Episodes – Page 1359

Report: Toni Braxton and Birdman call off engagement

ABC/Jeff NeiraToni Braxton is reportedly starting off the new year as a single woman. E! News reports Braxton and her fiance Birdman have decided to end their engagement.

In an Instagram post on New Year’s Day, Braxton shared a photo of herself in a red dress with a cryptic message.

“Starting a new chapter isn’t always an easy choice… but ALWAYS choose to be chosen,” the caption read. “Cheers to a new year.”

Birdman also reportedly had a similar message. According to E! News, he confirmed their breakup on New Year’s via an Instagram Story which read, “It’s over…”

The couple have since unfollowed each other on Instagram and scrubbed their accounts clean of each other.

Braxton and Birdman have been engaged since February 2018.

In November, Braxton told Wendy Williams that she was planning a “vintage ’20s and ’30s-like Great Gatsby-themed” wedding with the two to likely tie the knot at the end of 2018.

Braxton was previously married to Mint Condition Keri Lewis. This would have been Birdman’s first marriage.

Scoreboard roundup — 1/1/19

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) —   Here are the scores from yesterday’s sports events:

   NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Toronto       122 Utah           116
Final Milwaukee     121 Detroit         98
Final Denver        115 N-Y Knicks     108
Final OT Portland      113 Sacramento     108
Final Philadelphia 119 L.A. Clippers 113

   NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston      4 Chicago        2
Final Nashville   4 Philadelphia   0
Final Vegas       2 L.A. Kings     0

   TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (9) Florida St.      87 Winthrop         76
Final (10) Virginia Tech   81 Notre Dame       66
Final St. John’s           89 (16) Marquette   69

'Surviving R. Kelly''s first episode reveals details of singer's relationship with Aaliyah

Randee St. Nicholas/RCA RecordsThe Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly debuts Thursday, and in the first episode, new details of the singer’s relationship with Aaliyah are revealed.

The first episode features an interview with Kelly’s ex-backup singer Jovante Cunningham. Cunningham claims she witnessed Kelly’s sexual encounters with underage girls over the course of his career, including his one-time protégée Aaliyah, who died in a 2001 plane crash.

Cunningham also reveals the moment she discovered that Kelly, then 27, and Aaliyah, then 15, had a sexual relationship.

“We were out on the road with Aaliyah,” she explains. “On a tour bus, there really aren’t many confined spaces. When you get on the bus there are bunks and so these bunks have little curtains you can pull at night if you don’t want anybody to see you sleeping.”

“So it just so happened we were all laying in our bunks and the curtains are open, everybody’s communicating, laughing,” Cunningham continues. “When the [room] door flew open on the bus, [we saw] Robert was having sex with Aaliyah.”

Cunningham describes what she saw as “things that an adult should not be doing with a child.”

In 1994, it was widely reported that Kelly had secretly wed Aaliyah, and a marriage certificate giving her age as 18 was made public; in reality, she was 15. In the documentary, Kelly’s former personal assistant Demetrius Smith claims not only attended the wedding, but also forged the paperwork.

Smith says Kelly told him that he and Aaliyah had to marry because she was pregnant.

“That broke my heart right there, because I really believed him when he said that he wasn’t messing with Aaliyah,” Smith admits.

So far, R. Kelly has had no comment on Surviving R. Kelly, which airs on Lifetime from January 3 to January 5.

Roger Federer gushes about Serena Williams after defeating her in first match together

Twitter/@rogerfederer(PERTH, Australia) — It was sportsmanship at its best on New Year’s Day in Perth, Australia, as Roger Federer defeated Serena Williams in mixed doubles, then took to the mic to praise the iconic athlete.

Federer and his partner Belinda Bencic defeated Williams and Francis Tiafoe 4-2, 4-3 to advance in the Hopman Cup, but the event was more about two tennis greats facing off and then showing great esteem for the other.

After the match, Williams told the crowd she was “kinda sad the match was over. I was just warming up.”

About Federer, she added, “We grew up together … and having an opportunity after all these years. We’ve actually never done this and so this was super cool that we got to do this at such a pinnacle point in both our careers. For me, it was super cool! I wanted to take pictures and wanted to bring my baby out.”

Williams leads Federer 23-20 in career grand slams won, but the two will be forever linked as the dominant male and female, respectively, in tennis for this era, maybe all-time.

Federer gushed right back after the match, not only smiling for a selfie with the empowering athlete, but adding, “Your serving, especially the last serve at 3-3, I’m like ‘I’ve got to win this point,’ but it’s Serena Williams,’ I was telling myself. And I was telling myself, ‘This is maybe what I’ve always wanted, maybe a big-time moment like this.'”

He added that it was an “honor” to face off against Williams.

“It was great, great fun, and she’s a great champion and you see how focused and determined she is, and I love that about her,” he added.

Williams fired a compliment right back at the male champion, calling him the “the greatest of all-time to be honest” and that is “both on the court and off the court. He has such charisma, he’s just a wonderful player.”

The crowd wasn’t just treated to a super match, but two icons effusing respect for one another in the best way.

The Year in Music 2018 — Farewell to the Queen of Soul

Noam Galai/Getty Images for Tribeca Film FestivalThe music world lost many major artists in 2018, but perhaps none more beloved or impactful than the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer at her Detroit home on August 16 at age 76.

The first female performer ever to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Franklin had had health problems for the past few years, and she often had canceled concerts. In late 2017, she appeared alarmingly thin at a charity event but claimed it was a side effect of an unspecified medication. After announcing she was retiring from the road in 2017, Aretha still lined up shows for 2018, but in March, she was ordered by her doctors to cancel all of her performances and rest for two months.

In the days leading up to her passing, news reports emerged that Aretha was gravely ill and had received visits from her friend Stevie Wonder and Rev. Jesse Jackson.

A free tribute concert featuring The Four Tops, Patti LaBelle and many others was held in Detroit’s Chene Park Amphitheatre on August 30, the night before Aretha’s funeral. The funeral service itself, held at Motown’s Greater Grace Temple, was a nine-hour affair televised and streamed live online.

The memorial featured speeches by former President Bill Clinton, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Tyler Perry, Cicely Tyson, record executive Clive Davis and Aretha’s childhood friend Smokey Robinson.

Musical performers at the service who honored the Queen included Faith Hill, Ariana Grande, Ron Isley, Chaka Khan, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Gladys Knight, Wonder and Jennifer Holliday.

The Year in Music 2018: Breakout star Ella Mai takes a “Trip” to the top of the charts

Interscope RecordsThis year welcomed many breakout stars, but Ella Mai was one of 2018’s best-kept secrets, with an underdog story worth rooting for.

After a failed audition for The X Factor, Mai began posting clips of her singing to Instagram, where she was discovered by super producer DJ Mustard. Mai later inked a deal to Mustard’s 10 Summers record label, which released a series of EPs in 2016 and 2017. Her breakthrough single, “Boo’d Up,” however, proved to be her calling card as it steadily gained traction and finally took hold early this year, where it became one the most memorable songs of the summer.

Ella’s follow-up single, “Trip,” came next, as did her self-titled debut album in October and an SNLperformance in November.

The U.K. songbird closes this year with her success showing few signs of slowing down for now. She’s also earned her first American Music Award nomination as well as Grammy nods for Song of the Year and Best R&B Song.

The Year in Music 2018: The Cardi B 'Invasion' is complete

ABC/Image Group LAAfter climbing the charts, and breaking records with “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, it was anybody’s guess as to whether Cardi B would be able to build on her success in 2018.

As it turned out, however, the Bronx-bred rapper more than exceeded expectations with her stacked debut album, Invasion of Privacy. The project spawned a string of singles, including “I Like It,” “Bartier Cardi” and “Be Careful,” and achieved double-platinum status late in the year.

Since the release of her debut, Cardi has remained one of the most visible women in hip-hop, being tapped for a Rolodex of features. 2018 saw her score guest spots on Maroon 5‘s seven-week #1 “Girls Like You” and Bruno Mars‘ smash “Finesse” remix.

In April, Cardi revealed her pregnancy in dramatic fashion on Saturday Night Live, and in July, she gave birth to her baby girl, Kulture, with husband and Migos front man Offset. Pregnancy and motherhood caused Cardi to cancel a number of concert appearances, including dates on Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic tour, but by the end of the year, she’d returned to the stage and to TV.

In addition to breaking records on the charts, Cardi took home the hardware, winning three American Music Awards, two BET Awards, a Billboard Music Award and three MTV VMAs, among other honors. She’s also up for five Grammy Awards at the upcoming February 2019 ceremony.

The only things that slowed Cardi’s roll in 2018: her beef with Nicki Minaj — which resulted in her allegedly throwing a shoe at the Queen rapper at a Fashion Week party — and the breakup of her marriage to Offset. At press time, the couple had not reconciled, despite Offset’s non-stop pleas for her to take him back.

Going into 2019, the question remains as to whether or not Cardi will join Maroon 5 onstage for the band’s Super Bowl halftime show, or whether she’ll refuse to appear in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. So far, there’s been no official announcement one way or another.

With Instagram lip-lock photo, Cassie seemingly reveals she's got a new beau

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Cassie is apparently starting off the new year with a new beau.

On Saturday, the “Me and You” singer took to Instagram to share her blooming romance. In the picture, Cassie is seen posing with her mother in a photo booth alongside a mystery man. “I love you Mommy,” she captioned the sweet snapshot.

It was the accompanying photo, however, that speaks volumes. In the second frame, Cassie and the unidentified man are passionately locking lips, which prompted a flurry of comments from fans.

“Go ahead then, girl,” wrote one Instagram user, while another added, “I mean, if you trying to send him the I’m ‘over you message’ this would be it.”

Just hours before Cassie revealed her new relationship status, her ex and rap mogul Diddy shared an image of the singer in a bubble bath on his Instagram story. The Bad Boy CEO captioned the photo, “I [heart emoji] @cassie.”

In October, Diddy and Cassie confirmed their breakup after reportedly being separated for months. However, Cassie was later seen offering support to Diddy following the tragic death of his ex, Kim Porter.

Kanye West shares that he's starting off the new year “drug free”

ABC/Randy Holmes

Kanye West is starting the new year with a new state of mind.

The rapper took to Twitter on Sunday night to reflect on how he’ll be closing out 2018: “drug free,” but on a spiritual high.

“2018 was so beautiful. I got to be myself and nobody had to ‘let me’,” Ye wrote in a series of tweets. “I’m drug free and my spirit is connected. No weapon formed against us shall prosper.”

Earlier this year, the Kids See Ghosts lyricist revealed he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but it hasn’t sourced Ye’s perspective on life.

“We feel soooo much love,” he continued. “So much good energy. So much good will.”

The father of three went on to claim he’s “stronger than ever” and that “we are stronger than ever,” possibly referencing his marriage with Kim Kardashian.

Ye also reveled in all of his creative endeavors from the past year, which included executive-producing albums by Pusha-T, Nas and Teyana Taylor, recording the Kids See Ghosts project with Kid Cudi, and scoring a top 10 hit with Lil Pump on the track “I Love It.”

“New designs new music new ideas renewed spirit,” he added. “We changing everything [every day] the vision is crystal. Refresh.”

It appears as though Ye is also very optimistic about 2019, too: He notes how “we’re already so thankful for the blessings in order.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” he continued. “We feel the love.”

Report: Usher files for divorce from Grace Miguel following months of separation

ABC/Fred Watkins

In the wake of their nearly year-long separation, Usher and Grace Miguel have begun divorce proceedings.

The R&B crooner officially filed for divorce on Friday in Georgia, TMZ reports. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the couple has already reached a confidential settlement and are simply waiting on a judge to sign off on the paperwork.

Before marrying in 2015, Usher and Miguel dated for six years; they don’t have any children. Usher has two sons with his first wife, Tameka Foster.

Back in March, Usher and Miguel announced their split in a joint statement via social media. It arrived as Usher was being hit with multiple lawsuits accusing him of knowingly infecting his sexual partners with herpes. The singer denied the allegations and argued that the plaintiffs “assumed the risk” when they consented to have sex with him.