our own home on the eve of Christmas. Lol, we moved out my mamas house, and moved not even 2 minutes down the street from my mamas. Other than that, we’re still working at the school (My parents own a private school, Bearrington School in Stafford Tx)……Crystal’s a great teacher (Pre-K 3)…….the children in her class are already reading! and speaking their numbers en espanol. I (John-John) am still the same ol’ silly, handsome, joke tellin’ self….I’ll never change.

According to the ABC website, the show was “all about relationships, the differences between men and women, and the universal issues that every couple must face”. Crystal, what did you learn about Johnnie during the show? Johnnie, same question.

Crystal – That he still didn’t know me! Before the show I used to ask him all the to go shopping for clothes with me…..now we’re on national TV and he gets all the sizes wrong.
Johnnie – Women take too long… I could drop Crystal off at the mall in Houston, drive to Galveston, use the restroom for about 30 – 45 minutes ( #2), drive back, get gas, go back to the mall, and she’d still be trying on clothes…..I’m starting to wonder if she knows her own sizes.

During the final episode of the show, what was going through your mind before hearing the results?
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Chuck D will be hosting a new series of shows called, Freedom Songs: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement next month on PBS. The documentary explores the history of the civil rights movement through the songs of artists like Aretha Franklin, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more.

If you’d like to get involved and ask Chuck D a question, read the email I received announcing the show:

As someone who blogs about black history and culture, I thought this may be of interest to you and your readers. I hope that you will pass this information along.

I am writing to let you know that PBS Engage is featuring hip hop artist and civil rights activist, Chuck D, as part of the ongoing PBS Engage Asking… series.”

The series features a PBS celebrity or insider and asks visitors to send in questions to be answered the following week. The blog series has been very successful and we are excited to have Chuck D as our feature this week.

This is a chance for you to ask any questions you may have about Chuck D’s prolific career as a musician, his work on Freedom Songs: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement airing next month on PBS, and how music has influenced the civil rights movement.

Please visit the link and post your comments and questions here:  http://www.pbs.org/engage/blog/ask-chuck-d

You can also visit PBS Engage at www.pbs.org/engage and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pbsengage

For local TV view times visit the PBS Engage website.

I was a fan of the Speed Racer cartoon and recently have become a fan of the movie. I heard it didn’t make much money, but the story line while cheesy at times really made me think. Speed Racer as a little boy dreamed about becoming a race car driving and being as good as his older brother Rex. Rex who Speed idolized, was killed in a race and Speed used everything his brother taught him to become the greatest racer ever.

It’s funny because I remember having posters of planes on my wall, yet I never really pursued flying because someone told me you can’t fly in the military if you wear glasses. Whether you liked the movie or not, there’s a message in it for all of us to heed. Those dreams and goals you have should never be overlooked and never let anyone keep you from doing something you love to do. I’ve been blessed to find other passions in life and I make sure I use my talents and abilities to help make this world a better place. People can and will try to stand in your way, but that’s when you set your eyes on the prize and push through them.

If you haven’t seen the movie, check it out. You might like it.

I found out about Dallas South Blog via Google while searching for more information about Tavis Smiley’s visit to the Dallas area. I started reading the articles and was hooked on the very well-written, informative posts about the southern sector of Dallas. Due the fact that South Dallas had a large African-American population, the blog became my source of information for what was going on in the community.

Over the last couple of years, Dallas South Blog has grown into a popular online destination for those looking for stimulating political/social dialoug on a local and national level. This growth is largely due to the efforts of blogger Shawn Williams. But with growth, comes new oppotunities to take what you do to a higher level. This is where Dallas South News comes into play.

The Dallas South News will be a nonprofit organization utilizing technology, journalistic principles, and social media to empower and inform diverse communities.  It will provide news coverage in the areas of local politics, education, health, housing, as well as commentary on state and national politics. As with all nonrpofit organizations, help is needed to keep it running and there are three things you can do to get involved.

So, now that I’ve captured your attention, click here to learn more about how you can participate in the Dallas South News endeavor.

This will be the headlines in the next couple of weeks because Oprah is giving out coupons for a free two piece of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit at participating Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. Kudos to KFC on this deal because we know anything Oprah advertises sells out fast. This will definitely make the Chick-fil-A cows job a lot easier.

Just know this is a limited time deal only. The coupon is available for printing from 9am CDT 5/5/09 to 9:59pm CDT 5/6/09. You are limited to 4 downloads of coupon and it is redeemable at participating KFC locations in the U.S. from 5/5/09 to 5/19/09, excluding 5/10/09. Guess I know what my lunch will be for the next couple of days. Here’s the link.

Thanks O!