Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds have become engaged. "Tracey and Eddie were engaged last Wednesday," Edmonds personal assistant told People. "Tracey and Eddie are both very much in love and are excited about spending the rest of their lives together." OK magazine first reported the engagement, when the couple was spotted at the July 23 premiere of "Who's Your Caddy," which is from Tracey's (and Bob Johnson's) Our Stories Films. She also was wearing a diamond sparkler on her left ring finger, prompting questions about whether it was an engagement ring. "No, this isn't an engagement ring," Murphy, 46, clarified. "If I were gonna do an engagement ring, it would be much bigger."We're not sure if he actually followed up with a bigger ring, but now it's official. The engagement comes on the heels of Murphy's paternity case with Melanie 'Mel B' Brown, who gave birth to his daughter, Angel Iris, in April. Meanwhile, Edmonds's divorce from Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds was finalized in June.
People magazine is quoting sources who say that Usher’s mom and former manager, Jonetta Patton, was one of several forces leading to the cancellation of his planned trip down the aisle with fiancée Tameka Foster. People reports: "Usher's mother [whom he fired as his manager in May] is against the wedding. That is one of the main obstacles," according to the source, who also said of the bride, 37, and groom, 28: "They only decided two weeks ago to have a wedding. They wanted to have it take place before the baby bump started showing." The source also said the couple “had a lot of differences about the details. 
Wanna be apart of UrbanConnection? UC is now looking for a new co-web, possibly two new co-webs to be apart of the site. Read the requirements below to find out more. If you think you have what it takes to be apart of UC, contact me, Tee, at urbanconnectionblog@yahoo.com PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY SPAM! Also, I just added cbox to the site. It's on the sidebar. If you have any comments or questions about the site, just send them in there.
Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons held the Tea Party to Introduce "Ming and Aoki" Signature Collection for Spring 2008 yesterday, July 25, 2007 in the Phat Farm Showroom New York City. Check out the cute photos of the family and Pussycat Doll winner Asia Nitollano and her daughter. Kimora and Russell really did make a cute couple. 
The arrival of Jermaine Dupri as president of the Island Urban music division in February has apparently rankled the president of Island’s Def Jam label, Jay-Z. The New York Daily News is quoting sources who confirm that Jay-Z is in talks to join rival label Columbia Records, in part to get some distance from Dupri’s kingdom under the same Island umbrella. "There isn't room for two kings at one label," says a source. "Why would Island bring in another power-hitter urban guy?" Ironically, Dupri’s girlfriend Janet Jackson recently left Virgin two weeks ago and followed signed with Dupri’s Island Urban, while Columbia is the label home of Jay-Z’s girlfriend, Beyonce. Also, Columbia’s new co-chairman Rick Rubin has been looking to shake up the label’s A&R department. "He's creating a supergroup of staff," a second source tells Daily News column Gatecrasher. "So it would make sense that he would want Jay on his side."
British-based Web site NME.com is reporting that Rihanna will be releasing her own line of umbrellas in the wake of her monster hit single, “Umbrella,” which just became the longest-running U.K. number one single in a decade. The Barbados-born artist has teamed with British clothing company Totes to put out a collection of five different umbrellas in the U.K. The series will be available in different colors. “Umbrella,” meanawhile, has lodged its tenth week at No. 1 on the British charts, and there’s a joke going around Britain that the track is the cause of this summer’s heavy rains and flooding in the area.Beyonce Knowles made a dramatic misstep when she fell face-first down a flight of stairs during a concert. Ever the stage professional, she got right up and continued her performance as if nothing had happened. The 25-year-old singer — flipping her hair dramatically and wearing a long red trench coat and high heels — was performing her song "Ring the Alarm" during a concert Tuesday in Orlando, Fla., when she tripped and stumbled down several stairs. Knowles quickly regained her footing, reclaimed her microphone and went on with the show. A spokeswoman for the singer didn't immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press on Thursday. Amateur videos of the tumble had nearly 900,000 hits on the YouTube.com Web site Thursday morning. Posting of the videos began Wednesday.
Beyonce feel hard as hell on that stage. It looked like she busted her whole face! There aren't anymore videos on youtube of the fall, but click the link below to see the fall from yahoo news.
The New York Post is reporting that Michael Jackson has gotten some words of wisdom from none other than Prince regarding the best way to launch a comeback. According to the paper, Prince reportedly advised Jackson to play a series of acoustic shows in Las Vegas to prove that his distinctive voice is still in tact. A source told the Post: “Prince has been suggesting that Michael play a sequence of unplugged concerts in Las Vegas - just Michael and the microphone. No gimmicks, no costume changes, no smoke or mirrors, just his voice.” Several months ago, Prince was reported to have turned down an offer from Jackson to go on a joint tour. Jackson’s rep, Raymone K. Bain, has since denied the story. 
Late Monday EUR received notice that BET changed the name of its controversial new show, hosted by Charlie Murphy, from "Hot Ghetto Mess" to "We Got To Do Better." The program, which premieres tomorrow night, Wednesday, spurred at least two advertisers, State Farm Insurance and Home Depot, to change their minds over mounting criticism that that the then named "Mess" promoted racial stereotypes. Here is the statement in its entirety:This week, BET will be launching a new series called WE GOT TO DO BETTER, a half-hour video clip show that, at its core, is pure social commentary.
The show’s original title was HOT GHETTO MESS: WE GOT TO DO BETTER. We’ve decided to change the name because we want to highlight the show’s real intent, which is to offer social commentary in a context that sparks dialogue, debate, and most importantly, change. Additionally, the early misperceptions about the show and its title were diverting attention from the overall original programming strategy we’ve begun implementing at BET Networks – which is to deliver smart, creative shows that explore the full range of the Black experience. Our 2007 slate is the most ambitious and diverse aggregation of Black programming in television history, and it features a wide range of genres – from inspirational shows like EXALTED!, to animated comedy shows like BUFU, to family entertainment like SUNDAY BEST. As we move into the fall season and 2008, you’ll continue to see the increase in the quality, quantity and breadth of shows that we have to offer at BET.
Check out photo from yesterday's 106 & Park. Fabolous and Ne-Yo stopped by and performed and Charlie Murphy also came by.
R&B crooner Mario may be the latest celebrity to be victimized by technology. Singer Ne-Yo was allegedly caught out of pocket a few months ago by a widely publicized Sidekick photo that showed a female dancer giving oral sex to a man who resembled him. And of course, there was Ray-J, who let the world know he was much more than just Brandy's little brother when a sex tape he created with ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian was released. Now Mario, of "Let Me Love You" fame, could be the next celebrity to make waves with a tape of him doing a few racy things. Cell phone footage of the R&B star is said to have Mario caught in the act. In the less controversial video, the singer tapes two pet dogs humping each other and playing.
Check out photos from Jermaine Dupree's So So Def's Summer Fest's Pool Part and his grand finale. Guests included Nelly, J.Holiday, Tank, Bun B, Da Brat, and Young Jeezy.
On the heels of Nike suspending its release of Michael Vick's new Air Zoom shoe, rap mogul Russell Simmons and Rev. Al Sharpton has teamed with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to complain to Vick’s sponsors. As previously reported, Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines. He is due before a judge this week. Vick has said he was unaware that his relatives, who lived on the Virginia property under investigation, were involved in illegal dog fighting. Still, Rev. Sharpton, Simmons and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk wrote a letter to Vick’s sponsors condemning his alleged role in the practice.The letter reads: "The recent media spotlight on dog-fighting reminds us of society's callous disregard for the suffering of animals and disrespect for sentient beings.We hope that Mr. Vick is not a product of this insensitivity that runs through our society. It does us little good to prosecute just those who are famous and allow people across the country to continue to commit these hideous crimes."
50 Cent filed a lawsuit against Internet advertising company Traffix Inc. for using his image without permission in the "Shoot the Rapper" ad, which he says promotes violence and threatens his safety. The rapper, who in 2000 was shot nine times in a drive-by, is seeking a minimum of $1 million in damages from Traffix for featuring a cartoon version of the entertainer along with the message “shoot the Rapper and you will WIN $5,000 or 5 RINGTONES GUARANTEED. As the cartoon image of 50 moves to and fro, viewers must use a computer mouse to aim and fire at the rapper. If he’s hit, the screen washes over in red and directs the user to the Traffix Web site, the lawsuit says. The "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image was "completely unauthorized" and "quite literally calls for violence against" him, the lawsuit says.
