"The [Scandal] Storm is Coming"

SCANDAL THURSDAYS ARE ALMOST HERE! Who leaked Olivia and Fitz's affair? How will Olivia handle being the scandal herself? What's her relationship like with her dad? Remember that jaw-dropping shocker on last season's finale!? What's Jake Ballard's real story? There are so many questions that must be answered in this upcoming third season! It all kicks off locally on ABC at 10pm on October 3rd. Can't wait? Check out the promo pics below, appropriately themed "The Storm is Coming."

Scandal cast

Scott Foley as Jake Ballard

Jeff Perry as Cyrus Beene

Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant

Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant

Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins

Columbus Short as Harrison Wright

Joshua Malina as David Rosen

Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan

Guillermo Diaz as Huck

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope

*All photos courtesy of ABC

J. Cole Brings The Drama!

J. Cole has finally released a video for his latest single "Crooked Smile." I've been waiting for this! Check out the video below. Your emotions will run high! Trust me. My favorite element is that there are no flashy, fast paced, musical performances. It's like a mini drama with the track as background music. It's all about the storyline. I'm not giving away any details, you have to watch it for yourself. Props to J. Cole on his acting skills.

Video (C) 2013 Roc Nation LLC

The Gabrielle Douglas Story

The Gabrielle Douglas biopic is in the works with Lifetime! At the age of 14, gymnast Douglas - with the difficult permission of her mother - chose to leave her family and move to Iowa to train with Coach Liang Chow. Chow lead Douglas to two Olympic Gold medals, becoming the first African American to win an all around Gold medal. She also won a team gold medal.

The TV movie will feature Imani Hakim as the 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Remember Hakim as little Tonya on Everybody Hates Chris? Well, she's all grown up now.

Regina King is slated to play Douglas' mom, Natalie Dawkins, while S. Epatha Merkerson will play her grandmother. It's being said that Douglas herself will make an appearance in the film. Recently, the 17 year old Olympic Champion, left Coach Chow's gym in West Des Moines, Iowa to move to Los Angeles with her family. She's now training on her own and hopes to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Jaheim - Baby Baby Baby!

Jaheim recently debuted the new video for "Baby x3." It's the second single off his album Appreciation Day in stores now. "Baby x3" picks up where his first single, "Age Ain't a Factor," ended; with LisaRaye McCoy, Vivica A. Fox, and Cynthia Bailey all featured. Bailey was cast in "Baby x3" as well and the story's not over just yet. There is sure to be a continuation of this storyline. Do you think Jaheim is making an R&B comeback? Check out both videos for yourself and share your thoughts.

Waddy Weekend Wrap (9/13-15/13)

Frankford Chargers - Our Frankford Chargers 105lbs team took on the Blackhawks Athletic Club for their first night game of the season. Unfortunately, our little guys were defeated. Good news; my cheerleaders did a great job during their halftime routine! Their competition is just around the corner. In football, we take on the Titans next.

Chargers vs. Blackhawks

Robin Thicke Tour - Robin Thicke announced his upcoming Spring 2014 tour with Jessie J and DJ Cassidy. The three will tour across the country from February 21st to March 29th. Although not stopping in Philadelphia, they will be making their way to Camden at the Susquehanna Bank Center on February 21st and Atlantic City at the Borgata on March 2nd. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday at 10am, but you can win free tickets here.

It's a party, it's a party, it's a party, ehhh - In the weeks leading up to the Mayweather v. Canelo boxing match, everybody and their momma were having or attending fight parties. I went to one with my friends, and my mom and dad went to one with their friends. While we came back telling each other how great the parties were, the same couldn't be said of the fight itself. Mayweather won each of the 12 rounds with no real excitement from either component during the match. Money Mayweather did walk out with Lil Wayne and Justin Beiber. R&B Singer Tank sang the U.S. National Anthem.

"Jersey Strong" - A new reality show from Pivot premiered Saturday night. No, it's not about life after Sandy. The show centers on the lives of two African American women in Newark, NJ. Jayda is a former gang-banger turned community activist and Brooke is a litigation attorney who happens to be lesbian. The two women met when Jayda was on trial for robbery and Jayda successfully defended her. A former member of the Bloods gang, Jayda is engaged to a former Crips gang member. When I first heard of this new reality show, it sounded like a story that's been told before, but from a new, authentic perspective. Belisa Balaban of Pivot said, "Often the stories of our cities are told by outsiders, but this is a view from the inside, told in the voices of people who live this life." I haven't read any reviews since the show premiered; I'm waiting to see it for myself.

"Too Much" for Drake - Drake debuted his new song "Too Much" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this weekend. After watching the performance below, is Drake having problems with the people around him? To me, it sounds like some may be trying to get at his wealth and fame. I guess he is going to have to find some new friends after all. Watch for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments section below. His new album Nothing was the Same hits stores next Tuesday, September 24th.

Video Source

Eagles Home Opener - The Eagles put up a good fight yesterday afternoon, but they fell short by 3 points. The San Diego Chargers came out on top with the 33-30 win. I could have been at that game, but after seeing the loss, eh I was over it. Bill Davis and his Eagles defense have some work to do. Better luck next time. They face former head coach Andy Reid and his Kansas City Chiefs Thursday night.

Miss America - Nina Davaluri became the first contestant of Indian decent to win the Miss America pageant. She is also the second consecutive winner from the state of New York. Davaluri will receive a $50,000 scholarship for her win which she says will be used for her medical school expenses. Shame on those who shared negative comments just moments after her win. Some made the stereotypical and racist remarks about Indian Americans working at convenient stores like 7-11. Others even went so far as to try to tie our new Miss America to terrorism. Vanessa Williams even received hate mail when she became the first African American crowned in the pageant in 1984. No one ever associated the former (majority) Caucasian winners with slavery as slave owners. Forget the haters and negativity; I ain't mad at you girl! Congrats. It's great to see the Miss America pageant grow into a more diverse and open competition.

Image Source: USA Today

The Butler Still Hanging On - After 5 weeks in theaters, Lee Daniels' The Butler has reached the $100 million mark. Only two African American directors have done so before - John Singleton with 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tim Story with both Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Latifah on TV!

...Actress and Rapper Queen Latifah that is. She's back!

Image Source

The Queen previously hosted The Queen Latifah Show in 1999 - 2001. According to a release, this new installment, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, will include "celebrity interviews, human interest stories, comedy, pop culture, and musical performances. It is expected to showcase Queen Latifah's talents, blending comedy and music into her hosting duties." The Queen Latifah Show debuts today on CBS at 3pm locally here in Philadelphia. Among her first guests are Willow Smith, Alicia Keys, and John Travolta.

Waddy Weekend Wrap

This is a look back at my past weekend highlights - what I did and what caught my eye.

 

Powerhouse 2013 - All week long, listeners anticipated the Powerhouse 2013 lineup announcement. Power99's Rise & Grind Morning Show finally broke the news Monday morning. This year's performers include Kendrick Lamar, Mario, Ace Hood, Chris Brown, Big Sean, Sevyn Streeter, Yo Gotti, and of course Philly's own Meek Mill. K. Michelle will serve as the night's co-hostess. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (9/14) at 10am, but the presale starts Friday (9/13) at 10am. Stay tuned to Power99; you know more performers are sure to be added to the lineup. It's all going down Friday October 25th at The Wells Fargo Center.

Click the photo above to purchase tickets 

Top (from left to right): Ace Hood, Sevyn Streeter, Mario
Middle: Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar
Bottom: Yo Gotti, Meek Mill, Big Sean, K. Michelle

Top 5 Songs of the Week - Radio jocks counted down this week's top 5 songs on WDAS and Power99. Check out the music videos for the top 5 songs and find out if your favorite song made the countdown.

Oh Yeezus, Kanye's Coming to Philly - On Friday Kanye West announced his upcoming tour. "The Yeezus Tour" will travel through the country during the Fall and Winter seasons. Kicking off the 23-stop tour on October 19th, Kanye will be joined by Kendrick Lamar on most dates. "The Yeezus Tour" is rolling through Philly on November 16th at The Wells Fargo Center. Unfortunately, Kendrick won't be in attendance. Instead, a "special guest" will fill in for Philly (but remember, you can see Kendrick in Philly a month sooner at Powerhouse). Check out more tour dates here. Tickets go on sale this Friday (9/13).

More Hip Hopping Through the Country - Kanye's Roc-A-Fella big brother, Jay Z also announced a  tour on Friday. "The Magna Carter Holy Grail Tour" is finally making its way through North America. It kicks off November 16th, makes it's way to Philly on January 29th at The Wells Fargo Center, and ends in State College, PA on January 31st. Tickets for his tour go on sale this Thursday (9/12), a day before Kanye's tickets.

Jay Z Meme - Jay Z is also making his way through the web. Ever since the photo below was released, social media members have been photo-shopping Jay in various scenarios.

Beyonce and Jay Z on vacation in Stromboli, Italy

Here are some of my favorite Jay Z memes.

Hello Football Season - The Dallas Cowboys came out with a win over the New York Giants in the 1st Sunday night football game of the 2013 NFL season. The score was 36-31. Then our Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Redskins on the road in their season premiere Monday, 33-27. The Eagles come back to The Lincoln Financial Field to take on The San Diego Chargers this Sunday at 1pm. Now I don't want to speak too soon, but Chip Kelly may be on to something. E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!

Little Athletes - The season for Pop Warner little league athletics began for many Philadelphia children this weekend. My neighborhood team, the Frankford Chargers, took on the North Philadelphia Aztecs. I've cheered from the time I was 8 years old and all the way through college. For the first time, I'm coaching cheerleading. Our 105lbs cheer team, many of them in their 1st year of cheerleading, did fairly well during their first game. 

 

Frankford Chargers 105lbs Cheereading Team with Student Demonstrators (Center)

Congrats to our corresponding 105lbs football team who defeated the Aztecs 7-6.

Frankford Chargers 105lbs Cheerleading and Football teams

Next up, The Chargers take on the Blackhawks.

Bruno Mars to perform at Super Bowl XLVIII halftime - With the NFL season under way, fans are already predicting their team's slot in the Super Bowl. No matter which football teams face off against one another, one thing we know for sure, is that Bruno Mars will be performing at halftime. Word has it, we can expect more performers on the halftime stage and even more performances in the area during Super Bowl week. The big game is scheduled for Sunday February 2, 2014.

 

ICYMI: The Dell - Throughout the summer, Patty Jackson of WDAS-FM hosted The Dell Music Center's Summer Concert Series. Each week, I had the privilege of attending each show with Patty to film, along with Abraham Dunmeyer. In case you missed the summer concert series, ALL of our weekly highlights are on Patty TV. Check out what you missed or take a trip down memory lane if you were a part of our Dell audience this summer.

The state of our schools - Summer is coming to an end and we know what that means: it's time for the kids to head back to school. As the summer months went by, it seemed each Philly resident's curiosity intensified to know what would happen with our schools. With the new school year just underway, Patty Jackson sat down with the superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, Dr. William Hite. Check out the video on Patty TV.

Saying goodbye to a Philly radio legend - At the age of 58, E. Steven Collins passed away of a heart attack. The news came as a shock to family and friends across the Philadelphia region. Heard across the Philly airwaves, Collins spent time as a radio personality, national sales manager, and a newsman. Collins devoted most of his time off the mic to community issues and affairs. Although Collins is gone, one thing is for certain, he will never be forgotten.

Photo Credit: NBC Philadelphia