culture

  • A Guide to Marriage, Courtesy of Robin Thicke

    Pay attention to what Robin Thicke has been saying, not singing. Forget about the lyrics, the new album and his recent antics. Instead, listen to what he’s been saying about his marriage, and what you’ll hear is a man putting on a master class in what not to do if you want to hold on…

  • Is Sherri Shepherd Giving Up Rights to Surrogate Baby?

    Sherri Shepherd, the soon-to-be-departed co-host of The View, has decided to waive parental rights to, and accompanying responsibilities for, her unborn child, TMZ reports. According to the gossip site, Shepherd claims her estranged husband, Lamar Sally, convinced her to have another child so that he could extort financial support from her after he filed for…

  • Students Seek to Ban R-Word From Publication; Board Members Say No

    Students at a Philadelphia-area high school are being punished for not using the word “redskin.” Like the Washington, D.C., NFL team that just lost its trademark, Neshaminy High School has as its mascot a brown man’s face wearing a headdress—and the mascot is called “Redskin,” a term that is offensive to Native Americans. When the editors at the…

  • Chicago Teen Killed Two Days Before College Orientation  

    There were 82 people shot in Chicago over the weekend. One of them was 17-year-old Marcel Pearson, who was set to begin his freshman year at Western Illinois University. Instead he was shot down by a gunman in his South Side neighborhood. The shooting happened around 10 p.m. as Marcel walked around his neighborhood park,…

  • Ray Nagin: ‘It’s Been Tough’ Since Conviction

    Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is facing federal prison in September, but the businessman-turned-politician, who was convicted on 20 out of 21 fraud, bribery and other charges, says he’s innocent. “I still maintain my innocence,” Nagin told WDSU TV, calling the situation “surreal.” “We’re going to appeal this thing, and it’s just something that’s…

  • NC Man Sits in Hot Car to End Hot-Car Deaths

    Terry Williams is tired of hearing that children have died after being left in a hot car, so he has taken his fight, and a challenge, to social media. “I’m sitting in the car with the windows rolled up ’cause I want to know how it feels to be left in the car,” the Greensboro,…

  • Scandal and Orange Is the New Black Snag Emmy Nominations

    Joe Morton, better known as the infamous “Papa Pope” on TV’s hit series Scandal, has secured a nomination for this year’s round of Emmy Awards. Thursday’s eagerly awaited reveal of the list of nominees was a huge nod to Game of Thrones, which secured 19 nominations, followed closely by Fargo with 18 and American Horror Story: Coven with 17.…

  • Court Petition: Detroit Boy Found in Basement Was Repeatedly Abused

    Charlie Bothuell V, the Detroit boy found alive in his basement after going missing, was repeatedly abused, forced to complete rigorous workout routines and subjected to beatings with a PVC pipe, according to a court petition and as reported by the Detroit Free Press in USA Today.  The petition claimed that Charlie was forced to do 100…

  • Ex-Ga. GOP Employee Claims Racial Discrimination

    The Georgia Republican Party has been slapped with a lawsuit, with a former aide saying she was discriminated against based on her race. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Qiana Keith, who is black, said that she heard co-workers referring to her as the “house n—ger” and that they also disrespected and humiliated her. While Keith…

  • Jay Z to Headline Anti-Poverty Concert in New York

    Jay Z, much like his wife, Beyoncé, has a philanthropic streak and is set to wow a crowd at the 2014 Global Citizen Festival in the fight to end world poverty, Rolling Stone reports. The rapper, native to Brooklyn, N.Y., will be headlining the huge charity event in New York’s Central Park later this year…