Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar & Janelle Monae to Play the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

The upcoming NBA All-Star Game is celebrating with a few high profile performers: Pharrell,Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe .

Pharrell will kick off the game in New Orleans, playing with “surprise chart-topping musical guests” while the game’s players are being introduced.

One player, who if he gets his wish, won’t hear his name called though is Kobe Bryant.

According to CBS Sports, the L.A. Laker announced that since he only played in six of the first 43 games this season he did not feel that he deserved a starting position at the game.

Pope John Paul II private notes go on sale.

A collection of personal notes written by the late Pope John Paul II over four decades is going on sale in controversial circumstances in Poland.

In his will, the late Pope stated that all his personal notes were to be burnt after his death.

But his private secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, kept them.

He said he did not have the courage to destroy them as they gave precious insight into the Pope's life and thinking.

The 640-page book, Very Much in God's Hands..

Personal Notes 1962-2003, contains Karol Wojtyla's personal reflections on religious subjects from his time as Bishop of Krakow until two years before his death in 2005.

'A crime to destroy them' Cardinal Dziwisz recently told reporters he had "no doubt'' about publishing the collection.

"These notes are so important, they say so much about the spiritual side, about the person, about the great Pope, that it would have been a crime to destroy them.''

The ideas in the book are briefly sketched, with some written in just two or three sentences, says the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw.

The book has its supporters, he continues, but many people in Poland cannot understand why the late Pope's private secretary ignored his wishes.

Adam Szostkiewicz, a prominent religious commentator who opposed the book's publication, says much of it is impenetrable to the average reader.

The cardinal says he spoke to the Pope about which notes should be destroyed and which should be kept.

Cardinal Dziwisz was his closest aide for almost 40 years, first in Poland and then at the Vatican.

After John Paul's death, he was made Archbishop of Krakow in southern Poland.

He has said the proceeds from the book are to fund a memorial museum for the late Pope, who will be declared a saint at the Vatican in April.

Bull Dog, Samini, Shatta Wale fiasco heightens up.

The rivalry between dance-hall musicians Samini and Shatta Wale has taken an interesting twist even as the two get ready to go on a live programme on UTV for a ‘tell-it-all’ debate that would also be broadcast live on Peace FM.

Samini first threw the challenge to Shatta for them to go on national television and engage in a debate to enable the general public know the whole truth about the disagreement between them, and Shatta accepted.

Samini called for the debate when he spoke to Akwasi Aboagye on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review last Saturday and alleged that in the past the Chief Executive of Bullhaus Entertainment, Bull Dog came to him and asked for permission to go beat up Shatta Wale.

“His manager, Bull Dog, years back would meet back
stage and tell me that he wants to beat that guy (Shatta Wale) for me because the guy was fooling and he (Bull Dog) only wants clearance from me to beat him up.

Today, Bull Dog is behaving as if he has a fight with me because he manages Shatta.

But Bull Dog knows he used to come to my shows, remove his shirts, breathing profusely, jumping up and down and sweating all over.

You Bull Dog, today, because you oppose me, you sit on TV to say my brand is not marketable,” Samini revealed.

Incidentally, Bull Dog is Shatta’s manager and he has taken a strong exception to the allegation from Samini, describing it as blatant untruth.

“Samini is a liar; I have never ever told him that I wanted to beat up Shatta Wale for him.

Rather I spoke to Shatta Wale in the past to stop insulting Samini during his performances.

I even added jokingly that (Shatta Wale) was doing fine without Samini so he should concentrate on his career and forget about Samini.

I remember playfully telling Shatta some three years ago that if he doesn’t put a stop to that behaviour, I will give him a few punches. I’m not at Samini’s camp and I don’t manage him so what will I gain if I had told  him that?” Bull Dog noted in an exclusive interview with News-One.

He continues: “All these things are lies; I don’t take off any shirt in public.

I love Dancehall, I respect
Samini and I enjoy his music but I’m not a fanatic like that.

He told a series of lies on that day.

I just want people to be truthful and honest in their submissions.”

Many people have raised several concerns about what seems to be bad blood between Samini’s group and Shatta’s camp.

News-One has gathered that arrangements are underway for the debate to be organized in the studios of Peace FM, as well as on UTV.

Source: News-One

Justin Bieber Trial Date Set for March 3 on DUI Charge.

Justin Bieber will return to sunny Miami next month following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.

A Miami-Dade Country judge has set Bieber’s trial date for March 3 (which happens to be the great state of Florida’s 169th birthday!), Billboard reports.

His trial date will follow his arraignment for the same charges on Feb. 14, where he has already plead not guilty on the three misdemeanors from his Jan. 23 arrest after he was caught drag-racing and driving under the influence in a Lamborghini.

The arrest report states that the officer smelled an “odor of alcohol emanating from the drivers breath and bloodshot eyes.”

It continues to explain that Bieber had “slow deliberate movements and a stupor look on his face.”

Under the influence, Bieber did not understand why he was being arrested and continually asked each officer why he was being transported to the Miami Beach Police Department.

Pilots on Justin Bieber’s Plane Forced to Wear Oxygen Masks Due to Marijuana Smoke.

If you ever get a chance to take a ride on Justin Bieber’s private plane, make sure to pack your gas mask.

Last week, Bieber’s plane was detained on the tarmac at Teterboro Airport due to a strong odor of marijuana—no weed was found onboard—but according to NBC News the pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks to keep from inhaling the massive amount of pot smoke coming from the cabin.

“The captain of the flight stated that he warned the passengers, including Bieber, on several occasions to stop smoking marijuana,” the official report says.

NBC says the pilots were forced to wear their oxygen masks so that “they wouldn’t risk inhaling marijuana and failing a drug test.”

Kwaw Kese Apologizes To Vodafone

Hiplife artiste Kwaw Kese has rendered an unqualified apology to organizers of the just ended Vodafone Icons after he accused them of trying to extort money from him to decide on the winner of the contest.

Kwaw recounted that since he hijacked the stage at the finals of the Vodafone Icons and incited his fans against the organizers, corporate bodies in Ghana have refused to book him for their events.

“Because of the stunt I pulled on the Vodafone stage some time ago, most of the Corporate companies don’t call on me for shows and other things any longer.

I just want to tell Vodafone that
if I have offended them in anyway, we are all human so I want to apologize to Vodafone for what happened,” Kwaw Kese stated.

It could be recalled that Kwaw Kese was furious after his younger brother, Buda, was eliminated from the final round of the Vodafone Icons reality show.

Even though he had not been able to substantiate any of his claims, the ‘Man Insane’ alleged that a member of the organizing team asked him to pay GH10,000 in order for Buda to win.

“Oh yeah the guys at Vodafone are like my colleagues and I have realized that what I did on that very day did not go down well with them.

We have to promote peace. I just want to say that I’m sorry for what I did.

We all have to come together to promote the showbiz industry and move Ghana forward so I just have to eat in the peace bowl with them and just move on,” he added.

Vodafone Ghana officially dissociated itself from Kwaw Kese’s allegation and are yet to accept the apology.