Looking back at 2003, looking forward to 2004
It's been some year hasn't it and as most of us reflect and look back on it, it's not hard to say there has been good and bad throughout. In the good column there's the safe return of Utah's Elizabeth Smart who was reunited with her family nine months after being abducted from her bedroom, a man (Kirk Jones) falls and plunge over Niagara Falls and survives to tell about it, Florida becomes the latest state to ban smoking in restaurants.
In sports, two of Florida's major league franchises took top prize in their respective fields, the Florida Marlins wins the baseball World Series while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wins it's first ever Super Bowl, Boca Raton born Andy Roddick wins Tennis US Open and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship. Music saw rapper 50 Cent debut album 'Get Rich or Die Trying' become the year's biggest selling album with Atlanta's Outkast coming in a distant second,In the bad column well the top of the list belongs to the war on Iraq (which is still on going), the deaths of legendary singers Barry White, Johnny Cash, Maurice Gibb (of The Bee Gees), producer Skip Scarborough and Chic drummer Tony Thompson among others. And speaking of deaths in September, tennis stars Selena and Venus Williams' eldest sister, Yetunde Price, was shot and killed in Compton, Calif., just blocks from where they grew up. The massive power outage that took place Aug. 14th and 15th where for much of the 2 day period New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania Vermont and parts of Canada had no electricity. The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) scare. Basketball star Kobe Bryant charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident involving a 19-year-old woman and music icon Michael Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation.
So all 'n' all it was a year to remember and to forget, let's hope 2004 is a year to remember for all the right reasons and I predict my football team Arsenal to win it all in 2004 (The League Championship, The League Cup, The Champions League and The FA Cup) - Go Gunners.
- - Source: CNN.com/AP.org
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Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri on again?
According to the New York Daily News it is. They report that superstar (and superfine I might add) singer/actress Janet Jackson and record producer Jermaine Dupri are together for the holidays.
The couple were spotted cozied up together last week at Chelsea art-world restaurant Bottino. A source revealed that they were leaning in close to each other, talking and laughing discreetly while their bodyguard sat at the next table. "At one point, he fed her a bite of dessert," said the source. When questioned about their relationship and the current status, the hip hop mogul's rep confirmed the couple "are still going strong."
- Source: REACTmag.com
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Eminem's ex-wife pleads guilty to drug and driving offenses
Rap's most controversial star of late Eminem is in the news again but this time it's not the rapper himself. Marshall Mathers (we know him as Eminem) ex-wife is making the headlines as she has pleaded guilty to a drug and driving offenses.
The former Ms. M, Kimberley Mathers accepted the charges as part of an agreement to resolve two drug cases in which she was involved in. As a result of a traffic stop carried out in June of this year, she was charged with possession of 25 grams or less of cocaine and failing to give adequate space to an emergency vehicle.
Two other charges against Mathers - driving with a suspended license and maintaining a drug house in which police discovered marijuana and Ecstacy - will be dropped.
Mathers, 28, appeared in a Michigan court after turning herself in, having previously failed to attend a November 1st hearing and removed an electronic tagging device used to monitor her movements.
"Probation is an outcome that's recommended here within the state guidelines," David Portuesi, the chief of the Macomb County drug crimes unit told reporters. The outcome of this one remains to be seen but one will keep an eye out.
- Source: REACTmag.com
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Victoria Beckham models Roc-A-Wear line in London's Selfridges
Former Spice Girl Victoria 'Posh' Beckham and Roc-a-Fella CEO Damon Dash posed for photographers during a promotion tour for his Roc-A-Wear clothing line at Selfridges department store in London's Oxford Street.
The Autumn/Winter 2003 Men's and Women's collections from Damon Dash's Roc Empire will be available exclusively through the department store. Victoria modeled silt blue jeans and a silk sky blue jacket while Damon wore black red and white jersey with black trouser sports wear.
You can see pictures of the collection at the following sites: GlobePhotos, RexFeatures, GettyImages, SplashNews (search for 'Beckham Selfridges' when using the search feature), WireImage and Yahoo.