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This weekend he'll be the first white valedictorian to graduate from the historically black, all male Morehouse College in the school's 141-year history.

Morehouse, in Atlanta, Georgia, is one the nation's most prestigious universities of its kind. For more than a century, the school has prided itself on personifying the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the school's most notable alums, by producing "Morehouse Men" - intelligent and successful black leaders.

"Because I'm one of the only white students, it's easy to call me 'the white boy,' I'm naturally going to stand out," says Packwood.

But Packwood, 22, doesn't stand out solely because he is white or has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. For those who don't know him, what is surprising is that a Rhodes Scholar finalist turned down a full scholarship to Columbia University to attend the all-black men's university.

This came naturally to Packwood, who attended a predominantly black high school.

"A large majority of my friends, like all my girlfriends have been minorities," says Packwood. "So it was very, it was kind of strange that I always kind of gravitated to the black community."

JANET JACKSON

The entertainer, whose real name is Remy Smith, had faced up to 25 years in prison for assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion for shooting Makeda Barnes Joseph last July in a dispute over money.

Smith, 26, begged the judge for leniency for the sake of "my little boy," saying she grew up "surrounded by failure, violence and poverty," but "made something out of nothing" from her life.

State Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller said she recognized that Smith had had a difficult childhood, but noted the victim had nearly died and will never be the same physically. Uviller called the rapper "a young woman whose anger is out of control."

After the sentencing, Smith's fiance, fellow rapper Papoose, began screaming in a hallway outside the courtroom. "All you want is money!" he said, apparently referring to the victim.

"Lock me up! Lock me up!" he then shouted to court officers, who escorted him out of the courthouse.

The couple had planned to wed last weekend at the Rikers Island jail, where Smith has been incarcerated. Correction officials said they called off the wedding after Papoose showed up with a handcuff key.

Smith's lawyer, Ivan Fisher, said Papoose had a key but denied that it could be used to open handcuffs. Papoose, whose real is Shamele Mackie, hasn't been charged.

Fisher said the couple still plan to wed.

A spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment says the target date to resume "Toni Braxton: Revealed" at the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel is now June 6th.

Braxton's show has been dark since the singer was hospitalized overnight for chest pain on April 7th.

The spokeswoman says she can't comment about Braxton's medical condition. The 40-year-old entertainer has been treated in the past for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart.

Braxton's two-year run at the Flamingo Las Vegas is scheduled to end in August.

The 45-year-old actress-singer, who stars in ABC's "Ugly Betty," also delivered the convocation address Saturday to graduates of Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts.

She encouraged her fellow graduates to "treasure this moment." "These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life," she said, according to the Web Site of The Syracuse Post-Standard.

When she accepted her diploma, Williams raised it to show her mother and children.

Williams attended Syracuse's drama department as a musical theater major from 1981-1983. She earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and performances on stage and screen.