Uncategorized

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

When Ne-Yo filed to divorce Crystal Smith, his wife of nearly five years, last April, he didn’t make her aware of his decision. In fact, Smith told Tamron Hall that she learned of the filing on the internet.

“We weren’t really talking at that time. I chose to leave the relationship because of issues, and at the time I felt like it was to get back at me or to hurt me, or whatever the case may be. He said that it wasn’t so I took his word for that. But it definitely didn’t feel good, it was embarrassing to say the least.” Smith explained during a recent appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show.” “It made me feel like ‘what was the point of opening myself up or letting my walls down?’ I chose to go to therapy and to start working on my pain and my issues and everything I was dealing with internally. I feel like that was the right step for me to get past it. So whether we were going to be together or not, I had to heal for myself so I could get up and perform for my kids.”

Ironically, while he failed to talk to his wife, Ne-Yo had quite a bit to say about his decision to file during an appearance on the “Private Talk with Alexis Texas” podcast.

“The reason that I went ahead and made it known on the podcast at the time was because I had gotten word that it had gotten out and I was trying to get in front of the blogs and everybody,” Ne-Yo explained. “I’ve always hated the whole third-person thing, if I don’t hear it from the horse’s mouth, I don’t believe it. So I decided to get in front of it before it became a rumor or an accusation and all kinds of extras were put on it. The bottom line is what I meant by ‘our demons don’t mesh,’ is that, there’s not a perfect person walking around the face of this planet. I have my issues, she definitely had her issues, and at the time we just weren’t in a place where we could help each other through our issues. My issues became a reason for us to not be together, as did hers…Everybody has demons, everybody is fighting a demon of some sort, and ours just weren’t allowing us to be together at the time. I thought that I was getting in front of it by going ahead and declaring it.”

Strangely, Ne-Yo admits that he never actually wanted to divorce his wife.

“I can actually say that though, to a degree, I felt that I had to put on a face for the public, I did not want to get divorced,” the singer confessed. “I was really, really broken up about it.  I felt like I couldn’t show that to the world. My pride wouldn’t let me show that to the world and wouldn’t let me show it to her, initially. But I think she kind of knew where I was it.”

“He filed for divorce, came home, and asked what was for dinner,” added Smith. “I was like, ‘Whatever your mama’s cooking. I don’t know.’ I was like, ‘You got to get up out of here. I don’t know what you’re doing, player.’ So he was like, ‘I’ll leave for the weekend, but I’ll be back on Monday.’ And it was just like, what’s the point?”

The couple would continue to quarantine together as a result of coronavirus, which is what they credit with saving their marriage.

“It just didn’t feel right, it didn’t make any sense to me. This is what we’ve been forever. We don’t know what this thing is, we could be gone tomorrow,” Ne-Yo went on. “So I’m not about to waste what could potentially be maybe our last moments together not together. I’m not doing it. I’m going where my home is, I’m going where my heart is. And that was it.”

While it’s pretty awful that Ne-Yo couldn’t attempt to speak to his wife before filing for divorce, it’s good to hear that they were able to work things out.

Time to get it it, folks! It's the Grindhouse broadcast airing every Sunday at 6pm eastern.  And least you forget, our show is powered by Afronerd Radio-streaming via the BTalk 100 platform.  Join your humble and advisory AFROnerdists as they unpack the following issues: well it's finally happening...a trailer for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion hit the cyrberwebs and we have our thoughts; the Shadow and Act site recently highlighted a documentary entitled, The Changin' Times of Ike White which details the extraordinary life of the film's eponymously named musician and how he "started from the bottom" and then disappeared for 40 years; 

noted filmmaker, David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network) has some cautionary/critical thoughts about last years breakout hit, Joker and Dburt ties this in with Anne Hathaway's recent apology to the disabled community for her performance in The Witches; a Mary Sue piece lends focus on what (comic/pop culture) conventions could look like going into 2021 in a post COVID-19 world;  more predictions unfold regarding the logistics of doing a Black Panther sequel without the late Chadwick Boseman;  thoughts about comic writer, DC Comics' Geoff Johns (along with illustrator, Gary Frank) teaming forces once again for a creative owned book entitled, Geiger;       

actor, John Boyega has even more to say about his treatment at Disney during his tenure with the Star Wars franchise; Bleeding Cool posits (or is that gossips) about DC Comics bailing out on comic specialty shops and comic conventions;  so it seems like that rumor a Constantine sequel is in the works is actually true;  legendary actor/filmmaker, Sylvester Stallone via his IG account announced that he has secret role in James Gunn's Suicide Squad sequel (and what about Guardians of the Galaxy?); and lastly, if time permits, we may address some topics left on the floor from our last Mid Week show.

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....
function openPlayer(s){window.open("https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/"+escape(s),"Player","height=630,width=940,modal=yes,alwaysRaised=yes")}

Also Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via Pandora, Spotify and IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!     

We're just going to do straight topics, no chaser folks! It's Afronerd Radio's Mid-Week in Review (MWIR) show-broadcasting every Wednesday at 8pm eastern on BTalk 100. Listen to your AFROnerdist hosts decipher this week's following topics:  Dburt ponders why (and you can too) black and/or ethnic minority heroes have a tendency to be depowered when compared to their white mainstream counterparts; What does it mean to be depowered, anyway? is it intentional or less insidious?; screenwriter and esteemed graphic novelist, John Ridley makes it around the interview circuit to promote his forthcoming 5-issue series, The Other History of the DC Universe highlighting the oft times overlooked minority heroes of DC; well the theater/movie industries appear to be making that pivot to the home viewing market (at least partially) with the recent Universal-Cinemark deal and we give our impressions; conservative pundit, Candace Owens (GOP compatriot, Ben Shapiro shared "the smoke" as well) is back at it again jousting with (the black version et al) Twitter concerning actor/singer, Harry Styles' gender bending Vogue cover:

the CW in their quest to expand the geek(s) of color palette, have announced a Wonder Girl TV series featuring an actor of Latin descent; Dburt has some thoughts about deconstructing the "black stigmata," internally, externally and legally...oh and he has to explain it first;  so is the WB/DC going to the "pull the trigger" on Wonder Woman 1984 or what? Streaming, theaters or both? Venture Bros. saved?......they're working on it;  And lastly, another Black Lives Matter critique entitled, The Omission..nuff said.     

or This link below.....
function openPlayer(s){window.open("https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/"+escape(s),"Player","height=630,width=940,modal=yes,alwaysRaised=yes")}

Also Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via Pandora, Spotify and IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!    

Hey...and just when I thought I was out, DC Animated pulled me back in......with the Dark Knight meets blaxploitation and martial arts.  Check out the latest trailer for Batman: Soul of the Dragon:

Source: Maury Phillips/Getty Images for BET / Getty

Bobby Brown‘s second oldest son and namesake, Bobby Brown, Jr., has died at the age of 28.

According to TMZ, a source connected to the family stated that Bobby Jr. was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Other sources told the site that police who were at the home of Bobby Jr. don’t believe it to be a case of foul play.

Bobby Jr. is Bobby Sr.’s third child. He is one of two children that his father had with longtime ex-girlfriend Kim Ward, the other being the singer’s eldest daughter, La’Princia. Bobby Jr., La’Princia and Bobbi Kristina all appeared on Brown’s reality show, Being Bobby Brown, in 2005. Bobbi Kristina also passed away at a very young age. She was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home in January 2015 and was placed in a medically-induced coma on a ventilator to stop brain swelling. After transferring hospitals, Bobbi Kristina was eventually removed from the ventilator and put in hospice care. She passed away in July of that same year at the age of 22.

Bobby Sr. released a book called Every Little Step in 2016 about his life, and in it, he talked about being a father. When asked on GMA during a promo tour for the book how he planned to go about parenthood differently as he was expecting his seventh child, a daughter who would be named Hendrix with wife Alicia Etheredge, he said, “I’m living differently. My whole lifestyle is totally different from how I used to live. I’m getting better. I can only grow, you know, from this point from a few years ago on. I can only grow and I do not procrastinate on growing. I just try to be better and better and better every day for my family, for my kids, for my siblings, for my friends. As long as I keep trying to grow, I don’t think anything can stop what I’m growing into. I’m growing into a better man.”

Hit the flip for photos of Bobby Jr, as well as images of Brown with all of his kids on the next few pages.

Source: Bravo / Getty

As mentioned, Bobby Brown Jr. was featured on the short-lived Bravo reality series Being Bobby Brown. He is pictured next to his sister La’Princia and Bobby Sr.’s late father.

BEING BOBBY BROWN — Pictured: (back row l-r) Pops Brown, Whitney Houston, Tommy Brown (front row l-r) Bobby Brown Jr., La’princia Brown, Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina Brown (Photo by F. Scott Schafer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)