Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Hampton University Sophomore, Lauren Pryor accepting her scholarship reward.

One Hampton University student got the opportunity of a lifetime when she received a $25,000 scholarship from rapper and Washington D.C. native Wale.
Sophomore psychology major Lauren Pryor won the rapper’s scholarship through a local Norfolk hip-hop radio station, 103 JAMZ, on June 18th.
Pryor then had the opportunity to be flown to New York City on June 23-24 to receive her scholarship at Wale’s The Gifted album release party held in the Best Buy Theater.
The HBCU’s blog reported that the female student was on the brink of not returning to the university due to financial hardship.
Pryor said that winning the scholarship was “a blessing”.

DMX

Rapper DMX has been arrested in South Carolina and charged with driving under the influence.
Greenville County jail officials say the 42-year-old, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arrested early Friday. He was also charged with not having a driver’s license.
Simmons was arrested last year in nearby Spartanburg County for suspicion of driving without a license. In that case, he was released after paying a fine.
Jail records show Simmons has been released. It wasn’t clear if he has an attorney.
Simmons was arrested in a Phoenix suburb in 2011 after a trooper clocked him driving at 102 mph. He had recently finished a stint in prison on probation revocation for failing to submit to drug testing and driving without a license.

RUSSELL SIMMONS

Uncle Russ has been in the kitchen cooking up something new.
Russell Simmons, music executive Steve Rifkind, who helped launch the careers of Wu-Tang Clang and Three 6 Mafia, along with producer and filmmaker Brian Robbins, who’s work includes “Smallville” and “Norbit” have partnered with Universal Music Group for the launch of All Def Music, a music label centered around You Tube.
According to Billboard, the label is designed to promote, discover and nurture rising talent through the Google-owned site. All Def Music also includes All Def Management, which has already inked a deal with rapper Asher Roth.

NeNe and Greg Leakes on their wedding day.

Not everyone is reeling with excitement over NeNe Leake’s recent marital bliss. The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star is being slapped with a $2.5 million lawsuit by celebrity wedding planner Tiffany Cook for allegedly failing to pay for her extravagant wedding to Greg Leakes.
Cook claims NeNe hired her and her Dream Design Weddings team to coordinate NeNe’s June 22 nuptials, set to air on the Bravo TV special “I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding.”
Cook, who planned fellow RHOA castmates Porsha and Kordell Stewart’s wedding — is now suing her for the remaining $1,142,000 balance along with damages.
NeNe disputes Cook’s claims. In fact, NeNe tweets that Tim Conway was her wedding planner, not Cook.

TONI BRAXTON

Toni Braxton has finalized her divorce from her husband of 12 years, Keri Lewis, a rep for Braxton confirmed Wednesday. The pair separated in 2009.
“The couple has had an amicable split and will still both be actively involved in raising their two sons, 11-year-old Denim and 10-year-old Diezel.”

Actor Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler are hot commodities in Hollywood right now due to critically-acclaimed Oscar Grant biopic “Fruitvale Station”, which opens Friday at the theaters.

And as the Oscar contender expands to theaters around the country, rumor has it the duo may reunite for a movie with real blockbuster potential.

Coogler is in negotiations to direct Jordan in Creed, a spin-off of the wildly successful Rocky franchise, according to Deadline.com.

Jordan would play the grandson of legendary Rocky Balboa opponent and friend Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers in the original Rocky and three sequels).

Pictured: Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan attend the after party at the New York premiere of FRUITVALE STATION, hosted by The Weinstein Company, BET Films and CIROC Vodka on July 8, 2013 in New York City. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Dennis Farina, a former Chicago cop who as a popular actor played a cop on “Law & Order,” has died.

Lori De Waal, his representative, says Farina died Monday morning in a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69.

Born Feb. 29, 1944, in Chicago, he was a city police officer before turning to acting in his late 30s.

Farina appeared in films including “Get Shorty,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Midnight Run.”

NEW YORK  — Following in the footsteps of “Veronica Mars” and Zach Braff, Spike Lee has launched an online campaign to help fund his next feature film.

The Brooklyn filmmaker on Monday unveiled his bid to raise $1.25 million over the next month using the fundraising site Kickstarter. Lee offered few details on the film, but said it would be about “the addiction of blood.”

Lee said it’s difficult for independent filmmakers and the only way to insure your vision gets on screen “is when you bring the money to the table.”

Contribution levels range up to $10,000, which earns a trip with Lee to a New York Knicks game in his courtside seats.

His “Oldboy,” a remake of the 2003 South Korean thriller, is to be released in October.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has posted a new photo of Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming biopic All Is By My Side.

The former OutKast rapper can be seen standing at a microphone, guitar in hand.

The film chronicles the period of Hendrix’s life when he was living in London, trying to make it as a musician shortly before he became famous.

The biopic is set to premiere at TIFF this September.