May 7, 200719 yr SOHH Soulful: Verizon Severs Ties With Akon After Dirty Dancing Controversy Monday - May 7, 2007 by Kevin R. Scott Verizon recently announced that it will sever all ties with Senegalese R&B singer Akon, in light of a video that surfaced of him simulating sex on stage with a 15-year-old girl. "This week the partnership ended," Verizon said in a statement to Fox News. "We have music services on our cell phone service and we were promoting him as one of the artists. The other part of the sponsorship was the Gwen Stefani tour, of which he was an opening act. We are no longer sponsoring the tour." As previously reported by SOHH, Akon called 15-year-old Danah Alleyne on stage with him after she won a dance competition held at a Club Port of Spain, Trinidad. When video footage of Akon simulating sex with Alleyne hit the internet, the incident created an uproar. "I got carried away," Alleyne said in a public apology last month after a local TV station aired the footage. "I started to dance, as well, but I never thought it was going to be like that. I was shocked. My head was hitting the floor." Verizon has since removed Akon's ringtones, as well as music and artwork from his platinum-selling album Konvicted, from Verizon Wireless stores and handsets. LINK Weird story. Heard different that she was 14 OR 15. This is the girl in question. I couldnt believe it, she looks way older than 15(or 14) and is, well, hot. Could see why maybe he would get confused, because she looks legal to me. A link to the video is here. I mean, honestly, does that girl look 14 or 15 to anyone else?
May 7, 200719 yr Apparently it was a club for 18+ and she shouldn't have been let in so to me on the surface it seems Akon got 'screwed' (pun may or may not be intended).
May 7, 200719 yr Just saw the vid, WTF. Again though, if it was a 18+ club and she was going along with it, then he shouldn't get crucified for this.
May 7, 200719 yr Author I agree. Plus, you know, she looks like shes legal. Wish they made 14 year olds like that when I was in 8th grade.
May 7, 200719 yr I mean, honestly, does that girl look 14 or 15 to anyone else? i wouldn't know. none of these pics have a very good shot of her face.
May 7, 200719 yr Author Well, the way shes dressed and the fact that she looks really well developed to me makes it look like shes legal age. I had to check a few times to make sure that picture was actually of her and not just a random Akon file photo. Anyhow, I dont think he should be thrown to the wolves for this(although it seems he did make some disparaging remarks after the show?). I mean, from what I read there, they love to dance in Trinidad and Tobago. Probably not like that, but they like to dance. It was an 18+ bar and she was dressed like a girl on Spring Break. Unless he carded her when he got on stage(you about have to card girls anymore...so much jailbait running around that looks perfectly legal), besides being a weirdo IMO he didnt(knowingly) do anything wrong.
May 7, 200719 yr Apparently it was a club for 18+ and she shouldn't have been let in so to me on the surface it seems Akon got 'screwed' (pun may or may not be intended). :thumbup
May 7, 200719 yr I just wonder what the hell is a 14-year-old girl is doing at an 18+ club dressed up like that (if she really is 14)? I think Akon got screwed too. And btw, to me, that's not dancing. That's pretty much "dry-humping". I have seen people do crazy stuff before, but this is the worst I've seen.
May 8, 200719 yr Does anybody else hate this guy as much as I do? "Don't Matter" is the best song on the radio right now, bar none.
May 8, 200719 yr That goddamn "Smack That" song is played at least once every 45 minutes at every cafe in this country
May 8, 200719 yr Confessions of Pastor?s daughter ?I WAS CAJOLED INTO SEXY DANCE? Danah Alleyne is supported by her brother, Ian Alleyne, president of the T&T Crime Watch Association, during an interview at his office in Chaguanas yesterday. Photo: Adrian Boodan By Sascha Wilson ?I AM ashamed about what happened. I got carried away in the moment,? sobbed Danah Alleyne, the 15-year-old daughter of Pastor Dave Alleyne of the Flaming Word Ministry of Chaguanas. Once known just as a pastor?s daughter, Danah has become the focus of international attention, after her steamy dance segment with international singer Akon of Senegal, at Club Zen, which is circulating on the Internet. Yesterday, a sad and remorseful looking Danah confessed to lying to her parents to go to the concert, but said she had been cajoled into going on stage. With red, teary eyes, Danah said she had been invited to the concert two days before the event by friends, who are older than she is. She said they bought a VIP ticket for her to gain entry. Danah said, ?My parents had no clue I was going to the concert or how I was dressed. I told them I was going with my cousins for ice cream. When I left the house I had on a jacket.? Danah said she had called her friends who picked her up outside her home. When they got to the club last week Thursday, she said, they proceeded to the VIP section but were stopped by the bouncers who said they had to be 21 years and over to enter, and asked for their identification cards. Danah said, ?We did not have it so they told us we had to go into general admission and we did.? During the concert, she said, Akon asked for five girls to go on stage but no one wanted to. ?Eventually two girls went up. Then all the people around me started rooting for me to go on stage. I hesitated and told my friends I did not want to go up. They eventually drew the attention to me and the white spotlight hit me.? Danah said Akon?s bodyguard then pulled her up on stage. ?I told him I can?t be here but he told me to stay. I was scared. I was freaking out,? she added. Akon told the girls that if they won they would go to Africa and she believed him. ?I got carried away. I began dancing with the crowd cheering me on,? Danah said. When she won the dance ?competition? and Akon told her he was Africa, she said, ?I was shocked, I could not believe it.? About the heated dance with the superstar, Danah said, ?It was three rounds of dancing. First, we danced together. Then, he picked me up...and then next thing I know I was all over the stage. ?I was in shock. When I look at the video now, I cannot believe that all these things happen. It happened so quick.? Danah said when she finally got off the stage, everyone was telling her she had done ?real good.? She said, ?I did not think much of it, like it was no big deal? but, now ?I am disappointed in what happened.? Shaking her head and trying to hold back the tears, she said, ?I am sorry I embarrassed my parents and I am ashamed that I lied to them.? Danah, however, is determined to put experience behind her. ?I went to school after the concert and my friends are like, ? ?We have your back.? ? Danah?s brother, Ian Alleyne, president of the T&T Crime Watch Association, said he was disgusted by what happened. He said, ?She is a minor. She should not have been let in the club! Young people must be protected. It is terrible what has happened to her, but her parents are not at fault.?http://www.guardian.co.tt/archives/2007-04-21/news1.html what a little ho.
May 8, 200719 yr That's not really "dancing" and Verizon is free to do whatever they want to protect their image. If I was in their shoes, I would have at least given thought to some sort of action. With that said, she doesn't look underage at all and it's a tough mistake to make because it's cost him so dearly.
May 9, 200719 yr hahhaha that vid is f***ing awosome.......how can akon come bad of this..... if this anyones fault it should be that little hoes fault...... what the f*** is 15 year old doing in a 18+ club anyways...... most chick would kill for akon to do that to them..... i cant believe this is even a story...... watching that vid makes me think of the eminem song "Guilty Concence"
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