Angela Bassett Gets Flawless For EBONY,
As EBONY salutes Black Hollywood in their March 2014 issue, Angela Bassett, who recently starred in the musical Black Nativity, is gracing the cover.
She may be strong, poised and resilient, but the mom of two is also opening up to about her moments of doubt and insecurity.
As the actress (who's actually super bubbly in real life) reflected on moments when it was hard to secure a role, she offers the following advice on how to keep going:
“You’ve got to keep a good attitude. You can’t think, ‘This is it [during the lean times], because that’s when it’s going to break open for you. You’ve got to be ready; you’ve got to be prepared.”
“Whatever you’re dealing with seems like a mountain to you, but we truly aren’t in it alone. Sometimes we need others to talk us off the cliff or to just talk to us or to be there with us [in order] to support us or love us.”
Despite being a part of Hollywood’s elite and being armed with an Ivy League degree from Yale University, Angela also discussed why pursuing excellence and staying grounded is so important to her.
“I understand where I come from; the strength and the people I come from. I know what has been endured and sacrificed.”
This issue, on newsstands now, reveals never-before-seen images of our biggest celebrities and crowns the next generation of stars.
Britney Spears Ditches Blonde Locks For Brunette
Ready for a change of pace, Britney Spears revealed that she is now a brunette Unveiled while plugging her new fragrances, the "Toxic" singer looks into a vanity mirror holding the bottle as her brown tresses fall in front of her shoulders.
Along with the pic, the 32-year-old pop star wrote, "Spice up Valentine’s Day by getting ‘Naughty & Nice’ ((pun intended)) ;)."
The busy entertainer is also working hard on her Vegas show "Piece of Me", tweeting on Saturday, "Such a treat to see @jessetyler in the audience tonight instead of on my TV screen. <3 @ModernFam
Mariah Carey sizzles in a very low-cut gown as she poses on a piano to sing at the BET Honors
Mariah Carey hit all the right notes in a very revealing black gown at the BET Honors at Warner Theatre in downtown Washington DC on Saturday evening.
The superstar singer slid her sexy body on to a piano to sing at the event, which fetes African Americans performing at top levels in music, literature, entertainment, education and more.
But although the audience no doubt enjoyed her performance, it's likely that many viewers will have been wondering whether or not the 43-year-old's ample assets would remain inside the bodice of her specially designed Rubin Singer dress.
The gown clung to her curves like a glove and displayed an eyeful of cleavage and side boob.
In fact, Mariah's outfit looked more than a little like the red dress worn by voluptuous cartoon character Jessica Rabbit in 1988 movie hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The I Will Always Love You singer's blonde tresses were gently curled and framed her beautifully made-up face.
She accessorised with long black gloves, a blingy necklace and matching earrings.
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Motown founder Berry Gordy, rapper-actor Ice Cube, American Express chairman-CEO Ken Chenault and photographer and video artist Carrie Mae Weems all received tributes at the show, which was hosted by actor and comedian Wayne Brady.
Others who performed at the show included Jennifer Hudson, Janelle Monae, Tamar Braxton and Smokey Robinson .
Artists Ludacris and Mack Wilds, Scandal actor Joe Morton and activist/talk host Rev. Al Sharpton were tapped as presenters.
Proceeds from BET Honors’ limited ticket sales will benefit the Women Veterans Interactive, an organisation that provides housing options and support for veterans and their families.
The special will air on BET on February 24.
Queens Elementary School Forbids Students From Writing About Malcolm X
Every February in the United States, Black History Month finds schools focusing a chunk of their curriculum towards teaching students about African-Americans who have made positive contributions to the country's advancement as a society.
According to PS School 201, an elementary discovery and research institution in Flushing, Queens, Malcolm X was not one of those positive Black figures.
Via NYDailyNews:
Teachers at Public School 201 in Flushing told fourth-graders last week that the controversial activist was “violent” and “bad.” They also refused to let the kids write about the assassinated icon for Black History Month.
Children were asked to pick from several prominent black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Malcolm X for the project, Minor said.
City Department of Education officials said they were looking into the matter and would not defend it.
Parents such as Cleatress Brown and Angel Minor were immediately outraged upon learning of the news and Brown even went as far as to allow her son to write about Malcolm X regardless and proudly turn the report in.
"I'm outraged. As a teacher, you're imposing your opinion on a bunch of kids," she told the school's principal Rebecca Lozada.
According to a survey, 43 percent of the kids that attend the school are Black.
John Legend Announces Acoustic Tour
John Legend has announced plans for a very special spring tour. The veteran R&B singer-songwriter will perform an intimate acoustic concert at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester on Monday, June 2 as part of the “All of Me” tour. Tickets for the show, which range in price from $50 to $70, are now on sale through the venue ‘s box office and website.
For the upcoming tour, Legend is promising a stripped-down affair. He’ll be aided by minimal guitar/vocal accompaniment as well as a string quartet. Legend will also be promoting his latest album, Love In the Future. Released in August of 2013, his fourth studio effort and follow-up to 2008′s Evolver debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200. Produced by Legend and longtime collaborators Kanye West and Dave Tozer, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album. Love In the Future features singles “Who Do We Think We Are” (featuring Rick Ross), “Made to Love” (featuring Kimbra) and “All of Me”
Evelyn Lozada’s ‘Diapers & Diamonds’ Baby Shower Bash:
She’s ready to pop and celebrate! Evelyn Lozada’s baby shower took place Saturday (February 8th), at Beverly Hill’s Mastros.
The bash, with a ‘Diamonds and Diapers‘ theme, included the former Basketball Wives’ close family and friends. In attendance were Evelyn’s nieces, sister and daughter Shaniece, along with Shaunie O’Neal, Rashidah Ali (Love & Hip Hop NY), Sarah Chapman (the mother of Diddy’s daughter, Chance), Julissa Bermudez, Tasha Marbury (Basketball Wives), Nikki Chu (Girlfriend Confidential LA), Tiffney Cambridge (‘Marrying the Game’), Nina Parker (The Insider) and a few other familiar faces.
In addition to the typical baby shower festivities, Evelyn’s guests two stepped (peep the footage below) to Beyoncé, goofed off in the photo booth and gave heartfelt speeches to the newly engaged reality star. Pics via TheJasmineBrand
Queen Latifah Ready To Get Married ?
Queen Latifah broke up with her girlfriend Jeanette Jenkins back in 2011 and started dating Eboni Nichols. They’ve been together for a long time now and I guess after her Officiating 33 ceremonies at the Grammy’s with Macklemore she caught the wedding bug.
According to Star Magazine:
After officiating 33 weddings for gay and straight couples during the Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, Queen Latifah has caught the marriage bug! The talk show host is so happy in her long-term relationship with girlfriend Eboni Nichols that she’s considering tying the knot very soon. The talk show host, 43, has been fiercely protective of her private life and has never confirmed her sexuality to the public, but those closest to her are revealing she’s ready to be more open. The couple were even spotted at L.A.’s Catalina Bar & Grill on Jan. 19, looking closer than ever. “They’re completely in love,” spills a friend.
If this is true, congrats..
Kelly Rowland, A$AP & Chanel And More GET FAB For The 2014 amfAR Gala...While Grace Jones Dances On Tables
The amfAR New York Gala is the official kickoff to New York Fashion Week and serves as the Foundation’s signature annual benefit in New York City. Celebsa nd socialites are on hand for the highly anticipated black-tie gala every year to see the organization present their Award of Courage to individuals who have made exceptionally important contributions to amfAR and the fight against AIDS. This year’s honorees were Peter Lindbergh, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson.
Before she chopped it p at a table with rapper A$AP Rocky and his model girlfriend Chanel Iman, the gorgeous Kelly Rowland kept it fresh faced and perfect on the red carpet at the 2014 amfAR Gala:
She kept it chic in a black and white ruffle hem Juan Carlos Obando Resort 2014 dress for the occasion. And she tossed on her metallic pumps and statement jewelry to complete her look.
Meanwhile, Chanel Iman and A$AP cuddled up on the carpet and inside. We must admit, we're kinda surprised these two are still going strong:
Chick knows how to rock a simple slip dress.
Selita Ebanks showed off her curvy yet modeleque bod in a Gabriela Cadena white gown on the carpet.
Very pretty look for her. But where's that reality show she filmed a while ago? Never seeing the light of day?
And the night was full of models as Alek Wek made her way to the carpet with a striking look.
Ms. Grace Jones took over the night with her performance:
She hopped up on people's tables, sashayed perfectly in sky high heels, and all around SERVED like only she can. Work.
By the way, she's 65 and in the process of writing her memoirs.
Kylie Jenner Spends Saturday With Jaden Smith
Spending the day with her guy friends, Kylie Jenner headed out in Calabasas, California The teen reality star dressed casually in a black sweatshirt, matching leggings, and boots as she walked along with Jaden Smith and Mateo and Moises Arias.
Later that evening, Jaden joined the 16-year-old Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick for what looked to be a couples date night at a sushi restaurant.
While Kylie leans into her big sister, Jaden leans close to her with his two fingers up on both hands. Kourtney captioned the photo, "These people made my night...Back in 1977."
Brooklyn Men Freed From Prison After Serving 22 Years For False Conviction
A pair of Brooklyn men who served 22 years for murders they didn't commit were freed last Thursday (February 6). Antonio Yarbough and Sharrif Wilson were aided by DNA evidence that proved the men had nothing to do with the triple murder they were falsely convicted for.
CNN exclusively spoke with Yarbough and Wilson last Friday (February 7), now both in their 30s, but were teenagers when they were convicted of the triple murder of Yarbough's mother, his sister and a girl cousin. The harrowing tale of Yarbough, then 18, discovering the murder as he returned home with Wilson, then 15, from a party is disturbing.
Yarbough's mother was found stabbed, and the two girls were strangled and partially undressed inside the Coney Island apartment. After police responded, Yarbough was ordered to the precinct where he says cops tried to get him to sign a false confession. Yarbough didn't break under the pressure, but Wilson, afraid of the consequences, cooperated with the police in promise of a lighter sentence.
After being convicted in separate trials, Yarbough was sentenced with 75 years to life with Wilson getting nine years to life. After an aunt of Wilson wrote to him in 2005 asking if the pair truly did the crime, he finally broke and told her they had nothing to do with it. The letter made its way to lawyer Zachary Margulis-Ohuma, who consulted with the district attorney to reopen the case in 2010.
"For many years I felt horrible that I had to do that and that I actually did it knowing that we weren't guilty for a crime we didn't commit," Wilson said, while next to Yarbough on CNN. "I still feel horrible now.”
The new investigation revealed that DNA found at a 1999 crime scene matched was was found at the Brooklyn home, thus exonerating the men as they were in prison at the time.
Yarbough says he holds no ill will towards Wilson, although the he expressed in a sentence what his time was like at New York's Attica prison for all that time.
"It was a nightmare," Yarbough said ot CNN's Piers Morgan. "Twenty-one years and seven months was more like 42 years and seven months, when you know you're in prison for something you didn't do."
Credit Cards Will Disappear In 2015, No More Magnetic Strips; No More Signing On The Dotted Line
Are you ready for the new wave of credit cards? Every credit card in the U.S. will be replaced by October 2015 with new cards that contain the chip-and-PIN technology that the rest of the world has had for years, according to the Wall Street Journal. No more black magnetic stripes; no more signing on the dotted line.
Americans who have traveled to Europe in recent years will know that the U.S.’s credit card system is embarrassingly old-fashioned by comparison. It’s often difficult to use American credit cards abroad because the Europeans abandoned magnetic stripes and signatures years ago — they were too easily hacked. Credit and debit cards in the U.S. are about 10 years behind the rest of the world.
The new cards contain a microchip and require the owner to enter a PIN into a payment machine at checkout. They are making harder for people to hack or use someone’s identity.
First, requiring the PIN prevents checkout staff from handling your card — they will simply hand you the point-of-sale device and customers will insert their cards and verify payment themselves. In 2015 (partially) the US will continue to move towards the EMV (Euro/MC/Visa/ Chip Card. The cards are already out there and the 1st wave of EMV compatible terminals are out there as well. It will cut down on fraud amongst other things. The U.S. and other countries will eventually move to the contactless technology as well.
Second, the chip replaces the magnetic stripe, which is easily copied and therefore vulnerable to hackers, as the Target sting proved. In France, chip-and-PIN allegedly reduced credit-card fraud by 80% (although the sourcing for this number is vague).
In fact, the reason the U.S. is being forced into making the chip-and-PIN change now is that the fraud industry migrated from Europe to America simply because U.S. cards were easier to hack than the European ones, according to MasterCard’s Carolyn Balfany, the company’s expert on the change.
McGruff The Crime Dog Busted For Pot Farm
A Houston man who once portrayed McGruff the Crime Dog has shown his commitment to crime fighting apparently wasn’t very deep.
John R. Morales was sentenced this week to 16 years and three months in federal prison on drug and weapons charges after police found more than 1,000 marijuana plants and 27 weapons, including grenade launchers, at two indoor farms.
Morales wore the McGruff costume for the Harris County Sheriff’s Association in the late 1990s.
A real crime dog — the drug-sniffing variety — detected pot plans in Morales’ trunk after he was stopped for speeding in Galveston in 2011. Authorities say officers found a clipboard with maps to the indoor farms.
Defense attorney Ken Fesler II says Morales entered the drug trade to help sick relatives.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Move Up their Wedding Date
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting married sooner than expected.
Date swap! Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have decided to push up their wedding date, sources confirm in the latest issue of Us Weekly. The brunette-again reality star, 33, and Yeezus rapper, 36, initially planned to get hitched in July, but are now pushing their Parisian nuptials up to May.
"North will have a large role in the wedding!" one insider tells Us of the couple's 8-month-old daughter. Another source says the two have been planning "lots of events leading up to the big day" for their guests.
Kardashian and her fiance visited the City of Light several weeks ago, where they toured Versailles after dark, attended a dinner hosted by legendary designer Azzedine Alaia and tended to business. "I'm not telling where or the date, but I think it's kind of obvious it's in Paris," the bride-to-be told Jimmy Kimmel on Jan. 23 of the location.
West, who owns an apartment near the famed Champs-Élysées, has taken a hands-on approach while planning his upcoming wedding to the E! standout. "Kim isn't totally pumped about a huge wedding," one insider tells Us of the twice-divorced reality star. "But she's going along with it."
While the rapper has been actively involved in planning various aspects of the wedding, Kardashian knows what she wants when it comes to wedding wear: "She'll do one dress change," a pal tells Us.
For more on Kimye's wedding planning, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER’
There is no argument that more beard = more manly. It’s just a fact. However, getting further off the beaten path into mountain men/radish lookalike hurt the cause gentleman.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
EFREM
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