ob'nox'ious adj. in your face, thought-provoking expression that is undeniable; a person, object, or topic so objectionably hot that it must be called out or examined through popular eyes; a captivating description that always verifies the true essence of style, class, and intelligence.

OBNOXIOUS 08, 2006

William G. McCray, III -
MrMcCray@Obnoxious.tv

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Executive Clothiers

August 10, 2006

It has been a great deal of talk that my girl Beyonce’s pre-order launch for “ B’Day ” was done deliberately to cut sells of LeToya Luckett , former member of Destiny’s Child .  Although, it was highly unlikely that Beyonce’ would need to do something that low, LeToya still was number one on Billboard 200 chart.  “ LeToya ,” led by the No. 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop single “ Torn ,” Sold 165,000 copies in the U.S., more than enough to unseat the amazing compilation “ Now 22 ,” which fell to No.2 this week.  You may recall that LeToya co-wrote and sang on Destiny’s Child singles “ Bills Bills Bills ” and “ Say My Name ,” from the group’s eight-times platinum album, “ The Writing’s On The Wall .”  Now as a solo artist, LeToya will have her own reality show on BET--like we need another one of those--“ LeToya: The H-Town Chick ” and will be the opening act for the Queen of Hip Hop, Mary J. Blige on her “ The Breakthrough Experience ” tour.   Pharrel Willimas might prove to be a far better producer than rapper with his new opus “In My Mind,” debuted at No.3.  

Only if your name is Diddy can you arrive five-and-a-half hours late to your own party.   Sean Combs is always fashionably late to most events so he can make his entrance, but it is said that he did not intend to arrive at his own White Party in St. Tropez that late.  The Bad Boy founder was to arrive at the exclusive Nikki Beach club at 2:30 p.m., but it was 8:00 p.m. before he showed up to greet the hundreds of invited guests.   Sean said that he over slept due to having attended a wild party aboard the 277-foot yacht RM Elegant to celebrate his fragrance, Unforgivable.  That party did not end until 8:30 the following morning and Diddy did not turn in until 9 a.m.  
 
In more Diddy news, seems he might have to stop all the late night parting and pull some all nighters working with his newly signed artist Cassie .  “ Me & U ” hit the internet showing Cassie singing in a bra and panties, being video taped pulling an old Paris Hilton move and pulling down a man’s pants.   Cassie folded during her performances on MTV’s “ TRL ” and BET’s “ 106 & Park ,” to say they were disappointing would not be enough.   Diddy is making excuses for the 19 year old model that he signed to Bad Boy and added that people needed to give her a chance.  Now Diddy knows damn well that excuses are tools for the incompetent and he needs to admit that Cassie is cute, but she needs some of his “ Making Da’ Band ,” lessons.  “She had her first television performance, and she had an alright performance,” Diddy told MTV.  “You could hear the nervousness in her voice.  And to be honest, I kind of smiled at it, because it made me really appreciate what I really love about her: She’s a regular person.  And we, as artist, we sometimes get nervous.  I told her it’s like riding a bike:  You’re gonna fall down; you got to keep on getting on it.  I’m with her through her development, and I have no questions on her ability, or on her singing.  It just made me appreciate that she got nervous, and it was kind of cute to me, to be honest.”  That is total bullsh*t that Diddy is shoveling us.  Send Cassie home if she does not have it.  There is nothing cute about totally folding on national television not once, but twice.
Mr. Ghetto Foxx , you know the Oscar winner Jamie Foxx shared with the world that only one woman could make him give up his player card on the spot, and that lady is Halle Berry , also an Oscar winner.  “ Halle Berry’s so beautiful.   Halle’s the only actress I ‘ve ever met who looks even better in the flesh than on screen,” Ghetto Foxx said, according to Contact Music.  “ Denzel Washington and I were in a studio for a magazine cover shoot.  Then Halle comes out of the dressing room and we all start gravitating towards her as if we’re in a trance.  She’s stunning,” Jamie added.  The magazine cover that he was speaking of was Ebony .   Obnoxious actually attended an event and Jamie was also present carrying that very magazine with him.   Throughout the night Jamie would throw the issue of Ebony on the floor and yell damn look at me on that cover.  “The photographer’s saying: ‘OK people, just back away.’  She’s so close to amazing.  I don’t care if she knows of my crush.  She can take it any way she wants.  My approach is always to be direct.  In your private life, in your professional life, just do it.  People can always say no,” Jamie explained.  However, Halle is taken these days—at least for the time being— Gabriel Aubry seems to have Halle with her nose open wide for the Latin model.
Speaking of Academy Award Winners, Denzel Washington is working on a new movie with Russell Crowe and finally began production on Imagine Entertainment’s “ American Gangster ” in Queens, New York and T.I. has been added to the cast.  “ American Gangster ,” has a long history that dates back to 2004, when director Antoine Fuqua was attaché to direct at the time Denzel and Benicio Del Toro in the lead roles.  However, a month before production, universal Pictures Chairman Stacey Snider canceled the film over fear the budget would surpass $100 million.  Brian Grazer, who developed the drama from a New York magazine article by Mark Jacobson, brought in “ Hotel Rwanda ,” writer-director Terry George to punch up Steve Zaillian’s script and trim the budget.  But Ridley Scott , the director eventually dropped out after Universal could not get its budget issues together.  Now that the money issues are resolved Scott is back on board and will direct Washington and Crowe in the 1970s-set film about a police detective (played by Crowe ) on the heels of a drug lord (played by Washington ) who smuggled heroin into Harlem inside the coffins of soldiers returning from Vietnam.   T.I ., born Clifford Harris , will play Washington’s nephew, a character he told Billboard.com is “somewhat of a stretch.”  “Right now I’m learning everything I can about my character.  I’m just there to soak things up,” T.I. said.  “There’s a bunch of Academy Award-winners in this cast and I’m just there to learn.  I’m in school.”   Clifford is clear that he is going to have to work and come with it far more than he did in “ ATL .”  
Ludacris is not only going by his name Christopher Bridges he is beginning to look like the name as well.   Ludacris showed up at a concert in Seattle with a fade haircut.  His trademark cornrows—or his wild afro—is now completely gone.   Bridges says his decision to get rid of his hair was rooted in an overall shift in direction marked by his upcoming album.  “’ Release Therapy ,’ marks a new phase in my life,” the Atlanta rapper turned actor shared.  “I’m very excited to move forward and try new things.  Life is all about change and this album will hopefully reflect some of my growth as an artist and a person.  With that said, it only makes sense that I ‘shake things up’ and try something different.  Who knows what I’ll come up with next?”   Christopher will show off his new look in the music video  for “Money Maker,” which will premiere this fall on MTV as the first single from “ Release Therapy ,” due out September 26.  Well, it remains to be seen how much Ludacris has matured, known for his misogynistic lyrics it will be interesting to see what new message is reflected in his music.  “ The Red Light District ,” was hot in more ways than one and I will never forget the album release party that was a sexual free for all.  At the door you were greeted by a 6 foot penis with water shooting out of in and flat screen televisions with pornographic movies playing throughout the venue and completely nude strippers.  Close your mouth it was a party with the “ Red Light District ,” as the theme.  According my sources in the rappers Disturbing The Peace camp informed Obnoxious that the real reason for the haircut was due to Chris’ acting.  The source shared that he felt he was being typed cast in the roles he could get with is old look.   Ludacris feels he now will have an opportunity at roles other than a drug dealer or bad actor.
The Game , who has also taken a stab at acting, is not playing around when it comes to his music career.  According to reports The Game has left Dr. Dre’s Aftermath/Interscope label and signed with Geffen/Interscope Records in a deal that would involve the release of his next five solo albums and the distribution of his imprint, Black Wall Street.  As you may recall The Game wanted out of the deal with 50 Cent’s G-Unit that is under Aftermath/Interscope after he and Curtis Jackson had a ugly falling out.  Seems that Dre , founder of Aftermath and Interscope executive Jimmy Iovine advised the Compton rapper to sign the five-album deal with Geffen in exchange for the Black Wall Street distribution deal, as well as the release of his upcoming album, “ The Doctor’s Advocate ,” on Geffen instead of G-Unit .   The Game is going to continue to work with Dre on “ The Doctor’s Advocate ,” which was due out back in June, but has been pushed back.   Kanye West , Scott Storh , Cool & Dre , Timbaland , and Just Blaze are all producers slated to work on the album.  Not much has really changed except for a few technicalities due to both labels being in partnership with Interscope.  
Wesley Snipes is cheap!  United Talent Agency has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against former client Wesley Snipes , which claims the actor, is holding out on their commissions for several of his films.  Filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, the suit says Snipes was paid at least $13 million for his work on 2004’s “ Blade: Trinity ” and, in turn, paid commission to UTA totaling about $717,000, but UTA alleges that Snipes still owes them about $584,000 for the film sequel.  UTA is also seeking commission for three additional Snipes movies totaling more than $2 million based on its 10% representation fee.  The 44 year-old-actor should have the money due to the parts he has recently landed in five films:  “ The Shooter ,” “ Gallowwalker ,” “ Toussaint ,” “ Snakeskin ,” and “ Chasing the Dragon .”   Wesley get over it already and pay the people.  
Divas Raising Hell Strikes Again … Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has filed a libel lawsuit against the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper claiming facts in an editorial column were misstated.   McKinney , who recently made headlines in March for slapping the sh*t out of a Capitol Police officer while entering the Nation’s Capitol building, is suing the newspaper’s editor Cynthia Tucker and publisher John Mellott over a column that ran July 30th about McKinney’s run-in with the police.  Her attorney J.M. Raffauf, said the column describes McKinney striking the cop with her cell phone, a charge McKinney denies.  The lawsuit also claims other facts were misstated, including a reported suggestion by McKinney that President Bush knew that the 9/11 attacks would occur before the planes hit the World Trade Center, yet allowed it to happen so that he and his cronies could profit from an ensuing war.   McKinney is seeking an “immediate retraction in writing these false and libelous statements” and “demands that your retraction and correction be accompanied by and editorial in which you specifically repudiate your libelous statements.”
According to my “ Street Committee ”… Janet Jackson may never live down her 2004 Super bowl experience.  In an upcoming book it is revealed that Janet Jackson was banned from a famous Paris restaurant, Arpege.  The book “ Everybody Eats There ,” by Mara Gibbs and William Stadiem about 80 legendary restaurants around the world, Janet’s fame did not get her a reservation at the posh restaurant.  
 
Purportedly Nikki “Hoopz” Alexander from VH1’s hit series “ Flavor Of Love ,” is pregnant—and the father of the child is the Miami Heat’s star player Dwyane Wade .  Seems Justin Gatlinthat Wade is categorically denying that he had any relationship with Hoopz , it was said that Hoopz had sex with at least three NBA players, but never Wade .  Sources close to Wade said that the Miami Heat baller and NBA World Champion does not cheat and is faithful to his wife.  However, we cannot forget it was said that she engaged in a ménage-a-trois that include T.I. and a video vixen.  A few weeks ago she was spotted with Houston rapper Slim Thug and it has been reported that she has been seeing the very married member of the Philadelphia 76ers , Allen Iverson .  
 
In more sports gossip an Oregon message therapist is denying that he applied testosterone cream to Olympic track star Justin Gatlin , who announced Saturday that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency informed him of a test indicating he has used testosterone or other steroids after and April 2006 relay race in Kansas.   Gatlin has denied using any banned substance.   Gatlin’s coach, Trevor Graham, claims massage therapist Chistopher Whetstine rubbed testosterone cream on Gatlin’s legs without his knowledge in and attempt at sabotage.

Hats off to Bishop Chandler David Owens , Former Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In Christ on his 55th Annual Holy Convocation for the Central Georgia Jurisdiction, the week was power packed and ended on a major high.   Yours Truly served on the planning committee and got my boy Greg Williams of Roll Royce Motor Cars of Atlanta, who sponsored a brunch fit for a king honoring Bishop Owens at that Four Seasons Hotel, with only 100 of the top clergy, elected officials, and members of the business community in attendance.   Lt. Governor Mark Taylor spoke at that closing Official Day Service at the request of Obnoxious .   Supervisor Mary Tucker and her son Chris Tucker attended the services throughout the week and provided one young man a college scholarship to start school this fall.  Georgia on my mind!  In more church news Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson , Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, passed out in Dallas, Texas, at the Gospel Music Workshop Of America and was unable to preach as scheduled.   Bishop Patterson , who is battling cancer created a major scare when he hit the floor like a red wood tree in a cold sweat.  Many of the witnesses thought that was the big one.   Dorinda Clark-Cole preached in his place and the Bishop is at home doing fine.