This WHAT'S THE 411 episode features our homage to the legendary poet, author, and film director, DR. MAYA ANGELOU. WHAT'S THE 411 host KIZZY COX, had the opportunity to get an exclusive interview with Dr. Angelou at the National Book Awards last November. We're also discussing events and updates about BLAIR UNDERWOOD, STACEY DASH, 50 CENT, ARSENIO HALL, the late MILES DAVIS, DON CHEADLE, TYRA BANKS and more.

So here's what we're talking about this week:

Music icon and businessman, DR. DRE, sold Beats Electronics to apple for three billion dollars. The deal works out to 2.6 billion dollars in cash and $400 million that will vest over time. Could DRE have done more with beats by DRE?

CBS cancelled THE ARSENIO HALL show. The move came three months after CBS had announced that it would renew the show for a second season. Why the about face?

Actor BLAIR UNDERWOOD was nominated for the TV Critics Association Award for best supporting actor for the Lifetime movie A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL. On Blair's Facebook page, he congratulated his co-stars, those involved in making the film, and his fans for their support of the film.

50 CAN'T THROW! Rapper 50 CENT threw the first pitch at a recent New York Mets game.

It was the worst first pitch in major league history! 50 said he did practice before he took the field, but what happened 50???

The late jazz legend Miles Davis was honored last week with his own street. A stretch of West 77th Street, between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue has been renamed MILES DAVIS WAY in his honor. Davis was once a long-time resident of this Upper West Side neighborhood.

OMG! STACEY DASH is joining FOX NEWS.

WHO IS ON THE CARPET THIS WEEK?

WIMPY AND SELL OUT POLITICIANS who won't or can't stand up to the gun manufacturers' lobby!

Chicago is becoming the murder capital of the U.S., almost every day we're hearing news of gun violence in New York City, and Richard Martinez, a grieving father whose son was killed by a crazed gunman at the USC-Santa Barbara Campus is outraged. He told the crowd at a rally for the victims:

"Today, I'm going to ask every person I can find to send a postcard to every politician they can think of with three words on it "not one more"

WHAT'S IN THE ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE PIPELINE?

Acclaimed actor DON CHEADLE will star as MILES DAVIS in an upcoming biographical film entitled KILL THE TRUMPET PLAYER. Actress ZOE SALDANA will portray Davis' first wife, Frances. No release date has been set.

JUNE is BLACK MUSIC MONTH. EBONY magazine has a new issue out, a collector's edition, with BEYONCE on the cover. This issue features a 25-page salute to music's movers and shakers.

UNBREAK MY HEART was a big hit for TONI BRAXTON. It is also the title of her new autobiography, which hit bookstores this week. Also in the bookstores this week, is a biography by renowned opera singer BARBARA HENDRICKS entitled LIFTING MY VOICE, A MEMOIR.

SMEYES is coming to daytime. TELEVISION PRODUCER AND MODEL, TYRA BANKS IS COMING TO DAYTIME.

NOTE: What's The 411TV hosts comments are their own and not necessarily the opinion of What's The 411 Networks.

What's The 411TV is deeply saddened by the passing of DR. MAYA ANGELOU, a legendary poet, author, and civil rights activist. She died today at 86 years old.

Dr. Angelou was the 2013 winner of the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award. She accepted the award on November 20, 2013, at the National Book Awards in New York City.

Nobel Laureate, and her longtime friend, TONI MORRISON presented Dr. Angelou with the award at the National Book Awards ceremony. Ms. Morrison spoke warmly of her friendship with Dr. Angelou and praised her talent and kindness.

The phenomenal woman herself was all smiles when she took the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd. What's The 411TV correspondent Kizzy Cox had the distinct privilege of interviewing Dr. Angelou at the National Book Awards, you can view Dr. Angelou's poetic interview here.

For nearly fifty years, Dr. Maya Angelou has moved us with her lyrical poetry and dynamic prose. Works like PHENOMENAL WOMAN and I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS have become literary classics. Her poem, On The Pulse of Morning, written for President BILL CLINTON'S 1993 inauguration, garnered her the first of three Grammys (even more impressive because she was the first African-American and woman to recite an inaugural poem). Dr. Angelou also received a NAACP Image Award, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she topped What's The 411TV's List of 25 MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE OF 2013, among other awards.

As Charlayne Haynes, producer of the upcoming documentary, DIRT AND DEEDS IN MISSISSIPPI, so eloquently stated: "This bold poet lived fully. So long, Maya!"

So long, indeed, until we meet again.

Maya Angelou Tops What's The 411TV's List of 25 Most Interesting People of 2013

List contains celebrities, authors, protestors, Motown royalty, a billionaire, entrepreneurs, and more

BROOKLYN, NY; December 30, 2013 - What's The 411, a weekly entertainment and lifestyle television show from the Brooklyn-based independent television producers, What's The 411TV, released today its list of 25 Most Interesting People of 2013.

What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2013 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411 reporters between January 1, 2013 through December 13, 2013. The list consists of people from a variety of industries from celebrated personalities to artists and entrepreneurs seeking to break through to ordinary people doing extraordinary things to New Yorkers rallying for justice for Trayvon Martin in the aftermath of George Zimmerman's acquittal. Many people on the list are local to the New York City metro area, while others are global figures.

"Throughout the years, What's The 411 reporters have interviewed so many amazing and interesting people," said Ruth J. Morrison, CEO and Founder, What's The 411 Networks. "Our list is a way to congratulate and celebrate accomplishments, and similar to last year, it was not an easy task for our reporters and producers to narrow down the list to 25 and since we couldn't, we also have a list of eight honorable mentions."

Below is a list of What's The 411TV's 25 Most Interesting People of 2013 with links to their respective interviews. They fall into the categories of sports; film; theater; music; television; fashion and beauty; small business; and literature:

1. Maya Angelou, author, poet, and recipient of the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award
2. Berry Gordy; Legendary Founder of Motown, entrepreneur, and film and theatre producer
3. Mahen Bonetti; Founder, New York African Film Festival, celebrating 20 years of bringing renowned African films and filmmakers to international audiences
4. Bishop T.D. Jakes & Mrs. Serita Jakes; Chief Pastor, The Potter's House, film producers, authors, and more
5. Mikhail Prokhorov, billionaire, and Brooklyn Nets Principal Owner
6. Willis Reed, Legendary NBA and New York Knicks basketball player
7. Dr. Makaziwe Mandela and Tukwini Mandela, daughter and granddaughter of Nelson Mandela, the late former President of South Africa
8. The Tankards: Ben and Jewel Tankard; music producer, Godfather of GospelJazz, and bestselling GospelJazz instrumentalist in the world; Mrs. Tankard is a financial advisor and empowerment coach; and they are both non-salary senior pastors at Destiny Center Church in Murfreesboro, TN; and reality TV stars of Bravo's The Tankards: Thicker Than Water
9. Carolyn A. Butts; Founder and Publisher, African Voices; and producer of African Voices' 16th Annual Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
10. Duane Jackson, Times Square Hero, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author of MAY FIRST
11. Martha Reeves; singer, former elected official, and lead singer of the Motown group, Martha and the Vandellas, and still performing since the 1960s
12. Sonya Lamonakis; balancing being a New York City school teacher and a professional boxer
13. Allison J. Davis, Co-Founder, National Association of Black Journalists
14. Producers and Cast of Classical Theatre of Harlem's A Midsummer Night's Dream
15. James McBride; Author and winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
16. Nelson Frank; three-time Grammy-nominated artist (songwriting and producing) and he just added recording artist to his list of accomplishments
17. Justin Tuck; New York Giants defensive end and Founder, Tuck's R.U.S.H. for Literacy
18. Jeremy Lin; former guard with New York Knicks (NBA) whose unsuspecting basketball skills lit a spark and a winning streak that New York basketball fans called "Linsanity;" he is now with the Houston Rockets
19. Mike Tyson; former heavyweight boxing champion and Executive Producer, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth; life knocked him down a few times and he's still standing
20. Ramfis Myrthil, Producer; and Adam Lawrence, Producer and Director of the film, Love and the Small Print
21. New Yorkers Rallying for Justice for Trayvon Martin after the Acquittal of George Zimmerman
22. Michael Brooks and Rotimi Akinnouye; fearless and smart marketers, and owners of Bed-Vyne Wines, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
23. Todd Jones; charismatic owner of Sweet Dreams Mini Donuts, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
24. Cynthia Bailey-Thomas and Peter Thomas; reality TV stars, Real Housewives of Atlanta; and authors of the book, Carry-on Baggage: Our Non-Stop Flight
25. Dashaun Wesley; Dancer and Choreographer and taking vogue to new heights

HONORABLE MENTION
• Lynn Whitfield, actress, producer, and an ambassador to a Nigerian film festival
• Vivica A. Fox, actress, producer, and a supporter of literacy projects
• Adrian Matejka, Poet and 2013 National Book Award Finalist for Poetry
• AJ Calloway; Former Host, BET's 106th and Park, and lover of real old school hip-hop
• Red Hook Residents Demonstrating for Hurricane Sandy Restoration
• Jared Fogle, Subway restaurant spokesperson and supporter of weight-loss and literacy initiatives
• Big Daddy Kane; pioneering Hip-Hop MC with longevity
• Grandmaster Caz, Hip-Hop Pioneer

About What's The 411TV

Based in Brooklyn, New York, What's The 411TV is a division of What's The 411 Networks, a media/news, marketing, and events company. What's The 411TV connects sophisticated multi-cultural audiences with its content through its distribution platforms of television, online, mobile, and social media.

What's The 411TV's celebrity portfolio consists of interviews with Magic Johnson, Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Hudson, and many, many more.

The National Book Foundation honors Maya Angelou for outstanding contributions to the literary world

For nearly fifty years, Dr. Maya Angelou has moved us with her lyrical poetry and dynamic prose. Works like Phenomenal Woman and I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS have become literary classics. Her poem On The Pulse of Morning, written for President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, garnered her the first of three Grammys (even more impressive because she was the first African-American and woman to recite an inaugural poem). She's also received an NAACP Image Award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Now Dr. Angelou can add another award to her long list of accolades. The National Book Foundation honored her with The Literarian Award for outstanding contributions to the literary world. Fellow legend, Nobel Laureate, and longtime friend, Toni Morrison presented her with the award at the National Book Awards ceremony last Wednesday. Ms. Morrison spoke warmly of her friendship with Dr. Angelou and praised her talent and kindness.

The phenomenal woman herself was all smiles when she took the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd. Dr. Angelou, who spoke without notes, said she was "pleased" to be honored. Check out the interview to hear why after dozens of other awards and more than thirty honorary degrees, the Literarian Award is so special to her.