The Show: Knox County Murders/"MAGIC JEANS"/MTSU RANKED AS TOP SCHOOL/Kanye and Chris Brown Picking Up Trash Together

KNOX COUNTY MURDERS....SIMPLY BARBARIC!

KNOXVILLE — With evidence so graphic a prosecution assistant fainted, the state on Friday sought to show a Knox County couple were unwillingly visitors to a house of horrors on Chipman Street.


Using movie-screen-sized photographs and expert testimony, prosecutor Takisha Fitzgerald set out to re-enact the crimes that claimed the lives of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, in January 2007.

She hammered one theme: There was nothing consensual about this fatal encounter.

"Ms. Christian was not in a position to defend herself, whether she was overwhelmed by more than one (suspect) or restrained and bound," Knox County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan testified. "It is the same for Mr. Newsom."

Lemaricus Davidson has been on trial this week in Knox County Criminal Court as the accused ringleader in the torture slayings. His defense team has suggested that the couple came to him voluntarily in search of drugs and hinted that Christian willingly had sex with him.

It was only when he left his Chipman Street house that things went bad, with the so-called "gang from Kentucky" — brother Letalvis Cobbins and suspects George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman — responsible for the killings.

Fitzgerald countered Friday with autopsy photos that caused a new prosecutor to faint. She recovered but did not return to court.





Channon and Chris were in Channon’s Toyota 4-Runner when they were carjacked. They were taken to a nearby house, brutally gang-raped, mutilated and then murdered. They were subjected to lengthy torture in each other’s presence.

Newsom was raped, his genitals were cut off, and then taken to the railroad tracks where he was shot execution-style. The perpetrators soaked his body with an accelerant and burned his body.

Christian was kept alive for a while longer, repeatedly raped, mutilated, had cleaning solution poured down her throat in an attempt to destroy DNA evidence, and then stuffed inside a trash can where she suffocated to death.


Kenny Says: There is a special place in HELL for each of these KILLERS! I hope the court shows them NO MERCY if they are found GUILTY! These crimes are the stuff of nightmares.



DEMOS RESTAURANT SETTING PRICES BACK 20 YEARS

Ever think about how much further your money went just ten or twenty years ago? Sometimes going back in time pays off. A local restaurant will be offering its 1989 menu prices for a limited time.

In these tough times a local restaurant is celebrating the fact it's been around for 20 years.

To mark the occasion, Demos' restaurant will offer traditional favorites at original 1989 opening night prices. The special promotion starts on Thursday and continues until November 12th.

The discount menu pricing will be available for one day at each of their five locations.

A Forbes Poll on Top schools in the Nation ranks Middle Tennesse State University at 50.

Forbes ranks it as a "Best Buy" in higher education. Tuition at MTSU ranges from $6,000 for in-state students to about $16,000 for out-of-state students.

MTSU is the state's second largest university.

Forbes evaluated universities based on course evaluations and graduation rates.

MAXWELL, KERI HILSON: Soul Train Nominees


Beyonce, Maxwell and Keri Hilson were the top nominees for the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards, which were announced last week. They'll compete in categories ranging from Album of the Year to Best Collaboration. Other nominees include Drake, Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx, Sean Paul, Mario, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Charlie Wilson and Robin Thicke. Michael Jackson will be posthumously honored with a special Entertainer of the Year award.

The 2009 Soul Train Awards will tape at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on November 3rd and will premiere simultaneously on Centric and B-E-T on November 29th.

KANYE WEST: Picking Up Trash With Chris?

A Los Angeles judge sentenced Kanye West and his manager, Don Crawley, to 50 hours of community service on Friday for the paparazzi beatdown they were involved in last year at Los Angeles International Airport. Kanye's attorney, Blair Berk, says a number of misdemeanors will be dismissed in exchange for the volunteer hours, which they'll likely complete with the American Red Cross. Berk adds that Kanye, who wasn't present for the hearing, volunteered for 12 hours of anger management following the incident.

Kanye and Crawley pleaded not guilty in May to misdemeanor vandalism, battery and grand theft stemming from the scuffle with a T-M-Z photographer.

USHER: Still Hitched

Although T-M-Z recently reported that it looked like Usher had finally gotten divorced, it appears he still hasn't signed those papers. According to Don Plummer of the Fulton County, Georgia court system, nothing has been filed yet. Plummer tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The case is somewhere between filing for divorce and the final decree by the judge." Usher's reps haven't returned any of our calls regarding the divorce.

Jennifer Hudson is in talks to star in a bio-pic about South African leader Winnie Mandela, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Best known as the former wife of Nelson Mandela, Winnie was synonymous with the anti-Apartheid movement, but in later years, she's gained a reputation for reckless, unscrupulous politics. Derek Luke and Idris Elba are said to be among those being considered to play Nelson Mandela. -- Jamila Daniel

Phone Topics:

Do you think Jennifer Hudson is right for the role of Winnie Mandela?
What other historical black figures' bio-pics would you like to see on the big screen?

PROFILE: Bootsy Collins


William "Bootsy" Collins turns 58 today.

Bootsy was born October 26th, 1951 in Cincinnati. He formed The Pacesetters in 1968 with his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins and Phillippe Wynne (who later sang for The Spinners and Parliament-Funkadelic). In 1969, Bobby Byrd introduced The Pacesetters to James Brown, and they played in his band, The J-B's, from 1969 to 1971. That's Bootsy playing bass on the Godfather's "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "Super Bad."

In 1972, Bootsy joined George Clinton's P-Funk posse. It was during this time that Bootsy's Rubber Band came into being.

CHARGES LIKELY TO BE DROPPED AGAINST ATL HOUSEWIFE KILLER

We've just learned from a person close to the situation that Atlanta prosecutors are very likely to drop the homicide case against Frederick Richardson for the killing of Kandi's fiance AJ Jewell.

The insider, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, told us that the prosecutors are scheduled to make a final decision early this week, and that everyone expects the decision to be to drop the homicide charge against Frederick.

But even if the charges are dropped that doesn't mean it's all over. Right now he's out on bail, but he might still face assault charges for engaging in a fight with AJ.

We're just gonna have to wait and see what the prosecutors decide, but either way, this situation has been such a tragedy.

BRAD PITT FALLS DOWN

Brad Pitt was involved in a minor accident over the weekend while he was out riding his motorcycle in L-A.

He was reportedly trying to maneuver past a parked car and another car stopped at a red light when the handlebars of his bike clipped the parked car. Brad and his bike fell over. He reportedly had his security team pick him up and his bike was towed. Brad wasn't hurt.

PARIS GETS BACK BLING

Good news -- Paris Hilton and her bling have been reunited.

The L-A-P-D has returned an estimated two-million dollars worth of jewelry that was stolen from heiress. Paris was one the celebrity victims of an alleged gang of teenage burglars, which was allegedly headed by 19-year-old Rachel J. Lee, who was arrested Thursday in a sting operation.

MAGIC JEANS?

Cookie Johnson's C-J Jeans line launched earlier this year but will likely get a boost from her appearance on Oprah last week. Magic Johnson's wife said, "I had a hard time finding a jean to fit me. Every time I [would] go to the stores, I put the jeans on and I couldn't get them past my thighs. I thought, 'I'm in good shape. I work out. I eat healthy'... I said, 'You know what? It's not me. It's the industry.'" Cookie says the secret to her jeans' comfortable fit is stretch. "We put a silk waistband inside the waist so they will be nice and comfortable. There's a lot of different aspects to this jean that go to comfort." But the jeans are no bargain -- running between 140 and 200 dollars

RACE RELATIONS: Ballentine Comments Too Far


The controversy is still brewing over talk show host Warren Ballentine's comment about African-American FOX News commentator Juan Williams. Appearing last week on the O'Reilly Factor, Ballentine said Williams could "go back to the porch" after Williams defended Rush Limbaugh's efforts to purchase a stake in the St. Louis Rams.

Now Williams is firing back on FOX, saying "When you think things are being falsely said about [Limbaugh], and you stand up as a black man to say it...we're made out to be house slaves."

Ballentine is looking for a chance to come back on FOX and explain his comment. He writes on Twitter, "They took my remarks and ran with it. Never asked what I meant."

Check It Out: Click here for more.


Kenny Asks:

What's the worst racial insult you've ever heard from a person of color?

How would you react if someone told you to "go back to the porch"?

What's more important to you -- maintaining a unified front with other
African-Americans on questions of racism, or speaking your mind when you don't agree with the orthodoxy?