NBA Star Derrick Rose Hopes To Clear Name As $21 Million Civil Rape Trial Gets Underway

(SL) – I’m sure at this point NBA star Derrick Rose is wishing he’d pass on a night out that involved an old girlfriend and two friends. A night of risky sex that resulted in rape accusations and a now  $21 million lawsuit has put a blemish on the respected reputation of the former Chicago Bulls baller, but  before making his debut with the New York Knicks in Houston, Rose said he’s welcoming the chance to clear his name.

“I wanted to take it to court because I didn’t want to settle,’ Rose said on Tuesday, which was also his 28th birthday. ‘I don’t feel like I did anything wrong. If I go up there and just tell my side of the story, I think I’ll be alright.”Rose planned to leave after the game to attend the trial in Los Angeles, where jury selection began earlier on Tuesday, though no jurors have been seated. He’s expected to be in court by Thursday along with his two co-defendants. The three are unhappy with potential jurors as only two of the 50 prospective jurors were African Americans. All three defendants are black.  Rose’s lawyer noted that 15 of the first 27 possible jurors were Hispanic, the ethnicity of the woman.

The woman, whose identity will be revealed when the trial starts, initiated the lawsuit after claims that Rose and two friends entered her apartment and had sex with her without her consent after she passed out following a night of drinking.

SytonniaLIVE The TV Series Coming Soon

(SL) –  Been having a blast in the studio with these two!

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.

{Video}After Beating The Pelicans In OT, Memphis Falls To Atlanta 95-83

After beating New Orleans in a long one that stretched into OT, Memphis couldn’t repeat against the Hawks at Philips Arena. The Grizzlies have a long injury list which left them shorthanded.

Those Tennessee boys are without Centers Chris Andersen and Marc Gasol , Forwards Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright and Guard Vince Carter, whom I spoke with Post Game about fatigue, defense, Lance Stephenson and regrouping.

Videographer: Chris Calon