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Side-by-Side photo of Chattrisse Dolabaille (left) who will play Missy Elliott on the right.

On The Carpet: Lifetime Television for Aaliyah Biopic Casting Debacle

Jacinda Motton, aka Ms. Fashionista J, What's The 411 host and fashion/style reporter, is calling Lifetime Television on the carpet for its missteps in casting actors for the Aaliyah biopic.

Lifetime Television has created another uproar by casting Canadian singer and dancer Chattrisse Dolabaille to play Missy Elliott while So You Think You Can Dance Canada alum Izaak Smith has been chosen to play Timbaland.

The production has been wrought with casting issues. Former Disney star Zendaya Coleman dropped out of playing Aaliyah amidst a storm of criticism primarily because Coleman's complexion was too light to play Aaliyah.

Actress Alexandra Shipp will now play Aaliyah. Shipp is best known for her role as KT Rush on the Nickelodeon show House of Anubis. She has also appeared on Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Switched at Birth, and Victorious.

NYPD

On The Carpet: NYPD for Dragging an Unclothed Grandmother

What's The 411 host and reporter, Kizzy Cox, is calling on the NYPD for the unnecessary killing and/or harming of people of color.

The New York City Police Department for wrongfully dragging a Brooklyn grandmother out of her apartment. The woman, Denise Stewart had just showered when police pounded on her door. She was dragged out of her apartment topless. Stewart, a severe asthmatic, has obtained an attorney. This comes on the cusp of the choke hold death of Eric Garner by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo.

WATCH VIDEO OF DISCUSSION AND JOIN THE CONVERSATION

 

Vivica A. Fox Turns 50

Vivica A. Fox turned 50 years-old in July. So What's The 411 decided to pay tribute to the Kill Bill and Sharknado 2 star with our interview of Vivica at a Justin Tuck charity event in New York City. Stay tuned to the post-interview roundup, the What's The 411 hosts compliment Vivica Fox on her work ethic and her selfless contributions to the community.

 WATCH VIVICA A. FOX

 

Crystal L. Henderson Harris interviewed Vivica A. Fox

Draya Michele

What's The 411 Quick Takes: Draya Calls It Quits and More

What's The 411's quick takes is a quick roundup of urban-oriented entertainment news. In this video:

Draya Michele Calls It Quits
Wire Actor Anwan Glover Stabbed and Beaten At DC Night Club
Cheryl Boone Isaacs Re-Elected to Head Motion Picture Academy
Raymond Burse, A National Hero

 WATCH VIDEO: WHAT'S THE 411 QUICK TAKES

 

Atlanta Hawks Majhority Owner Bruce Levenson

Racial Comments Pushes Bruce Levenson to Sell Stake in Atlanta Hawks

Racially insensitive comments made by Atlanta Hawks majority owner, Bruce Levenson, pushed him to sell his stake in the Atlanta-based, NBA team.

Levenson self-reported to the NBA that he sent a racist e-mail in August 2012 and will sell his interest in the team.

The e-mail, to Hawks President Danny Ferry, details Levenson's belief that the Hawks' fan base was too heavily African-American.

"I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive," Levenson said in a Hawks news release Sunday morning. "I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e., hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e., that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."

WATCH What's The 411Sports Team Talk About Bruce Levenson

 

Brooklyn Nets Point Guard Deron Williams

Brooklyn Nets Point Guard Deron Williams in Dog House

Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams is in the What's The 411Sports Dog House more for his on-court performance than the comments he made about Brooklyn (New York City) in Resident magazine.

Many Brooklyn Nets fans are disappointed with Deron Williams' performance for the past two seasons.

Many feel the Brooklyn Nets could have gone further in the playoffs had Williams been healthy and able to perform better.

Unfortuantely for Williams, the fans don't care about his ankle issues, what they want is performance for his five-year $98 million contract.

Perhaps, the fans will get production out of Williams this season since he has had surgery on both ankles and has been given the green light to play.

For Williams' adjustment to NYC, he admits to having a hard time adjusting to life in New York, saying "I don't really feel like a New Yorker."

"I grew up in an apartment in Texas where you could send your kids outside like, 'Yeah, go play in the sun.' Here it's more challenging," Williams said.

Williams lives in a fabulous pad in the Tribeca (Triangle Below Canal Street) area in Manhattan, which is home to Robert DeNiro and the Tribeca Film Festival.

It is asphalt and concrete and a far cry from Utah or parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Nassau or Suffolk counties areas in New York with trees and grass.

For a person who likes grass and outdoor living, why Tribeca over areas he finds more favorable?

Just asking?

Former Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice

Ray Rice Elevator Video Surfaces: What Did The NFL Miss?

The world took a collective gasp and had a WTH moment after TMZ Sports released a copy of a video showing Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee and now wife, Janay Palmer Rice in the elevator at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The response to the video from football fans and others has been swift and deep. The Baltimore Ravens immediately dropped Ray Rice and the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely.

Had NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seen this video when he suspended Ray Rice for only two games? Had the Baltimore Ravens organization seen this video when it decided to keep Ray Rice on the team? Is this the end of Ray Rice's career in the NFL? Does Ray Rice deserve a second chance in the NFL? Does Ray Rice have appealable issues?

Your thoughts? You can comment below.

WATCH VIDEO: What's The 411Sports Team Discusses Latest Revelations in Ray Rice Story

 

Sabine Lisicki at the US OPEN in Flushing, Queens, NY

Sabine Lisicki Surpasses Venus Williams with World’s Fastest Serve

July 29, 2014, marked a historic date for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) where Sabine Lisicki from Germany clocked the world's fastest serve among women at 131 MPH in Stanford, California.

Guinness World Record awarded Lisicki with a certificate on Friday, August 22 before the 2014 US Open kicked off. At the time when she set the record, Lisicki didn't realize her serve was that fast.

"I felt that I hit it very hard and good but it was only when I heard the crowd that I realized it was 131 (MPH) when I looked at the board."

As with any tennis player, Lisicki's main priority is to serve the ball inbounds.

"It's a natural thing. I just throw up the ball and hit it as hard as I can but not really thinking about it because it obviously has to go in so that's the main priority."

Lisicki is very excited about her world record and added: "I had 130 (MPH) serve about four years ago but it wasn't an official one, so I'm very happy that this one's official."

The previous record was set in 2007 by Venus Williams, who clocked in at 129 MPH during the US Open against Alla Kudryavtseva from Russia. This was the same year Venus won Wimbledon. Williams still holds a separate record where she became the lowest-ranked (no. 31) and lowest-seeded player (23 seed) to ever win Wimbledon.

Lisicki opened against a qualifier, Françoise Abanda from Canada. Abanda is a young star, 17 years old, whose parents hail from Cameroon, Africa. This is Abanda's debut at the senior level in the main draw of the US Open, ranking in at her career high, number 205.

 Francoise Abanda The-Canadian-Press Graham-Hughes

 Canadian tennis player by way of the Cameroon, Francoise Abanda. Photo Credit: The Canadian Press/Graham-Hughes

Williams, who is 34 years old, knocked out an even older opponent, 43-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm from Japan in the first round in a three-set thriller.

We'll look forward to seeing milestones reached in this tournament whether it's Lisicki meeting or surpassing her current serving speed record, Taylor Townsend shocking the world by defeating Serena Williams, or perhaps, Venus Williams winning the US Open.

 

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