Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Chris Brown was a big winner at the BET Awards 2011 show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, taking home 4 trophies. He was named best male R&B artist and won best collaboration for his song ‘Look At Me Now’ with Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes.

“Public-speaking is not my strong suit,” he said, thanking BET and his fans. Earlier in the ceremony, Brown also thanked his fans and the network, saying, “I appreciate all the support. I know it’s been a long road, so I appreciate every blessing in front of me.”

Brown joined Big Sean on his song, My Last, and took the stage again to close the show, which he did on a bicycle alongside host Kevin Hart, who was on a Segway scooter. That’s when Hart announced that Brown also won the Fandemonium award and the Viewers’ Choice prize.

Earlier this week, news reports stated that rapper Missy Elliott has been battling a thyroid condition called Graves’ disease.

On Friday, Elliot released a statement on the disease, insisting that her ailments have not hurt her career as some news reports have stated.

Missy’s statement is posted below:
“There have been some inaccuracies reported in regards to my diagnosis with Graves’ Disease, so I wanted to clear things up.
I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease about three years ago but it really hasn’t slowed me down at all. I rocked my performance on VH1 Hip Hop Honors’ tribute to Timbaland last year. I’ve written and produced a bunch of Grammy-nominated, #1 hits for artists like Keyshia Cole, Monica and Jasmine Sullivan. I toured the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. And on top of all that, I’m working on my new album.

I feel great. Under my doctor’s supervision, I’ve been off medication for about a year and I’m completely managing the condition through diet and exercise.” — Missy Elliott

According to reports, there is no cure for Graves’ disease, which can affect a person’s energy level and appearance, but symptoms can be managed with treatment.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa — A central South African university known for fraught race relations is welcoming a visit by Oprah Winfrey as an acknowledgment of the progress it has made toward tolerance.

On Friday, Winfrey received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Free State, bringing international media to normally quiet Bloemfontein, the farming center where the century-old university is based.

In 2006, four white Free State students made a video humiliating black cleaning women and expressing opposition to integrating the historically white school. Jonathan Jansen, who in 2009 became the university’s first black rector, has been credited with pushing for change.

Saturday June 25th marked the two year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson.

Although he’s gone, Michael Jackson has and always will be remembered as an icon, a legend, the King of Pop and undoubtedly the greatest entertainer to ever walk the face of the Earth.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A famed black-and-red calfskin jacket that Michael Jackson wore in the classic “Thriller” video has sold at auction for $1.8 million.

Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, says the jacket was purchased Sunday by Milton Verret, a commodities trader from Austin, Texas.

The jacket is one of two Jackson wore during the filming of the 1983 “Thriller” video. Jackson wears the jacket in a scene with a troupe of zombies who rise from their graves and break into a dance routine.

Verret says the jacket will be sent on tour and used as a fundraising tool for children’s charities.

A portion of the sale price will go to the Shambala Preserve, a big cat sanctuary caring for two tigers Jackson one owned.

Sean Kingston is continuing to recover from a Memorial Day jet ski accident and has been released from the hospital.

Since then a representative for the singer has confirmed that he’s been released from a Florida hospital and is recovering at home.

Prior to his release the singer was said to be walking and breathing on his own.

Reality star Antonia “Toya” Carter, best known as the ex-wife of rapper Lil Wayne, wed her new love, Mickey “Memphitz” Wright, in Atlanta on Saturday in a star-studded affair.

The beaming bride wowed the crowd in a shimmery fitted wedding gown. All of the reality TV diva’s friends and family were there on her big day — including Lil Wayne’s other children’s mothers. Both actress Lauren London and singer Nivea, who have one-year-old sons with Wayne, attended the wedding to support Toya. She and Wayne have a teenage daughter together.

The morning after their wedding, Memphitz tweeted, “Can’t stop looking at my left hand. #godswork.”

There was no shortage of star power on the guest list. Monica and her new husband, Shannon Brown, “Braxton Family Values” star Tamar Braxton, and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss were all in attendance. Kelly Price and Lloyd serenaded the happy couple during the daylong celebration.

“Hats off to Toya and Memphis, best wishes,” Wayne tweeted in support of his ex’s special day.

The pair met at an album release party two years ago, and Memphitz has said he knew Toya would be his wife from the minute he laid eyes on her.

The wedding was taped to air in a future episode of the bride’s hit reality show, “Toya Carter’s Family Affair.”

No official wedding photos have been released, but judging from some of the guest photos shared on Twitter, it was clearly a drama-free occasion to be remembered. It’s always nice to see women who share the father of their children getting along and supporting one another.

‘Funky Cold Medina’ rapper Tone Loc (whose real name is Anthony Terrell Smith) was arrested last Saturday afternoon at a Burbank, Calif., apartment complex and charged with felony domestic violence.

The arrest, one day before Father’s Day, stemmed from an alleged physical altercation with the mother of his child. The 45- year-old West Coast rap star and voice actor was taken in, without incident, and booked at the local jail in a few hours. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Earlier this year, Tone Loc had another run-in with the law when he was spotted driving erratically in January and arrested for DUI. He was released on bail claiming a medical condition caused a seizure (the artist has collapsed onstage in seizure in the past).

Singer Nivea is the latest celebrity to be jailed for a DUI after crashing her vehicle with her small baby inside.

The singer became intoxicated at the wedding reception for Toya Carter and BET host MempHitz.

Both Toya and Nivea are the mothers of Lil Wayne’s children and were joined at the ceremony by Lauren London, also a baby mother of Lil Wayne. After the reception, she crashed her cream BMW X6 into a tree.

Nivea Hamilton Nash, who also happens to be the ex-wife of The Dream, reportedly got very belligerent with an arresting officer. She was then taken to a Fulton County correctional facility.

The baby was not injured.