Cris “Cyborg” Santos, of Brazil, celebrates her win over Gina Carano during Strikeforce MMA Female Middleweight Championship at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, August 15, 2009. Santos won in the first round with a TKO.
Las Vegas Sun Reports
SAN JOSE, Calif. — If she was upset about the split-second call that stopped her historical title fight Saturday night, Gina Carano didn’t say it.
The Las Vegas-based fighter actually didn’t say anything, leaving HP Pavilion without talking to media members after suffering a TKO loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in the first-ever women’s mixed martial arts championship bout.
Officials said Carano was not going to the hospital and left the Strikeforce event under her own power.
Carano’s trainer at Xtreme Couture Shawn Tompkins served as his fighter’s mouthpiece and quickly dispelled any notion that the fight should not have been stopped by referee Josh Rosenthal at the 4:59 mark of the first round.
“She was done. We’re not gonna contest that. The ref pulled her off, she wasn’t answering, she wasn’t going anymore,” Tompkins said.
“I don’t want to take anything from Cyborg. She’s a great fighter, a dominant force in that division.”
Tompkins who helped train Carano along with UFC legend Randy Couture said Carano got caught up in the hoopla of the historical bout that aired on Showtime and was never really herself in the cage.
“She relayed to us that she felt so much pressure with the fight and everything surrounding it that it got to her. We know Gina very well. We train with her every day; we’ve known her for years; she’s a good friend, like a sister to us all, and that wasn’t Gina Carano in the cage tonight,” Tompkins said.
“I think everybody at home knows that, too.”
Cyborg, however, conceded one title to the 27-year-old Carano (7-1), who suffered the first setback of her career.
“She can keep the title of being 'the face of women’s MMA.' I’ve got my title right here,” said a celebratory Santos (8-1), who pointed down at her new shimmering championship belt in the postfight press conference.
A disappointed and emotional Carano gave the belt to Santos, who only moments earlier ended the action-filled five minutes with a flurry of uncontested blows in the final 15 seconds that forced the stoppage.
Santos thanked Carano for helping to create arguably the biggest moment in the history of female combat sports, and again in the post fight conference.
“Gina is very tough, and she was one of the toughest opponents I've ever fought," Santos said through a translator.
"But I was ready for everything, so it was OK.”
So, too, was the crowd of 13,524, although the ending of the fight was a touchy subject as plenty of boos and a few beers rained down immediately.
But the large mass of MMA fans got their money’s worth in the previous four minutes and 59 seconds.
Santos pushed the pace from the opening bell, landing a quick combination as Carano backpedaled. “Conviction” recovered, landing a couple blows of her own, but again got into trouble as Santos applied a leg lock after taking her to the ground.
Carano wiggled out of the submission attempt and actually reversed the action, much to the crowd’s delight as chants of “Gina, Gina” rang out. But by the time Carano ran into trouble the third time in the first round, the Brazilian slugger proved to be overpowering.
“I think if Gina could have got past the first two rounds, then I think the tide would have changed,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said.
"Gina hit her with some good jabs and she had some good escapes. I was surprised Gina was trying to grapple with her a little bit. I thought we would see more of a striking match from her, but Gina's a great fighter."
A fighter who Tompkins said most certainly would bounce back.
“Gina will go home and, like any other fighter, will rebuild herself mentally first,” Tompkins said. “She loves what she does.
“She doesn’t do this for the money. She comes from a family with money. She does this because she loves the sport and she always wants to get in the cage and fight.”
As for Santos, she said she's up for any challenge that comes her way. And why not, she just walked away victorious in the biggest fight that any female has ever had.
"I feel like I made history," she said with a smile.
Read more…
Prisoners in police cells will be asked to fill in questionnaires with 41 questions about issues such as comfort and quality of food
DailyMail Reports
It was once considered something of a punishment.
But a night in the cells is now followed by a 'customer satisfaction' survey, with those detained in custody asked to rate the 'services' on offer behind bars.
The hotel-style questionnaire asks their views on the brightness of the cells and the quality of the food on offer.
The survey will be given to 1,000 detainees as part of a pilot scheme by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. Detainees will be invited to judge the quality of a variety of aspects of their incarceration, including the food, how 'safe' they felt, cleanliness, lighting and air temperature, and the provision of towels.
The questionnaire begins by stating: 'Devon & Cornwall are committed to providing the best possible service to people who are detained in custody.
'We would be grateful if you could complete the following survey and return it to the custody centre.'
Recipients of the questionnaire are asked a total of 41 questions, the results of which will eventually be entered into a database for analysis by senior officers.
One officer in the force, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It is a bit rich really. These people are in the cell for a reason, it's not like
they've come here on holiday. They are starting to treat the emergency cell buzzer like a room service hotline.'
He added: 'We are getting asked all sorts - to get them celebrity magazines, to put aircon on, to bring them a salad. It's not funny after a while.'
But Chief Inspector Ivan Trethewey, the force's head of custody, who is behind the project, told Police Review magazine yesterday: 'It does not mean we will be providing steak dinners as a result. There could be some valuable learning points, however.
'I wanted a reality check: what I think the service is that we are providing versus what detainees tell us we are giving them.'
The survey is being given to those currently in custody across the force and posted to others detained in June and July.
Dave James, secretary of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, said: 'You would not get a questionnaire that detailed in a Holiday Inn.
'However, if it is being done as a one-off to identify best practice and to enable people to learn from areas of concern, I can understand it.'
Chief Inspector Trethewey said the scheme, which started on August 1, would cost 'a couple of hundred pounds at most'.
Superintendent Chris Brown, head of the force's criminal justice unit, said: 'We must also be mindful that not all those in our custody are charged with a crime, and indeed for some the custody centre is used as a place where members of the public, not guilty of any crime, can be assessed under the Mental Health Act.'
But Tory MP and former prisons minister Ann Widdecombe - who moved to Devon last year - added: 'This is a nonsense. If cells are not cleaned properly then you know they will be dirty.
'You don't need a prisoner to tell you that - or anything else for that matter.'
The questions in full:
Q1 What Police station were you held at recently?
Q2 How old are you?
Q3 Are you? Male/Female
Q4 Have you ever been held in police custody before?
Q5 How long were you held at the police station?
Q6 Were you given information about your arrest and your entitlements when you arrived there?
Q7 Were you told about the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Codes of Practice (the rule book)?
Q8 If your clothes were taken away, were you offered different clothing to wear?
Q9 If you used the toilet, were the following things provided on request? Toilet paper/Sanitary wear/soap/water/towel
Q10 How would you rate the condition of your cell for Cleanliness/ Ventilation/ Temperature/ Lighting
Q11 Did staff explain to you the correct use of the bell/buzzer?
Q12 If you were held over night, were you given bedding?
Q13 If you requested a shower, was this allowed?
Q14 If you requested outside exercise was this provided?
Q15 Were you offered anything to eat or drink?
Q16 Was the food/drink suitable for your dietary requirements?
Q17 If requested were you given reading material?
Q18 Was someone informed of your arrest?
Q19 If requesting a phone call, was this allowed?
Q20 If you were denied a free phone call, was a reason for this given?
Q21 Do you think you were treated fairly?
Q22 Were you interviewed by police officials about your case?
Q23 Were you kept updated as to the progress of your stay in custody?
Q24 How long did you have to wait for your solicitor to attend?
Q25 Were you officially charged?
Q26 Did you feel safe in the Custody Suite?
Q27 Were you handcuffed or restrained whilst in the custody suite?
Q28 Were you told how to make a complaint about your treatment, if you needed to?
Q29 Do you have any other comments to add about safety in the custody suite?
Q30 When you were in police custody were you on any medication?
Q31 Were you able to continue taking your medication whilst there?
Q32 Did someone explain your entitlement to see a health care professional, if required?
Q33 Were you seen by any of the following healthcare professionals during your time there? Doctor/Nurse/Paramedic/Psychiatrist
Q34 If requested were you able to see a healthcare professional of your own gender?
Q35 Did you have any drug or alcohol problems during your time in custody?
Q36 Did you see, or were you offered the chance to see a drug or alcohol worker?
Q37 Were you offered relief or medication for your immediate symptoms?
Q38 Please rate the quality of your healthcare whilst in police custody - Very good, good, bad, very bad.
Q39 Did you have any specific physical healthcare needs?
Q40 Did you have any specific mental healthcare needs?
Q41 Do you have any other comments to add about your time in police custody?
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Stacey Jordan in her Crown Heights apartment. Her landlord received federal bail-out funds but has not fixed violations in apartments.
NY Daily News Reports
Some of New York city's worst landlords are sharing in $81 million in federal stimulus money - even though their buildings are riddled with housing code violations.
Since March, millions of dollars have been doled out to buildings where tenants have repeatedly complained of rats, roaches, faulty elevators, lack of heat and flaking lead paint.
Including such glaring problems as a broken front door lock.
Millions more will follow.
The problem is that the Recovery Act distribution makes no distinction between good landlords and bad ones.
As a result, landlords - regardless of the number of serious housing code violations they've racked up - are allowed to pocket stimulus money without being forced to make repairs.
Seven properties that have received - or been promised - taxpayer dollars would qualify for a Slumlord Watch List proposed by City Councilman Bill de Blasio, a Daily News review found.
"There's something really wrong with landlords that make it on this list. ... They certainly shouldn't be getting stimulus money," said de Blasio, who is running for public advocate.
"The stimulus is supposed to create jobs. I'm concerned that we're going to have to watch [this] very closely."
The seven properties that would make his list are slated to get more than $1.5 million in federal stimulus money this year.
To make de Blasio's list, properties with 35 units or more must average at least two "hazardous" or "immediately hazardous" housing code violations per unit.
One property that qualified was 234 Herkimer St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn.
The 138-unit building had 374violations, including mold, water leaks, missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, broken floors, mice and lead-based paint. The building's owner, Restore Housing Development, is to get $270,602 in stimulus cash.
The owner of an apartment building on Morningside Ave. in Manhattan got a boost of $630,000 in Recovery Act funds despite 132 violations. Problems included an inadequate supply of heat, peeling paint, exposed electrical wires and roaches.
That building fell just short of making de Blasio's list, with 104 of the most serious violations in 53 units - slightly less than two dangerous violations per unit, records show.
So did a Bronx apartment building that is getting $1,514,016 despite 110 violations - 90 of them tagged dangerous.
The 49-unit building was cited for a leaky roof, roach and mice infestations, moldy ceilings, and broken toilets and tubs, records show.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defends giving stimulus money to properties with housing code problems.
Regional spokesman Adam Glantz said without Recovery Act money, HUD would have to cut back on housing subsidies under a program called Section8.
To qualify for stimulus money, landlords had to be in "immediate or potentially serious financial difficulty," HUD said.
The agency said the Recovery Act includes measures to "protect those in greatest need," along with promoting job creation and economic growth.
HUD was unable to say how many jobs have been saved or created with the emergency distribution of this taxpayer money.
Real estate mogul Naftali Frankel got $465,312 in Recovery Act funds for his properties, including $39,782 for a building at 1569-1583 Prospect Place in Crown Heights.
The city has 203 open violations against Frankel at that property - 170 deemed "hazardous." After two unsatisfactory HUD reviews, Frankel was forced to hire a new management company.
"I am the owner, and I take good care," Frankel, 83, said in an interview. He insisted he and the new managers are addressing issues such as upgrading security cameras and replacing the broken front door.
He said tenants often made it difficult to make repairs by not being home for appointments. Of the stimulus dollars, Frankel said, "Whatever has to be fixed will be fixed."
One of Frankel's Prospect Place tenants has her doubts.
Stacey Jordan said she cried in April when her kitchen ceiling collapsed because of plumbing problems in units above hers.
A section of the floor became soggy because of flooding in the basement. About a dozen floor tiles are missing, and the area feels soft enough to put a foot through.
The management company installed Sheetrock over the collapsed ceiling after she called repeatedly, but hasn't returned to sand and paint, records show.
The city gave Frankel 12 violations for a "broken or defective wood floor," a ceiling in need of further repair, mold and mice.
As Jordan spoke, her son, JJ, bounded past like any exuberant 10-year-old on summer break.
"Be careful!" Jordan yelled out. "I'm afraid he's going to fall through the kitchen floor," she said. "It's real weak. I don't want to live like this. I pay my rent."
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants landlords to use stimulus cash to fix violations.
"That's how you create jobs, that's how you make the building worth more," he said. "That's how you stimulate the economy."
Read more…
NY Times Reports
FORT WORTH — Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their all-star lineup of “prosperity gospel” preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God
Private airplanes and boats. A motorcycle sent by an anonymous supporter. Vacations in Hawaii and cruises in Alaska. Designer handbags. A ring of emeralds and diamonds.
“God knows where the money is, and he knows how to get the money to you,” preached Mrs. Copeland, dressed in a crisp pants ensemble like those worn by C.E.O.’s.
Even in an economic downturn, preachers in the “prosperity gospel” movement are drawing sizable, adoring audiences. Their message — that if you have sufficient faith in God and the Bible and donate generously, God will multiply your offerings a hundredfold — is reassuring to many in hard times.
The preachers barely acknowledged the recession, though they did say it was no excuse to curtail giving. “Fear will make you stingy,” Mr. Copeland said.
But the offering buckets came up emptier than in some previous years, said those who have attended before.
Many in this flock do not trust banks, the news media or Washington, where the Senate Finance Committee is investigating whether the Copelands and other prosperity evangelists used donations to enrich themselves and abused their tax-exempt status. But they trust the Copelands, the movement’s current patriarch and matriarch, who seem to embody prosperity with their robust health and abundance of children and grandchildren who have followed them into the ministry.
“If God did it for them, he will do it for us,” said Edwige Ndoudi, who traveled with her husband and three children from Canada for the Southwest Believers’ Convention this month, where the Copelands and three of their friends took turns preaching for five days, 10 hours a day at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The crowd of more than 9,000 was multiracial, from 48 states and 27 countries. There was no fee to attend. There were bikers in leather vests, pastors, blue-collar workers, professionals and plenty of families with children.
A large contingent came in wheelchairs, hoping for miraculous healings. The audience sat with Bibles open, flipping to passages cited by the preachers, taking notes on pads and laptop computers.
“The folks who are coming aren’t poor,” said Jonathan L. Walton, a professor of religion at the University of California, Riverside, who has written about the movement and was there doing research. “They reside in that nebulous category between the working and the middle class.”
Sitting in Section 316, eight rows up, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on a Bible at lunch time, was a family who could explain the enduring loyalty the prosperity preachers inspire.
Stephen Biellier, a long-distance trucker from Mount Vernon, Mo., said he and his wife, Millie, came to the convention praying that this would be “the overcoming year.” They are $102,000 in debt, and the bank has cut off their credit line, Mrs. Biellier said.
They say the Copelands rescued them from financial failure 23 years ago, when they bought their first truck at 22 percent interest and had to rebuild the engine twice in a year.
Around that time, Mrs. Biellier first saw Mr. Copeland on television and began sending him 50 cents a week.
Others who bought trucks from the same dealer in Joplin that year went under, the Bielliers said, but they did not.
“We would have failed if Copeland hadn’t been praying for us every day,” Mrs. Biellier said.
The Bielliers are now among 386,000 people worldwide whom the Copelands call their “partners,” most of whom send regular contributions and merit special prayers from the Copelands.
A call center at the ministry’s 481-employee headquarters in Newark, Tex., takes in 60,000 prayer requests a month, a publicist said.
The Copelands’ broadcast reaches 134 countries, and the ministry’s income is about $100 million annually.
The Bielliers were at the convention a few years ago when a supporter made a pitch for people to join an “Elite CX Team” to raise money to buy the ministry a Citation X airplane. (Mr. Copeland is an airplane aficionado who got his start in ministry as a pilot for Oral Roberts.) At that moment, Mrs. Biellier said she heard the voice of the Holy Spirit telling her, “You were born to support this man.”
She gave $2,000 for the plane, and recently sent $1,800 for the team’s latest project: buying high-definition television equipment to upgrade the ministry’s international broadcasts.
Mrs. Biellier said some friends and relatives would say the preacher just wanted their money. She explained that the Copelands did not need the money for themselves; it is for their ministry. And besides, even “trashy people like Hugh Hefner” have private airplanes.
“I remember Copeland had to once fly halfway around the world to talk to one person,” she said. “Because we’re partners with Kenneth Copeland, for every soul that gets saved, we get credit for that in heaven.”
But while a band primed the crowd, Professor Walton called the prosperity preachers “spiritual pickpockets.”
“To dismiss and ignore the harsh realities of this economic crisis,” he said. “is beyond irresponsible, to the point of reprehensible.”
The Copelands refused an interview request, but one of their daughters, Kellie Copeland Swisher, and her husband, Steve Swisher, who both work in the ministry, spoke for them.
Mrs. Swisher said the ministry gave away “a minimum of 10 percent of what comes in” to other charities. Her father’s current favorite, she said, is a Roman Catholic orphanage in Mexico.
The ministry has resisted providing the Senate investigation with all the documents requested, she said, because the Copelands did not want to publicly reveal the names of the “partners.” The investigation, which could result in new laws, is continuing, a committee spokeswoman said. Among those being investigated is Creflo Dollar, one of the ministers at the Copelands’ convention.
Mr. Swisher said that even in the economic downturn, the ministry’s income going into the convention was up 3 percent over last year. Asked if they had adjusted the message for the economy, Mrs. Swisher patted the worn Bible in her lap and said: “The message they preach is the Word of God. The Word doesn’t change.”
At the convention, the preachers — who also included Jesse Duplantis and Jerry Savelle — sprinkled their sermons with put-downs of the government, an overhaul of health care, public schools, the news media and other churches, many of which condemn prosperity preaching.
But mostly the preachers were working mightily to remind the crowd that they are God’s elect. “While everybody else is having a famine,” said Mr. Savelle, a Texas televangelist, “his covenant people will be having the best of times.”
“Any time a worried thought about money pops up in your mind,” Mr. Savelle continued, “the next thing you do is sow”: drop money, like seeds, in “good ground” like the preachers’ ministries. “Stop worrying, start sowing,” he added, his voice rising. “That’s God’s stimulus package for you.”
At that, hundreds streamed down the aisles to the stage, laying envelopes, cash and coins on the carpeted steps.
Read more…
Posted by Mr.I Get It on August 16, 2009 at 4:47am
Last night during the Lil Wayne headlined Americas Most Wanted tour Soulja Boy was performing when he brought out a special guest which was none other than 50 Cent himself. 50 than performed “OK, You’re Right” and “I Get Money” then stuck around to performed “Turn My Swag On” along with Soulja Boy.
Read more…
This topic has been an ongoing subject for years now and I would like to set things straight in my own words. I see news articles, blogs, TV shows and conversations about my body and butt that really are silly to me. My website cocosworld.com gets hundreds of emails a day asking "is your booty real?"
The answer is YES! 100% All Natural! I had my boobs enhanced at 18 years old and that is the only plastic surgery that I ever have done to my body.
Even after I write this blog and people read it, some people will say I'm lying and still have their opinion that it is fake.
Let me start by describing my body type, a short, athletic small build. For those that don't know I'm only 5"2'. I was never the super skinny girl in school even though I wanted to be. I was never fat but always thought I had bigger thighs than the other girls, just a little not by a lot. My dad is naturally muscular without ever having to go into the gym and my mom has a curvy body, small waist and wide hips. With that alone, my parents have some great genes.
My parents were both in the entertainment business and met on the set of Bonanza. Because of that my mom has always been conscious of her looks which to me made me feel I too had to be perfect. She was always watching her weight which made me want to be skinny too. When i was growing up, my friends would tease me about my butt calling me names not destructively, just more playing around. Back then I thought they were fat jokes.
The first time I was called "bubble butt" was when I was around 12. My butt wasn't huge but on my small frame it would bulge out a little bit plus my back has a natural deep arch. My best friend and sister would call my booty their crystal ball and they could see the future. Funny huh? I bet you haven't heard that one before?
So, fastforward to when I heard the word fat for the first time..I was working for Playboy at age 18, the producer pulled me aside and told me that I was starting to gain weight. Back then this was devastating to me. If you looked at me then I was skinny but to them I wasn't. At that time I was only 118 pounds compared to today, now I'm 135 pounds (that weight had to go somewhere,LOL). From then on I was so concerned. I did everything to get skinnier. I wasn't comfortable with my curves. I remember having 36 inch hips and a 21 inch waist. I was working on getting them to 34 inches because in California this is the way they wanted it. And I believed that their opinion was all that mattered in this world.
I only started feeling comfortable about my body and booty when Ice came into my life. He liked a little meat on his bones. He convinced me that my body is beautiful and unique, a white girl with a thick body. He calls me unusual. Work with what you got. So I did and let my frustrations go.
I started modeling again for fun 2 years ago after stopping for 5 years to be a wife and help run all of our business endeavors. The rumors started like crazy. I was so amazed. I couldn't believe people thought my butt was fake. Does that mean my thighs are fake too? Is it IMPOSSIBLE for a white girl to have a booty? Maybe they think since I enhanced my boobs so why stop there? There is no way I would even consider a butt procedure. I'm actually against it. I already have to be careful of my breasts, but you sit on your booty, you don't sit on your boobs! The best solution is to build it with muscle.I'm now 30 years old and a girls body fluctuates all the time but right now my hips are a size 40 and my waist is 23 inches. I work out hard in the gym mostly concentrating on my lower body.
I would like to also mention the muscle that sits on the top of my butt (pictured below) Not everybody can build this. It has to be in your genes. Its kinda looks like the top of a heart shape. I use heavy weights to work this area.
Swimsuit and erotic modeling requires a lot of dedication. Because the body is always exposed you have to maintain an athletic physic. The only way I know how to get that is to hit the gym. I work out HARD at least 3 times a week. Just trying to keep my curves. I'd be lying if I said it was easy.
That is no secret. I work out and I got lucky with some booty genes. Who would have ever thought, the little girl that thought she was fat now has a booty that everybody's talking about.
P.S I'm sure some of you feel i shouldn't even have to explain myself but I wanted to try to set the record straight.
Until the next thought.....
KansasCity.Com Reports
Oh no he didn't just sign on to play football in MY hometown!
Pink is steamin' mad that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Michael Vick to play for them. So (of course) she's using Twitter to unleash.
"wow. michael vick in MY hometown, Philly. of all the places. I hope the fans tear him to pieces like his beloved dogs."
Pink's not the only one doggone ticked off about this, but we don't know if she plans to join any of the protests already being planned.
Here's what PETA says: "PETA and millions of decent football fans around the world are disappointed that the Philadelphia Eagles have chosen to sign a man who hanged dogs from trees, electrocuted them with jumper cables, held them underwater until they drowned in his swimming pool, and even threw his own family dogs into the fighting pit to be torn to shreds while he laughed.”
And Phil Sheridan, sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer: "As much as Vick has the right to get on with his life, the rest of us have the right to remind him of what he did.”
What do you think?
Read more…
NY Daily News Reports
Biloxi,Miss. - When Jeff Lacy was promoting his first boxing card in Tampa back in April, he invited Roy Jones Jr. to the show. Jones accepted the invitation, but he knew why Lacy wanted him ringside.
"I knew he was going to challenge me to a fight," Jones said. "I can't say no to a challenge."
The result is a 12-round light-heavyweight match between Jones and Lacy at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum tonight.
Lacy, the former IBF super middleweight champion, will be fighting at 175 pounds for the first time in his career.
"I actually feel my best at 172-173 pounds," said Lacy, who weighed in at 172 Thursday. "I'm stronger. I feel really good."
Lacy (25-2, 17 KOs) is co-promoting the show with Jones, though he isn't handling any of the nuts and bolts. His contribution has been minimal, but Lacy plans to close the show in spectacular fashion.
"This fight isn't going the distance, because I know that Roy is going to come to fight," Lacy said. "And when you come forward and stay in front of me, the fight won't go the distance."
Jones and Lacy are actually in the same boat as far as their careers are concerned. They are considered washed up as far as competing at the elite level. Both suffered lopsided losses to top opponents last November. Jones lost to Joe Calzaghe, Lacy to Jermain Taylor. The winner could remain relevant in the light-heavyweight division. The loser becomes an also-ran.
"My hands are still five times faster than Jeff Lacy's," Jones said. "And they're five times faster than everybody else on this card."
Lacy, 32, has just two losses in his career, but they have been devastating. He took a brutal beating at the hands of Calzaghe in 2006, which may have damaged his career beyond repair. He has not logged a single KO in the five fights since that loss. Part of that may have come from the fact that he had to have reconstructive surgery on his shoulder and missed a year in the ring. Lacy said that was not his problem against Taylor, his 2000 U.S. Olympic teammate.
"We were roommates in the Olympics," Lacy said. "I attended his wedding. The aggressive side of me didn't come out in the fight. I didn't feel like I was taking that many shots and I felt like I was landing a lot of my shots. But I lost the decision."
Lacy doesn't expect to have any motivational problems once he steps into the ring against Jones (53-5, 39 KOs). He has built-in motivation because he realizes that his career is on the line.
"When you're building up your career you're put in against guys who aren't that good and you know you can just go in and take care of them quickly," Lacy said. "But when you're fighting someone like Roy Jones you know he's coming to fight. ... I've been up for this fight from the day he said yes."
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HipHopWired Reports
Queen Latifah will be releasing her new album Persona on August 25th. The album has been described as a blend of Hip Hop and Pop creating a new sound for the Queen. Persona is executive produced by Cool and Dre and features production from Pharrell Williams.
The lead single off of the new album, “Cue the Rain” combines Latifah's melodic voice with a fun club beat and was first debuted on the season finale of 'American Idol.” With all of Latifah success, she also opens up some personal issues from her past that caused her to be the go-getter she is today. On the track “The Light,” she opens up about her upbringing in New Jersey and how through various obstacles she has "made it to the light." This song is a throw back to her rapping days when all hailed the queen.
The Queen also rocks out with the “Queen Of Hip-Hop/Soul” Mary J. Blige on the track “People” as the two examine the nature of personal interactions and relationships. Persona will also feature collaborations with Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, and Serani.
On the acting tip, The Queen is currently shooting two films. Valentine's Day will feature her Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher and Julia Roberts while Just Wright will star Latifah and Common.
Also in the works to feature La is the musically inspired feature film Stories I've Heard to be directed by Chris Robinson who also lensed the T.I. starring vehicle ATL. Written by Robinson and writing partner Neal Feldman, the film unfolds to reveal five separate stories that intersect under extraordinary circumstances.
According to Robinson, “Stories I've Heard is just that... Narratives inspired by conversations I've had over the years. Extraordinary tales from normal everyday people."
Varying from the harrowing to the mysterious, each story is based on some kind of real-life event. The five separate storylines eventually intersect, revealing just how involved we all are in each other's lives without even knowing it.
Read more…
HipHopWired Reports
Longevity and relevance are too hard things to come by when speaking about Hip-Hop. Artist that emerged in the early 90's are either holding onto a strand of hope or have disappeared in the darkness of obscurity.
Memphis group Three Six Mafia has spent close to twenty years in the rap world and although they have gone through their trials and the group has drastically downsized, they are still intact. On November 10, the Grammy award-winning group will bless audiences with their latest project, "Laws of Power".
The album will feature DJ Paul and Juicy J holding it down as they have for a while. The group recently went on their solo tips as both released their own project with Paul's Scale-A-Thon in May, and Juicy's Hustle Till I Die in June.
“Lil Freak (Ugh Ugh Ugh)” will be a track that is featured on the upcoming project and will feature artist Webbie. Another notable cut will be “Shake My” which will feature Laenna and will be produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Osinachi Nwaneri. The musical effort is set to be released through Hypnotize Minds/Columbia Records.
Laws Of Power will also find the Tear The Club Of Thugs venturing into techno as they collaborate with Flo-Rida and Sean Kingston over the production of Tiesto.
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There's a long list a beautiful female stars fighting for different causes by baring it all. Here's a few of them
"Third Watch" star Nia Long shows how to beat the morning commute...by riding the rails in the buff!
Of her decision to join the PETA "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, Long says, "When I became a mother I started to really understand the importance of all living creatures in a way that I didn't ever think about before."
But she's not the only sexy star to take it all off for the animal rights organization ...
... PETA definitely knows how to turn heads. Actress Eva Mendes gave fans a view to remember for the benefit of PETA...
Vegan actress Alicia Silverstone took it all off for a 2007 print ad to promote vegetarianism.
'Girls Next Door' star Holly Madison showed off her curves in this ad, released in April 2007.
Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian spurred airbrush rumors after flaunting her exposed figure in an ad for PETA
'NYPD Blue' star Charlotte Ross revealed (nearly) everything in a 2002 PETA ad next to the tagline, "I'd Rather Show My Buns Than Wear Fur."
The ladies of Danity Kane fight fur with ... nudity.
Sarah Michelle Gellar took it all off in photos for Vaseline, and auctioned off nude photos to benefit the Coalition of Skin Diseaes in America, The Insider reports.Read More About The Charity Here
Kimora Lee Simmons posed with her pooch Zoe alongside the slogan, "Be an angel for dogs," in this January 2008 ad.
Former 'Baywatch' babe Traci Bingham showed her love for animals in an anti-meat campaign for PETA.
For More Pics Of Celebs Fighting For A Cause Sans Clothes. Check Out The NY Daily News Gallery HereRead more…
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