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Recognize Which Old School Legend This Kid Grew Up To Be?

ilosm — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 16:05:46 +0000

The kid in this photo raised the bar and made it difficult for anyone coming behind him to compete. He wasn’t just any ol’ entertainer, he became a legend who created a unique style all of his own, that has yet to be duplicated by anyone else…it was that unique. He was born and raised in Chi-town, he’s often talked about his kids and wife of 31 years, and he’s had success in television, film, and on stage.

Who’s The Legend?

Embed from Getty Images

It’s the late, great Bernie “I ain’t scared of you motherf%@*ers” Mac! If we would have said that he was a comedian, it probably would have been WAY too easy to figure out, because as you can see, Bernie didn’t look that much different from his childhood photo. Although Bernie sadly had to make his grand exit from this earth at the very young age of 50, his legacy is still thriving due to all of the hard work the brotha laid throughout his career.

Mac passed away on August 9, 2008, after suffering from complications from sarcoidosis, a rare auto-immune disease that causes major swelling in the tissues and makes the sufferer more prone to illnesses like pneumonia, which is what Bernie ultimately passed away from.

Little Known Old School Facts About Bernie Mac

WIFE FILED WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT- Bernie Mac’s wife, Rhonda, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2010 against Bernie’s longtime doc, dermatologist Rene Earles. Rhonda and her attorney said Dr. Earles’ failed to recognize Bernie’s signs of respiratory distress as he was sitting in Dr. Earles’ office for a treatment. Three weeks later, Mac died from pneumonia. Rhonda claimed that instead of calling an ambulance to take Mac to the hospital on that day, Dr. Earles kept him at his clinic for several hours.

In Jan. 2015 Rhonda dropped the lawsuit and her attorney asked the judge to leave open the option to re-file it within one year. It was speculated that they dropped it because in 2010 Dr. Earles’ practice allegedly didn’t have any malpractice insurance coverage (it isn’t required in the state of Illinois), which means Rhonda and her fam’ would have only been able to collect very little financial compensation. But now that Earles has malpractice insurance, Rhonda and her family will be able to win the full compensation they feel they deserve for Bernie’s death.

THE BERNIE MAC FOUNDATION- Bernie Mac’s life didn’t just include his work in comedy, TV, and film, but before he passed away, he dedicated his life and his celebrity to bringing awareness and hopefully finding a cure for the disease that ultimately claimed his life with his Bernie Mac Foundation. Now the foundation is headed by his wife, Rhonda. You can visit them at www.berniemacfoundation.org and follow them on Twitter at @BernieMacFNDN and on their Bernie Mac Foundation Facebook page.

BERNIE MAC’S WIFE SPOKE TO OPRAH ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS LIKE NOW- On March 12th, 2016, the OWN network aired Where Are They Now, featuring Bernie’s wife Rhonda. Here is a snippet of what she had to day…

BERNIE MAC RAISED HIS SISTER’S KIDS AFTER HER DRUG ADDICTION- Bernie Mac and his wife have one biological child, Je’Niece, but after Bernie’s sister began battling a drug addiction back in the day, he stepped up and took her kids in, raising them as his own. He often joked about the difficulties of doing so in his stand up routines and his TV sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, was loosely based around his real life reality of raising his sister’s kids.

BERNIE MAC STREET- In 2012 the Chicago neighborhood he came up in officially named a street after him, just blocks away from his childhood home. His wife and daughter were in attendance of the street naming, along with Rev. Jesse Jackson and others.

Although many of us didn’t hear about Bernie until either the early 90’s on Def Comedy Jam, or in 2000 on ‘The Original Kings of Comedy’ tour, he had been professionally doing his thing on the comedy circuit since 1977, which explains why he was so seasoned by the time the world got hipped to him.

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This Swagged Out Kid Became A Hollywood Legend Who Many People Love To Hate

ilosm — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 15:30:23 +0000

This happy-go-lucky kid in the photo grew up to be one of the most controversial celebrities in entertainment. Although he is loved by millions, he is also hated by many. Throughout his career, he never seemed to really give a d*mn though, and that is why his fans love him. If you guessed Spike Lee, you were right on point!

The childhood photo of Spike in all his swagged out glory, was snapped when he was still running around Brooklyn, NY and going by his birth name, Shelton Jackson Lee. Little did Brooklyn know, a controversial, legendary filmmaker was being bred right there in their presence.

We also came across one of Spike’s ‘awkward phase’ pics- we all have at least one awkward phase growing up and this apparently was Spike’s…

Spike Lee then and now (Instagram; Getty)

Speaking of Spike and his controversial ways, by now we all have probably heard that Spike is one of the many mega-celebs who vowed to drop this year’s Oscars like a bad habit, but something else we found to be just as interesting is that in November 2015, Spike was awarded an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ seventh annual Governors Awards. What makes it interesting is that in true form of the man whom folks love to hate, Spike once again, didn’t give a damn about what the Oscar execs thought of him, as he shamed them during his acceptance speech at their own event. The award was presented to him by his long time friends, Denzel Washington, Samuel Jackson, and Wesley Snipes.

Staying consistent with what he has been stating- that our problem doesn’t begin with the Oscars, it starts in Hollywood- Spike blasted Hollywood and the Oscars organization for their lack of diversity in all forms-in front and behind the camera. The conservative crowd sat there almost in shock that Lee picked such a time to voice his frustration- a time when some thought that he should have just been grateful for a trophy, as opposed to staying true to his values and concerns about the industry. Read a part of what he said here and you can check out his full acceptance speech in the video below:

“I don’t know if you noticed, but the United States Census Bureau says that by the year, 2043, White Americans are gonna be the minority in this country. And for all of the people out there who are in a position of hiring, you better get smart ’cause you’ll work for us. You should reflect what this country looks like.

And I’mma get real here, everybody in here probably voted for Obama but when I go to offices, I see no Black folks except for the brother man at the security who checks my name off the list as I go into the studio. So we can talk ‘yabba yabba yabba’ but we need to have some serious discussion about diversity and get some flavor up in this. This industry is so behind sports it’s ridiculous.

It’s easier to be the president of the United States as a Black person than be the head of a studio. Honestly, it’s easier to be president of the United States than the head of a studio or head of network,” said Spike Lee to a room that was stunned, but applauded his words at the same time.

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Guess Who This Iconic Diva Is

I Love Old School Music — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:35:40 +0000

I know y’all didn’t get this one, but the eyes do not lie! Click the link to see this iconic diva. This beauty is aging gracefully, and we celebrate her contribution to the soul music era. We pay homage to her musical legacy!