Deion Sanders’ wife learned of divorce from TMZ

(theGRIO) From TMZ: Deion Sanders’ wife says the former NFL star didn’t have the stones to personally tell her he wants a divorce … shockingly, she learned about the move by checking TMZ.com. Pilar Sanders’ lawyer, Larry Friedman, tells us she was “heartbroken and surprised when [she] read … that Deion announced his decision, on his own, to end their marriage.” Pilar’s lawyer adds, “Pilar’s sole focus and top priority for the last 12.5 years has been her marriage and children. Based on recent discoveries, [Pilar] now realizes that Deion did not view their family the same way.” Friedman would not reveal any details about the “recent discoveries” to which he referred. Click here to read the rest of this story

Bishop Eddie Long’s school forced to shut down

(theGRIO) A school affiliated with Bishop Eddie Long’s Georgia megachurch is shutting down. Parents received letters, just two days before Christmas, telling them the school would close on January 4th. New Birth Christian Academy, which enrolls students in kindergarten through the 12th grade, has been struggling financially for years, officials said. A financial deficit and declining enrollment left its board of directors with no other option but to temporarily close the school, said a church statement. Art Franklin, a spokesman for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, is keen to stress the school’s closure is not linked to the sexual allegations against Bishop Eddie Long, which culminated in the pastor taking a sabbatical to “tend to family business” after…

Rookie Cole saves Heat win over Celtics

(FoxSports) MIAMI — In the waning seconds Tuesday night, fans chanted “MVP” as a Miami Heat player stood at the foul line. So another great game by LeBron James? Well, he played well. But try another guy. OK, so it was Dwyane Wade’s night to shine? Not exactly. Chris Bosh? Nope. It was Norris Cole hearing the adulation from the crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena. And for those casual fans who want to quickly go to Google to find out who Cole is, feel free. Cole, a rookie point guard from Cleveland State, made the two biggest shots of Miami’s 115-107 win over Boston. He scored six of his team’s final seven points and had 14 of…

Why Black People Will Fight for Air Jordans

Air Jordans are more than a sneaker to some blacks (theGRIO) DETROIT - Since its debut in 1985, the Nike Air Jordan sneakers have been more than a basketball shoe in the black community. They have become everything from a fashion accessory to a status symbol. “Jordans came out as a rebel sneaker,” said Jason Johnson, a shoe expert and owner of Bob’s Classic Kicks in downtown Detroit. “They were banned from the NBA because of the color. It came in as a rebel. Over the years, (Jordan) changed the whole game.” When Nike debuted the red and black Air Jordan shoes during Michael Jordan’s rookie year in 1985, the league fined him $5,000. Nike paid the fines because of…

HORROR: Family of 6 Dies in Raging Christmas Fire

Madonna Badger, founder of fashion consulting firm Badger & Winters Group, is shown in 1998. She remains hospitalized after a fire that claimed the lives of her father, mother and three daughters. Police guard the scene of the fatal house fire on Shippan Ave. in Stamford, Conn. Former New York fashion consultant’s children, parents killed in Conn. house fire (NYDN) A Christmas morning inferno in Connecticut killed the parents and three children of a fashion marketing executive who recently moved from Manhattan. Madonna Badger, 47, who helped create the iconic Marky Mark ads for Calvin Klein underwear, escaped the deadly blaze along with a male friend and was treated at Stamford Hospital, a relative said. The fast-moving fire broke…

Carmelo Leads Knicks to Christmas Comeback Win

Carmelo Anthony leads Knicks to comeback win over Boston Celtics in Christmas Day opener (NYDN) Knicks 106, Celtics 104 The eight minutes Carmelo Anthony spent idling on the bench in the third quarter on Sunday felt as long as the eight months he had waited for another shot at the Boston Celtics. In actual time, it was probably closer to 25 minutes that Anthony was forced to sit down with four fouls and watch his teammates blow a big lead. Without him, the Knicks looked lost at both ends of the court. But with the season opener slipping away to a team that was without its leading scorer, the Knicks turned to their best player to save Christmas….

Top 10 Obama conspiracy theories of 2011

(theGRIO) President Barack Obama is no stranger to conspiracy theories. He’s been called a closet Muslim, a guy who “pals around with terrorists,” a Kenyan-born imposter and even an anti-colonial Mau-Mau by opponents on the right. And some liberals have claimed the president never really tried to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay (it was his fourth executive order, signed two days after his inauguration as president, but Congressional Democrats helped block the implementation…) and I ran into Occupy Wall Streets who echoed righties in claiming the administration hired Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and former White House economic guru Lawrence Summers, straight out of Goldman Sachs (neither man ever worked there.) But 2011 provided some of the strangest conspiracy theories — from both sides of…

Could Condi Rice be the GOP VP nominee in 2012?

(theGRIO) Condoleezza Rice. First female national security adviser, first black woman to serve as Secretary of State, and Stanford professor. But could she be the GOP’s first black woman vice presidential nominee? Joseph Curl of the Washington Times reports that Condi is ready to get back into politics. Hernew book, No Higher Honor was just released in October. And if you believe the rumor mill, she is eager to get the nod for the number two slot on the Republican presidential ticket. For a party with a lackluster field of presidential candidates, a Condi Rice candidacy could mean salvation for the Republicans. Or maybe not. Curl suggests that the former Bush top diplomat would be a “spicy rice dish” for Republican…

Dwight Howard formally requests trade from Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – When Magic star Dwight Howard signed a contract extension in 2007, he joked that he and Mickey Mouse would be in Orlando forever. Now Howard wants out, putting one of the NBA’s most dominant big men on the block at the start of training camp. Howard acknowledged for the first time Saturday that he has formally requested a trade. It came a day after the team granted New Jersey, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers permission to talk to Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, about possible deals. The All-Star center is eligible to opt out of his current contract in July 2012. Wearing a retro Magic hat, Howard spent a stoic half-hour explaining his…

VH1 Divas celebrate soul and bring house down

(theGRIO) Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan are just a few of the soul sisters who brought the house down at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom during the live taping of the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul special on Sunday. The special, which will air tonight at 9p.m. on the cable channel, features a mix of old- and new-school divas belting out hits — some from their own repertoire and others from the collections of their musical idols. Take a look at the Grio’s slideshow featuring photos of the divas in rare form >>