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A woman accused of abusing teenagers at Oprah Winfrey’s school for girls in South Africa was acquitted of the charges Monday, and Winfrey said she was “profoundly disappointed” by the trial’s outcome.
Prosecutors had accused former school matron Tiny Virginia Makopo of trying to kiss and fondle girls at the school soon after it opened in 2007 outside Johannesburg.
Makopo also had been accused of assaulting one of the teens as well as a fellow supervisor.
“The matron who was working at the Oprah Winfrey school was found not guilty on all the sexual assault charges,” Mthunzi Mhaga, a spokesman for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority, said Monday. “The magistrate was of the view that the state had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was guilty. We won’t be appealing the judgment.”
Winfrey had called the allegations crushing given her own stated history of childhood sexual abuse and promised an overhaul of the school.
“I will forever be proud of the nine girls who testified with the courage and conviction to be heard,” Winfrey said in a statement Monday.
The lavish $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened in January 2007, aims to give girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
“It’s unfortunate that this had to happen because what Oprah Winfrey has done for those children in that school – it’s really encouraging, it’s outstanding, it’s really appreciated by South Africans,” Mhaga said. “But unfortunately, in the justice systems in every country, it’s not about what you know, it’s about what you can prove in the court of law.”
The school is spread across a 22-acre campus with neat lawns and garden paths decorated with mosaics. It has computer and science labs, a library and a wellness center. The school is home to about 300 girls from across the country.
Mz “O” infrey said Monday that the school’s staff “is committed to providing a nurturing educational environment so that all of our girls may continue to flourish. And they are indeed thriving.”
In March, Winfrey had settled a defamation lawsuit filed in Philadelphia by the school’s former headmistress, Nomvuyo Mzamane, who claimed Winfrey defamed her in remarks made in the wake of the 2007 sex-abuse scandal at the school.
Mzamane claimed that she was never told of any sexual abuse. However, Winfrey’s lawyers said in a March pretrial memo that Mzamane failed to discipline Makopo despite her history of run-ins with students and fellow staff.
Mzamane said she had trouble finding a job after Winfrey stated she had “lost confidence” in her.
Lawyers for both sides in March said Winfrey and Mzamane met to resolve their differences out of court.
CHICAGO — Albertina Walker’s singing once stopped the filming of a movie because so many actors were moved to tears by the “Queen of Gospel.” At home in Chicago, she babied her beloved French poodles, wore rhinestone sunglasses and was a fixture at the city’s gospel music festival.
The Grammy-winning singer died Friday at age 81 of respiratory failure at RML Specialty Hospital in Chicago, said her granddaughter, Tina Nance. Walker, a protege of Mahalia Jackson, formed her own gospel group, the Caravans, as a young woman. Later, she played the role of mentor to many young singers.
She also was the only grandparent Nance ever knew. In bits and pieces, Nance figured out as a girl that Walker wasn’t her biological grandmother, but she never got a straight answer about it from Walker.
“She said to me, ‘I am your grandmother. That’s all you need to know,'” Nance told The Associated Press on Friday.
Taking young people under her wing started early for Walker. Delores Washington, 72, who joined the Caravans in 1958, said Walker was like a big sister, keeping her and the other younger singers out of trouble when they toured. They sang in churches and stayed in people’s homes because segregation kept them out of many hotels, Washington recalled.
“There was name-calling. We’d have to go in through the back door (at restaurants) if we wanted something to eat,” Washington said. “It came as a total shock to me. I was born in Illinois. I was not familiar with all this hostility toward black people” elsewhere.
Walker set an example by demanding respect with her demeanor.
“We held our heads up high and kept pushing,” Washington said. “We were on a mission: To sing for God.”
Agent and friend Sasha Daltonn said Walker stuck with gospel music even though she’d been encouraged to sing R&B during the 1960s and 1970s.
“She was revered in the gospel community because of her commitment to gospel, her distinctive style and her uncompromising faith in God,” Daltonn said. “It wasn’t about the money. It was about the message.”
A foundation Walker started to help young people get formal musical training now gives away $10,000 a year, Nance said.
Nance remembered her grandmother wowing the cast of the Steve Martin movie “Leap of Faith” when she sang a solo for a scene. Nance, an extra in the 1992 movie, said filming stopped because so many of the actors were moved to tears.
“It was like the spirit of the Lord came into that place. They had to take a break because everyone was crying,” Nance said. Later, Martin sent Walker a bouquet with a card that read, “You are truly the greatest gospel singer in the world,” Nance said. Walker treasured the card because she admired Martin’s comedy.
“One of our favorite movies was ‘The Jerk,'” Nance said.
Pam Morris, a close friend of Walker’s and WVON radio host, called Walker a “legend” who was responsible for launching more than a dozen gospel artists’ careers.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush said in a statement that Walker was a voice for the civil rights movement whose music was “a healing balm to those who struggled for justice.”
Walker, a lifelong Chicago resident, was a member of the West Point Baptist Church. Funeral arrangements are pending.
AMSTERDAM – Solomon Burke, the larger-than-life “King of Rock and Soul,” whose songs blended soul, gospel, country and R&B, died early Sunday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport at age 70.
Born to the sound of music in an upstairs room of a Philadelphia church, Burke was acknowledged as one of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s, but his popularity never matched that of contemporaries like James Brown or Marvin Gaye.
Even so, legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler once called Burke, “the best soul singer of all time.”
Burke, a giant man with a powerful soulful voice to match, joined Atlantic in 1960 and went on to record a string of hits in a decade with the label.
Burke’s family said on his website the singer died of natural causes, but did not elaborate.
“This is a time of great sorrow for our entire family. We truly appreciate all of the support and well wishes from his friends and fans,” the statement said.
“Although our hearts and lives will never be the same, his love, life and music will continue to live within us forever,” it added.
Two of Burke’s best-known songs were boosted by featuring on the soundtracks of popular movies.
He wrote “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” in 1964 and it was later featured in the Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi movie “The Blues Brothers.” The Rolling Stones and Wilson Pickett also recorded it.
His song “Cry To Me” featured in the background as a bare-chested Patrick Swayze danced seductively with Jennifer Grey in one of the most memorable scenes from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”
According to his website, Burke was born March 21, 1940, “to the sounds of horns and bass drums” at the United Praying Band The House of God for All People in West Philly.
“From day one, literally God and gospel were the driving forces behind the man and his music,” his website said.
He remained closely linked to the church as a preacher. In 2000, he played for then-Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Schiphol Airport police spokesman Robert van Kapel confirmed that Burke died on a plane at Schiphol. He arrived early Sunday on a flight from Los Angeles and had been scheduled to perform a sellout show on Tuesday in a church converted into a concert hall in Amsterdam with local band De Dijk.
Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and won a Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy a year later for “Don’t Give Up On Me.”
Those honors sparked a renewed interest in the singer and he toured extensively around the world in recent years.
Burke and his band would play without set lists, instead performing whatever the audience wanted to hear.
“It’s like turning back the hands of time instantly,” he said on his website. “We can be in the middle of singing something from my recent ‘Like A Fire’ album, and they’ll call out ‘Stupidity’ from 1957 and we’re back 50 years!”
Burke combined his singing with the role of preacher and patriarch of a huge family of 21 children, 90 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.
“Loving people,” he said at a recent performance in London, “is what I do.”
Our Prayers And Thoughts Go Out!!! R.I.P. Solomon Burke
Halle Berry and her new beau Olivier Martiez seem to be taking their romance to the next level.
The pair, who costar together in Dark Tide which has been filming in Europe, have gone from stealing smooches in Paris to meeting Mom.
Berry and Martiez, both 44, reunited in Los Angeles Thursday after having spent about a week apart. First on the agenda for the couple: a visit to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where Martinez emerged with a bandage on his right arm.
Then Berry took her new man for a special visit ….. with her mother Judith.
That is a whole lot of woman right there! Rosario Dawson takes most of her clothes off for a sexy shoot in the new German GQ. Rosario Dawson simply does not get enough love around here. Okay, I’m probably the one to blame for that, but I realize now how much I miss her consistent Latina hotness. Oh, yeah, she’s a talented actress, but, more importantly, she has a killer body and sexy look simply gorgeous!
  
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The beautiful Soledad O’Brien will be wheeling her way through covering election night and promoting her new book, “The Next Big Story.” The CNN babe wrenched her knee when she was thrown off her horse this weekend on a ride with her daughters in upstate Brewster. “She pulled everything in her knee,” her rep said. “The doctor said it’s an injury a linebacker would have.” The reconstructive surgery will require six to eight weeks of recovery, but Soledad won’t cancel any upcoming reporting….she’ll be using wheelchairs and assistants to keep up.
Here’s to a speedy recovery….!
She has had two children by two different lovers, and is married to a third man.
But Mel B says she is ‘not proud’ of her very modern family.
‘I’ve got two beautiful daughters by two different fathers – I’m not very proud of that but it is what it is so I have to act accordingly – I’m all about peace and harmony,’ she said.
Mel also took the opportunity to clear up rumours about her relationship with Eddie Murphy, the father of her youngest daughter, Angel.
Speaking on ITV1’s Lorraine yesterday, she said:
‘The press built this up to something that it actually wasn’t. Me and Eddie have a good relationship – he sees his daughter – they have a birthday on the same day – he threw a lovely birthday party for her this year.’
Mel B also talked about her marriage to Stephen Belafonte, denying rumours they are to split.
‘Me and my husband, we’re so close, we do business together so sometimes the boundaries can get crossed a little bit and we have to take time out to spend time as husband and wife,’ she said.
Mel also revealed that they regularly undergo therapy together.
‘So we go on our date night once a week – yes we have therapy – no we’re not getting a divorce.
‘The last thing either of us would want is something small to build into something big, so it gets squashed immediately through therapy.’
She added: ‘He does my head in half the time! That’s what husbands do I guess, but I adore him.’
Mel is also promoting a new workout DVD game, which includes 199 tailored exercises developed by Mel and Fitness First and can be used on a PlayStation games console.
She is also busy ahead of the launch of her new reality show It’s A Scary World.
Yesterday she appeared on Loose Women and Lorraine, as well as having a photoshoot for Zest magazine.
And she is also conveniently promoting her various business interests.
Yesterday she tweeted: ‘Dress I wore guys was from my own line with Charlotte Spare, “Charlotte Spare” is the name of the line!!’
Mel has become quite a prolific tweeter of late and has been keeping her fans and followers updated on practically every move she makes.
She sent a picture of her new Vero Cuoio shoes that she was wearing as she waited for her flight.
Rihanna attended the Miu Miu Ready to Wear show during in Paris on Wednesday in a flower print dress with a daring neckline. But we must say RiRi is a gorgeous person without her jewels hanging out all the time. Oh! buy the way did we forget to mention that she was in Paris with her Boo sipping on champagne and giving the photographers plenty to look at.
  
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First Lady Michelle Obama shot up 40 places on this year’s Forbes magazine list of powerful women to claim the top spot, replacing German leader Angela Merkel.
Obama’s new ranking ends Merkel’s four-year reign at the top of the magazine’s listing of the most influential women in the world.
Her quick track up the list was mirrored by that of her husband’s former rival and now secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who moved up from 36th place last year to crack the top 10, taking fifth place.
Merkel, who is struggling with a rocky second term in office, was relegated to fourth place behind Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld and talkshow host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
In compiling this year’s list, the magazine said it opted to “look up and out into the broader culture.”
“Our assessment is based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship.”
That might explain why singers Lady Gaga and Beyonce Knowles also made the top ten, at seventh and ninth places respectively, along with openly lesbian US talkshow host Ellen Degeneres, who took tenth place.
At number six was Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s chief executive and a perennial inclusion on the list, who fell three places from last year’s rankings.
Rounding out the top ten was Gail Kelly, chief executive of WestPac, who came in at number eight this year.
Despite holding no official position, Forbes said Michelle Obama had proved “a true change-maker since taking lodge in the White House in 2008,” citing her “Let’s Move!” campaign aimed at reducing childhood obesity.
“The first African-American in the post, she’s changed the face of the office (literally), and with consistently high approval ratings, she’s given a new generation of girls and women around the world a role model,” the magazine said.
Female US politicians took top spots in this year’s list, with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in at number 11 and Republican former Alaska governor Sarah Palin making number 16.
Female US Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor (19), Elena Kagan (25) and Ruth Bader Ginsberg (31) made appearances, as did British Queen Elizabeth II (41), athlete Serena Williams (55) and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla (83).
Grammy-winning singer Toni Braxton has filed for bankruptcy again.
According to reports, the ‘Un-break My Heart’ singer is claiming she owes between $10 million and $50 million in unpaid debts all over the country.
The 43-year-old singer has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California and according to the documents, Braxton states she’s only worth between $1 million and $10 million despite potential debts of possibly $50 million.
In addition to Department of Motor Vehicles debt in California and Nevada, the MaryToni Braxtonland-bred vocalist also lists a bevy of other creditors including The Four Seasons Hotels, AT&T, Neiman Marcus, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Tiffany & Co., Direct TV, IRS, BMW Financial Services, The William Morris Agency, Orkin Pest Control and various medical bills.
This is Braxton’s second time dealing with bankruptcy. The first time was in 1998.
Earlier this year, the IRS filed a lien against the singer for $396,000.
Braxton, who appeared on the seventh season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2008, released her sixth solo CD, ‘Pulse’ on May 4, 2010.
In May 2006 the singer headlined a show at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas called ‘Toni Braxton: Revealed.’ The ran until April 2008, when it was forced to close because Braxton was hospitalized and then diagnosed with a heart condition called pericarditis.
Braxton was married to former Mint Condition singer Keri Lewis for eight years. The two announced their split in Nov. 2009 and have two sons, Denham and Diese.
The Full Doc List:
— AT&T
— The Four Seasons Hotels
— Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
— Various medical bills
— DirecTV
— Neiman Marcus
— The William Morris Agency
— Tiffany & Co.
— Orkin Pest Control
— The Internal Revenue Service
— BMW Financial Services
— ADT Security
— American Express
— Flamingo Las Vegas
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