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Actor Corey Haim, 38, was found dead early Wednesday (March 10) of an apparent drug overdose, according to KTLA. The actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s alongside longtime pal Corey Feldman, was found unresponsive in his apartment near Burbank, California, police told the station.

He reportedly died at 3:30 a.m. PT, and his mother was at his home at the time of his death. He was pronounced dead Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank, police said.

Haim was born in Ontario in 1971 and as a teenager found fame in Hollywood. He first starred in 1984’s “Firstborn” with Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. He was a star of the decade, alongside other notable actors of the era like C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez. He starred in films like “Silver Bullet,” Lucas” and most famously 1987’s “The Lost Boys,” with Feldman as well as Kiefer Sutherland.

In the 1990s Haim played more obscure roles yet continued to work steadily in films like “National Lampoon’s Last Resort” and “Prayer of the Rollerboys.” Haim struggled with substance abuse through much of his career.

In the past decade, however, Haim made moves for a career comeback. He starred alongside Feldman on their A&E reality show, “The Two Coreys,” for two seasons. He was also made a cameo in the “Lost Boys” sequel, “Lost Boys: The Tribe,” where he reprised his role as Sam Emerson. He also had several films in production at the time of his death.

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Former bodyguards for Michael Jackson said they personally witnessed the King of Pop make out with girls in the backseat of his chauffered cars, and that he is by no means a pedophile as some critics continue to insist.

“Being a man…men know men…and we [were] around him long enough to know…he was a man,” Bill Whitfield, who joined Mike Garcia and Javon “BJ” Beard for an interview with “Good Morning America” Tuesday.

Garcia said Jackson had “desires of women like we do. He had lovers.”

The men claim MJ had at least two girlfriends, and that they sometimes felt as though they were chaperoning two teenagers on a date.

“In the cars that we had, we had a curtain that covered the back seat…you couldn’t see in the back seat. They talked back there…they didn’t do nothing out of bounds…you can hear the kissing,” Whitfield said.

The three men said they first met Jackson in 2007. “He’s got his little doctor’s mask on and he says, ‘BJ, hi, I’ve heard so much about you. Go ahead and have a seat,’” Beard said.

The trio signed up for personal protection, but the job became much more, they said. Jackson trusted them with his life, his children and his secrets. While the men experienced plenty of happy occasions during their tenure, they say some moments were just plain “sad.”

For instance, when Jackson held a birthday party for one of his children, only Jackson, the teacher, the nanny and the three bodyguards would attend, the men said. No other children were there.

“None,” the three men said.

Meanwhile, the bandages Jackson wore frequently in public were not concealing secret surgeries as many have suspected, Whitfield said. Instead, the singer was using them as a disguise.

“That disguise to him was the burn victim look,” Whitfield said.

When the family was not on the road, Jackson called a rented Las Vegas mansion his home. But his bodyguards said the singer did not enjoy being there.

“For you and I, it’s a great house…but for security for MJ and his kids…[it's a] horrible house,” Whitfield said.

The men described Jackson as an “awesome” dad who loved to spend time with his children and took them to fast food drive-throughs for Big Macs and fried chicken. Often, Jackson would insist on ordering himself, the guards said.

“The kids were constantly saying, ‘I love you, Daddy’…They were like four buddies,” Garcia said.

Despite having a privileged upbringing, Whitfield said the children were very “polite” and “well mannered.” A note from Paris to Whitfield asking for tuna fish for the cat is filled with please and thank you.

In fact, the bodyguards said the children were the easiest part of their job, and remember, wistfully, moments when they misbehaved and tried to sneak extra Oreos.

“I mean, sometimes they would say little things like, ‘Bill, Daddy wants you to go get some cookies for us,’” Whitfield said, remembering moments when Jackson’s kids tried to trick him into getting them cookies.

Watch the “GMA” interview with MJ’s former bodyguards below:

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She may have lost out to Sandra Bullock at Sunday night’s Oscars, but Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire star Gabourey Sidibe isn’t wasting too much time worrying about it. She’s already moving on to her next project, this time on the small screen with Showtime.

The new dark comedy The Big C will star Laura Linney as a suburban wife and mother who is diagnosed with cancer, and Sidibe will play one of the students at the high school where she teaches. It will begin shooting its 13-episode season in May and will air at the end of summer.

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If you watched the 82nd Annual Academy Awards last night, you may be wondering if the George Clooney Alec Baldwin feud alluded to in the opening monologue was real — especially in light of Clooney’s seemingly less than stellar mood during the ceremony.

According to Clooney’s rep, Stan Rosenfield, the bit was part of a planned back and forth between the two, and had nothing to do with Clooney’s mood. In fact, Rosenfield says the actor was in a totally fine mood, and was just under the weather.

And theories about Clooney being upset about not winning an Oscar? Hogwash. The “Up in the Air” star had already predicted he wouldn’t take home the award on the red carpet.

“It’s probably not going to be Vera or Anna, and it’s certainly not going to be me,” he said of himself and co-stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. “But what you do know is that a nomination for Vera and Anna changes their career. They will suddenly be first on the list to get jobs and that is a tremendous jump in their careers.”

Watch how Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin mess with George Clooney in opening monologue video below:

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There has been a report recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer that NBA All-Star, Allen Iverson has extreme drinking and gambling problems. Steven A. Smith wrote:

Allen Iverson is in trouble, folks, deep trouble. The combination of alcohol and gambling – and a once-promising career in tatters because of the first two – won’t culminate in anything short of disaster if help does not arrive in short order.

If numerous NBA sources are telling the truth – and there’s no reason to believe they’d do otherwise in a situation of this magnitude – Iverson will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away.

Iverson recently responded to Smith’s article on his Twitter account.

To my fans: You all know that my life isn’t perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do from time to time. However, I will stand tall like always with “rhino” thick skin. Even though I have become used to hearing people say things about me that aren’t true, it still hurts. I encourage you to continue your ongoing support and I want you to trust that this is another obstacle in my life that, with God’s help I will overcome. God Bless You All.

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Saturday, in Paris, Stevie Wonder was awarded one of France’s top cultural honors, which he dedicated to his deceased mother 30 years after he was tapped to receive it.

“I receive this honour in memory of my mother and in memory of all of those that have made it possible for me to stand here today,” said an emotional Wonder, clad in marine blue striped suit, as he received the Commander of Arts and Letters award from French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand.

“As I was… listening to what you were saying, I had a flash in my memory, the memory of 1964, when I came to Paris, France for the first time. I came with my mother,” Wonder, 59, told Mitterrand. His mother died in 2006.

Read more HERE.

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In one of the more awkward moments of Oscar night, the director-producer of Documentary Short winner “Music by Prudence” was straight up Kanye’d by one of the film’s other producers in a move stemming from a personal beef between the two filmmakers.

Producer Elinor Burkett literally bumrushed the stage while director Roger Ross Williams was giving his thank yous and commanded the microphone with a comment like, “Just like a man, wanting to take over everything.”

The problem is that she was not supposed to accept the award, and because of personal animosity between the two filmmakers, she said Williams rushed to the stage while his cane-wielding mother blocked Burkett from exiting the aisle.

In an interview with Salon, Burkett said she was shut out of Oscar-related events and because the two aren’t speaking to each other (related to a lawsuit over the film), they did not discuss who would be allowed to speak if they won.

So, when their names were called, “he raced up there to accept the award. And his mother took her cane and blocked me. So I couldn’t get up there very fast.”

When asked if that was true, Williams says: “My mother got up to hug me. And my mother is 87 years old. She was excited.”

“Music by Prudence” follows a Zimbabwean singer-songwriter who was born severely disabled, but Burkett tells Salon it was supposed to be about a whole band, and not just Prudence. “The movie was my idea,” she says. “I live in Zimbabwe. Roger had never even heard of Zimbabwe before I told him about this.”

WATCH VIDEO CLIP BELOW:

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*Richard Prince’s “Journal-isms” online column reported Monday that nearly two decades after his career took national notice, news anchor Ed Gordon is back, covering news and real issues that matters to African Americans on Black Entertainment Television.

Gordon is best known for in depth interviews with international icons like Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, the late Michael Jackson, and R. Kelly. After interviewing former Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted on double murder charges, Gordon was named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”

In 2002 Gordon’s popular interview program “BET Tonight with Ed Gordon,” was canceled. The headlining reporter was reassigned to host unsuccessful shows “Lead Story,” and “Teen Summit.” Post BET has landed Gordon in various short term media spots including MSNBC AND CBS-TV’s “60 Minutes II,” National Public Radio, and “Our World with Black Enterprise.”

On Monday, CEO of BET Debra L. Lee, announced Gordon’s long awaited return to the network.

“As BET celebrates its 30th anniversary, it brings me great joy to welcome back one of America’s most prominent news personalities. Ed has always remained part of the BET family and I am sure viewers will share in our excitement to have him back,” Lee said.

Gordon revealed to Journal-isms that his show will cover top headlines and “serious issues will be covered and covered well.”

After a noticeable transition to a pop culture entertainment network and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, BET decided it was time to take the network to a different level.

Lee said that it was “time to sit back with my management team and say, ‘where are we going. What do I want my legacy to be? After 30 years, what do we want to stand for?”

BET has been through some tough criticism, including a “thumbs down” rating from the National Association of Black Journalists when the network refused to broadcast the funerals of civil rights activists Rosa Parks in 2005 and Coretta Scott King in 2006.

With the return of Gordon, BET is seeking to walk steady in its commitment to bringing news that matters to African Americans.

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Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’Nique, Precious

Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal

Adapted Screenplay: Precious, Geoffrey Fletcher

Animated Film: Up

Foreign Language Film: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina)

Original Score: Michael Giacchino, Up

Original Song: “The Weary Kind,” Music and Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)

Art Direction: Avatar

Cinematography: Avatar, Mauro Fiore

Costume Design: The Young Victoria, Sandy Powell

Makeup: Star Trek

Film Editing: The Hurt Locker, Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Documentary Feature: The Cove

Documentary Short Subject: Music by Prudence

Animated Short Film: Logorama

Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants

Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker

Visual Effects: Avatar

Governors Award: Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis

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The film titled Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? will start shooting in the fall with a projected released date of early next spring.

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*In the hit film Avatar, Zoe Saldana is the color blue.  No sooner than the film, premiered the world wanted to know more about the lead female warrior character in the James Cameron film.  People are learning that the talented actress, Saldana is Afro-Latina.

Born and reared in the United States until she was 10 years old, her multi-cultural heritage includes her father being of Domincan descent and her mother Puerto Rican.  She lived in the Dominican Republic until age 17.

Believe it or not, some parts of the world are not aware of the Afro Latino or the identity of the Latino image bearing Black skin too.  It is great that Zoe’s success is shedding more light on culture.

She embraces her physical identity as Black and her culture as Latin.  She never let Hollywood’s typical ideal leading lady concept be a hurdle for her.  She has simply jumped over the hurdles.

Read more HERE.

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The principal of a South Los Angeles elementary school has apologized addition of O.J. Simpson, RuPaul and Dennis Rodman photos in a parade celebrating Black History Month.

Lorraine Abner of Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School sent a letter Thursday to parents apologizing for what she called judgment errors in choosing black role models.

District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry says Simpson was on a school-approved list of Black History Month figures that dates to 1985 but Rodman and RuPaul were added by three white teachers. The young students carried the photos during a parade last week.

The three teachers have been suspended while the school district investigates.

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Missy Elliott might have taken a break from music, but she’s not afraid of dating or reality television. In fact, the “Work It” chart-topper will be seen lending support to TLC singer Chilli in the forthcoming VH1 reality series ‘What Chilli Wants’.

Set to premiere this April, ‘What Chilli Wants’ finds the “Waterfalls” and “Creep” singer on a desperate search to find love. While you might be aware of Chilli’s past with Usher, the “Dumb, Dumb, Dumb,” diva is not settling for less as she’s enlisted the help of author Tionna Smalls for the series.

Good friends, Elliott and fellow TLC member Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, appear in a recently released preview of the show (watch below) giving advice while trying to cut down Chilli’s confirmed to be lengthy list of requirements.

As previously reported, ‘What Chilli Wants’ has been picked up as an eight episode series. It follows TLC’s UPN reality series ‘R U The Girl’ and Missy Elliott’s UPN reality competition ‘The Road To Stardom (2005)’.

‘What Chilli Wants’ premieres April 11 at 10pm (VH1).

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Rihanna has done more than turn her swag on, she has taken sexy to a whole new level. Over the last few months Rihanna has become the biggest sex symbol hip hop has seen since Janet Jackson and Madonna. Last night Rihanna performed one of the sexiest stage acts I have seen since watching old 2 Live Crew footage. Rihanna took to the stage at the German Music Award with two giant robots, who tickled her booty, while she had her hand on her private area, kissed one of the other robots while the other sprayed her face with some sort of white liquid.

One website has called Rihanna’s performance outrageously rude. From the pictures one might think they were watching HBO during the wee hours of the morning. I’m going to keep my opinion to myself, but you can take a look at the pictures and video and form your own opinion.

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EW.com: Kanye West has kept a fairly low profile in recent months, but soon you’ll be able to catch him — or at least his animated alter ego — in the May 2 episode of Fox’s Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show. You can see the first official image of West’s guest spot in the new issue of EW, on stands today, or check it out right here in this post. In the episode, the rap megastar voices a 19-year-old local hero named, er, Kenny West, who gets into a lopsided rhyme battle with the show’s Cleveland Brown, Jr. over the affections of a young woman who’s voiced by Taraji P. Henson.

“We knew that Kanye was a Family Guy fan,” Cleveland Show co-creator Rich Appel tells the Music Mix. “He’s made reference to it on his website and stuff. In the writers’ room, we just thought it would be great to have him as a character on the town. So we came up with the story. He really liked it and said, ‘Sure!’” One year ago, West came in for a table read at the L.A. building where Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show are all produced. “You know, I’ve worked on The Simpsons and Family Guy and King of the Hill,” says Appel. “We’ve had a lot of guest stars. It’s very rare that a guest star is eager and willing to come to the table read. He showed up 15 minutes early.” West went on to record his part last March. About a month ago, when the time came to re-record a few lines for the final cut, Appel says the star obligingly stepped into a booth at the studio where he’s working on his next album and sent the new dialogue over.

The experience went so well that West has already recorded an appearance for an additional episode of The Cleveland Show’s upcoming second season — and Appel hopes there’s even more to come. “He could not have been more collaborative or easier to work with. We’re excited, because his character has become a recurring character in our universe…He’ll become our Sideshow Bob!”

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Speaking out for the first time since she was accused of bashing her driver, Naomi Campbell insisted Thursday that she treats “everyone with respect.“

“I have worked very hard on correcting my previous wrongdoings and I will not be held hostage to my past,” Campbell, the short-fused supermodel with a history of hitting the help, said in a statement.

Campbell broke her silence after the driver, Miodrag Mejdina, apologized for calling the cops on her.

“I am pleased the driver has apologized,” Campbell wrote. “I would like to put the last few days behind me and move on.“

Campbell did not say whether she was guilty of “unacceptable behavior,” only that she’d been accused.

Her statement came a couple hours after Miodrag’s lawyer issued a statement in which the driver blamed himself for the “misunderstanding.”

“I had an argument with Naomi Campbell. I got angry and overreacted,” Mejdina wrote. “I regret involving the police. This whole thing has been blown out of proportion and I apologize to Ms. Campbell for causing that to happen.”

Mejdina called 911 on Tuesday and told cops the supermodel had whacked him while he was driving in Midtown and then fled on foot.

He withdrew the complaint the same day and cops halted their hunt for the temperamental catwalker - who has two previous convictions for similar incidents

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Before Jay-Z and Trey Songz hit the stage in Washington, DC for their storm across America in the Blueprint 3 tour, hip-hop’s first couple hit the White House to say hello to Barack Obama.  The Carter Administration met the Obama Administration.

“I just came from the White House,” he told the audience during the last minutes of his Blueprint 3 concert at the Verizon Center, which is just a hop skip and a jump from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The rapper was a loyal supporter of Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign – and apparently, vice versa.

Obama famously did the Jay-Z “Dirt Off Your Shoulders” move to illustrate his feelings toward critics following a debate with then rival Hillary Clinton. [View clip below.] In an interview overseas last month, Jay-Z revealed that when he once called President Obama, he heard “Blueprint 3? playing in the background.

The artist also told British talk-show host Jonathan Ross he had been invited to the White House by the Obama administration “a couple of times,” but at the time, the lyricist hadn’t had a chance to take the president up on the offer.

“Hopefully we’ll keep him in for eight years, so I’ll have time to get there,” Jay joked.

Beyonce sang the first couple’s first song at the inauguration, and they have been friends ever since.  Hov campaigned relentlessly for the President during his campaign against Sen. John McCain, and has shown strong support.  We are not sure what Jay, Bey and company spoke about with the President, but I am sure Jay reminded him about 99 Problems…

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Bobbi Kristina was serenaded by her mother Whitney Houston Wednesday night during the singer’s concert in Adelaide, Australia.

Midway through the show – during Houston’s “unplugged” segment of old hits – she announced it was Bobbi Kristina’s 17th birthday, reports People.com. Houston then sang “Who Would Imagine a King” from The Preacher’s Wife.

“[It's] one of Krissy’s favorites,” the source says, “and is not in the show.”

Then a birthday cake was rolled onto the stage, and Houston invited her daughter to come up. Houston was then joined by her dancers – and the entire audience – to sing “Happy Birthday” to Bobbi Kristina.

Mother and daughter also celebrated the occasion in Sydney earlier in the week during a stop on the singer’s troubled Nothing But Love world tour. Despite video clips of Houston out of breath and struggling to hit high notes, a rep for the singer has dismissed the disappointment of fans, and denied that Houston’s lackluster performances are the result of a health issue.

“Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans,” her publicist Kristen Foster stated on Feb. 26. “There were over 9,000 people at her show in Brisbane, and there were over 12,000 at Acer Arena last night in Sydney. Her fans were dancing and singing along with her and Whitney appreciates their support.”

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Turns out Allen Iverson was handed two big breakups this week – one from, his NBA team, the other from his wife.

According to reports, Tawanna Iverson filed papers Tuesday in Atlanta’s Fulton County Superior Court saying their 8½-year marriage is “irretrievably broken.” On the same day, the Philadelphia 76ers announced he would not return for the rest of the season.

After returning to the 76ers as a free agent in December, Iverson flew to Atlanta in February to be with his family as his four-year-old daughter, Messiah, dealt with an undisclosed illness.

Tawanna is asking for full custody of the couple’s five children, child support and alimony.

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TMOTTMedia has just received word that Ron Banks, lead vocalist for the 70s R&B group the Dramatics (“Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get”) died today of a heart attack in Detroit.

Banks, 58, was a founding member of the group back in the ’60s, when they were teenagers.

Story is currently developing …

Watch the Dramatics perform their classic “Whatcha See Is Whacha Get” on Soul Train. Banks provides the falsetto parts of the song:

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Rapper Trina is calling on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the online posting of nude photos leaked from her missing cell phone.

The series of images – which feature Trina exposing her breasts in one shot and her genitals in another — are believed to have been taken from a cell phone she lost last at an awards show month. Another series of photos show a skin rash; others feature her boyfriend Kenyon Martin.

The rapper has sought legal advice and FBI officials are now involved with the case.

She tells MTV.com, “(The images are) me on a very upset day — I think I was in Canada, upset crying. Just personal stuff. Photos in the studio. I think (one) was me having an allergic reaction, breaking out. I just think it was my personal stuff and for someone to do that (leak the photos) is so, so wrong.

“So now I’m actually having it looked into by the FBI and it’s gonna be a bigger situation than just leaked photos. Hopefully we can deal with the situation and put an end to it.”

Trina continued: “I personally would not want a picture of me exposed leaked. I lost my phone, and I had some pictures of me that I don’t want the world to see. I’m thinking that if it ever came out, I’m devastated. It’s not sex tape pictures, but it’s still … I don’t want you to see it.”

The rap star denies accusations that she leaked the photos herself for publicity.

“I don’t feel like, as an artist, that I need to do anything to expose myself. I don’t need to put out a nude photo for press,” she said. “I don’t need to do that. I don’t want a sex tape of me and my significant other to be worldwide for the world to see. That’s a personal endeavor.”

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ASSOCIATE PRESS

LOS ANGELES – Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Barack Obama, Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said.

The incident occurred Friday at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles, where the student body is more than 90 percent Latino.

District Superintendent Ramon Cortines placed the teachers — all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades — on administrative leave on Tuesday while an investigation is conducted, Pollard-Terry said.

“The superintendent will not let anyone make a mockery out of Black History Month,” she said.

The issue was brought to district officials’ attention by the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP after the organization received a complaint early Monday, chapter President Leon Jenkins said.

Jenkins said he felt the teachers acted in concert to mock black heroes and children’s innocence.

“These are not the people we want our young people to emulate or believe these people represent the best of the African-American community,” Jenkins said. “It’s hard for the NAACP to believe this was a mistake.”

Simpson, a former NFL star, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for robbery and kidnapping. He was famously acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

RuPaul is a drag queen performer. Rodman, a former NBA star, has gained notoriety for bad boy behavior on and off the basketball court.

Some parents at the school on Wednesday said the issue was overblown.

Sharon Tinson, who has two daughters at the school and attended Friday’s celebration, said she had been surprised to see Simpson displayed in the parade. But she noted that Simpson, like Rodman, was a great athlete before falling from grace. RuPaul simply has an alternative lifestyle, she added.

She noted the event also included a tribute to pop singer Michael Jackson, who has also had a checkered career.

“I kind of laughed at it,” Tinson said. “I wasn’t offended.”

Gabriel Blackson, whose son attends the school, said he also took a larger view of the ruckus.

“These guys were heroes before. People make mistakes,” he said. “I think they show kids they can be somebody, to push them to be somebody.”

Jenkins said he is calling for the teachers to be fired.

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