H. BLU'S WORD

Oscar winner Denzel Washington will return to Broadway next spring in a revival of August Wilson's "Fences," the Associated Press reported. The production will be directed by Kenny Leon, who also steered Wilson's "Radio Golf" and "Gem of the Ocean" on Broadway. Producers Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin say the play will open in April at a theater to be announced.

The original 1987 production starred James Earl Jones as patriarch Troy Maxson, Mary Alice as his wife and Courtney B. Vance as his son. It won both the Tony Award for best play and the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Washington's co-stars have yet to be announced. The actor was last on Broadway in 2005 in a revival of "Julius Caesar" in which he played Brutus.

A 911 call made last week when a 17-year-old kid told authorities that Katt Williams was holding him against his will at a Georgia residence. The call was made around 9 PM on November 3 from a house in Coweta County.

The caller says he had a car waiting to take him to the airport -- but Katt "wouldn't let our ride take us there" and "threatened to beat me up." The caller says he's not sure if Katt is armed with a weapon. We're told police showed up after the call and no arrests were made -- but it is still under investigation. Why does the caller sound like Kat Williams....

According to TMZ, Shaq's wife, Shaunie, filed legal separation papers yesterday in L.A., even though the couple lives in Florida. The petition says although Shaunie is filing for legal separation, she intends to file for divorce. She lists "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for separation. TMZ was told that Shaunie pulled her kids out of school in Florida several days ago and they are with her now in L.A.

Rihanna gave her second interview with Alexa Chung above; also check out Rihanna receiving her Glamour Award below:

                             

While Kareem admits the initial diagnosis, made last December, was understandably frightening, fortunately the disease can be managed and his long term prognosis is positive. He has no plans to curtail his wide ranging activities, from writing to documentary filmmaking to possibly joining the coaching staff of the Memphis Grizzlies. Kareem mentioned that he is "telling [his] story to encourage fellow patients to take charge of their health”. “Work closely with your doctor, monitor your disease and, above all, take your medicine,” he said.  

According to Wendyshow.com, in a world exclusive, singer Chris Brown debuts the music video for his hot new single “Crawl” and will chat with Wendy!

Plus, Diahann Carroll will show off her famous legs and favorite shoes and tell Wendy all about her new USA show, “White Collar.”

Oprah Winfrey has denied that a decision has been made regarding whether she will move her popular daytime television show to her "OWN" network; however, a finial decision will be made soon.

According to TMZ, The Kansas City Chiefs have officially kicked Larry Johnson to the curb -- cutting the running back from the NFL team in the wake of his gay slur scandal. Johnson was just 75 yards away from becoming the team's all-time leading rusher when he was suspended last month, and now it seems he'll remain number two. Apparently in the last few days, tons of KC fans signed a petition to get rid of the running back. Johnson had used the homophobic f-word in verbal attacks twice in two days -- he also publicly ripped the team's coach.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, comedian Katt Williams found himself in jail today after being arrested and charged with burglary and criminal trespassing, a deputy at the Coweta County (GA), jail said.


His bond will be set at an arraignment hearing at 4 p.m. today, a deputy confirmed. No other details were immediately available.

Update: Comedian Katt Williams has officially been charged with burglary and criminal trespassing by a magistrate in Coweta County, GA -- his bond was set at $41,150. Williams was arrested this morning, after cops say a man named Daniel Broach claimed the comedian broke into his home on Sunday night and stole $3,555 worth of jewelry and collectable coins.


Broach told cops Katt used a crowbar to break into his home, which is around 38 miles southwest of Atlanta.


Katt's lawyer told TMZ the whole thing is a sham -- and is just the result of a dispute Katt had with a another man. Katt is free to roam -- TMZ was told he recently posted bond.

Baseball Player Sammy Sosa is speaking out about his lighter skin:

Sammy Sosa is allegedly telling friends he is comfortable in his own skin. However, a widely circulated photo of the former Cubs slugger makes his skin color appear several shades lighter - I wonder why? Sosa was photographed recently during an appearance at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Read more to hear his explanation for the lighter skin and to see before photos of the slugger.

Lionsgate's "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" set a new record for films opening in limited release. The indie movie's weekend take of $1.8 million from just 18 theaters is the best gross ever for a film opening in fewer than 100 theaters, reports Variety. Last year, by comparison, Focus Features' "Milk" grossed $268,487 from 34 theaters on its first Friday.

The LA Times is reporting that the studio behind "Precious," Lionsgate and its hybrid strategy -- playing "Precious" in both highbrow theaters, and in African American communities -- worked extremely well.

In LA, for instance, "Precious" played at the Landmark in West L.A. and ArcLight Hollywood, more upscale locations, as well as the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15, which draw large African American crowds. It also opened this weekend in Atlanta, Chicago and New York. Interestingly the paper said that a small majority of moviegoers were black, and a lopsided 68% were female. Here's the part you've been waiting for ifn you live outside LA, NY, Chicago and Atlanta. Lionsgate is planning to build quickly on the positive momentum for "Precious."

On Friday, it will open in Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, as well as expand in the cities where it is currently playing, bringing its total theater count to more than 200. On Nov. 20, it will start playing nationwide. "It was a fantastic start, but this is our launch, and our goal is to keep it in theaters for a long time to come," said David Spitz, executive vice president of distribution for Lionsgate.

Barack Obama's half brother, Mark Ndesandjo, was on Larry King Saturday night. His mother, Ruth Nidesand was Jewish. The father, Barack Obama, Sr., met Mark's mother at Harvard after he divorced Stanley Ann Durham, President Obama's mother. Mark's mother moved to Kenya with Barack, Sr. She filed for divorce based on domestic violence. ***Thanks DB for the update***

Rihanna sat down with 20/20 and discussed the assault. The singer explains why she did not stay with Brown and how she still cares for Brown and wishes him the best; but does not see a future with him.

According to ESSENCE.com superstar singer Toni Braxton has separated from her husband Keri Lewis, formerly of Mint Condition, after 8 years of marriage. Braxton has sold 40 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy Awards.

Many speculated something may be wrong in the marriage after the hot and steamy kiss Toni shared with the young singer Trey Songz [see photo above], allegedly while her husband was in the audience. But something tells me her husband and her likely knew they were separating and more than likely the Trey Songz kiss was innocent and for the show...but good luck to Toni Braxton...I know divorce can be hard, particularly when you have children involved. Check out Wendy Williams' commentary about the incident below:

Rihanna described all the horrific details of Chris Brown's brutal attack on her last February -- claiming he was soulless and had "clearly blacked out" when he was smashing her face in. On "Good Morning America," Rihanna explained how a fight over a text message set him off -- and once the beating started, all she could think about was "When is it going to stop?" Interestingly enough, she says she doesn't hate him -- and instead wants him to "have a great career" and to "take this as something to go through and learn."