Orish Grinstead, a founding member of girl trio 702, reportedly died of kidney failure Sunday (April 20) in her Las Vegas home. Although details are sketchy, the singer is said to had been ill for quite some time, due to cancer that had yet to be treated, and was not expected to live much longer. She was just 27 years old. Grinstead helped found 702 during the mid-90s with her twin sister, Irish and big sister Lameisha. Orish later dropped out of the group and was replaced by their sisters’ good friend, Kameelah Williams. In 1999, their hit single, “Where My Girls At?,” peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. …
Rapper Eve recently admitted to suffering a minor panic attack mid-flight, while on her way to Australia where she is to perform at the country’s MTV Awards. She told Australian press that her nervous-ness caused it. “Yeah, I was having a little panic attack. Getting up on stage in a different country always makes you as nervous as you are excited,” she said. Eve is scheduled to perform at Australia’s Sydney Sports Centre on May 2. …
T.I., who was ordered by courts to serve at least 1,000 hours of community service where he is to speak to kids, has been banned from speaking at specific county schools in the Atlanta area — specifically Fulton and Cobb Counties. Activist Gerald Rose told local WSB-TV that Cobb officials informed him T.I. is “banned from all Cobb County schools.” Fulton County school officials said due to his gun charges, he’s banned from their schools. However, a Cobb County school district spokesman clarified that the ban isn’t permanent, explaining that due to recent gang problems and the death of one student, it’s not a good time. …
TV personality, Star Jones, filed for divorce from her husband of three years, banker Al Reynolds, late March in New York. In a statement to “Entertainment Tonight,” Jones said: “Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. A month ago I filed for divorce. … The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone’s life that requires privacy with one’s thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman.” …
It was confirmed earlier this week that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s marriage is official. After weeks of being quiet about it, it’s been learned that the group formally filed a signed wedding license on Friday (April 18) in Scarsdale, New York, according to a spokesperson for that village’s clerk’s office. The two are notoriously private about their relationship, but ever since they allegedly obtained the license in Scarsdale on April 1, their marriage has been the focus of nonstop speculation. Following that news, media all around the world camped outside Jay-Z’s Tribeca apartment early April, trying to get word of the ultra-private ceremony. Well, everyone can now rest assured the couple is married. …
Actress-singer, Jennifer Lopez, has reportedly inked a deal with TLC for her own reality series about herself. Angela Shapiro-Mathes, TLC President, said the premise of the show is to “deliver a slice of [Lopez’s] life that audiences have never seen before, as she takes on her career and launches a new fragrance while trying to juggle her new responsibilities as a first-time mom.” The show is currently under development, but no launch date has been announced. …
Snoop Dogg may be allowed back into the UK now. UK newspaper, The Guardian, says a British court has reportedly overruled the government’s decision to deny Snoop a visa after he was arrested in an airport lounge brawl in 2006. The government has a week to appeal, although they have yet to decide whether they will or not. …
