Gabby Douglas Is Going For Gold And You Get To Watch

(SL) – Gabby Douglas took the world by storm 4 years ago when she became the first African-American to win the Individual All-Around Gold, at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. And now she will become the first American gymnast to defend her title and you get to watch!

Gabrielle along with her momager Natalie Hawkins and her siblings are set to take you behind the scenes and along for what is sure to be one fascinating journey as she prepares for Rio 2016.

Douglas Family Gold  which gives viewers and fans an inside look of the youngest child of Natalie Hawkins’ and her tight-knit family as they help Gabby prepare for the Summer Olympics.

If you’ve followed Gabby’s career , you know it’s been one of sacrifice, trials and triumph. From a time when Natalie went years without a new pair shoes, pawned jewelry and according to one report even filed bankruptcy due to her willingness to make sure her children had what they needed to now overseeing her Olympian status daughter and her many endorsements, the Douglas family knows what life is like on both ends of the spectrum and audiences everywhere will certainly be inspired by this family and their chase for Olympic gold…a second time around.

Gabby and Her Mom Natalie took time out of their busy schedules to talk about the show, their lives both personal and professional during a conference call where media outlets like NBC Olympics, Huffington Post,  Rolling Out, Ebony.com and SytonniaLIVE were on hand for a Q and A that lasted about an hour.  I’ve pulled the pieces readers are most interested in from the transcript and listed them below.  Hope you enjoy this interview and make sure you tune in tonight to Oxygen at 10 p.m. ET for the Season Premiere ‘The First Hurdle’ which will show Gabby attempting to make the national team!

Interview:

Q: Why the quest for the back-to-back

gold?

Gabrielle Douglas: Why the quest for back-to-back to gold? For me I – I’m a person who

loves a challenge and I felt like after 2012, you know, even though I won two

gold medals there was still like more that I wanted to do. So I didn’t want to retire because I was like young and I still, you know, loved

gymnastics and I still do so I was like, “Why not give it another shot?” And I

think that I was always like determined to go to 2016 to go to another

Olympics.  That’s why I’m doing it.

Q: Whose idea was it originally to do this show and did it – did you

take any convincing to agree to it?

Gabrielle Douglas:Yes I did. It was actually my oldest sister Arielle Hawkins. She actually

was the one that, you know, pitched the idea and we were all – well like not

me but, you know, my mom, my brother, my other sister – they were all like,

“Yes I think it would be cool.”

But I was the one who was a little bit hesitant because, you know, my main

focus was Rio and, you know, obviously it still is. So I didn’t want, you know,

the cameras in the gym distracting me while I was training and for the most

part they, you know, everyone at Oxygen was very respectful and they were

like, “Hey we don’t want to, you know, get your mind off Rio either.”

So we all like came together and, you know, figured out a plan and it worked

out and, you know, then I agreed and yes.

Natalie Hawkins:Actually I want to hop in real quick. I actually didn’t agree with it remember?

Gabrielle Douglas: Oh yes that’s right. I was like thinking about it. I was like, “Wait did she not agree either?” Okay we both didn’t. All right.

Natalie Hawkins: Okay. Thank you.

NBA All-Star Dwight Howard Supports The Atlanta Dream, Gives His Pick On The NBA Finals

(SL) – The Atlanta Dream are 2-1 at the start of the new season. They had a lot of support for their win against Chicago. Dwight Howard was there with his parents. (His mom is a season ticket holder). I caught up with Howard and talked to him about the Dream, giving back to the community and who he thinks will take the NBA Finals!

The Hills Official Movie Trailer 2016

(SL) – Writer, Director, Producer and Actor Steven ‘Stix’ Josey is preparing to release his next SAG indie film ‘The Hills’. I play Attorney Lee’s psychologist Dr. Gavin. The film also stars Omar Gooding, Clifton Powell, Claudia Jordan, Carl Clemons, Taral hicks, LaTavia Roberson, Tyrice Lollis, Trae Ireland, Cynda Williams and moooore! Coming to a screen near you soon!

Synopsis:  The intriguing storyline behind The Hills has been called impressive and has amazed industry veterans. The action filled script involves An injustice in the Justice system. When Attorney Lee makes a decision to defend the killer of his one time best friend Jeremiah Matthews SR. The killer is also on trial for trying to kill his best friends son Jeremiah Matthews JR a few years later. Through this journey Attorney Lee finds himself in a fight for his life. Now the killer is trying to end his life. Attorney realizes that he should of let Harris meet his fate instead of trying to right a wrong he did to Harris years ago. At the end of the day will Justice be served. What side of the Law is Attorney Lee really on.

{Video} King James And The Cavs Finish Off The Hawks With 100-99 Win

(SL) –  The inevitable happened Sunday in Atlanta.  Lebron James and the Cavs finished sweeping the Atlanta Hawks and will now prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals.  Kevin Love led all scorers with 27 points and 13 rebounds.  He had 8 of Cleveland’s 16 3s. Post Game presser with Love,  James (21 pts 10 rebounds 9 assists) and Kyrie who had 21 pts and 8 assists.

Hip-Hop Icon Tupac’s Mother Afeni Shakur Dead At 69

(SL) – One of his biggest hits ‘ Dear Mama’ was written for her and now the woman that legendary rap icon, poet and actor Tupac Shakur called his queen is dead. According to the Marin county Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call reporting “a possible cardiac arrest” at her Sausalito home around 9:34 p.m. Monday..

Shakur Davis was taken to the hospital where she died at 10:28 p.m. Afeni was in the middle of a bitter divorce with her estranged husband who allegedly wanted stake in Tupac’s estate which has been operated by Afeni since he was murdered in 1996.

In a tweet the office stated, “Sheriff’s Coroners Office will lead an investigation to determine the exact cause & manner of Afeni Shakur’s death.”

Though she is best known as Tupac Shakur’s mom, she was also a Black Panther as a young adult and an activist and philanthropist in her later years. Her drug use and addiction to cocaine is no secret.  Tupac rapped about it often and she even spoke candidly about falling from grace and rising from the ashes of her own hell.

These lyrics from ‘Dear Mama’ sum it up: In it, he rapped “And even as a crack fiend, mama, you always was a black queen, mama/I finally understand, for a woman it ain’t easy trying to raise a man/You always was committed, a poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it/There’s no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand.”

As a matter of fact, she had only been clean for 5 years when Tupac was gunned down in Las Vegas. She resisted the urges to delve back into her old bad habits and founded Amaru Entertainment to keep her son’s music alive.

She often pushed the Arts movement for children, crediting the world of creativity as the outlet that kept her son on track.

In one of her many interviews, she said, “Arts can save children, no matter what’s going on in their homes,” she said. “I wasn’t available to do the right things for my son. If not for the arts, my child would’ve been lost.”

She provided the majority of the money to begin the $4 million first phase of the arts center, while her Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation hosted poetry and theater camps for youngsters in the Atlanta area.

“I learned that I can’t save the world, but I can help a child at a time,” she said, pointing out that her new life of philanthropy wouldn’t have been possible without the influence of her legendary son. “God created a miracle with his spirit. I’m all right with that.”

Shakur Davis is survived by daughter Sekyiwa Shakur.