Loosely based on a once legitimate expression of prowess and entertainment, it has now became an over-exaggerated farce of its original form. Despite how it overtly plays to the highly stimulating and foregoes content, its fan base is expanding beyond its original audience and into new legions that know nothing of its true essence. It […]

    When you think of the average teenager, the first things that come to mind usually don’t involve Shakespeare or long term career goals. Jermaine Crawford, known to most of us as Duquan “Dukie” Weems on HBO’s The Wire, is not only a consummate actor – he’s also a singer, a dancer, a budding […]

All Hip-Hop NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview   Happy New Year, and with a New Year comes a new season: the NFL post season.  The NFL’s post season is the one time of the year when the terminology, “win or go home”, is at its truest.  There’s no best of five, or best of seven […]

Film writer and director Kasi Lemmons once wrote: “Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain.” These eloquent words were recited by 10-year old newcomer Jurnee Smollett in 1997’s unnervingly sexy family drama Eve’s Bayou.   Both powerful memories and words play a part in her most recent role […]

As it so happens, I’ve been buried under a huge rock over the past few years. I’ve come to find out that people rarely go out on “dates” these days – unless it’s staged in a 26 minute segment and is paid for by a cable network. Please don’t tell me that bringing flowers to […]

Welcome to the 2007 year end wrapup of Knockout Nation. In 2006, we had to suffer through declarations that boxing was dead on a mainstream level. This year proved that not only is the sport alive and thriving, but that things can be even better by continuing to pit the best fighters against each other […]

    It is hard to believe 2007 is officially in the books. But as fast as this year has passed, there was plenty that happened in the basketball world these past 12 months. We saw LeBron make it to the finals, an ugly referee scandal… and we saw the New York Knicks (nuff said). […]

  What up y’all!   December 27 was special, man. We caught a flight out of Boston on Wednesday and came into Dallas for the Mavericks/Cavs game. This morning, I went over to the shoot around and caught LeBron James in the hallway where we did a nice piece for the Overtime show. He doesn’t […]

  Now that 2007 has come and gone, it’s a thankful day that we have some new fashion to look forward to in 2008. I’m not an official fashionista, but I’ve been known to rock a hot outfit at the right moment, and I do have eyes. Granted, there were a few things from the […]

Welcome to the first official Hollywood Shuffle column discussing all things movies, television, celebrity and just plain Hollywood. To kick things off, we bring you an in-depth look at the year’s rising trend and popularity of Hip-Hop in Hollywood, followed by our “Short List” of the Top 5’s of 2007! Lists are in no particular order.1. The […]

    Going from drug kingpin to film producer is not the mid-life epiphany that it seems to be when you meld the two worlds. Anthony “Tone” Gonzalez’ experience running the Bronx streets in the ‘80s serves as prime fodder for his films.   In his latest documentary, Superfly: The Untold Story of Frank Lucas, […]

    In 1935, Wiley College, a small Black college in Marshall, Texas defeated defending national champions University of Southern California in a debate. In terms of Black History, this story ofAfrican-Americans breaking the color barrier in competitive debate is a small victory. Many civil rights milestones, which need not be named, have shadowed this […]

Saturday Night Special:   12-29-07, 8:15 pm, CBS, NBC, NFL Network   Game of the Week, Pt. 1 New England Patriots (15-0) vs. NY Giants (10-5) Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ   *Spoiler Alert* Since all of the media outlets are making a big deal about tonight’s game, I decided to write a whole […]

    When one hears the term “war hero,” many historic names come to mind – from King Leonidas of the mighty 300 to “Stormin’ Norman” Swartzkopf to… Bone Crusher? That’s right, you read correctly, because this February, Bone Crusher’s fitness DVD Battle of the Bulge will invade a store near you.    The video […]

    Despite changing times and trends, SouthPole has sustained their position as one of the best selling brands in the urban apparel industry against their luxury driven competitors. After a successful 10-year run, SouthPole launched Lot 29 in 2001 – the brand best known for flashy design prints with cartoon characters like Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester The […]

    Playing the dual role of mother and celebrity is a natural, calm act for Kimberly Elise, yet the Minnesota native has played some of the most angst-ridden characters anyone could imagine in her career. From the naive bank-robbing mother in Set It Off to the scorned wife in Diary Of A Mad Black […]

    With a new year on the horizon, it’s only natural for most of us to sit down with a pen and a pad… excuse me, this is 2007… in front of our computers, and script out New Year’s Resolutions. Some of us are looking to expand our business, save more money, work-out more […]

    The Celtics train appears to be headed straight to the NBA Finals, and one former NBA All Star apparently wants in on the ride. This week, Gary Payton has expressed he wants to join the Celtics. According to a Boston Globe article, Payton told his long time agent Aaron Goodwin that he thinks […]

Grand Opening:   It’s been hard to pick one thing to talk about this week.  So I figured with Christmas being next Tuesday, I would share with you my Christmas list.  Hopefully, I’ve been a good boy this year and Santa fills up my stockings with goodies.   1)      The NFL finds a way for at […]

    When Brooklyn native Rick Gonzalez appeared in 2005’s inspirational film Coach Carter, fans immediately latched on to him for his very memorable hair. At that point he was already five years in to his television and film career, and he was determined to make sure that people recognized him for his talent as […]