Celebrating the 50^th Birthday of Denis Brown

Crown Prince of Reggae

Great Voice, Staying Power and Loyal Following

An Essay by Michael D. Roberts

Dennis Emmanuel Brown will remain one of reggae’s most enigmatic and colorful figures eight years after his untimely passing. Without a doubt he was one of the most celebrated pioneers of Lover’s Rock – ironically the slowed-down reggae style that originated in England. It was the late reggae Super Star Bob Marley who christened and honored Brown with the title the "Crown Prince of Reggae." His first smash hit was "Money In My Pocket" but not before his career started at Studio One (the same studio that launched Bob Marley’s career) under the guidance of one of Jamaica’s great music producers Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Brown was feted as a child star in the 1960s and billed as the Reggae Boy Wonder and went on to produce 78 albums in a career that spanned over 30 years. It is safe to say that his work dominated reggae dancehalls for three decades.
 

Actress-Singer Barbara McNair Dies

Singer Barbara McNair, who became a film and television star in an era when such opportunities were opening up for black women, has died, her sister said. She was 72.

McNair hosted television's 'The Barbara McNair Show,' a musical and comedy program in the late 1960s and early 1970s. McNair died two Sundays after a battle with throat cancer, Jacqueline Gaither said.

LL COOL J: What A Good Look, Indeed

LL Cool J has been nearly everywhere promoting his new book, 'Platinum Workout.'

I had to look in my wallet to make sure he wasn't in there. Will the fitness book from the chiseled chest hip-hop icon sell? Who knows? It hasn’t popped up on any best-sellers lists yet, but TV talent bookers are going goo-goo ga-ga over the 'Mama Said Knock You Out' rapper -- who has appeared on almost every major television show (sans Oprah) in support of his latest literary effort.

Barclay won’t quit Gambling

Charles Barkley said last Monday that he won "about $700,000" gambling in Las Vegas over the Super Bowl weekend. "That was all profit (from) blackjack and I bet on the Super Bowl. I had the Colts," Barkley said in an interview with Phoenix  television station KTVK. "I played a lot of blackjack."
Barkley did not say how much he bet on the game in which Indianapolis beat the Chicago  Bears 29-17 in Miami .
In an ESPN interview in May 2006, Barkley estimated that he'd lost about $10 million gambling over the years.
He said last week that he lost $2.5 million "in a six-hour period" one night last year.

Beyonce named most desirable woman: survey

Singer-actress Beyonce, star of the movie musical "Dreamgirls," was named this year's "most desirable woman" in an annual reader survey released recently by the popular lifestyles Web site AskMen.com.
The entertainer, sometimes credited by her full name, Beyonce Knowles, jumped from No. 50 last year to the top of AskMen's list of "fantasy girlfriends" in 2007, as ranked by its readers -- a majority of whom are men aged 18 to 34. Beyonce, who burst on the recording scene as a member of the chart-topping R&B group Destiny's Child, earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as the Diana Ross-like character in "Dreamgirls," a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit musical. The movie is nominated for eight Oscars.

Anna Nicole Smith Dies After Collapsing

Former Playboy Playmate, Reality TV Star Was 39

Anna Nicole Smith, the voluptuous former Playboy centerfold who married an octogenarian billionaire and waged a legal battle for his fortune all the way to the Supreme Court, died last Thursday after collapsing at a hotel. She was 39. The blond bombshell - who recently became tabloid fodder all over again after the sudden, apparently drug-related death of her 20-year-old son - was stricken while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was rushed to a hospital.
Edwina Johnson, chief investigator of the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, said the cause of death was under investigation and an autopsy would be done on Friday.