Urban Lifestyle

*Paris Jackson spoke out at Michael Jackson’s wrongful-death trial Tuesday in Los Angeles—via a video testimony shot months before the 15-year-old was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. In a deposition recorded on March 21, the late King of Pop’s daughter—who is currently recovering at a Los Angeles hospital—testified about former nanny Grace Rwaramba. Per CNN, the deposition was an attempt by AEG’s lawyers to counter testimony by former Jackson personal chef Kai Chase, who depicted Rwaramba as a nurturing figure to the children and claimed she “was the mother they knew.” Paris, however, appeared to have a different take. “My dad didn’t like her, so he tried to keep her away from us,” recalled a lively and engaged Paris, who wore a blue button-down shirt and occasionally laughed as she spoke. “So he’d send her to run errands a lot.” According to the teen, although the nanny had initially been let go, she kept coming back because her father “felt bad ’cause she didn’t really have a lot of money.” “He said she was sneaky,” Paris claims her father once told her. “She wasn’t an honest person, and she lied a lot.” Paris also recounted an incident in which Rwaramba supposedly got “really creepy.” “One time…I think it was when me and my brother were really, really young, before Blanket was born…when [Michael Jackson] would stay at a hotel, she would call the hotel and say that she was his wife. She was obsessed with him,” Paris testified. “And they’d let her in, and he’d wake up and she’d be, like, in his bed,” the teen added. “That’s what he told us…Yeah, kinda creepy.” The late pop legend’s mother, Katherine Jackson, has sued AEG Live on behalf of her son’s estate, accusing the concert promoter of negligence by hiring Dr. Conrad Murray and purportedly playing a role in the pop star’s death from a propofol overdose. Paris, meanwhile, is on the mend: As previously reported, she did not attend the wedding of cousin Taj Jackson at the family’s Hayvenhurst home last weekend, where a source told E! News that Paris “wanted to come but they wouldn’t let her out of the hospital.”

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com. NBC Washington – The mother of a man who was shot 14 times by police while in handcuffs 20 years ago has spent years of her life fighting police brutality. Dorothy Elliott’s son, 24-year-old Artie Elliott was pulled over by police 20 years ago in District Heights, Md. for suspicion of D.U.I. He was placed in a police cruiser with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Officers say he somehow got a hold of a gun, then two officers, one from Prince George’s County and one from District Heights opened fire. “I don’t believe firing 22 times saved the officers,” Dorothy Elliott said. “He was no threat to them.” The officers who brutally shot her son, striking him 14 times, were never charged. Dorothy took her son’s case to the Supreme Court but lost. She has spent her life ever since the shooting fighting for victims of police brutality. “We are still determined to get justice,” Dorothy Elliott said. “We never got a day in court.” Click here to read the full story.

Celebrity chef Paula Deen allegedly admitted to using the n-word and wanting black waiters to play the role of “slaves” in a wedding party she was planning during a May 17 videotaped deposition, according to the National Enquirer. Deen and her brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers, are being sued by a former employee, who worked at their Savannah restaurant. Former employee Lisa Jackson claims in a lawsuit that Hiers routinely made inappropriate sexual and racial remarks and that she heard both Hiers and Deen use racial slurs. Jackson also alleges the restaurant owners required black staffers to use the back entrance and banned them from using a customer restroom that white staff members could use. In a statement to theGrio, a representative for Deen said: “Contrary to media reports. Ms. Deen does not condone or find the use of racial epithets acceptable. She is looking forward to her day in court.” However, according to Radar Online, Jackson’s attorney asked Deen if she had ever used the n-word, to which the TV personality allegedly said, “Yes, of course,” and provided examples of times she has used the derogatory term. Deen allegedly commented on racial jokes during the deposition, saying “It’s just what they are — they’re jokes…most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks…I can’t determine what offends another person.” In regards to wanting black men to play the role of slaves during an upcoming wedding, Deen reportedly responded that she had gotten the idea from a restaurant she ate at with her husband. “I mean, it was really impressive. That restaurant represented a certain era in America…after the Civil War, during the Civil War, before the Civil War…It was not only black men, it was black women…I would say they were slaves.” The issue of the National Enquirer detailing Deen’s deposition hits stands Thursday. Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.

After being in production for several years, Warner Bros finally hits us with the first trailer for the upcoming film, The LEGO Movie. In it, the world's greatest LEGO heroes -- including Batman, Superwoman, the 2002 NBA All-Stars, a set of Michelangelos, and more -- come together when their world is in danger of ending. [...]This post appeared first on BallerStatus.com.

Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the fifth hole during the final round of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on June 16, 2013 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania *Following his +13 finish at the US Open on Sunday with a sore left elbow, Tiger Woods announced that he’ll stay out of competition in order to rest it before the British Open next month. This means no AT&T National next week at Congressional, where he is the defending champion. Woods said Wednesday on his website that doctors found a strain in his left elbow and advised that he take a few weeks off for rest and treatment. “I was examined after I returned home from the U.S. Open, and the doctors determined I have a left elbow strain,” Woods said. “I have been advised to take a few weeks off, rest and undergo treatment. I’ll be ready to go for the British Open, and I’m looking forward to playing at Muirfield.” Woods began flexing his left wrist after hacking several shots out of the thick rough at Merion during the first round of the U.S. Open. He said that he was “fine” when the first round was halted by darkness, offered few other details the next morning and only after he finished the second round did he reveal scant details of the injury. He said it first occurred at The Players Championship, which he won May 12 for his fourth victory this year. But he did not say in which round it occurred, or even the type of shot that caused the injury. Woods wound up at 13-over 293 at Merion, his worst score ever for a U.S. Open and matching his highest total in any major. Woods said Friday his sore elbow would not have kept him from playing if it were not the U.S. Open. It will be the 10th time Woods is unable to defend a title in official PGA Tour events, with six of those related to reconstructive surgery on his left knee after he won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The last time he failed to defend was in 2010 at Bay Hill, when he was returning from his cheating scandal. Woods extended his regrets to AT&T, secondary sponsors and fans in Washington for not being able to play next week, though he indicated he would be at Congressional at some point to support the tournament – as it raises money for the Tiger Woods Foundation. “The AT&T National means a lot to me and my foundation,” he said. “It’s especially difficult not defending at my own tournament. It’s going to be a great event, and I look forward to being there to provide my support.” The British Open is July 18-21 at Muirfield.

After debuting new short-sleeve jerseys back in February, more NBA teams will reportedly expand the new look during more games next season. According to ESPN.com, as many as five teams will wear the short-sleeve jerseys, as their alternate uniforms, for as much as 12 games during the season. The jerseys are produced by Adidas, the [...]This post appeared first on BallerStatus.com.

Miley Cyrus continues to attempt to shed her squeaky clean image and take on a bad girl persona with her latest video/single, "We Can't Stop." In it, she breaks out gold teeth, shows off her body, twerks it out, and even mentions drugs in the song's lyrics ... cause she's "Bout That Life?" Huh??! Ok...This post appeared first on BallerStatus.com.

Actor/TV personality Nick Cannon attends The UJA-Federation Of New York Entertainment, Media And Communications Leadership Awards Dinner at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on May 28, 2013 in New York City *Nick Cannon says has attempted to reach out to Amanda Bynes, his former on Nickelodeon’s “All That,” amid concerns about her mental health. The “America’s Got Talent” host, who starred alongside Bynes in the teen sketch show for three years, says it’s been tough for him to watch the “Hairspray” star’s life play out in the headlines. He told “AGT” judge Howard Stern on his radio show, “That’s like my little sister. To see someone you’ve seen at nine and you know she was running around with a snotty nose, and now to see her like that, it’s like, wow, man. It’s sad.” Cannon said he’s been unable to make contact with the 27-year-old to offer his support – because she’s ditched her manager and publicist. “I tried to reach out… She doesn’t have any of her people anymore.”

“The Cosby Show” was a hit television series that depicted a large, black family with two very successful parents. Okay, that sounds boring when you…

Ricky Hil, former Rich Hil, hooks up with The Weeknd for a visual to his cut, "Nomads." In the clip, the duo hit a seedy Los Angeles motel -- Hil roams the halls, where all types of debauchery is going on, while Weeknd posts in a dirty room where pills and alcohol are laid out. [...]This post appeared first on BallerStatus.com.