Box Office Report: 'Monsters University' Tops the Class in a Record June Week
Theater owners. They took in some $236.1 million this weekend, thanks to three major summer blockbusters, coming in about 16 percent above last weekend's Man of Steel-driven windfall and setting a record for a June weekend. (The previous record holder was the June 29th weekend of last year, which saw grosses of $210.0 million from such hits as Ted, Magic Mike, and Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection.)
Leading the charge was Monsters University, whose estimated $82.0 million opening occasioned several milestones for Disney and Pixar. It's the second highest June animation opening ever (behind Pixar's Toy Story 3), the second highest June opening ever for Disney or Pixar, and the eighth biggest premiere in Disney history. Globally, the prequel's debut came in at $136.5 million.
Kenya Moore Evicted: Loses in Court Against Atlanta 
Debuting in second place, World War Z also did very well, exceeding expectations. It earned an estimated $66.0 million, far above the $50 million ceiling most pundits had predicted. After all, the movie rode in on a tidal wave of negative buzz, about its budget, its extensive reshoots and its divergences from the Max Brooks book that is its source. But none of that seemed to matter to moviegoers, who rewarded the Brad Pitt zombie epic with sold word-of-mouth (measured by its B+ grade at CinemaScore). Per screen, the movie earned $18,298, not far behind the $20,480 average of Monsters U. Had World War Z been able to scare up another 800 screens or so, it could have given Monsters a run for its money.
LOSER OF THE WEEK: Man of Steel. Though it's hard to call a movie a loser when it earned an estimated $41.2 million this weekend. Still, that represents a slide of 65 percent from last weekend's first-place debut. The movie has earned $210.0 million in North America and $283.3 million worldwide in two weeks, again, not really loser territory except by the movie's own lofty standards. Given its estimated $225 million budget, the movie will have to gross about $500 million worldwide to recoup its costs. That'll be an uphill climb, especially with The Lone Ranger opening in two weeks.
Bobby (Blue) Bland, Soul and Blues Balladeer, Dies at 83
Bobby (Blue) Bland, the debonair balladeer whose sophisticated, emotionally fraught performances helped modernize the blues, died on Sunday in Memphis. He was 83.
Mr. Bland was honored at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
The cause was complications from an ongoing illness, The Associated Press reported, quoting his son Rodd.
Though he possessed gifts on a par with his most consummate peers, Mr. Bland never achieved the popular acclaim enjoyed by contemporaries like Ray Charles and B. B. King. His restrained vocals, punctuated by the occasional squalling shout, nevertheless made him a mainstay on the rhythm-and-blues charts and club circuit for decades.
Exhibiting a delicacy of phrasing and command of dynamics akin to those of the most urbane pop and jazz crooners, his intimate pleading left its mark on everyone from the soul singers Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett to rock groups like the Allman Brothers and the Band. The rapper Jay-Z sampled Mr. Bland’s 1974 single “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” on his 2001 album, “The Blueprint.”
Mr. Bland’s signature mix of blues, jazz, pop, gospel and country music was a good decade in the making. His first recordings, made in the early 1950s, found him working in the lean, unvarnished style of Mr. King, even to the point of employing falsetto vocal leaps patterned after Mr. King’s. Mr. Bland’s mid-50s singles were more accomplished; hits like “It’s My Life, Baby” and “Farther Up the Road” are now regarded as hard-blues classics, but they still featured the driving rhythms and stinging electric guitar favored by Mr. King and others. It wasn’t until 1958’s “Little Boy Blue,” a record inspired by the homiletic delivery of the Rev. C. L. Franklin, that Mr. Bland arrived at his trademark vocal technique.
“That’s where I got my squall from,” Mr. Bland said, referring to the sermons of Mr. Franklin — “Aretha’s daddy,” as he called him — in a 1979 interview with the author Peter Guralnick. “After I had that I lost the high falsetto. I had to get some other kind of gimmick, you know, to be identified with.”
The corresponding softness in Mr. Bland’s voice, a refinement matched by the elegant formal wear in which he appeared onstage, came from listening to records by pop crooners like Nat King Cole, g Tony Bennett and Perry Como.
Just as crucial to the evolution of Mr. Bland’s sound was his affiliation with the trumpet player and arranger Joe Scott, for years the director of artists and repertory for Duke Records in Houston. Given to writing brass-rich arrangements that built dramatically to a climax, Mr. Scott, who died in 1979, supplied Mr. Bland with intricate musical backdrops that set his supple baritone in vivid emotional relief. The two men accounted for more than 30 Top 20 rhythm-and-blues singles for Duke from 1958 to 1968, including the No. 1 hits “I Pity the Fool” and “That’s the Way Love Is.” Steeped in feelings of vulnerability and regret, many of these performances were particularly enthralling to the female portion of Mr. Bland’s audience.
Though only four of his singles from these years — “Turn On Your Love Light,” “Call on Me,” “That’s the Way Love Is” and “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” — crossed over to the pop Top 40, Mr. Bland’s recordings resonated with the era’s blues-leaning rock acts. The Grateful Dead made “Love Light” a staple of their live shows. The Band recorded his 1964 single “Share Your Love With Me” for their 1973 album, “Moondog Matinee.” Van Morrison included a version of “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” on his 1974 live set, “It’s Too Late to Stop Now.”
Mr. Bland himself broke through to pop audiences in the mid-70s with “His California Album” and its more middle-of-the-road follow-up, “Dreamer.” But his greatest success always came in the rhythm-and-blues market, where he placed a total of 63 singles on the charts from 1957 to 1985. He signed with the Mississippi-based Malaco label in 1985 and made a series of well-received albums that appealed largely to fans of traditional blues and soul music.
Mr. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 1997.
Robert Calvin Brooks was born on Jan. 27, 1930, in Millington, Tenn., just north of Memphis (not in nearby Rosemark, as most sources say). His father, I. J. Brooks, abandoned the family when Bobby was very young. His mother, Mary Lee, married Leroy Bridgeforth, who also went by the name Leroy Bland, when Bobby was 6.
Mr. Bland dropped out of school in the third grade to work in the cotton fields. Though he never learned to write music or play an instrument, he cited the music of the pioneering blues guitarist T-Bone Walker as an early influence.
After moving to Memphis in 1947 Mr. Bland began working in a garage and singing spirituals in a group called the Miniatures. In 1949 he joined the Beale Streeters, a loose-knit collective whose members at various points included Johnny Ace, Rosco Gordon, Earl Forest and B. B. King, all of whom went on to become popular blues performers as solo artists.
Mr. Bland also traveled as a part of the Johnny Ace Revue and recorded for the Chess, Modern and Duke labels before being drafted into the Army in 1952. Several of these recordings were made under the supervision of the producer Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis; none of them had a significant commercial impact.
After his time in the service Mr. Bland worked as a chauffeur, valet and opening act for his fellow Memphis rhythm-and-blues singer Junior Parker, just as he previously had for Mr. King. He toured as a headliner throughout the ’60s, playing as many as 300 one-night engagements a year, a demanding schedule that exacerbated his struggles with alcohol, which he later overcame. He performed widely, in the United States and abroad until shortly before his death.
Mr. Bland’s synthesis of Southern vernacular music and classy big-band arrangements made him a stylistic pioneer, but whatever he accomplished by way of formal innovation ultimately derived from his underlying faith in emotional power of the blues.
“I’d like to be remembered as just a good old country boy that did his best to give us something to listen to and help them through a lot of sad moments, happy moments, whatever,” he said, with characteristic humility, in a 2009 interview with the syndicated “House of Blues Radio Hour.”
“Whatever moments you get of happiness, use it up, you know, if you can, because it don’t come that often.”
R.I.P Mr Bland!
Kerry Washington COVERS "EMMY" Magazine
Clad in a white gown with detailed cutouts, NAACP Image Award winner Kerry Washington covers the June 2013 issue of Emmy Magazine. In the magazine, Kerry revealed that she never had plans to become an actress. In fact, she though she'd become a college professor, “Or a shrink. I had a real curiosity about how people become the people they are.”
She also opened up about her reservations in joining the acting world. “I thought that to be an actress, you had to want to be famous. And that wasn’t something I was interested in.” But after a summer program, she began to see things a bit differently.
"I realized there were lots of people who made a living as actors who may never be on the cover of a magazine, but still had fulfilling careers. And I decided, ‘I’m going to go for it.’ But I never really saw myself as someone who would be that girl on the cover of anything.”
But look at Kerry now!
The June 2013 issue of EMMY is available now. Gorgeous shots as usual.
CONGRATS J.LO! gets The 2,500th STAR On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
From being an original Fly Girl on "In Loving Color"...to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jennifer Lopez, who's been named by Forbes as the richest person in entertainment of Latino descent, nabbed her much award in front of the W Hotel.
Of course this flawless chick would twirl her way onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in CHRISTIAN DIOR, the Pre-fall 2013 collection. The gorgeous cashmere & silk white & coral gown, accented with a bowtie belt, was accessorized with Brian Atwood platform black ankle strapped pumps and an animal print Valentino clutch.
And the actress/dancer/producer/philanthropist/businesswoman/fashion diva was spotted entering the space with her long time manager Benny Medina (not pictured):
Her diamond H.Stern earrings matched her diamond ring, and she looked fabulous as usual for her big day.
Keenan Ivory Wayans, who created "In Living Color", was on hand to give a tear jerker of a speech for J.Lo about the show where she made her first major tv debut as a dancer. Jane Fonda, her co-star from Monster-In-Law (one of our faves....admit it, you've seen every cheesy J.Lo movie and loved it) was also there to give some words.
And Pitbull, her mom, dad and sister and kiddies Max, Emme and her niece were all there to support. Sweet!
Don't cry away all that bronzed fabness Jenny.
And, of course, her man Casper Smart was there. Not sure how much longer that's gonna last, but dude better soak it all in:
Congrats J.Lo!
Lil Snupe Is Dead! Meek Mill's New Artist SHOT DEAD in Philadelphia!!
Last Thursday in Philly rapper and Meek Mill protege Lil Snupe was found dead! This promising teenager just 18 was just about getting real BIG!! He was Meek Mill's new artist who got signed 20 mins after presenting his demo.
He was changing to being positive after a minor life of crime. This picture is alleged to be the last of him and a friend playing a video game and was reportedly SHOT DEAD by the same guy!! I found this on twitter (Disclaimer)
There is no word yet on the exact events leading to his cause of death. I will keep you updated. Below is what his manager Lee tweeted.
Lil Snupe's Manager's tweet
#LastTweet
His Last Tweet and you know how many rappers I have captured their last words on Twitter. This young man went out with GRACE for his hometown state of Louisiana. I hope Lil wayne and Birdman sees this tweet and RT it in his memory. They are all from that state and all changed hip-hop! Rest in peace son.
Mary J. Blige Sued for Ditching a Dallas
Though she's pleaded for "No More Drama," it has come back to find Mary J Blige in the form of a lawsuit from Vision Entertainment Worldwide.
According to the complaint the promotional company is alleging that the 42-year-old soulful songstress dipped out of a Dallas
Claiming it paid a $145k deposit up front, the company states that Mary never returned the money after cancelling the show.
Unfortunately, this may all be Mick Jagger's fault as the lawsuit alleges that she instead took the stage at the Barclays Center Dallas
Niecy Nash Covers JET Magazine, Talks How To KEEP A Man Happy!!
Comedian/Actress Niecy Nash covers JET magazine and Bumps her Gums, on how to keep your man happy.
Check out what Niecy had to say:
On keeping her man happy:
If you keep a man’s stomach full and his pen-s empty you won’t have a problem
On relationship advice:
It’s dangerous when we all have our curly hair on at the same time.
People don’t ask 10 White women with blond hair how they feel— and there are a million of them— when they are compared to each other because it’s perceived as if they are all doing something different. But Black comedic actresses are compared because there are so few of us.
Read the rest over at JET Magazine.
LHHATL’s DJ Babey Drew Has a Another Baby?
I really wonder why they haven’t mentioned the other baby momma. Well come to find out Drew Jr. the one he has with Tracie Steele isn’t the only child he has. Drew has a younger daughter that has to be 6-8 months old and the mother of the child’s name is Meiko Love. “I guess” Tracie and Drew plotted for T.V. because this is pathetic.
So all the crying and saying “You think I want to be a baby mother?” is all for T.V. literally. I was looking at her like a fool for a second.
Clearly Tracie didn’t know about this other baby, he kept it under wraps I bet to get on the show with her, just trifling and according to his responses on his Instagram the baby was born after they started filming for love and hip hop. Her name is Autumn Noelle ..
Nevertheless she is a cutie!
Kenya Moore of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is officially homeless, so it looks like she’ll be twirling from the curb.
The former beauty queen was being sued by her landlord for late rental payments on her Roswell
Looks like the Fulton County judge ruled in the landlord’s favor earlier this morning and now Kenya
A source close to the owner of the six-bedroom, six-bathroom home, Conya Weems, told RadarOnline.com:
“Since the landlord is out of town on business, it may be a few days before Kenya Kenya
As RadarOnline.com was first to report, neighbors had considered the 42-year-old reality star as a “neighbor from hell” in the suburb of Roswell
“The homeowner is incredibly upset at what is unwanted attention that has been caused as a result of Kenya
“Owners are concerned that the value of their properties are going down because she has not maintained the landscaping, nor the pool, has even storied furniture outside and her dog is always on the loose.”
Hmm, what happen to that best-selling workout video?, maybe she can use that money to pay her rent.
Wyclef Jean will PRODUCE Amanda Bynes new CD!
Wyclef Jean is helping troubled former child star Amanda Bynes get her recording career off the ground.
Amanda Bynes is moving forward with her music career and RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned the troubled 27-year-old will be meeting with three-time Grammy Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean at a studio on Monday night to work on her first single.
After being offered a deal for her own album by a major record label, an insider tells Radar things are moving quickly to get her in the studio and get the album produced so it hits the charts while she’s still relevant.
“Wyclef is the perfect producer for Amanda’s first single, because he isn’t only about making records,” the source told Radar.
“He’s a humanitarian and politician, so this will not be a typical album.”
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported earlier this month, Chinga Chang Records offered Amanda a hip hop record deal and having Wyclef on board to collaborate with her is a dream come true.
“This is something very special. Wyclef is familiar with Amanda’s talent and sound, so it only makes sense to have her sit down with someone of his caliber,” the source revealed.
“They’re envisioning something similar to Wyclef’s production of Lil Wayne‘s Sweetest Girl.”
The studio location of Amanda and Wyclef’s Monday night meeting remains a secret, but as RadarOnline.com exclusively reported on Saturday, the former Nickelodeon star was in Atlantic City
“She was stumbling and reeked of alcohol. She was carrying a huge handbag and something that looked like a pet carrier but I was hoping there wasn’t an animal inside because of the way she was holding it,” Brett Cohen told Radar.
“She started yelling at my dad and lunging at him. I told her ‘Amanda, you can’t do that, leave him alone’ and she just freaked out screaming, ‘he can’t take my picture’. A couple of security men came by and tried to calm her down and keep her from my dad. They had no idea who she was other than someone who was acting like a crazy person.”
Kelly Rowland Hits Best Buy To Promote TALK A GOOD GAME
Effortlessly gorge as usual, Kelly Rowland took the stage at the Best Buy in Union Square
The "Dirty Laundry" singer even had some fun with her fans...rubbing their heads and offering up kisses to the youngest ones in the room.
Adorbs! The cutesy singer tweeted her thanks saying, "Would like to send a HUGE thank you to all of my #RowlandStones that came to the #TalkAGoodGame album signing at @BestBuy in NYC today! Xo."
Kel, is also the new "X Factor USA
Corey Feldman Writing a Tell All
Former child star Corey Feldman plans to rip the lid off his friendship with Michael Jackson and the rampant drug and sexual abuse in Hollywood
Corey Feldman is lifting the lid on life as a child star in an explosive new book which will detail his relationship with late superstar Michael Jacksonand his longtime friend Corey Haim.
The Stand By Me star has put pen to paper to write a candid memoir called Coreyography, in which he details his life in Hollywood as a youngster, as well as his battles with drugs and sexual abuse.
Feldman also opens up about his friendship with the Thriller hitmaker, who died in 2009, and his late pal Haim, who passed away a year later (10) after a long battle with addiction issues.
The book, which will hit shelves in November (13), is described as a "Hollywood survival story" and a statement posted on Amazon.com, adds, "Now that two of (his) close friends - Haim and Jackson - have passed away, along with others, Corey has decided that it's time to come clean about his past, a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from whom he was emancipated at age fifteen, and a stint in rehab... Coreyography is a tale of survival and redemption."
Colin Kaepernick WORKS IT OUT In L.A.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was spotted working it out in a canyon in L.A.
Colin, who took his team to the Superbowl in January, looks like he's staying in shape during the off season so he can hit the ground running in the fall. Nice.
Celebs Celebrate The 40/40 Club 10th Anniversary With Jay and Beyonce
Jay-Z has something to celebrate and he brought his friends along for the ride. His 40/40 club is celebrating their 10 year anniversary him and Bey toasted to their success. BeyoncƩ wore all white dress with a plunging neckline, looking very fresh faced and happy. Jay takes pictures with New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith and New York Yankee Robinson Cano. Maxwell, Angie Martinez, Victor Cruz and Vinny Guadagnino were also in attendance. Jay-Z opened the Big Apple sports bar on June 18, 2003, and it closed for six months in 2011 for a $10 million remodel.
Jay Z ,Bey & Robert Kraft and his date!
T.I. and Tiny came to support the couple. Tiny looked really good here.
T.I. and Tiny came to support the couple. Tiny looked really good here.
Geno Smith, Hov, Bey and Robinson Cano
Victor Cruz and his girlfriend Elaina Watley
Amare and Jay-Z
Jay-Z and Robert Kraft
Angie Martinez and Maxwell
Maxwell
Vinny
Angie Martinez
DJ Cassidy, Maxwell, Adrienne Ballon
No shade Adrienne showed all the ladies up including Bey!
T.I red carpet
T.I red carpet
The Galaxy Man Jay-Z
Geno Smith, Hov, Victor Cruz and Robinson Cano
Fab and Emily
Jay-Z arriving to the 40/40 club 10 year anniversary celebration
Jay-Z arriving to the 40/40 club 10 year anniversary celebration
Happy Anniversary!
73-Year-Old Grandfather & 20-Year-Old Grandson Arrested In $12K Heroin Bust
Grandfathers are known to teach their grandsons lots of things, like how to push $12,000 worth of heroin. Unfortunately, he wasn't as well versed on how not to get busted.Authorities raided the Pittsburgh home of Albert Martin, 73, and his 20-year-old grandson, Troy Martin Friday (June 13) culminating a three-month undercover sting.
From WPXI:
Authorities arrested a grandfather and his grandson, and seized $13,000 in drugs early Friday morning during a drug raid at a Hill District home.
According to police, Albert Martin, 73, and Troy Martin, 20, will face drug charges after detectives found them with heroin, cocaine, cash and drug packaging materials inside a Mercer Street
Plainclothes officers investigated the home for three months after complaints of drug activity and two days ago, officers secured search warrants.
Zone 2 officers and SWAT members raided the home at 6 a.m. Friday, finding Troy
Authorities allegedly found 24 bricks of heroine worth $12,000 in addition to $1,000 worth of coke, $4,220 in cash, and two guns.
Both face drug charges, but the grandson was slapped with additional counts for weapons possession.
First Look: Idris Elba Channels Nelson Mandela In ‘Long Walk To Freedom’
The British actor Idris Elba was cast in the lead role of ‘Long Walk to Freedom,’ a film based on Mandela’s autobiography of the same name. The movie, which also stars Naomie Harris as Winnie, chronicles Nelson Mandela’s life from childhood to his election as the South African president.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on its new poster.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom has been adapted from the great man’s 1994 autobiography by esteemed Gladiator and Les MisĆ©rables scribe William Nicholson, something of a specialist in cinematic injustices. Of course, it would be trite to compare Nelson Mandela’s treatment at the hands of the apartheid regime with any fictional carry-ons. Tried on trumped-up charges of sabotage and conspiracy, he was slung into Robben Island
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM opens November 29, 2013.
FIRST LOOK: TJ & Marilee Holmes REVEAL Pics Of Baby Sabine
TV News anchorman TJ Holmes and his wife Marliee have revealed pics of their adorable baby girl
Earlier this year, we told you about former BET anchorman TJ Holmes and his gorgeous wife Marilee giving birth to a precious baby girl and now we have the first photos.
For Father's Day, Marliee tweeted a few photos of her hubby TJ (atop) and their precious bundle of joy, Sabine. She said, "Happy Father's Day...I will never grow tired of watching @tjholmes share moments with our daughter."
Congrats to the couple. We're sure TJ is enjoying his time with Sabine as he plans his return to tv news.
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘Snack Time’
Don’t worry people, we know we are overdue to feed your hunger for some bottom biscuits. So which biscuits in a basket do you want before your meal?
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
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