THIS IS THE CHRONICLES OF EFREM: The Daily Buzz For Dec 8

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Chris Rock Addresses RACISM In Hollywood & Eddie Murphy In THR Magazine

With all of the social unrest as a result of the recent police killings of African-American men/teens, Chris Rock has not been one to hold his tongue, speaking out against police brutality. And in a new essay penned by the Top Five writer/director for The Hollywood Reporter’s Dec. 12th issue, Mr. Rock keeps it real on what it’s like being a black actor in Hollywood and the very blatant racism that still exists today. He writes,

"It's a white industry. Just as the NBA is a black industry. I'm not even saying it's a bad thing. It just is. And the black people they do hire tend to be the same person. That person tends to be female and that person tends to be Ivy League. And there's nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, that's what I want for my daughters. But something tells me that the life my privileged daughters are leading right now might not make them the best candidates to run the black division of anything. And the person who runs the black division of a studio should probably have worked with black people at some point in their life. Clint Culpepper [a white studio chief who specializes in black movies] does a good job at Screen Gems because he's the kind of guy who would actually go see Best Man Holiday. But how many black men have you met working in Hollywood? They don't really hire black men. A black man with bass in his voice and maybe a little hint of facial hair? Not going to happen. It is what it is. I'm a guy who's accepted it all."

Gotta love when Chris keeps it 100.

The funnyman also reflected on when he first entered onto the Hollywood scene. He gave us a sneak peek on what it was like being around Eddie Murphy while filming on the set for the 1987 film Beverly Hills Cop II. He revealed,

"I was probably 19 when I first came to Hollywood. Eddie Murphy brought me out to do Beverly Hills Cop II and he had a deal at Paramount, so I remember going through the gates of the Paramount lot. He's in a Rolls-Royce, and he's not just a star, he's the biggest star in the world. Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer's office was in the same building as Eddie's office, and they would come to work every day with matching cars. Some days it would be the Porsches, and the next day it would be Ferraris. I was like the kid in A Bronx Tale. I got to just hang around when the biggest parts of show business were happening. I was only there a couple of weeks, but I remember every day Jeffrey Katzenberg would call Eddie Murphy — I don't even know if Eddie was calling him back — but it was like, "Jeffrey Katzenberg called again." "Janet Jackson just called." "Michael Jackson called." It was that crazy. I've still never seen anything like it. I had a small part in the movie, but my dream was bigger than that. I wanted to have a convertible Rolls-Royce with a fine girl driving down Melrose blasting Prince."

Ha! Check out the rest of his VERY candid essay HERE.

Lady Gaga Spotted With Baby Bump at Bloomberg Business week’s 85th Anniversary Celebration ?

Lady Gaga has people talking about her recent appearance at Bloomerberg’s Business Week 85th Anniversary celebration…Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – was spotted cradling a rounded tummy as she left her New York hotel last night.

According to Ok.UK: Having squeezed her figure into floor-length red sequin dress which highlighted her middle, she patted her ‘bump’ as she was snapped by waiting paparazzi. Before we get too excited, it’s worth remembering that the 28 year old, who has been with her boyfriend since 2011, has suffered with yo-yoing weight over the years, and may just be bloated.

But while we’re yet to receive any confirmation that Gaga is expecting, we can certainly Hope…

I’m tempted to say that it could be a food belly…. But I don’t know… We’ll just have to wait for an official announcement..

Beyoncé, Sam Smith Lead With Grammy Nominations…..Full List…

The nominees for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Friday morning. Beyoncé and Sam Smith lead the pack with five nods apiece, while Iggy Azalea, Usher, Sia, Eric Church, Gordon Goodwin, Miranda Lambert, and Jack White all scored four nominations each.

Beyoncé earned nominations in categories including Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Surround Sound Album, and Best Music Film. In the coveted Record of the Year category, Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX will vie against Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,” Sia’s “Chandelier,” Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” and Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” The nominees for Best Rap Album include Iggy Azalea’s The New Classic, Childish Gambino’s Because the Internet, Common’s Nobody’s Smiling, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Wiz Khalifa’s Blacc The biggest category, Album of the Year, will be revealed during the CBS special “A Very Grammy Christmas” at 9 p.m. EST.

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 8, 2015 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Record of the Year

“Fancy” – Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX

“Chandelier” – Sia

“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” – Sam Smith

“Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift

“All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor

Song of the Year

“All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor

“Chandelier” – Sia

“Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift

“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” – Sam Smith

“Take Me to Church” – Hozier

Best New Artist

Bastille

Iggy Azalea

Brandy Clark

HAIM

Sam Smith

Best Pop Solo Performance

“All of Me (Live)” – John Legend

“Chandelier” – Sia

“Stay With Me” – Sam Smith

“Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift

“Happy (Live)” – Pharrell Williams

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Fancy” – Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX

“A Sky Full of Stars” – Coldplay

“Say Something” – A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

“Bang Bang” – Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj

“Dark Horse” – Katy Perry feat. Juicy J

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Cheek to Cheek – Tony Bennet and Lady Gaga

Nostalgia – Annie Lennox

Night Songs – Barry Manilow

Sending You a Little Christmas – Johnny Mathis

Partners – Barbra Streisand with Various Artists

Best Pop Vocal Album

Ghost Stories – Coldplay

Bangerz – Miley Cyrus

My Everything – Ariana Grande

Prism – Katy Perry

x – Ed Sheeran

In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith

Best Dance Recording

“Never Say Never” – Basement Jaxx

“Rather Be” – Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne

“F For You” – Disclosure feat. Mary J. Blige

“I Got U” – Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones

“Faded” – Zhu

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Syro – Aphex Twin

While (1<2) – Deadmaus

Nabuma Rubberband – Little Dragon

Do It Again – Röyksopp & Robyn

Damage Control – Mat Zo

Best R&B Performance

“Drunk In Love” – Beyoncé feat. Jay Z

“New Flame” – Chris Brown feat. Usher & Rick Ross

“It’s Your World” – Jennifer Hudson feat. R. Kelly

“Like This” – Ledisi

“Good Kisser” – Usher

Best Traditional R&B Performance

“As” – Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton

“I.R.S.” – Angie Fisher

“Jesus Children” – Robert Glasper Experiment feat. Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm Jamal Warner

“Nobody” – Kem

“Hold Up Wait a Minute (Woo Woo)” – Antonique Smith

Best R&B Song

“Drunk In Love” – Beyoncé feat. Jay Z

“Good Kisser” – Usher

“New Flame” – Chris Brown feat. Usher & Rick Ross

“Options (Wolfjames Version)” – Luke James

“The Worst” – Jhené Aiko

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Sail Out – Jhené Aiko

Beyoncé – Beyoncé

X – Chris Brown

Mali Is… – Mali Music

G I R L – Pharrell Williams

Best R&B Album

Islander – Bernhoft

Lift Your Spirit – Aloe Blacc

Love, Marriage & Divorce – Toni Braxton & Babyface

Black Radio 2 – Robert Glasper Experiment

Give The People What They Want – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Best Rap Performance

“3005″ – Childish Gambino

“0 to 100 / The Catch Up” – Drake

“Rap God” – Eminem

“i” – Kendrick Lamar

“All I Need Is You” – Lecrae

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

“Blak Majik” – Common feat. Jhené Aiko

“The Monster” – Eminem feat. Rihanna

“Tuesday” – ILoveMakonnen feat. Drake

“Studio” – ScHoolboy Q feat. BJ the Chicago Kid

“Bound 2″ – Kanye West feat. Charlie Wilson

Best Rap Song

“Anaconda” – Nicki Minaj

“Bound 2″ – Kanye West feat. Charlie Wilson

“i” – Kendrick Lamar

“We Dem Boyz” – Wiz Khalifa

“0 to 100 / The Catch Up” – Drake

Best Rap Album

The New Classic – Iggy Azalea

Because the Internet – Childish Gambino

Nobody’s Smiling – Common

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem

Blacc Hollywood – Wiz Khalifa

Oxymoron – ScHoolboy Q

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

Paul Epworth

John Hill

Jay Joyce

Greg Kurstin

Max Martin

Best Music Video

“We Exist” – Arcade Fire

“Turn Down For What” – DJ Snake & Lil Jon

“Chandelier” – Sia

“Happy” – Pharrell Williams

“The Golden Age” – Woodkid feat. Max Richter

Best Music Film

Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour – Beyoncé & Jay Z

Ghost Stories – Coldplay

20 Feet From Stardom – Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill

Metallica Through The Never – Metallica

The Truth About Love Tour: Live From Melbourne – Pink

Best Surround Sound Album

Beppe: Remote Galaxy – Vladimir Ashkenazy & Philharmonia Orchestra

Beyoncé – Beyoncé

Chamberland: The Berlin Remixes – David Miles Huber

The Division Bell (20th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set – Pink Floyd

Epics Of Love – Song Zuying, Yu Long & China Philharmonic Orchestra

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection’ – Benjamin Zander & Philharmonia Orchestra

THE REST HERE!

Teen Stabbed For His Air Jordans, Chases Crooks Onto Train

Apparently, even the prospect of being mortally wounded is not enough to stop someone from chasing the crooks who stole his Air Jordans. A 14-year-old was robbed and stabbed in the back for his kicks in Washington, DC on Thursday (Dec. 4) morning.

Reports WJLA:

Police say a 14-year-old boy on his way to Hospitality High School was at 9th and T streets NW just before 8 a.m. Law enforcement sources say he encountered a pair of robbers armed with a knife just across from the school; they apparently wanted his Nike Air Jordans.

The two men approached the teen from behind and stole his Air Jordans and cell phone before stabbing him in the back, sources say. The injured boy then chased after the robbers and followed them onto a train at the Shaw-Howard U Metro station. The teen got off at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station, where a Metropolitan Police officer saw him bleeding and immediately called an ambulance.

It’s unclear which model the teen was wearing, but we’re guessing the Air Jordan 6s that dropped on Black Friday are a possibility.

WATCH FROM WJLA DC

Luckily, the unnamed teen’s injuries were not life threatening while the two thieves remain at large.

We gotta ask; how did the reporter below get her hands on a crispy pair of those 6s, though?

Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer Star in Emotional Drama ‘Black Or White’

Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer are staring in a new film that will touch on the subject of family race relations! The Academy Award winners are grandparents, who are in a custody battle for their bi-racial child.

Check out the details below!

In a nation full of unrest regarding the recent grand jury verdicts in the deaths of black U.S. citizens Michael Brown and Eric Garner, it seems particularly fitting that a movie discussing family race relations would be released. Academy Award winners Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer co-star in a new motion picture, “Black or White” where Costner’s character is the grandfather of biracial girl, Eloise (Jillian Estell) who’s recently widowed. Eloise’s mother has also died and was cared for by Costner’s character and his wife prior to her death.

Now that he’s decided to take care of Eloise on his own, Costner’s character ends up in a custody battle with the child’s paternal grandmother played by Spencer. She seems unsure that Costner’s character would be able to care for Eloise without assistance and seeks a way in which she can be there for the child. However, he seems adamant to do everything in his power to keep Eloise in his care. “I’ve lost everything,” he says. “I can’t lose her too.”

The movie, written and directed by Mike Binder, is set to be released everywhere January 30, 2015. The Wrap describes the film as an exploration of “mourning, addition, and challenges inherent to interracial families.” We are quite sure that this film will incite numerous conversations related to the biracial/blended family dynamic and look forward to its release.

Watch official trailer of “Black or White:” HERE!

Thoughts?

Balmain CEO Alain Hivelin Dies at 71

The creative director for Balmain Paris, Olivier Rousteing took to social media to share his condolences regarding his good friend Alain Hivelin, Balmain CEO, who died Thursday is a hospital in Paris. Rousteing posted a picture with the following message:

“I will be forever grateful to Alain Hivelin (1943-2014) for his vision, his support and friendship. A great man who will be greatly missed.”

Alain Hivelin, majority owner of Balmain died Thursday in a Paris hospital following a sudden illness he was 71. The cause of death was not disclosed according to WWD.

Childish: Birdman Let’s Everyone Know Who’s Side He’s On!

Birdman is so childish and it shows, he in his feelings after Lil Wayne’s tweet, While Pusha T, Trinidad James, Tyga and several fans were quick to share their opinions, the man in question remained silent. Well, he hasn’t officially addressed the situation or made any kind of public statement, but he did make it clear via Instagram that Rich Gang is his priority now, ignoring the complaint from his Cash Money breadwinner.

According to Vlad.com

The photo shows Baby smoking a cigar and stepping on several bundles of cash laid on the floor, while hanging with his Rich Gang associates along with the caption “RICHGANG $Machine.” Rumors have been swirling that Baby’s focus on Rich Gang, particularly on Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, may have a lot to do with Lil Wayne’s frustrations, but only time will tell if that’s the case.

How ignorant…for real for real…..STAY UP Weezey!

Halle Berry To Judge — I Got Proof Gabriel Bleached Nahla’s Hair!

Halle Berry says she has the smoking follicle to prove Gabriel Aubry bleached and damaged her daughter’s hair … and the proof is in Nahla’s hair brush.

According to TMZ: Halle hauled Gabriel into court, claiming he was straightening and lightening her hair to make her appear white. Gabriel denied using chemicals and said the lightening was from the pool and sun.

Halle submitted documents to the court from Microtrace, a forensic consulting lab. Halle gave them a pink hair brush with strands of Nahla’s hair.

The company analyzed the hair and concluded there was evidence it was chemically treated. The lab went on to say the repeated use of chemicals took their toll, writing there was “extensive damage … likely the cumulative effect of repeated exposure to numerous gentle bleaching treatments.”

The judge ruled neither Halle nor Gabriel could mess with Nahla’s hair, and based on pics of Nahla and Gabriel from this week … it looks like her hair is going back to normal. This lady is PATHETIC!

Uh Oh? Jay Z Forced To Submit Financials In “Big Pimpin” Lawsuit

Since 2007, Jay Z has been battling a lawsuit over a sample he used in his hit song “Big Pimpin.” According to the latest information regarding the case, the rapper has been ordered to hand over confidential financial information stating how much he made per concert.

Reports 24Urban: The legal battle is still being fought in federal court, as Osama Ahmed Fahmy – the heir to a 1960’s composer named Baligh Hamdy who created the musical composition “Khosara, Khosara” filed suit claiming he licensed his father’s song but with a moral clause, which was violated by the rhyme spitter.

Last month, documents were filed by Fahmy, who claims that Jay made an attempt to manipulate the suit. According to the docs, Jigga is refusing to hand over financial documents regarding how much he made per concert in which he performed “Big Pimpin.”

On November 24th, the judge in the case sided with Fahmy and ordered Jay Z and Timbaland to hand over all financial records of the money they made per concert where “Big Pimpin” was performed.

And now…Jigga ain’t tripping though.

The Fellas Get Dapper For The 2014 GQ Men Of The Year Party

It was the guys’ turn to pose it up on the carpet at the 2014 GQ Men of the Year party in L.A.

Comedian Dave Chappelle, Get On Up actor Chadwick Boseman and openly gay free agent Michael Sam made the distinct list of game changers who left their mark in 2014. And to celebrate, the 19th annual GQ “Men of the Year” party was held at Chateau Marmont in L.A.

GQ cover guy Dave Chappelle joined the celebs who are using their platforms to raise awareness to social issues. He hit the carpet holding his arms up in the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” position in honor of Ferguson teen Mike Brown.

Joining him on the carpet was his wife of thirteen years Elaine Mendoza Erfe. Nice to see Dave back on the scene after he suddenly "fell off the face of the earth". In Dave’s GQ cover story, he talked about how he's feeling these days as he slowly returns to the limelight. He said,

“I think that's probably my natural disposition. Obviously, in some situations or places, I'll be way more guarded. But I feel good this week. I had a nice week at home. I've been on the road nine out of the last twelve months this year, which was the most I've done in years, so I'm more accustomed to being around people. You know, for a while, I was kind of sequestered. Well, sequestered is not the right word. It was more like Superman's self-imposed exile.

Free-agent defensive end Michael Sam, who became the first openly gay male to join the NFL, hit the carpet to accept his award. He brought his boyfriend Vito Cammisano along as his date for the night.

And they're still getting kissy for the cameras. You’ll recall, the controversial kiss seen around the world of Michael and his boyfriend after the St. Louis Rams drafted him into the NFL. The former University of Missouri All-American player was later dropped by the team, picked up by the Cowboys (for the practice squad) and eventually dropped before ever playing an actual NFL game. Recently, he tweeted out that he still has hopes to one day play in the NFL.

Since his role as Jackie Robinson in 42, our crush Chadwick Boseman has been making big moves in Hollywood. The 37-year-old actor starred as James Brown in his biopic Get On Up. And most recently, it was announced he would become the first African-American Marvel superhero, starring in the upcoming flick The Black Panther. Nice!

E! News correspondent Terrence J and his girlfriend Nichole Issacs posed it up on the carpet together. Back in April, Terrence J put his model skills to work for a Stacey Adams spread.

And to show the fun dynamics in their relationship a little, the twosome goofed off in a photo booth during the party.

L.A. Clippers power forward Blake Griffin got dapper for last night's festivities.

The NBA baller caught up with his teammate Spencer Hawes and snapped it up with Dave.

One of our fave celeb couples Terry Crews and wife Rebecca Crews looked nice as they flashed their smiles for the cameras.

And of course Terry had to keep it fun.

COMPLEX cover guy Wale was in the mix. The MMG rapper took some time from the studio as he works on his upcoming album, The Album About Nothing, for a little fun.

Former NBA baller Scottie Pippen came out to party.

And at a pre-party event: Dave and Terrence J chopped it up during the Cadillac and GQ Celebrate Men Of The Year pre-party event at Sunset Tower in West Hollywood. Terrence was busy making is rounds, snapping it up with his girl and Wale: