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Paul answers questions at a youth basketball camp in July 2009

Clippers' Chris Paul Threatening to Boycott if Donald Sterling is Still Owner

WATCH VIDEO: What's The 411Sports Discuss Chris Paul Boycott Strategy

The What's The 411Sports team discuss Chris Paul's position that he is prepared to boycott if Donald Sterling is still the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers when the 2014-15 NBA season starts.

What's The 411Sports host, Bianca Peart, thinks Chris Paul is full of hot air. Paul had his chance to boycott when it made better sense, but he didn't. Now, the Donald Sterling reign over the Los Angeles Clippers will be over using the Chris Paul time-frame. Consequently, there will be no need to boycott.

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward, Kevin Love

Cleveland Cavaliers Courting Kevin Love

 WATCH VIDEO: Cavaliers Waitng on Kevin Love

It's no secret that since the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired LeBron James from the Miami Heat that the team is looking to "conquer all" in the 2014-15 NBA season.

On the road to conquering all, the Cavaliers are trying to secure the services of Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In so doing, the Cavaliers will complete its power triangle of Love, James, and Kyrie Irving.

However, it might come at the expense of losing first round NBA Draft pick, Andrew Wiggins, in the trade.

The deal can't be sealed until Saturday, August 23, 2014, because of NBA rules about trading newly acquired rookies.

What's The 411 reporter, Crystal Lynn, talking with fashion designer Okey Onugha

Elegance of Africa Fashion Show

What's The 411TV correspondent Crystal Henderson spoke with African fashion designers at the Elegance of Africa Fashion Show, which was held at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.

First up is Okey Onugha, a Nigerian fashion designer specializing in men's fashions. He is followed by Sanemi, a 19 year-old fashion designer and student at the City College of New York, and Sir Charlezzzz of the House of Charlezzzz.

 WATCH VIDEO: ELEGANCE OF AFRICA FASHION SHOW

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Fashion designs from Michael Jerome Francis' signature line, Save The Bees

Michael Jerome Francis Makes a Fashion Statement: Save The Bees

Nature-friendly fashion designer Michael Jerome Francis wants to make his fashion statement LOUD and clear- "Take the material, make beautiful clothes, and turn it into something of value." Francis, a socially- conscious designer with a heavy emphasis on capturing moments around him, tells his story of imagination and childhood through fashion. He uses what's there and recycles into something new, Couture.

Nearly two weeks after DeZign InterventionTM and Creative Director Barbara Bullard hosted and sponsored an event for Michael's signature line, Save The Bees, he's already working on a new project. In a phone interview with What's The 411 reporter, Crystal Henderson, he spills the beans on this latest work, birthplace of Save The Bees and advice to new designers breaking into the world of fashion.

Check out the interview below.

What are some of the current projects you're working now on?

"Right now I'm working on my 'Daddy Queen' collection. It is basically an exploration of my heritage and my relationship with my father. My approach through fashion is always through storytelling. I researched the history of Jamaica and it includes the natives who were the Indians."

"So in celebrating that, I am doing a lot of weaving pieces that will be made into dresses and even jewelry. I want to make beautiful clothes, but it always has to come from a place of intention."

Where did the concept of Save The Bees originate?

"I envisioned a world where gardens were the new mansions. It's so rare that people travel long distances to be in a garden. So, in this place- nature and attention to materials that are around you are more important because there's very little. I created a lot of pieces that could be mixed and matched. All of these women were coming into a place and they were women who just had collected things. They're in this place where they'reforced to wear something they make."

"The idea of flowers were made out of leather remnants. You know how you go into a leather store, and they have those booklets with just leather samples? They were actually made from those samples because actually what happened to those is that- they get disposed after a season. Giving those flowers new life was just really exciting. That was one of the features of Save the Bees that I am most proud."

How do you keep up with the demand to always appeal to the newest and latest trend?

"I feel like it should come to a place where that all slows down. Fashion is more iconic. I want to produce high art. I want to be able to make those pieces that are manufacturable like with 'Save The Bees.' I want to create those timeless pieces that you say to yourself-I don't want to get rid of this jacket!"

"In couture, you have to have intellect. It has to be formed, functioned, and it has to be told through a story. It is the birthplace of ideas in the ecology of fashion."

What do you say to an aspiring fashion designer who has a corporate job, but wants to follow their passion?

"I feel like there has to be a passion for a person's art. If you feel, you need to do it. It may be difficult, but if you really have that passion, you won't be happy until you actually giveit a shot. I always want to be in the game, no matter how successful I am or not, I just always want to be a part of it."

For personal inquiries, please contact Michael Jerome Francis at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Left to right: What's The 411 reporter, Crystal Lynn talking with the founders of My Girlfriend's Closet, Valerie Morrison and Saffiyah Rodgers

My Girlfriend's Closet Brings Glamour to New York Fashion Week

First-cousins Saffiyah Rodgers and Valerie Morrison grew up lending clothes to their girlfriends. In 2010, they combined their fashion and marketing backgrounds and came up with a closet.

"Our friends admired our style and always wanted to borrow stuff from our closet, so we decided to come up My Girlfriend's Closet."

Rodgers and Morrison spoke with What's The 411 TV's correspondent, Crystal Henderson during New York Fashion Week S/S 2013 at Stitch Lounge, where they celebrated the second anniversary of My Girlfriends Closet Boutique and unveiled their online campaign, My Glamorous Girlfriends.

My Glamorous Girlfriends represents five successful women--daring to be different, while embodying glamour.

The fab women-- Dr. Robi Ludwig (NBC Today Show & Huffington Post), Carissa Rosario (International Model & Model Genius), Angela Yee (Radio Personality on Power 105.1), Tiffany Banks (Plus Size Model & TLC's Big Sexy) and Brianna Colette (Recording Artist).

Dr. Robi Ludwig (so cool and down to earth) also stopped by to speak with us and expressed how thrilled she was to be a part of My Glamorous Girlfriends.

"I was invited to highlight my clothes during a media company (for My Girlfriend's Closet) and we had a great time that day. A bunch of ladies having a lovely time, and it was exactly what it needed to be."

Every girl wants something from her girlfriend's closet; be sure to visit www.gfcboutique.com!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

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EMERGE! A Fashion Runway Show

EMERGE! Rises During New York Fashion Week

Now in its 5th season, EMERGE! A Fashion Runway Show positioned an eclectic ensemble of artists and a gathering of celebrities on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 during New York Fashion Week.

The celebs that stopped by to talk with What's The 411's Barbara Bullard were:

• Honoree Mikki Taylor who attended EMERGE! wearing Burberry. She indicated that she is following First Lady Michelle Obama's lead by wearing simple designs that go a long way.

• Actress Regina Taylor has written a play that will debut in September 2013.

• Actress/Comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney developed a company with her brother. She will be going on tour soon and developing a program for youth.

• Glam Fairy Shari Manon from the Style Network indicated she is there to see new talent.

• Ruby Rubero wearing the designs of Hannefah M began her professional music career as the voice of the Bratz TV Cartoon Anthem titled "Se Siente" (Universal, Hip-O Music), which was also one of the highest selling cartoon albums internationally. Ruby is coming out with a new single, Runway, which is scheduled for release on March 12.

• Kim Roxie is the founder of the cosmetic line, Lamik. She is the youngest African American to have a cosmetic line in Macy's. Kim Roxie is honored to be an ongoing sponsor of EMERGE! A Fashion Runway Show especially during African American History Month.

The featured designers of EMERGE! A Fashion Runway Show's 5th season were:

Bishme Cromartie's collection is edgy sophistication; His well-constructed pieces owned the runway with incredible design elements. His collection was cohesive and yet unafraid to take risks. www.bishmercromartie.com

Parul Aneja's collection adorned the runway vibrant colors inspired by her homeland of New Delhi, the capital of India she specializes in wedding gowns, cocktail dresses, prom and evening wear dresses for women. www.parulaneja.com

Deidre Jefferies, ESPION Atelier - 'ESPION' French for the English word 'spy' Deidre Jefferies defines her design aesthetic as "the future of classic clothing." This strong, yet sexy collection embodied a sleek sophistication combining male and female elements into a luxury line committed to quality. www.espion.us.com

Bernice Morgan, Designersberg is a full line of beautiful African dresses custom made in a variety of materials including cotton prints, damask, lace and linens came down the runway with a fresh take on modern ethnic wear, Africa. www.designersberg.com

Butterfli Tia's swimwear collection 2-A-T came down the runway making a bold statement. Complete with sexy embellishments, highlighting well-crafted pieces and bold color choices.

EMERGE! A Fashion Runway Show has become one of the top emerging designer platforms during New York Fashion week and has been consistent in providing a national outlet for emerging designers to showcase their work. Hundreds of designer submissions are reviewed by an elite designer committee, which selects some of the top designers from around the world.

Barbara Bullard contributed to this article.

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Ericka Pittman, Blue Flame Agency, talking with What's The 411 host, Glenn Gilliam

Ericka Pittman; NV Mover and Shaker Talks About CIROC and All Things Sean Combs

NV Magazine has established its 15-year history as a "new vision" of business publication for urban professionals around the country. Whether scaling the ladder within corporate America or creating a successful venture from scratch, NV has chosen to not only acknowledge, but honor, many of these ground-breakers with its annual Movers & Shakers Awards.

For the past five years, Founder, Kyle Donovan and Publisher, Christopher Chaney and their team have solicited recommendations for and researched their selections to identify honorees from the well-established, even famous, to the less celebrated but ascending innovators, executives and business "hustlers" within the multicultural community. This isn't for the sake of taking nice pictures and having a cocktail, NV's mission is to empower communities of color through the recognition of these trendsetters and inspire collective collaboration to generate wealth and long term economic stability for the black and Latino market.

One of the superstar awardees of the event was Ericka Pittman, Vice President Brand Strategy of Sean Combs' Blue Flame Agency. As the brand and marketing arm of the wildly popular CIROC Ultra-Premium Vodka, we asked how she felt about the recognition.

Check out the video interview with Ericka Pittman

"When they called and told me I was nominated and I would be on the cover amongst such amazing, esteemed colleagues and peer group, I thought it was amazing, said Ericka Pittman. " I've followed the NV Movers & Shakers covers for years and so for me, it was an honor to be nominated and included in the process."

Being responsible for such an explosion of business, what's been the most exciting and challenging part for Ericka the past two years?

"With a meteoric success like CIROC, I mean five years, two million cases, we're super excited," Ericka replied. "We're the #2 Ultra-Premium vodka in the country and you know obviously it's one thing to come up but it's another thing to stay up, right? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so we have a lot of imitation happening in the market place, a lot of our strategy is being mimicked and it's interesting to try and stay fresh and new and stay exciting and connected to our consumers, at the same time stay authentic, so we're constantly challenged and brainstorming trying figure out what's new, what's hot and what's next!"

And when asked what's coming up?

To which Ericka replied, "So Blue Flame is Sean Combs right? So it's everything Sean Combs and obviously he has always got his hands in the mix of amazing, fantastic stuff. He's executive producing Rick Ross' new album, he's going to be working on a new project and there's REVOLT, the new television network, so we have a lot of amazing, awesome stuff happening at Blue Flame and Combs Enterprises and stay tuned for some really exciting stuff from CIROC.

 

Po Johnson

Po Johnson More than A Reality Star, A NV Mover and Shaker

Check out the video interview with Po Johnson

NV Magazine has established its 15-year history as a "new vision" of business publication for urban professionals around the country. Whether scaling the ladder within corporate America or creating a successful venture from scratch, NV has chosen to not only acknowledge but honor, many of these ground-breakers with its annual Movers & Shakers Awards.

For the past five years, Founder, Kyle Donovan and Publisher, Christopher Chaney and their team have solicited recommendations for and researched their selections to identify honorees from the well-established, even famous, to the less celebrated but ascending innovators, executives and business "hustlers" within the multicultural community. This isn't for the sake of taking nice pictures and having a cocktail, NV's mission is to empower communities of color through the recognition of these trendsetters and inspire collective collaboration to generate wealth and long-term economic stability for the black and Latino market.

Singer, Po Johnson, of La La Anthony's Full Court Life reality show fame was one of the honorees. We started with Po's thoughts on the evening. Is it exciting, a surprise?

"It's a surprise," said Po with a combination of merriment and wonder. "When they called me to do the shoot with them I didn't realize what it was so once I realize that they thought I was awesome it made me feel really cool and then they were like, yeah we're going to have a little thing and this is way more than I thought it was going to be. Yeah, yeah this is all very surprising but I'm having a good time and very happy to be here."

Being a reality star veteran, is this event a big deal still for Po?

"It absolutely is, it's a blessing," she said. "We're like in our 5th season that's about to air, so that means that people like us and I get to work with my best friends and we still get to respect ourselves, respect our families and you know, set a good example for kids, so I'm proud to be a part of it."

What's coming up in terms of music, in terms of creative content? "

"Aw, thank you for asking me that," Po responded. "Well the show's about to air in March and then I just got a deal that I can't talk about now with a record label, so we're about to push my single project in a couple of months, I'm very excited and then I'm going to do UltraFest and you'll start seeing a lot more of me on not the independent realm but I actually got a name for myself now, so I'm happy yeah."

Po you're blowing up but I have to ask, who are you wearing?

Ooh, um, this is all SKINGRAFT actually, yeah, yeah, yeah, SKINGRAFT, he's huge, I love him...naw he's really dope and I like his stuff yeah."

Becky Hammon, first woman to be a full time assistant coach in the NBA

Becky Hammon; Danny Jacobs; Division 1 Changes

In this episode of What's The 411Sports, the panel of Bianca Peart; Chris Graham; Glenn Gilliam; and Gregory Alcala are talking about isues and events in sports.

    • San Antonio Spurs head coach, Greg Popavich, selected Becky Hammon to be an Assistant Coach for the team. Hammon now becomes the first woman to be a full time coach for an NBA team.
  • Division 1 shools are revising their policies as it relates to student athletes.
  • Court regulation in a post-Paul George injury era
  • Danny Jacobs beats cancer and boxing opponent
  • Brooke Lopez Cleared to Play
  • Mason Plumlee selected to play on USA Basketball National team for 2014-15 season 

In the Dog House this week are: Golden State Warriors, Marreese Speights and Michigan State's Kenny Kaminski

 WATCH VIDEO HERE:

 

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