Black Celebrity Men

Is 2010 the comeback year for R&B boy bands? Seems that way. I was watching an episode of Keeping Up with the Jones the other night on B.E.T. Centric when a promo for Dru Hill's new reality show, Keith Sweat's Platinum House flashed on the screen. I then remembered reading an interview over a year ago about them doing a reality show. Now it looks like everything is official. Dru Hill is making a return to music minus their gospel-loving brother Woody. In an effort to make their comeback stronger than before, the group, along with new member Tao, moved into Keith's Atlanta home and worked out the kinks within their band with counseling, vocal training and physical training. The show, which aired as an hour-long special on Atlanta's Peachtree TV in February (2009), is expected to premiere on B.E.T. Centric on Monday, June 28. The guys say the show will answer the many questions that fans have had over the years including Woody's sudden and permanent departure from the group.

If you're wondering why the guys had to undergo counseling sessions, Keith says it was because the guys had trust issues with each other and that it was holding them back and causing a rift in the group. Nokio said:

'We always said what we had to say man-to-man, but on the show I think we found out there was some other things that happened in the past that we had to figure out how to resolve. We've been around each other for more than half our lives, and you go through stuff. Everybody changes...but at the end of the day it's a brotherhood.'

Surprisingly, the on-air fight at a Baltimore radio station in 2008, that many thought was a publicity stunt, WASN'T one of those issues. The guys have no regrets about the incident that was spawned by Woody quitting the group during a reunion interview. In fact, the studio fight actually inspired Keith to approach Dru Hill about the reality show. I wonder if Keith will do the same for r&b boy band Silk who he discovered and took under his wing back in 1993? I still bump their Lose Control and Tonight cds!

Looks like Romeo is the latest celebrity to throw his hat into the reality dating show ring. The rapper is said to be shopping his new show Romeo & Juliet to major networks. Well, I commend him for having such high hopes of having his show aired on a major network but we all know this show will only see the light of day if it's on TV One, VH1 or B.E.T.

Peep the teaser below.

Nothing can come between Ray J and Brandy. As they put it, they are “crazy” about each other and share a family bond that is bigger—much bigger–than show business. Their fans can see that bond in the siblings' new reality series, Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business, which airs on VH1 on Sundays at 9 p.m. (ET). Ray J came up with the concept for the series, he tells JET in the Norwood family’s offices in Los Angeles, where most of the series was filmed. “I created the show because I wanted to bring the family back together as one, not only personally but as a business as well.”
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Thank you, Heavenly Father for 'table of contents'! That's the only thing that kept me from having to have to thumb through a Black men's magazine full of nearly naked women in order to get to what I'm really trying to look at: the men!

Anywhoo, NFL's bad ass and wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, Chad OchoCinco is featured the April 2010 issue of BlackMen magazine getting his pose on in a full photo spread in designer threads and accessories by Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Black Label, Y-3, Gucci, Monarchy Jeans and Dolce & Gabbana. When he's not acting up on the sidelines, you can find him on his daily grind expanding his brand. Last fall he released his first book What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way. Chad also has a merchandise line, which includes and OchoCinco phone app, available on his official website OchoCinco.com. He can be seen on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars beginning Monday, March 22, 2010. He will be paired up with two-time D.W.T.S. champion Cheryl Burke. You can also hit him up on his official Twitter page: twitter.com/OGOchOCinco.

Annnnnnnd it was just revealed today that Chad will be starring in his very own dating reality show on VH1 called The Tournament this summer. According to a press release:

....Chad Ocho Cinco (formerly Chad Johnson) is using his off-season to pursue happiness off the field in his new VH1 reality show The Tournament (working title). The series is a mix of Ocho Cinco’s on-field charisma blended with the drama of the dating pool played out in a bracket-style dating tournament. The 10 episode, one-hour series is set to premiere in July 2010.

The Tournament will start with Ocho Cinco finding his “first 85″ by traveling all over the country meeting women that may be interested in dating him. Then, during the first episode, he will narrow the playing field down to the sweet sixteen - four women from each of the four regions of the country – Northern, Western, Southern and Central Divisions. The sixteen chosen women will be invited to join Ocho Cinco for the rest of the tournament-style dating competition.

Once the competition begins, Ocho Cinco will follow a tournament bracket where each of the ladies will have an opportunity to spend quality time with him while also facing off against one another in double-dates. The winner of each dating face-off will receive a game ball from Ocho Cinco and move on to the next round of the tournament, while the loser goes home. Ultimately the sweet sixteen will be narrowed down to eight and then the final four. In the end, the championship date between the two remaining women will result in Ocho Cinco awarding his chosen love the coveted Championship Ring. Hopefully, she turns out to be his greatest catch this season!

Wanna audition for a chance to hook up with Chad? Click HERE for casting info!

The other day I thought to myself, 'which black celebrity man hasn't had a reality show?' So far we've seen reality shows from celebrities such as George Foreman, DMX, Luther Campbell, Coolio and Deion Sanders. Bobby Brown, Irv Gotti and Snoop Dogg are the only three (that I can think of) who's shows have been successful enough to see a second season. On November 30th, the second installment of Snoop's Father Hood will debut on E! at 10:30 pm. Peep the trailer below.

Keith Sweat's ex-wife, Lisa Wu Hartwell, made her reality show debut on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, now her former husband is currently shopping two reality shows of his own, according to Access Atlanta. And since Keith refused to allow Lisa to let their two sons, Jordan and Justin, appear on Housewives, maybe we'll see them on his new reality series instead. For the record, Keith reportedly told Lisa that his resistance to sign a waiver to let their sons, who he has custody of, to appear on the show was 'nothing personal' towards her. However, Lisa didn't buy it. The mother of three (she has a toddler son with her current husband and NFL player Ed Hartwell) told E! News, "He's like, Lisa, it's nothing personal, I really don't know how they're going to edit and if their going to make you look crazy. I just don't want the kids to be, you know, overexposed or anything. It could have been a Disney show and I don't think he would have signed it." Anywho, Keith's first of two reality shows will center around the singer's life as a radio personality. Sweat hosts a syndicated 'Quiet Storm-type' radio show called The Keith Sweat Hotel. The show is recorded live and heard in over 20 markets nationwide. Sweat's second reality show, which he will produce, will reportedly involve the members of R&B male group Dru Hill.

Earlier this year, Keith, who has been inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame, made an impressive debut with his independently released album Just Me. The album, which is the follow up to 2002's Rebirth, debuted at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 and claimed the top spot on the R&B/hip-hop albums chart. Sweat's lead single Suga Suga Suga featuring Paisley Bettis made it into the Top 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the track Butterscotch featuring Athena Cage is currently making waves at adult/R&B radio. And because the album has done so well, Keith has extended his Just Me tour through early next year.

To check out the additional dates, go to Keith's official Myspace page.
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