A Destiny Fulfilled

Reviews have been generally good during the "Destiny Fulfilled . . . and Lovin' It Tour," a tour that has been tapped the last the trio will perform together as a super girl group.

Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle announced, to everyone's "surprise," that Destiny Fulfilled would be their last album together early this summer. The American tour, featuring hits such as "Say My Name," "Independent Women, Pt. 1," "No, No, No Part 2," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Bootylicious," and "Jumpin' Jumpin,' started June 9 in St. Louis and will end in Seattle on September 9 before the girls perform one last time in front of fans in Vancouver.

According to various reports from the cities where these often sequined-clad ladies have performed, DC is giving fans a fitting farewell tour. Reports are that the girls are not appearing to be sentimental during the tour, which makes sense since the ladies claim to not be breaking up, but simply moving on to other aspects of their careers and personal lives.

"It's not our last record because one of us wants to go solo, or because we don't get along or because we don't like each other anymore, or because of cattiness," Beyoncé said in a recent MTV interview. "It's because it's the end of this chapter in our lives. We've been doing this for 14 years now, and our destinies have been fulfilled."

"All great things come to an end," Kelly echoed. "Destiny's Child is more than just us being on stage or in the studio. We genuinely love each other and I'm going to see their kids, and their kids' kids, and they're going to see my kids. I love these girls."

That being said, the group did not want to disappoint loyal fans. The new-age Supremes included songs from their past solo endeavors in this tour as well as touching on the hits that made the famous.

According to Chronic Magazine, Kelly performed her Nelly hit "Dilemma," as well as her solo clip "Bad Habit" from Destiny Fulfilled. Michelle, the gospel solo star, performed her hit "Do You Know." Although it was reported over and over that the other two members of DC gave powerful performances and seemed "comfortable, sassy and sexy" on the stage, one thing remains constant: Beyoncé is the standout star of this trio.

Beyoncé has two separate solo sets consisting of chart-toppers “Baby Boy” and “Naughty Girl,” followed by "Dangerously in Love" and "Crazy In Love."

Chronic Magazine and MSN both reported that the ladies of DC truly appear to enjoy performing together, the magazine stating that "Although the women spent plenty of concert time apart on stage, their facial and body language made it clear that - despite rumors - they enjoy merging into a singular spotlight."

-TA

Lil' Kim Sentenced to 1 Year and a Day

Kimberly Jones, aka Lil' Kim, was sentenced yesterday to serve a year and a day in federal prison and pay a $50,000 fine for perjury after she made a surprise admission in the courtroom that she had lied to a grand jury during her trial.

Ms. Jones appeared a far cry from her "Queen Bee," defiant bad-girl image during the trail and according to news reports expressed remorse for her actions.

"I testified falsely during the grand jury and at trial," she told the sentencing judge, Gerard E. Lynch, in a brief statement. "At the time I thought it was the right thing to do, but I now know it was wrong." (The New York Times)

Kim, 30, faced a maximum of 20 years in jail for the four perjury counts on which she was convicted back in March. Although the prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least two years and nine months, the Judge Lynch, who repeatedly compared the rapper to Martha Stewart, wanted to be careful not to treat Kim more severely than the domestic icon who he said "happens to be older and whiter and whose entertainment following is richer."

Judge Lynch went on to express his concern that the rapper's fans would cry discrimination and receive a wrong message from her sentence if he imposed a far harsher prison term than Ms. Stewart's on "a younger African-American woman who is popular with a different segment of society."

Kim was found guilty of lying in her testimony before a grand jury about a shootout among rival rappers on Feb. 25, 2001, in front of the Hot 97 a radio station, located in Lower Manhattan.

It was reported that the petite-sized hip-hop star accepted "complete blame" yesterday for the actions of her friend and co-defendant, Monique Dopwell, 32, who was also convicted of perjury, all while claiming that "I am a good, God-fearing person."

Reports did not indicate where Kim will serve out her sentence, although Judge Lynch asked that she be sent to a prison not far from her home in the New York. The rapper will have to surrender on Sept. 19.

According to the New York Times, the judge told Kim that she should make better use of her position as a role model for her many fans, even those who had said she would enhance her hip-hop cachet by doing some time in jail.

"Going to jail because you lied to protect violent men with guns is not heroic," Judge Lynch said. "It's stupid and it's wrong." (The New York Times)

Like other [male] rappers before her, Lil' Kim anticipated her jail stay and has been hitting the studio hard in recenct months preparing to release an album in August. The first single is called "Shut Up." Wonder who she's talking to.

-TA
-picture courtesy of The New York Times