The Last Word: Akon Forgets His Age, Rihanna Accused of Supporting the War in Gaza, and Mariah Carey Records With Nick Cannon’s Brother!

  What’s going on, good folks? A historic week it was with Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the US, Hillary Clinton being confirmed as the new Secretary of State and Caroline Kennedy taking her name out of the running for Hillary’s NY Senate seat.    Congratulations to Kimora Lee Simmons […]

 

What’s going on, good folks? A historic week it was with

Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the US, Hillary Clinton

being confirmed as the new Secretary of State and Caroline Kennedy taking her

name out of the running for Hillary’s NY Senate seat. 

 

Congratulations to Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou,

who are reportedly expecting their first child together and legendary R&B

singer Bobby Womack, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

Shout out to the sounding boards for being inspired to make

history on their own.

 

And now the next chapter of…the Last Word for the week

ending Jan. 23, 2009.

 

1. Akon Forgets His Age (Sort Of)

 

Looks like Akon is taking that Aaliyah song, “Age Ain’t

Nothing but a Number,” to heart.

 

Media sources report the hitmaker has no idea how old he is,

despite the fact that he has a birth certificate. Think Akon is worried about

all this? Think again.

 

“All it’s going to do is depress me,” the crooner told The

Associated Press. “I don’t want to know I’m

getting older. Then I’ll start to think about getting checkups and insurance. I

don’t want that.”

 

Although sources believe his age ranges from 25 to

35-years-old, Akon himself stated he was 25 in 2006. Now the vocalist claims

that his birth certificate lists April 16, 1977 as the date he was born. So

that would put him at 31-years-old.

 

Still, Akon maintains he never knew his age despite being

born in the U.S. and spending a portion of his childhood in Senegal. This isn’t

a big deal for him, because “In Africa … age is not important over there.”

 

“They don’t care. People only focus on it here (America) and

in Europe,” said Akon, who revealed that he just gives the first number that

comes to mind when people ask him his age.

 

Akon may not know how old he is, but when you, “Get in

before the sun sets/you ain’t a rookie, you a super vet/sleepin’ in the chair

every chance you geeeeet!’ 

Hey-ey-ey… You’re so old.”

 

I’m just sayin’.

 

2. Chris Rock Invades Sundance with Good Hair; Reflects

on Obama Inauguration

 

Chris knows a thing or two about hair and he wants share it

with everyone. Which is why the comedian is screening his new film Good Hair at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

 

The documentary, which is one of 16 entries in the event’s

U.S. documentary competition, features Rock as he explores cultural pressures

that motivate Blacks into utilizing costly and painful means to take care of

their hair. Among the places visited are the Bronner brothers hair show in

Atlanta, neighborhood salons, businesses dealing in hair-care products and

India, where human hair is a huge export industry for hair weaves.

 

In addition, the film will feature Rock’s trademark humor

while raising serious questions about identity and equality among Black women

who feel they need long, straight, silky hair to fit into White society.

Rappers Eve and Ice-T make cameos in Good Hair along with fellow celebrities Maya Angelou, the Rev. Al Sharpton,

Raven-Symone and Tracie Thoms.

 

Rock, who got the idea for Good Hair in the mid-1990s during a standup tour through

Atlanta, serves as a producer and co-writer on the documentary. Although Good

Hair will eventually air on HBO, Rock and

those who worked with him are thinking about releasing the feature in theaters

first.

 

And while he enjoys the positive reaction to his film, Rock

didn’t let President Obama’s inauguration go unnoticed.

 

“Excellent Black people have always been compensated for

excellence. Always,” Rock told the AP

while joking that, “The real equality is when we can have a Black President as

dumb as George Bush.”

 

“That’s when we’re really equal. That’s when the dream has

come true.”

 

3. Eva Mendes Named Most Desirable Actress

 

Question: If you could wife Eva Mendes, would you give it a

second thought? According to the AskMen.com, the answer is No as the entertainer was named the website’s most

desirable actress of 2009.

 

Mendes earned the top spot on the AskMen.com poll, which

asked readers who they thought would make the best wife or girlfriend. More

than ten million votes were collected.

 

“Obviously good looks are one quality but intelligence,

ambition and humor also count,” AskMen.com Editor-in-Chief James Bassil told

Reuters about those who made the final cut.

 

Who did Eva beat to become the most desirable? Well, the Top

10 was comprised of Megan Fox (2), Marisa Miller (3), Keeley Hazell (4), Anne

Hathaway (5), Alessandra Ambrosio (6), Scarlett Johansson (7), Rihanna (8),

Kristen Bell (9) and Kate Beckinsale (10).

 

So who is your most desirable actress? Would any of these

ladies make your Top 10 or would it be a whole new group of females? Eva is

good, but is there anybody better? 

Let the voting begin!

 

4. Rihanna Becomes an Enemy of the PAS

 

Rihanna may be one of the hottest artists out now, but the

hit-making diva’s status is becoming a liability as the Pan-Malaysian Islamic

party (PAS) is stepping up efforts to ban Miss Fenty from performing in

Malaysia.

 

A new report from the group claims Rihanna’s performance for

Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13 would be an insult to Asian values. In addition, PAS

believes that those who buy tickets to the show are contributing to the U.S.’

economy.

 

“Whether Rihanna realizes it or not, we know that the taxes

she has paid also contributed to the war in Gaza,” said the party’s youth wing

leader Kamaruzaman Mohamad, who told the Malaysian newspaper the Star that the concert would be “akin to insulting Eastern

culture, belittling local artistes, internationally causing losses to the

country’s economy and supporting Israel’s war policy, which is supported by

America.”

 

Rihanna isn’t the first artist to come under fire for

performing in Malaysia. Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and the Pussycat Dolls have

encountered the strict rules lawmakers have set for female performers, which

require that they take the stage in apparel that covers them from their

shoulders to their knees.

 

Despite PAS’ protest, Rihanna made an effort earlier this

month to comply by abandoning her skin-baring wardrobe agreeing to obey

Malaysian laws.

 

5. Morgan Freeman Integrates High School Prom

 

Eleven years of leading efforts to integrate proms for Black

and White high school students came to a head as Morgan Freeman debuted his new

documentary Prom Night in

Mississippi at the Sundance Film Festival

in Utah.

 

The actor was motivated to finance a dance for all races at

Charleston High School in his native Mississippi after hearing about the

school’s segregated proms in 1997. Although students were willing to give it a

go, parents and school board members ignored Freeman’s offer to integrate the

proms.

 

“It’s kind of disheartening,” the actor expressed. “In the

little town we live in – this is a really small town – I don’t know

how you can live in such a small place and try to be separate.”

 

Fortunately, cameras were rolling as Freeman made the

initial pitch to the school board 11 years ago. The board ultimately honored

the actor’s request last year. Cameras continued to follow Freeman and the

students as they prepared for Charleston High’s first mixed race prom.

 

Prom Night in Mississippi is one of a series of documentaries featured in Sundance’s world

documentary competition. Overall, Freeman spent about $17,000 to make the

integrated prom a reality. Footing the bill for the event was a non-issue as

the Oscar winner took it all in stride when he said it was “money very well

spent” that may hopefully result in future integrated proms.

 

6. Mariah Carey Makes Beautiful Music with Nick Cannon’s

Brother

 

You’ve got to hand it to Nick Cannon. He loves his wife

Mariah Carey. So much so that he called her his “hero” when introducing her at

Barack Obama’s Neighborhood Ball on Tuesday (Jan. 20).

 

And Mariah loves Nick. Which is why she’s spreading that

love to his brother Reuben? E! News reports the vocalist will lend a voice to

Reuben’s forthcoming album, which is halfway done and slated to come out next

later this year.

 

“Reuben and Mariah are doing a duet together for Reuben’s

first album,” an industry source said. “They are meeting at the end of the

month with Mariah’s record label, Universal Music Group, to seal the deal, and

Reuben is thrilled.”

 

I guess a hero’s work is never done. That’s our Mimi. Able

to hit high notes in a single breath while making the world a better place for

you and your relatives to earn a decent shot at becoming the biggest

entertainer at their apartment complex or family reunion.

 

In Other Words…

 

* Acting icon James Earl Jones will be honored with the Life

Achievement Award at this year’s Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) Awards. The event

will be simulcast live at 8 p.m. EST on TNT and TBS. Jones, who has made his

mark in television, stage and films such as The Great White Hope, the Star Wars films, Coming to America

and The Lion King, is being

recognized by SAG for “fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession.”

 

* If you didn’t get anything out of heeding Barack Obama’s

call to volunteer on MLK Day, you can at least take comfort in knowing that the

stars rolled up their sleeves to do their part to honor the legacy of Dr. King.

 

Among those who were out and about was Usher, who visited

Simon Elementary School in southeast Washington D.C on Monday (Jan. 19)

afternoon. The singer spent his time encouraging grade-schoolers and other

volunteers with handshakes, jokes and words of praise as they repainted walls and

built two libraries at the school. Southeast D.C. is known for being an area

with a high dropout rate.

 

“You notice that I’m not focusing on the [Inaugural]

celebration, I’m focusing on the work, because that’s what it’s about,” Usher

shared with People.**To get the latest AllHipHop ALternatives follow us on twitter @ twitter.com/ahhalternatives**