McDonald's is opening its first Hamburger University in Shanghai today, and the fast-food chain said it plans to double the number of franchises in China to 2,000 over the next three years. Shares of McDonald's were up 31 cents to $67.38. The stock hit $67.49 earlier in the session, an all-time high, on the news. China is the fastest-growing global market for McDonald's, and company executives expect sales to grow at a 10% annualized rate this...
Some movies are anything but child friendly, and Brian De Palma's 1983 violent cult classic "Scarface" is undoubtedly one of them.So when a video popped up on YouTube with the description, "Jaydon's school put on a kids production of Scarface," it seemed like a joke.But sure enough the video shows elementary school-aged children re-enacting the violent, drug filled drama.The violent imagery, while toned down slightly, is no less disturbing in the...
BEIJING -- The bodies of 21 babies, believed dumped by hospitals, have washed ashore on a riverbank in eastern China, state media reported Tuesday.Video footage showed that the bodies -- stashed in yellow plastic bags, at least one of which was marked "medical waste" -- included some infants several months old. Some wore identification tags with their mothers' names, birth dates, measurements and weights. The official Xinhua News Agency said there...
After numerous delays, it looks like Big Boi's upcoming album, "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty," will finally see the light of day -- on a new label. The rapper, one half of the collective Outkast with partner Andre 3000, announced via twitter on Friday (March 19) that he has signed a solo deal with Def Jam records. A rep for Def Jam has confirmed the announcement."BREAKING NEWS!!!! It's Official Big Boi signs solo album Deal with...
Erykah Badu shed her clothes as she walked along a Dallas, Texas, sidewalk until she was nude and then fell near where President Kennedy was assassinated.The result was a controversial video, released Saturday, for her song "Window Seat," which Badu said was "shot guerrilla style" with no crew and in one take March 17.Children could be seen nearby as Badu stripped in Dealey Plaza, a popular tourist spot since Kennedy's 1963 assassination.The singer's...
New York state Senator Eric Adams is launching a campaign to discourage kids from wearing saggy pants. If only he could stop the skinny jeans phenomenon, then and only then will everything be right with the world. If his campaign is successful, young men will be able to run, skip and even walk without looking like a bow-legged toddler.The Brooklyn lawmaker released a YouTube video over the weekend to encourage young people to demonstrate their confidence...
Keyshia Cole got an earful from a New Jersey judge on March 25.The 'Let It Go' singer, who just gave birth to a baby boy on March 2, was sued by an event promoter who claims she was paid $15,000 up front and blew off an appearance in 2006.In a written opinion, the judge told the BET reality show star that her testimony was "confused and at times nonsensical."The judge added that Cole was so reluctant to read certain documents while testifying, "that...
The rumor mill is buzzing with talk about the first single from Dr. Dre’s long-awaited Detox album dropping soon.For the last couple of days, I’ve been hearing rumbles about Dre linking up with Jay-Z for the album’s first single.Hiphopwired.com came through with some more information:Courtesy of credible source, (TV and radio personality) Michael Yo, there is word that Dr. Dre was able to feature Jay-Z on a track for the “upcoming” project.On top...
Rapper Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley have unveiled the official tour dates for their “Distant Relatives Tour” in support of their upcoming collaborative album Distant Relatives.The tour kicks off on May 21st in Arcata, California, just days after the Distant Relatives album lands in stores (May 18th).Tour dates are listed below:May 2nd West Palm Beach, Fl SunfestMay 21st Arcata, CA ...
Five months before their July wedding, model/actors Eva Marcille, 25, and Lance Gross, 28, have called it QUITS!ESSENCE.com reached out to the reps of both Marcille and Gross to confirm that the two had called off their summer wedding and they replied with this exclusive statement:“Lance Gross and Eva Marcille have mutually decided to end their relationship. The split is completely amicable and both parties remain friends...
The game begins with a teenage girl on a subway platform. She notices you are looking at her and asks, "Can I help you with something?" That is when you, the player, can choose your method of assault.With the click of your mouse, you can grope her and lift her skirt. Then you can follow her aboard the train, assaulting her sister and her mother.As you continue to play, "friends" join in and in a series of graphic, interactive scenes, you can corner...
Nine Massachusetts teenagers have been charged with involvement in a monthslong campaign of bullying that led to the January suicide of a 15-year-old girl, a prosecutor said.Phoebe Prince's body was found hanging in the stairway leading to her family's second-floor apartment in South Hadley, Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel told reporters Monday in the western Massachusetts town of Northampton."It appears that Phoebe's death...
House Democrats are concerned about their security due to increased threats since Sunday's vote to pass the health care bill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday.Hoyer told a news conference that "a significant number, meaning over 10," had reported either threats, vandalism or other incidents. Capitol Police officials have briefed House Democrats on reporting suspicious or threatening activity and taking precautions to avoid "subjecting...
Federal prosecutors say Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas who initially refused to cooperate with investigators then repeatedly lied about why he carried four unloaded handguns into the Verizon Center locker room then tried to minimize his dust-up with his teammate, all in an effort to mislead police deserves jail time.In a scathing sentencing memo, 61 pages in length, prosecutors urged a D.C. Superior Court judge to sentence the disgraced...
Countless women could only dream of hitting a jackpot that would send their cheating husband's mistresses to the poor house. One lucky woman did strike it rich, because of the "severe emotional distress" she suffered, as the result of her two-timing husband's neglect. Last week, a Greensboro, N.C., court ordered a mistress to fork over a total of $9 million dollars, $5 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages, to her lover's...
Ladies, we've all been there before. You meet a guy, he's sweating you and pursuing you with a vigorous passion. Whether it's an instant or delayed response, you decide to give him a chance and begin dating. Next thing you know you're being wooed, wined and dined, and in a few weeks you're floating on cloud nine, because there isn't anything more refreshing than the novelty of a potential partner. It doesn't take long before you start tossing around...
A Saginaw, Michigan woman is in custody for allegedly prostituting her 10-year old daughter to a local drug dealer and businessman.Angela Blackwell, 47, is awaiting her preliminary trial for charges of pandering, also known as pimping, and one count of criminal sexual conduct. Police say Blackwell is accused of selling her granddaughter in exchange for cocaine and other narcotics.The suspected drug dealer, Johnnie Lee Griffin of Saginaw, is on the...
Two men charged in the 1978 disappearance of five teenagers in Newark, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to five counts of murder Wednesday morning as about 40 family members of the victims looked on.Lee Anthony Evans, 56, and Philander Hampton, 53, were arrested Monday night. That was about 18 months after the investigation into the disappearance of the five boys was given new life; a witness came to detectives with information that the 1978 arson...
A teenage boy playing a video game at an Internet café in China was stabbed with a 10-inch knife that went clear through his skull -- and survived with little noticeable damage, according to a report.Xiao Wei, 16, who was attacked in a dispute over the video game he was playing, was able to walk into the emergency room entrance of Jillin University with the knife still lodged in his head, the Daily Mail reported.The knife, which had been thrust...
Police in Connecticut said a pair of would-be bank robbers did them a favor by phoning ahead and announcing their intentions.Fairfield police said Albert Bailey, 27, and a 16-year-old who was not named due to his age called People's United Bank Tuesday and told employees to be ready with money because they were coming to rob the facility and were prepared to create a "blood bath," the Bridgeport Connecticut Post reported Wednesday.The pair showed...
Lawmakers across Illinois have mixed reviews on a legislative proposal allowing local school districts to move to a four-day school week.Although the Illinois House on Monday passed the measure 81-21, the initiative still faces hurdles even if the Senate approves it. Local school districts would be required to hold public hearings on the issue, and would still have to teach the same total number of hours per year. That most likely would translate...
President Obama signed sweeping health care reform into law Tuesday. The Senate must now pass a package of changes that will reconcile the differences between Senate and House bills. If those changes are worked out, here is how health care reforms will affect you:Within the first year• Young adults will be able stay on their parents' insurance until their 27th birthday.• Seniors will get a $250 rebate to help fill the "doughnut hole" in Medicare...
ALBANY, New York (AP) -- One of three men convicted of killing civil rights activist Malcolm X 45 years ago was granted release from weekends in prison in his 17th appearance before a state parole board.Thomas Hagan, 69, appeared before a parole panel March 3 and was granted release effective April 28, state Division of Parole spokeswoman Carole Weaver said Friday.Until then, he'll remain at the Lincoln Correctional Facility in New York City, where...
A teacher has been fired from her position at a Texas private school after allegedly encouraging kindergarten students to punch one of their classmates in the face.The problems started when Devarius Williams, 5, and other children from the Robindell Private School took a field trip to a restaurant in Sugar Land last week.Devarius' parents said he got into a fight.Devarius' mother, Barbara Mobley, said the teacher had her own idea of discipline."The...
16-year-old boy who police said made an announcement at Walmart ordering all black people in a southern New Jersey store to leave was charged with harassment and bias intimidation, authorities said Saturday.The boy, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, grabbed one of the courtesy phones at Walmart's Washington Township store Sunday evening and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store...
Taken in by a well-to-do family and offered a second chance at life, a homeless teen grows to become the star athlete projected to be the first pick at the NFL draft in this sports-themed comedy drama inspired by author Michael Lewis' best-seller The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. Michael Oher was living on the streets when he was welcomed into the home of a conservative suburban family, but over time he matured into a talented athlete. As the...
And the 3D revolution rolls onwards. First it was movie theaters. Then it was 3D TV sets. Now it's video game systems. On Tuesday, Nintendo announced it would soon begin selling a device called the Nintendo 3DS, which the company is billing as the world's first 3D handheld gaming platform. There are a lot of question marks here: There is no word on price, for instance, and Nintendo has not specified how the 3DS technology actually works.Nintendo...
An Arizona judge issued a bench warrant Tuesday for Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne after he failed to appear for a hearing on drug and weapons charges because he is serving jail time in New York.A Yuma County Superior Court judge issued the warrant after the entertainer, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, failed to appear in court for a final trial management conference.But Lil Wayne's attorney, James Tilson, said his client couldn't appear...
