"The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, I wish someone would come by and turn me on. What if they don't show up? You've got to have a better plan for your life than that." --Jim Rohn

Bern Nadette Stanis Has Some ‘Situations’

*It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since Bern Nadette Stanis last suited up as Thelma on “Good Times.”

The actress, now 56, says she continues to act whenever parts come along, but is also happy to indulge in her other pastime, writing books. Stanis is spending these days promoting her second tome, “Situations 101: Relationships, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

“I did 101 different [relationship] situations and my responses to each and every one of them,” she explains, adding that the book is for both male and female readers.

“I love being an author, I dance, and you’re gonna see, I am a painter,” she says – to the shock of both EUR’s Lee Bailey and her “Good Times” co-star Jimmie Walker, who was sitting next to her.

Stanis says she regularly paints in oils, and boasts that she’s much better than her fictional older brother, who admits he can’t paint a lick even though his character JJ was a talented “ar-teeste.”

“I would say once a month, some guy comes up and says, ‘I’m a painter, and I was inspired by your work,’” laughs Walker. “As we all know, Ernie Barnes did all of our paintings and he was fabulous. Unfortunately, Ernie’s passed away, but I can’t even do stick figures.”

Whether it’s painting, writing, dancing or acting, Stanis says her main focus is to just go with the flow. “I just keep doing things that I feel to do,” she says. “Things keep evolving and I go with it.”

For more information on Stanis’ book, visit her Web site: ThelmaofGoodTimes.com.

Marlon Wayans Is Ready to Play Richard Pryor

Marlon Wayans

From the LA Times …
*When it was announced that Marlon Wayans and not Eddie Murphy would be portraying Richard Pryor in the long-discussed biopic of the comedy giant, the news was greeted with Internet jeering.

Wayans wasn’t surprised when he read the disparaging comments — you can’t hang your star on films like “White Chicks” and “Little Man” without consequences.

“Look, I want to be able to make the stupidest movies ever, because they make people laugh and they make money,” Wayans recently said with a smirk. “But that’s not all I want to do. And I think I’ve proven to some people — the ones paying attention — that I can do more. Everybody else, well, they can wait and see and make up their mind.”

Richard Pryor

Wayans believes he is on the verge of winning over skeptics and just maybe establishing a name for himself that goes beyond his status as “the other Wayans” — or maybe even “the other-other-Wayans.” The 37-year-old is the youngest of 10 children in the show-business brood that came to fame on “In Living Color,” the 1990s television show created and written by Keenen Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans. His position in the family photo has given Marlon Wayans plenty of opportunity — he and sibling Shawn got their own show, “The Wayans Brothers,” for four seasons on Fox beginning in 1995 — but also an ongoing challenge in establishing anything resembling an individual identity.

“I have no complaints,” Wayans said, “but I do have a plan. I love doing comedy, but I also love to do drama.”

Read MORE of this LA Times article HERE.

Joe Jackson Allowed Partial Access to Michael’s Records

*A court ruled Friday that Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson can receive some medical records from the Los Angeles hospital where his son died.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff will review the records first before releasing them to Joe Jackson’s attorney, Brian Oxman, according to reports. Beckloff also said the men can only receive records generated on or after June 25 – the day Jackson died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Oxman sought the files as part of an effort to obtain a monthly stipend for the Jackson family patriarch. He said during a hearing last week that he also needs the records to decide whether to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.

Beckloff’s order states a medical expert hired by Joe Jackson can review the files, but not copy them. Anyone who sees the records will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement, the ruling states.

Beckloff is going to verify the records do not violate doctor-patient confidentiality. Oxman said he didn’t expect that to be an issue.

“We are very certain based on prior records that we have from the paramedics that Michael was long deceased and that there were no communications (with doctors),” Oxman said.

He said Joe Jackson deserves to know more about how his son died and the records will also be important in his quest to receive an allowance of more than $15,000 per month.

Suge Knight Storage Items Auctioned to Pay Bill

*A Simi Valley, Calif. storage company was forced to auction off a bunch of abandoned items belonging to former Marion “Suge“ Knight to pay off a seven-month old bill that had reached several thousand dollars in fees.

Furniture, clothing and other items belonging to the former Death Row Records CEO – mostly items from his Malibu mansion – were sold to the highest bidder on Saturday (Feb. 20) by Conejo Valley Moving & Storage.

The company waited for Knight to pay the bill in person before beginning the auction, which earned around $4,500 and drew more bidders than usual due to Suge’s notoriety. There’s still a balance left on the bill, according to the storage company’s owner, Joe Furmidge.

His items, which also included appliances and gym equipment, sold in about 30 minutes. Valuables, like a large photo of Knight and Tupac Shakur, sold for as little as $100 to lucky bidders who plan to sell some of their goodies.

The auction, which still left a balance according to Conejo Valley Moving & Storage’s owner, Joe Furmidge.

‘Idol’s’ Todrick Hall not in Oz Anymore

*There’s a contingent of angry parents in Texas who have a bone to pick with “American Idol” contestant Todrick Hall and his appearance in the top 24.

The singer from Arlington, TX had been staging small productions of “Oz, The Musical” around the state, using nonprofessional actors for lead roles and casting local children as munchkins and flying monkeys in “a contemporary twist on the classic story, with all new music.” [Watch video below.]

But, one of these productions turned out to be a “financial disaster,” according to the financier, Dallas businessman Greg Money. As a result, parents of kids who auditioned were never refunded the performance fees they paid in advance.

In August 2008, Money agreed to finance a production of “Oz” in Lubbock, Texas, that used a professional cast for the lead roles, according to the Associated Press. Plans moved ahead to take the show on a national tour and Money said he tried to line up new backers. Several commitments fell through, however, and the show ended abruptly.

Meanwhile, in several cities, auditions had already been held and children were looking forward to performing on stage in a real musical. Many parents had paid a $50 performance fee that was never returned.

In Lakeland, Fla., Jennifer Davis, who owns the Art in Motion Academy of Dance, said she was not even informed the show had been canceled. She found out when she opened the studio for a planned rehearsal and no one from “Oz” showed up.

“I don’t believe (Hall) came to my studio knowing that the musical was going to go down and they would steal everyone’s money, but it happened,” she told the AP. “He could have at least called — explained what was going on.” (Story continues below the video.)

Money said the financial snafu was all his fault, not Hall’s. He said Hall tried to make amends to the disappointed children by putting together a smaller, less expensive show, but even that lost money.

In the end, Money said, he couldn’t afford to keep bankrolling the production and no one else stepped up to take his place. “People don’t understand, there’s no devious plan to take these people’s $50 and not deliver a show,” he said. “I simply cannot afford to put any more money into that production.”

Diana Messner, of Pittsburgh, paid $100 to have two children participate in a production that was supposed to take place there in September. She got in touch with Hall through Facebook, even talking to him on the phone, but was not satisfied with his explanation.

Hall with cast members of "Oz, the Musical"

“He claims no responsibility,” she said, adding Hall told her there were at least 1,000 children who lost their performance fees.

On July 10, Hall also sent Messner an e-mail in which he said he was worried the project was going to “jeopardize my reputation.”

“I will assure you though that I’m doing everything in my power to return the money myself, even though as director it is not my direct responsibility to pay back this debt,” he wrote.

Davis, the studio owner in Lakeland, Fla., said she hasn’t been watching “American Idol” but some of the parents have kept her up on Hall’s progress. “I just don’t think that it’s fair if he ends up being the next ‘American Idol,’” she said.