R&B legend Patti LaBelle is headed to Broadway in September to join the hit musical Fela!.
Sources have reported that she’ll step in for Tony Award winner Lillias White in the role of mother Funmilayo Kuti while White moves on with other projects. LaBelle’s Broadway run marks her first since 1998′s solo concert series “Patti LaBelle on Broadway.”

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Frankie Lons, the mother of singer Keyshia Cole whose “man down” catchphrase was made famous in two reality shows, has signed on for the fourth installment of “Celebrity Rehab,” which people with various degrees of fame attempting to kick substance abuse with the aid of Dr. Drew Pinsky.

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Two-time “Survivor” winner Sandra Diaz-Twine was at Fort Bragg on Thursday July 29, 2010 to host a special ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the South Post Commissary.
Diaz-Twine, of Fayetteville, won her first $1 million in season seven of “Survivor: Pearl Islands”. She most recently won this seasons all-star group on “Survivor: Heroes and Villains” to win her second million.

Diaz-Twine once worked as a senior office associate with the Army and Air force Exchange Service and as a chemical repair specialist with the Army. Her husband a soldier is also stationed at Fort Bragg.

A member of the Stellar Award winning contemporary gospel quartet group Men of Standard, Lowell Pye has established himself as one of the most soulful male gospel vocalist in the industry.

Lowell marks a milestone in his career with his debut solo CD release Finally, in stores now.

Finally, features guest appearances from Lowell’s friends Pastor Marvin Winans, Rance Allen, Sheri Jones-Moffett and Deitrick Haddon.

Jack Tatum was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Oakland Raiders and a star at Ohio State, died Tuesday of a heart attack. Tatum was 61.

Tatum made three Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win with the Oakland Raiders.  Tatum is always defined by a single hi made in a 1978 exhibition game that left Darryl Stingley a quadriplegic for life.

Tatum was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten player for Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes from 1968-70 and twice earned All-America honors.

Tatum had been in ill-health for some time. After retiring from the NFL, Tatum battled with diabetes, a disease that wound up forcing the amputation of all five toes on his left foot, then later his right leg.

A reliable source is reporting that Oprah Winfrey wants Sarah Ferguson to host her own talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Ms. Winfrey allegedly called Ferguson personally to offer her the prime time series when OWN launches next year. “Oprah is impressed by Sarah’s ability to reinvent herself,” a source told the paper. “They spoke in person and, for Sarah, the offer is a ray of light at the end of a very dark tunnel.”

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There is a growing trend going on . It is called the Simple church or House church. This consist of an intimate group of believers gathering in the comfort of some one’s home to worship the LORD instead a traditional church. One of the firsts to start this new form of worship, John White, explains that “A house church is not about one person standing up and talking for 45 minutes.” He adds that “Traditional church works fine for a lot of people, but there’s a growing number of people for whom it’s not working.”

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Pasor Shirley Caesar’s “Wilt Thou Be Made Whole” conference will conclude Friday evening July 23, 2010 at 7:30pm with national recording artist and evangelist Beverly Crawford.

The service will be held at Mt. calvery Word of Faith church, 3100 Sanderford Rd. Raleigh NC 27610.

Pastor Caesar talks about the exciting week of services and the Sunday morning service.

The following tips will allow kids and parents to get back into the school routine in a stress free manner.

Shopping for new uniforms/clothes

During the summer months, children normally outgrow their current clothes and shoes. It is vitally important to take your children with you when buying new clothes. Not only does it ensure you get the correct size but it also focuses the childs mind on the fact that they will be going back to school shortly. As every other parent and child will be in the same situation, it is quite common to bump into schoolfriends on these trips to the shops, this should be used as a positive as the children will now be looking forward to being reunited with their friends. As a parent, you should be mentioning this at regular intervals from now on to get your child used to the thought.

Earlier bedtimes

There is every chance your child would have been having later bedtimes than they typically would do during term time. Start gradually getting your children to bed earlier, approximately a week before term was due to start. You should tell your children the reason for their earlier bedtimes, just in case they think they are being punished and cannot work out why. By the weekend before they are due to start back to school, children should be back into their normal school sleep routine. This will ensure they are getting enough sleep and are suitably refreshed and ready for their first day back at school.

Do the school run

It is worth taking either a drive or walk to the school a couple of days before the children are due to go back. This will re familiarise the children with the journey and also the school buildings. Remember, the school holidays are a long time away for small children so, seeing the building again will help them refocus on returning to school.

Get them ready mentally

Ask your children questions about their schooling and schoolfriends during August, this gets them back into the mindset of thinking about all aspects of schooling which will hopefully mean they hit the ground running when the first day back arrives.

It is important not to go over the top and brainwash your child into thinking about school more than they need to. This will be different for each child. Some children will relish the return to school whilst others will be extremely worried. What we, as parents mustn’t do it unduly worry our children. We need to promote school as a fun and happy place to be. If our children go back with this attitude then they will be in a much better position to learn and progress as we all want them to.

*Take your young child to the school before the first day and walk them around, showing them their classroom, the office, the restrooms, and other places that they will be needing to be able to find. Strange places can be very frightening to little children, so giving them a chance to see and familiarize themselves with the place that they will soon be spending time, you are giving them a confidence that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

*Meet the teachers that will be regularly interacting with your child and take your preschooler to meet them, as well. This will give your child a chance to become comfortable in the presence of these people and it will also give you a chance to feel that same way. In addition, you can take some time to speak with the teachers and let them know anything that you are worried about or unique things about your child, which will help them to understand how to give your child the best chance at preschool success.

*Have an attitude of excitement yourself. Your preschooler will pick up on your attitude about this coming event in his or her life. While there is nothing wrong with letting your child know that you will miss them while they’re away at school, this can have a negative impact if you go overboard. The child may spend their day worrying about you, when he or she would otherwise be able to have carefree fun in preschool. There is a delicate balance with young children and they will pick up on cues from you about how they should be feeling and responding to their own first day of preschool.

*Accompany the child to that first day of preschool. Having you there to walk him or her into the classroom will help the child to feel confident and assured with this new experience. Introduce him or her to a couple of the other children in the class before you leave. Get them settled in, but then make your departure, assuring the child that you will be coming back to get them at the end of the school day.

*Get to preschool a bit early that first day. It will be nice for your son or daughter to be able to get organized and settled in without feeling that there is a terrible rush to do so. This will also give you and your child time to greet the teacher, meet the other students, and just take a deep breath for the upcoming day.

*Be available by phone throughout the entire first day. Assure your child that if anything goes wrong and that you are needed, you will be there. The child may be worried that he or she will get hurt or that something else will happen and you won’t be available to help him or her. These children are used to having you there when you are needed and the primary source of the fear and anxiety they have is often rooted in the feeling that they are being left completely alone. Not everything is going to be a need and the child should also understand that, but a real emergency is something that you will be available to attend to.

*Send your child to the first day of preschool with something that provides them with a sense of security. You won’t want to send them with a security blanket, as this will make them stand out in the crowd of kids in a potentially negative way. But, there may be something small that they can take with them from home, which will be inconspicuous to everyone else, except the child.

The first day of preschool can be very different experiences for different children. If you want your child to have the best first day possible for him or her, you can take steps that will help ensure that this happens. The above tips for giving your child the security and excitement about that first day will make it a special, once in a lifetime experience that you can both recall fondly for years to come.