Ali- Ollie Woodson Of R&B Group ‘The Temptations,’ Dies At 58.

Ali-Ollie Woodson, who led the legendary Motown quintet The Temptations in the 1980s and ’90s and helped restore them to their hit-making glory with songs including “Treat Her Like A Lady,” has died, a friend said. He was 58. Woodson died Sunday in southern California after battling cancer, Motown Alumni Association President Billy Wilson said. Wilson said Woodson’s wife, Juanita, told him about the death Sunday.

Woodson was not an original member of the group, which had several lineup changes since it started in the 1960s. But he played an integral part in keeping the Temptations from becoming just nostalgia act. By the early 1980s, the Temptations were no longer posting hit after hit like they did in the 1960s and ’70s with classics such as “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “My Girl,” and “I Wish It Would Rain.”  The group had lost original members, and Woodson was charged with replacing Dennis Edwards, whose passionate voice defined the group during the 1970s.

Woodson’s voice, though similar to Edwards’ with its fiery tone, was distinct in itself, and helped the group notch the R&B hits “Treat Her Like A Lady,” “Sail Away,” and “Lady Soul,” from 1984 to 1986.  “He had this swagger about himself. He was cool. He had a coolness about himself that was really very inviting,” said Wilson. He said he first met Woodson in 1980 before Woodson joined the group and that he last spoke with his friend about two weeks ago.  Despite his fame, Woodson was “always a gentleman and always polite and kind to everybody. If we ever asked him to do anything, he never said, ‘well, it’s going to cost you.’ He’d always say, ‘yeah, let’s go,'” said Wilson, who founded the Detroit-based Motown association in the mid-1990s.  “He was just a star performer. Wonderful person. Wonderful, wonderful person. He was very kind.”

Messages were left Monday for a producer and a manager who worked with Woodson.  A recorded message at a phone number for his wife said the voice mailbox was full.

-“The BklynBandette.” Mr Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

Sarah Blames Selling Out Ex-Hubby On Booze.

Sarah Ferguson says she’s yet to see the sting video of herself accepting $40,000 in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. But she knows where her mind was when it happened.  “I haven’t faced the devil in the face because I was in the gutter at that moment,” she tells Oprah Winfrey. “So I’m aware of the fact that I’ve been drinking, you know, that I was not in my right place.”

The 50-year-old Duchess of York has previously said she was “devastated” by the scandal. On the tape, she tells an undercover reporter, “I can open any door you want” to Andrew, a British trade representative.

-“The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

Bizzy Bone Joins Celebrity Rehab Cast.

Word on the Blok is  Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper, Bizzy Bone has recently been casted for VH1′s Celebrity Rehab. Bizzy, aka Byron McCane, was booted out of the group after missing numerous appearances because of his marijuana & alcohol addiction.  Hopefully, the show will make it on air despite the low participation of celebs. Tila Tequila is scheduled to appear on the show as well.

-“The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

Beyonce & Kelly: STILL Thick As Thieves.

Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland are still tight after their days together as members of Destiny’s Child.  Just after Rowland checked into the Empire Hotel Thursday night, Knowles arrived there with her bodyguard, who waited two hours in the lobby while she visited her old bandmate in a suite upstairs.

Those girls grew up together. NOTHING is splitting them up.

-“The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.