Sara Stokes, formerly of Da Band, assaulted by Husband

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Eight years ago, the world was introduced to Sara Stokes through the partnership between Sean Combs and MTV. He had taken over the hit ABC series, "Making the Band." Under Combs' guidance, he moved the show to MTV and decided to recruit a hip hop group for his first season.

Sara Stokes was among the contestants on the show. She ended up making it to the finals, becoming a part of the band. Stokes also helped the group come up with their name, Da Band. But, when it was time for them to market themselves, Stokes was uncomfortable doing some of the scenes, because she was married.

Her marriage caused a lot of strain with the other group-mates and frustration with Combs. While he respected their marriage, he wanted Sara to understand hip hop was a business. In the end, Combs had to relieve Da Band of their duties. Following a third season of "Making the Band," P. Diddy took Da Band apart, keeping Babs and the Philadelphia rapper, making them solo artists.

In the time since Da Band, Sara Stokes has kept her name in the spotlight. Despite her effort, most fans have forgotten about her. Even with her attempting a career in show business, Stokes' maintained her rocky marriage. But, she is back in the news because this rocky marriage has gotten rockier. Her husband, Tony, had followed Sara to Georgia, accusing her of cheating and ended up choking her. Tony Stokes was arrested and later released on a $2,000 bond.

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Former Diddy contestant lands Oxygen reality show

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Over six years ago, Diddy prepared for another season of his hit television series, "Making the Band." Fresh off the flop of his previous project, Da Band, Diddy was open to new ideas. The mogul decided to shun hip hop entirely for the next season of the show. Until the show premiered, people had doubts.

Throughout the season, Diddy continued to show how dedicated he is to the music. Ever since branching out, he has been viewed as neglegent to Bad Boy Records. But, when it came to forming this new group, he went all out. One of the main reasons the people stayed tuned in was to watch Aubrey O'Day.

O'Day had the look and men across America wanted to continue to look at her. There were rumors of Diddy being one of those men. In 2004, the group emerged to be Danity Kane and they landed a few hits. Despite becoming stars after the show, Diddy decided to bring them back for another season and it did wonders for their sales on their follow-up album.

In an effort to continue the cross-promotion, he mixed them with his Day26 project, until he made the brash decision to disband Danity Kane. After years of rumors between Diddy and Aubrey O'Day, he had left her out in the cold. For the past two years, Diddy has continued to make his frequent television appearances, while O'Day has been a candidate for "Where Are They Now?" for some time. Hoping to avoid this and get back into the limelight, Aubrey O'Day was finally thrown a bone.

Oxygen has linked with Aubrey O'Day for a new reality show to highlight her comeback efforts. The new show is titled "The Aubrey O'Day Project" and it will begin airing sometime before the end of this year.

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