THIS IS THE CHRONICLES OF EFREM: The Daily Buzz For May 6

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Lupita Nyong'o Reveals Her "Star Wars" Character

Lupita Nyong'o is gearing up to take over the film word again. After being cast in the soon-to-be legendary Star Wars VII film a year ago, details are now starting to emerge. She will be playing the role of Maz Kanata. According to Star Wars Wookieepedia:

Maz Kanata was a female pirate. Around thirty years after the Battle of Endor, she owned a castle which played host to travelers, smugglers and other riff raff.

She's featured in Vanity Fair on the high tech set of the film (above) where her facial features are being reproduced for all the on screen effects.

A small galaxy’s worth of tracking dots affixed to Lupita Nyong’o’s face allowed artists at Industrial Light & Magic to transform her into the C.G.I. character Maz Kanata.

The Oscar winner revealed:

The issue of VF is on newsstands now. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18, 2015.

DEVELOPING NOW: WILL NENE HAVE A NEW SHOW WITH KIM KARDASHIAN WEST?

I reported that RHOA veterans Nene Leakes and Kim Zolciak Biermann are teaming for a Fall season Bravo spin-off, Nene and Kim: Road To Riches. Although the two have had rifts in their friendship over the years, they have repaired it in order to create a “Thelma And Louise” type of show where viewers will see them drive across the country to Los Angeles from Atlanta.

After Nene returns from the road with Kim Zolciak, she will be collaborating with another Kim… last name Kardashian West. In an after show video from The Meredith Vieira Show, Nene revealed she signed a contract with Kardashian West for a project that will last over the next couple of years. Nene shared, “We have not released a statement yet, but we plan to in the next couple of weeks. It will be something very interesting!”

Although we’re not sure what the two reality television starlets have up their fashionable sleeves, we’re sure it’ll be good. Below is the complete video of Nene explaining her new project with Kim Kardashian West and giving advice to women who want to launch their own businesses.

WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT IS NOT FAKE., BUT VERY REAL!

In the WTF? Files: Bodybuilder Nearly Lost His Arms After Injecting His Muscles With Oil

A bodybuilder who obsessed over his body image nearly killed himself by pumping his biceps with artificial fillers.

Romario dos Santos, 25, admired the oversized physiques of the other bodybuilders who worked out at his gym. The bodybuilders shared their secret with the former bodyguard: they were injecting synthetic oil into their muscles.

Dos Santos quickly developed an addiction to the oil. He was thrilled with the results and he searched for other substitutes fillers to make his muscles even bigger. He soon began injecting a concoction of oil, alcohol and painkillers into his muscles.

“If you take it once, there will definitely be a second time — it’s addictive,” dos Santos told Barcroft.

Dos Santos said the artificial fillers soon calcified into huge rocks inside his biceps. The calcifications caused his muscles and ligaments to harden.

Doctors told dos Santos he would need to amputate both of his arms to save his life.

The married father of one couldn’t kick his habit. He even enlisted his wife Marisangela Marinho, 22, to inject the substances into muscles he couldn’t reach.

But she stopped when she saw his health deteriorating.

“She told me that if I start using it again or anything like it, she will leave me because of what she went through.

“I was hospitalized in a clinic and my wife was six months pregnant — it was just me and her, no friends or family,” he said.

To complicate his addiction further, dos Santos was hooked on the attention he received from total strangers on the street.

“Sometimes kids will come up to me and say that I look like the Incredible Hulk and hug me and have their photo taken with me,” he told Barcroft.

Dos Santos finally kicked the habit after doctors told him they could save his arms by removing the calcified rocks.

Now dos Santos warns others about the risks involved in injecting substances into their muscles.

“I want other people to see the dangers, I could have died all because I wanted bigger muscles. It’s just not worth it.”

Miguel’s Drop Kick Victim is Ready to Sue him 2 YEARS LATER?

Two years ago R&B singer Miguel famously flying drop kicked a fan during his performance at the Billboard Music Awards [click here if you missed that].

The victim is ready to sue… According to TMZ One of the women who claimed to be injured during Miguel's infamous failed stage leap has finally lawyered up -- and in her lawsuit, Cindy Tsai says she took the brunt when Miguel came up short and landed on her head.

Tsai is suing Miguel -- as well as the MGM Grand Hotel, where the event was held -- for negligence and is seeking damages to cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

What happened lately? He must've blocked her on instagram and unfollowed her on twitter. LOL!!!

Kenya Moore: “I Will Always Be A Queen”

Late last week, Kenya Moore broke down part one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion, paying close attention to Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks. Kenya also touched on the complaints about unmarried housewives.

But first, Kenya pointed out both the good and the bad about the reunions. As for the positive, she explained, “The reunion represents closure on all levels. I believe most women need closure.”

As for the negative aspect, Kenya shared, “Reunions are tough because you live through filming, then through seeing it on TV, and then again during the reunion. You can feel you have moved on from something difficult and then you have to discuss it and rehash it. I felt good about this reunion, because I have grown so much. I am stronger now and nothing or anyone can destroy me.”

About part one of the reunion, Kenya added, “I was respectful toward Phaedra during the conversation, but it’s clear that after our truce, she still wants to call me a whore and liken me to ‘whores in the bible.’ God does not like ugly. Maybe sitting alone on the sofa now is confirmation.”

Kenya admitted that she had hoped for an apology from Porsha. “You have to own what you do wrong in life. Children are taught that you don’t hit anyone first or at all. Whether provoked or not, isolated incident or not, physically attacking someone is legally and morally incomprehensible. Doing the right thing should be easy. But this is the same person whose grandfather was a greatly respected civil rights activist who fought for non-violence, yet thinks the Underground Railroad was an actual train that took people to freedom.”

Kenya called out Phaedra (hypocrite) and Porsha (resident thot). “In typical fashion Phaedra attacks my character in a preplanned soliloquy. But in her own words, her ‘THOT’ friend thinks that spreading your legs wide open and accepting gifts from married men is admirable. Yet, it’s basically teaching young girls that having a square card reader between your butt cheeks is how one becomes blessed and successful. That’s why I will always be a Queen, literally and figuratively, because when I am wrong, I can apologize, forgive, and move forward. I can love, though I have not always been loved, and I can be talented and successful on my own merit without needing men to finance my lifestyle. I can be the bigger person when others try to bring me down.”

Kenya addressed the complaints about non-married “housewives” on RHOA. “Every Real Housewife franchise has single women, from Beverly Hills to OC to NY to Atlanta. With that said, there are only two Housewives on RHOA that are currently not married, Claudia and myself. In fact, approximately 43 percent of all Black women have never been married. My journey is not unlike the many Black single women who watch our show. Nearly half of Black women want to be married and find true love but are not willing to settle or can’t find the right man. NeNe and her puppet would like everyone to think it’s better to be in a horrible marriage rather than be single.”

“Having said that, I have never received so much love from the viewers as when I was featured on The Millionaire Matchmaker,” continued Kenya. “It made me realize is that I am no different from all the single women around the world looking for real love. My journey is their journey, and ultimately they want me to fall in love with them rooting me on. It happened for Kandi, Kim, Bethenny, Tamra, etc. and it will happen for me too with all of you by my side. Therefore, having single women as Housewives is good for the show. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy. We can inspire and give hope to those looking for love.”

Kenya called out NeNe Leakes, who said on Live With Kelly and Michael that her unmarried co-stars should be fired. “Rumor has it that someone said single women should be fired from RHOA. As such, we wouldn’t have witnessed the beautiful rekindling of NeNe and Gregg’s love or her wedding special,” snarked Kenya. “Therefore, those people clearly didn’t create the successful model for this show. If it’s a play to get me fired… try again. #CatchThatShade”

GOSPEL SHOCKER! BET Announces the End of ‘Bobby Jones Gospel’

*BET has chosen to end “Bobby Jones Gospel” after 35 seasons on the air. Despite the cancellation being known for months by gospel insiders, the site notes the network publicly acknowledged its decision last week during its upfront presentation to advertisers and media in New York City.

Hosted and launched by Dr. Bobby Jones, “Bobby Jones Gospel” premiered in 1980 and is credited for bringing gospel music to an international audience as “premiere destination for faith-based recording artists to be seen on television.”

In addition, “Bobby Jones Gospel” was instrumental in launching the careers of various artists, including Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, among others. While the show boasts a who’s who of gospel artists that have appeared, “Bobby Jones Gospel” has provided exposure for mainstream performers such has Patti LaBelle, Ashford & Simpson, Stephanie Mills, Kenny Lattimore, Dionne Warwick, Coko of SWV, Raheem DeVaughn, Lil’ Mo and the late Maya Angelou.

According to AlwaysAList, the 75-year-old TV fixture will retire from hosting “Bobby Jones Gospel.” Despite this, he will continue touring in the U.S. and abroad with renowned Nashville Super Choir, which served as the show’s choral cast of under the direction of musician Derrick Lee.

While Jones played an important role in “Bobby Jones Gospel,” he never received any recognition for his record-breaking small screen achievement by the Emmy or TV Land Awards. Nevertheless, Jones did get his due with a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The final season of “Bobby Jones Gospel will begin taping this summer in Washington, DC. The final shows for the series will begin airing its last shows in October.

Uh Oh? Floyd Mayweather Sued for $20M by Ex Josie Harris Over Katie Couric Interview

In a recent interview with Katie Couric, Floyd Mayweather said that all he did was “restrain” Josie Harris, the mother of three of his children, while she was high on drugs during a 2010 incident that led to his domestic violence conviction and a 90 day jail sentence the following year.

“Did I kick, stomp and beat someone? No, that didn’t happen,” Floyd told Couric. “Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that’s domestic violence, then, you know what? I’m guilty. I’m guilty of restraining someone.”

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports’ Martin Rogers, Josie Harris describes her rocky relationship with Floyd Mayweather

Now, Harris is suing Mayweather for more than $20 million, saying she’s been labeled a drug addict and was humiliated, according to TMZ Sports.

The report says that Harris’ lawyer, Dan Friedlander, wrote in the lawsuit that the boxing star’s lies to Couric “were knowingly fabricated in order to hype Mayweather’s upcoming fight with Pacquiao, to avoid bad press by deflecting responsibility for beating the mother of his children.”

SIMPLY HEARTBREAKING! Tamir Rice’s Mother Living In A Homeless Shelter

Tamir Rice’s mother has been forced to move into a homeless shelter and is unable to bury her son until the investigation into his death is complete. Rice’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Cleveland, that is being held up over the police investigation into the boy’s death.

Rice, 12, was gunned down by a Cleveland Police officer last November as the pre-teen played with a toy gun. On Monday (May 4), Rice’s family filed a motion asking a judge not delay their lawsuit against the city. “The incident has shattered the life of the Rice family,” reads the motion. “In particular, Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice’s mother, has since been forced to move to a homeless shelter because she could no longer live next door to the killing field of her son.”

The officers involved, Timothy Loehmann, who shot Rice, and his partner Frank Garmback, asked for a stay of litigation pending the end of the police investigation. The request was made to protect the officers from commenting without knowing if they will be charged, reports the Washington Post.

No arrests have been made in Rice’s death, and his family is incurring daily expenses in trying to keep the boy’s remains in case further medical evidence is needed.

“Plaintiffs are incurring expense daily and are unsure if they can finally rest Tamir Rice due to the pending investigation.” The docs add that a stay would only “exacerbate this expense and emotional distress.”

Transgender Beauty Janet Mock explains how her childhood BFF changed her life

Janet Mock has always been transparent when it comes to sharing her story as a transgender woman. And in a new interview with Oprah Winfrey for “Super Soul Sunday,” Mock explains how a fellow transgender friend from her childhood changed her life for the better.

While chatting with Winfrey about her youth, Mock explained that she felt invisible and misunderstood by the people around her until she met her friend, Wendi, a 12-year-old girl who was a year older than her and had already begun embracing her identity.

“There’s no way to miss Wendi,” she says. “She would wear these super-short shorts with socks pulled all the way up. She’d prance around school, so I always saw her and I was afraid of her — because I knew that she was reflecting me, and I didn’t want to see myself yet.”

Mock added, “She did call me out, and that was my first interaction with her … ‘Are you māhū?’ That’s what she asked me. ‘Māhū’ is a term within Hawaiian culture kind of loosely translated to ‘transgender,’ I clenched up. I was like, ‘Wait, someone is seeing me. Someone is calling me out for who I am.’ ”

Mock explained that it took a long time before she began to open up to Wendi, who helped her open up herself to the world.

“She asked me kindly the next time … ‘Do you want to play volleyball after school?'” Mock recalls. “That was the start of our friendship.”

Mock became emotional as she recalled the impact of her friendship with Wendi, which she explained was a gift to have at such a critical time in her life

“Wendi was the first person to tweeze my eyebrows, which was my first act of intimacy as a young person, having someone to finally take care of me. I was like, ‘Wow, this is what friendship is,’ ” Mock said.

“At 12 years old, I was given the gift of having a best friend who saw me,” she says, tearing up. “That was pivotal in my life. At a time where everyone else was rebutting me, she saw me.”

We’re glad that Mock had someone in her corner to affirm her identity and show her what unconditional love is, especially in a world where spaces of freedom and acceptance can be so rare for transgender youth.

Prince William & Kate Middleton Register Daughter Princess Charlotte’s Birth!

It’s been a crazy few days for Prince William and Kate Middleton as they welcomed their daughter Princess Charlotte over the weekend. Kensington Palace tweeted a photograph of the little one’s birth registration along with the message, “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have formally registered the birth of Princess Charlotte.”

The Palace reported, “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.”

Jazmine Sullivan Covers Nina Simone's 'Baltimore' For Tribute Album Amid City's Unrest

As a part of the upcoming Nina Simone tribute album, Jazmine Sullivan covers the legendary artist and civil rights activist’s 1978 song “Baltimore,” a socially-aware tune about the challenges of life for people of color.

Eerily, the visual highlights the unfortunate similarities between the Baltimore riots in 1968 following MLK’s assassination to the city's recent riots in 2015 following the untimely death of Freddie Gray at the hands of law enforcement.

WATCH AND LISTEN:

The tribute album will feature Nina’s daughter Lisa Simone, Mary J Blige, Common, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Gregory Porter, Alice Smith and Andra Day. The project is an accompaniment to the documentary about the singer’s life titled “What Happened, Miss Simone” available on Netflix on June 26.

Jennifer Williams, Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard, Natalie Nunn & More Allegedly Casted For TV One’s ‘The Next 15′ Reality Show

Here is some casting tea on one of TV One’s latest reality shows, The Next 15. The show, initially announced during the network’s Upfronts, will premiere this fall. Peep the network’s official description:

The Next 15 – The Next 15 brings to life Andy Warhol’s infamous quip that, “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” This new reality series unites a group of male and female former reality stars that crave another 15 minutes of fame. Through the series, the personalities confront the issues that continue to present personal challenges and block their chances for success to capture another 15 minutes of fame. Produced by Carlos King (Hollywood Divas, Real Housewives of Atlanta) and Eclipse TV, the series is slated to premiere in 4th quarter 2015.

So which of your former fav reality TV stars have been casted?

According to our sources, a few names have been thrown into the mix. While folk have auditioned, filming has yet to begin. To date, the following are highly likely (but not 100% confirmed) to be official cast members or make regular appearances.

Natlie Nunn — formerly of Bad Girls Club and Marriage Boot Camp.

Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard — formerly of Flavor of Love and I Love New York.

Ray ‘Misster Ray’ Cunningham — formerly of College Hill.

Jennifer Williams — formerly of Basketball Wives Miami.

Gloria and/or Laura Govan — formerly of Basketball Wives Miami/ Basketball Wives LA.

Carlos King said at a LA event recently.Oh, I’m definitely excited about The Next 15 because it’s about time these former reality stars have another platform to reintroduce themselves. And the fact that TV One is setting the bar with this is genius so I am happy they selected me to produce the show. I can’t reveal the casts just yet but there’s a few surprises where everyone is going to gag! That’s all I can say.

What do you think about the show and rumored cast for ‘The Next 15’? And who else would be a perfect fit for the show?

The 2015 MET GALA AFTERPARTIES

After the 2015 MET GALA celebs headed out to several after parties.

"Scandal" star Kerry Washington was seen walking into an after party at the Standard Hotel with her husband Nnamdi Asomugha.

Diddy & Cassie, who recently shot a scandalous ad campaign for his latest fragrance, were seen walking into the Standard Hotel with stylist June Ambrose.

Oscar-winner John Legend and his wife, future host of "The F.A.B." Chrissy Teigen (who also attended Rihanna's UP & DOWN party) were at the Standard Hotel too where spies say they danced all night.

They posed with Common before heading upstairs.

After she rocked the mic at the 2015 MET GALA with a performance of her single "BBHMM", Rihanna headed down to 14th street where she threw an after party at Up & Down, a club owned by her good firend Richie Akiva.