Brandy is giving Slayage in UPTOWN’s June/July 2015 Issue Dishes On Her Life!
The Brandy we love is making her triumphant return into the limelight after a battle with depression, proving she’s just like the rest of us when it comes to life throwing curves balls.
Right now, Brandy is sitting on top of the world as she hits the stage at the Ambassador Theatre as Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical "Chicago," fulfilling a dream she never knew she had to begin with. After ending her stint on the hit series "The Game," Brandy is now gearing up for a new scripted BET series titled "Zoe Moon" and she has also been working on some new music with an upcoming EP coming down the pipeline.
The 36-year-old songstress graces the cover of UPTOWN magazine’s June/July 2015 issue and she is giving us our life…in every pictorial from her spread. Shot by fashion photographer Shxpir, the former “Moesha” star serves model fab in a pony skin corset by The Blonds, a Cheng skirt, Prada sandals and accessorized her look with jewels from Mike Nekta and Leon Diamond. And she looks amazing.
After working her magic in front of the lens, the triple threat sat down with the magazine to talk about her life transformation, going from rock bottom and feeling like she had nothing left to live for, to reconnecting with her younger self and reawakening her spirit.
Chick has been through some hardships during her 20 years in the entertainment industry, such as the horrific fatal car accident, which spiraled her into a deep depression to the huge breakup with her former manager/fiancée Ryan Press.
But through it all, Brandy found her inner strength to keep pushing through, and now she’s in a happy place in her life. And we’re glad she has found inner peace where she can do what she loves all while keeping her loyal, die-hard fans entertained.
Here are a few highlights from her cover story:
Brandy on the infamous fatal car accident: “I was asking what have I done wrong and what am I not doing? When you are at that type of low your whys come in a lot of different ways. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to do anything. I really stopped dreaming.”
On her celebrity: “I don’t view myself as a celebrity. It’s all about the intention. It’s not about me. I thought that it was before. But, now I know that it is about other people. Who else could it be about?”
On how playing Roxie Hart in Chicago changed her life: “I stepped into something that I was born to do and I didn’t know it. I walked on the stage and my entire life reawakened … It’s about making people feel good about themselves and helping people dream. The vain stuff, like the pictures I took for this magazine and being in shows, I love! But it is all just the polish. I’m not a celebrity. A star guides. There is a difference.”
On Whitney Houston: “I think about her every day. She is everywhere. She is with me all the time. She’s always there. Whitney was the possibility of dreams coming true. I loved her. I loved her personality. I loved the way she danced. I loved her smile and her voice.”
On co-parenting with her daughter’s dad Robert Smith: "We are a family and that’s the new phase of our life. Everything is different now and I’m just really thankful and grateful for it.”
On her breakup with Ryan Press: “Ryan [Press] and I were just two completely different people and we found that out when we were already in love with each other. Sometimes it happens. It hurt him, it hurt me and it hurt my daughter. It was a really hard time and another phase of the sadness that was a cloud for a while."
On what she will never do again in a relationship: “I will not mix business with pleasure anymore. I think that’s one of the things that does not work for me. I get confused about who a person is. That’s one of the things that I know that I will never ever do if I am ever to have time or make time for another relationship.”
On wanting to play Dorothy in the highly-anticipated revival of The Wiz: “I am Dorothy and I am meant to do it on Broadway. Portraying Dorothy is a dream and I just want to experience my dreams. That’s what life is about. God created us to thrive."
On her upcoming new music: “It’s going to be five amazing songs that are very, very authentic. It has nothing to do with fitting in. This will be my own thing and my own way. Brandy is not in a box anymore. I really want to sing songs about the way I dream of feeling about love. It’s not about the love that I’ve experienced before, it’s about the love that I want to receive.”
We're anxious to hear her new authentic sound! We need some real R&B in our lives.
Folks Fantasia is getting married on Saturday!!!
Last month there were rumors Fantasia Barrino and her "husband" Kendall Taylor weren't legally married
Well, they will be after this weekend…
Fantasia confirms on Instagram that she and Kendall are tying the knot this Saturday.
Congrats!!!
Will the next Viacom Reality SHOW will be The Shauna Balanciaga Hour?
Is Shauna AGA Brooks Headed for Reality TV? Earlier this year transsexual female Shauna Brooks made headlines after threatening to expose Chris Brown and also adding her 2 cents on Tyga along with Sidney Starr
Is Shauna headed to reality TV..? Shauna teased her fans over the weekend hinting she has something cooking with Viacom.
LOL….Stay tuned!
Yeah The NeNe/ Kim has been CHOPPED by BRAVO However,The NeNe show has been announced!
A few weeks ago we brought you exciting news about former "RHOA" frenemies NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak reuniting for a new BRAVO show dubbed "Road to Riches." From the press release, the series would have showcased the ladies on a one-of-a-kind cross country adventure similar to what we saw Oprah and Gayle do back in the day.
Well.....the show's been shelved. AXE dropped! According to TMZ, Nene and Kim are so busy (Mrs. Leakes has left "RHOA" and is taping the ABC game show, "To Tell the Truth" + Kim is shooting "Don't Be Tardy"), that they're schedules won't allow them to hit the road together. Shocker…..We're told that BRAVO is not opposed to revisiting the show in the future....but for now, it's a wrap.
However, fans of NeNe may have a chance to see her up close and personal. This week, she announced that she’s trying her hand at comedy. She shared the news on her personal web site writing:
“So Nasty So Rude” 1 woman show is coming to a city near you #gonnakillthestage #giftofgab #gettingbacktome
Sweet!
REALLY?: Was Atticus Finch was a Klan-loving racist this whole time?
WOW! To Kill a Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch is considered by many to be one of the greatest characters of all time. He was a symbol of honesty and decency, the idolized father figure of American literature. The portrait of Atticus Finch was helped considerably by the perfect casting of Gregory Peck – the closest America has ever come to producing a perfect man – in the 1962 film version. TKAM is on the syllabus of nearly every American high school kid’s reading list, and many of us have re-read it (many times) with sheer enjoyment. And now that’s all gone.
Harper Lee never published another book after TKAM. She disappeared back to her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. She still wrote, of course, and months ago her publisher announced that they would be releasing a follow-up to TKAM called Go Set a Watchman. Watchman was apparently written before Mockingbird, but Lee reworked it over the years as well. Just FYI: even the announcement of the book was full of drama, with some questioning if Harper Lee even intended to have this book published, and there was an unsubtle argument being made that Lee might not be quite “with it” mentally. But the book is coming out this week, come hell or high water. And The New York Times published an early review and it is… disturbing.
Go Set a Watchman takes place in the 1950s, with Scout as a young adult (Scout is apparently 26 years old). Apparently, Atticus Finch isn’t happy with the government during this era, what with all of the attempts to desegregate schools (Brown v. Board of Education) and eliminate Jim Crow laws. He hates the NAACP and slams the Supreme Court. 1950s Atticus Finch went to a Klan meeting once and says things like “Do you want Negroes by the carload in our schools and churches and theaters? Do you want them in our world?” The book is once again told by Scout’s perspective as she returns to home to Alabama after several years in New York. She’s taken aback by what her father says, so at least there’s that. It’s about a different kind of coming of age: realizing that the man you idolized, your only living parent, is a racist douche.
Spoiler for Go Set a Watchman is below
Oh, and here’s another massive SPOILER that sort of upsets me more than “Atticus is a racist now”: Jem is apparently dead. Jesus, Harper Lee!!!! Was he murdered by Boo Radley?! YOU ARE KILLING ME.
You can read the NYT’s spoiler-tastic and depressing review here.
Lady Gaga gives first glimpse of her character on American Horror Story: Hotel in teaser clip
If you can't read her poker face, that's because you can't see it.
Lady Gaga gave the first glimpse at her character in American Horror Story: Hotel on Monday - and it was a very fleeting one.
The tantalising teaser video shows only her hand, ornately decorated and completely sprayed silver, with some impressive talons on the end.
As her right hand comes into view in taps on a concierge bell once, before drumming on the hotel desk a single time before coming to a rest.
Beyond the opulent sleeve on her wrist, fans still have no idea what sort of character the 29-year-old is going to play in the fifth season of the horror anthology.
'#GagaOnAHS I hope u like being scared,' she caption the vid as she shared it with her 48.5million Twitter followers.
First look of Lady Gaga in American Horror Story: Hotel Horror show: The 29-year-old, pictured in the Netherlands ion Saturday, announced earlier this year she would be joining the cast of the anthology series for its fifth season
WATCH:
That's it? The tantalising teaser video shows only her hand, ornately decorated and completely sprayed silver, with some impressive talons on the end
Warning: 'I hope u like being scared,' she told her 48.5million followers on Twitter
Warning: 'I hope u like being scared,' she told her 48.5million followers on Twitter
'She's ready to ring in a whole new horror this October. @ladygaga #AmericanHorrorStory' the official AHS account said when it posted the same.
The singer revealed in February that she would be staring in the upcoming season, while also confirming the title that would follow Murder House, Asylum, Coven and Freak Show.
That video started with her naked back facing the camera, before she slowly turns around wearing a sequinned black mask covering her head and chest. 'American Horror Story, season five,' she says as she pulls it off, adding in a whisper: 'Hotel'
FIRST Look At Steph & Ayesha Curry’s GORGEOUS new Baby Girl Ryan
2015 NBA MVP Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry welcomed their newborn baby girl Ryan Carson Curry just a few days ago. And now, we have the first look at their little bundle of joy.
Little Miss Ryan made her Instagram debut on her doting dad’s page today in photo with her mom Ayesha and big sister Riley Curry (who celebrates her 3rd birthday on Monday). He captioned,
“I'm wayyyyy up I feel Blessed! God is Great. Thanks to the doctors and staff at Alta Bates for taking care of my girls, especially Dr. Poddatori. Healthy baby and @ayeshacurry is all I prayed for. #prouddaddy”
Aww….
Baby Ryan was reportedly expected to be born on Riley’s birthday (July 19th), but she decided to make her grand entrance a little early. Ayesha was quite the trooper during Baby Ryan’s birth at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. She endured 3 hours of labor naturally with NO epidural. More power to her!
Ryan weighed in at 6lbs 1oz and is perfectly healthy. A parent couldn't ask for anything more.
Congrats again to the happy couple!
Halle Berry seeks to reduce child support to Gabriel because she thinks he’s avoiding to work!
Halle Berry will reportedly face her ex-boyfriend in court on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old star's child support trial against Gabriel Aubry is set to begin in Los Angeles, after she filed court documents late last year asking a judge to reduce the amount of money she is paying.
The Extant star is coughing up the cash to help the Canadian model care for their seven-year-old daughter, Nahla, and would reportedly like it reduced from $16,000 to approximately $3,800 per month.
The Oscar-winning star previously indicated she is happy to pay for Gabriel to properly look after Nahla, but believes he is using the money to avoid work and he needs to get a job, according to TMZ.com.
The former couple currently have joint custody of the seven-year-old.
A document submitted to the court by the 48-year-old beauty and her lawyer last November allegedly stated: 'There is no case, no law, no logic that says a healthy, active man gets to simply live off child support that the wealthier mother earns.'
She also accused him of spending most of the money on his own needs, including $700 on fitness, just short of $1,000 on clothing and nearly $2,000 on car expenses amongst others.
The 38-year-old model is fighting the request because he claims he has struggled to find work since Halle's now husband Olivier Martinez beat him up in 2012.
The former couple, who split in 2010 after four years together, currently share joint custody of Nahla.
A judge first ordered the actress to pay Gabriel almost $200,000 a year, plus tuition money, to support their daughter in May 2014.
Halle also has 21-month-old son Maceo with French actor Olivier.
She currently stars in CBS sci-fi series Extant, which is currently in it's second season.
Y’all wanna know is 50 Cent really going BANKRUPT? Well he speaks on it!
50 Cent has broken his silence about his bankruptcy filing. Before promoting his new movie SouthPaw at an ESPN screening at L.A. Curtis Jackson explained why he's suddenly going the bankruptcy route. If the timing seems suspect to you -- the filing coming just days after he was ordered to pay $5 million to his rival's ex over leaking her sex tape -- you're definitely on target.
Fifty, who has lived on numerous Forbes rich folks lists for years, could more than afford $5 milli. It's pocket change to him. But it seems he'd rather file for bankruptcy and deal with the public scrutiny and legal fees that come with that, than pay his rival's ex a dime. The bankruptcy freezes his assets so he's conveniently allowed to not pay creditors during the bankruptcy period, and eventually many of the debts may get erased in part or completely. Some call it petty, come call smart.
"I'm taking the precautions that any other good businessperson would take in this situation," 50 told E! News at his Southpaw junket Monday. "You know when you're successful and stuff, you become a target. I don't wanna be a bulls eye. I don't want anybody to pick me as the guy that they just come to with astronomical claims and go through all that."
Just like we thought, he's using Donald Trump as his blueprint saying, "Walt Disney has filed bankruptcy. Donald Trump has filed bankruptcy. It means you're reorganizing your finances, but it does stop things from moving forward that you don't want moving forward."
Azealia Banks Slams BET, Then Goes On Tour For Them
Azealia Banks thinks BET is a complete joke, but that’s not stopping her from touring for the network. Banks and K. Michelle announced earlier this week that they’re “embarking on a very special 20-date tour across North America this fall.”
The co-headlining tour presented by CENTRIC and BET kicks off in Indianapolis on September 15 and wraps up in Los Angeles on October 15.
“Centric and BET are excited to sponsor K. Michelle and Azealia Banks on tour,” said Constance Orlando, Senior Vice President of Specials, Music and News for BET Networks. “Partnering with these bold and authentic female artists aligns perfectly with Centric’s position as the first network designed for Black women.”
Oddly enough, just two months ago Banks slammed BET after she was nominated for Best Rap Album at their 2015 award show.
She does have a point. Anyway, here are the tour dates:
FULL LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN SHOWS:
Tue, September 15 – Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
Wed, September 16 – Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Thu, September 17 – St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre
Fri, September 18 – Detroit, MI Fox Theater
Sat, September 19 – Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
Sun September 20 – Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
Thu, September 24 – Philadelphia, PA The Mann Center for Performing Arts
Fri, September 25 – Cleveland, OH Hard Rock Live
Sat, September 26 – New York, NY Best Buy Theatre
Sun, September 27 – Boston, MA House of Blues
Wed, September 30 – Richmond, VA Carpenter Center
Thu, October 1 – Portsmouth, VA nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Fri, October 2 – Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Sat, October 3 – Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
Mon, October 5 – Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Fri, October 9 – Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
Sat, October 10 – Dallas, TX Verizon Theatre @ Grand Prairie
Mon, October 12 – Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Wed, October 14* – Oakland, CA Fox Theater (*K. Michelle performing only)
Thu, October 15 – Los Angeles, CA Microsoft Theatre
Orlando Scandrick Files Restraining Order Against Draya Michele
This break-up has gone from bad to worse. Orlando Scandrick and Draya called off their engagement just one week ago and already the break-up has had it’s fair share of surprises. From Orlando calling the engagement a “poor decision”, then apologizing, then telling Draya “F*ck You” on Instagram, it seems to be the break-up from hell. Well now, there’s one more thing to make matters worse. The Dallas Cowboys star has filed a restraining order against his Basketball Wives LA ex-boo.
Orlando filed the docs on July 7th asking that Draya be no where near him, which includes her moving out of his house. Draya has yet to comment on the situation, but we’ll be surprised if she holds her tongue for much longer. But when we spoke to the Mint Swim creator’s BBWLA cast mate, Mehgan James, she stated that the whole ordeal was a “publicity stunt”.
The New ‘IT’ Couple? Bethenny Frankel And Eric Stonestreet Are Hollywood’s Hottest New Twosome!
It’s no secret that she’s struggled to find a healthy romantic relationship, but that’s not stopping Bethenny Frankel from getting back on the horse.
Per an E! News report, the “Real Housewives of New York” star’s latest stallion is none other than the lovable “Modern Family” actor Eric Stonestreet, and they’ve actually been dating for a few months.
And while Ms. Frankel hasn’t come right out and declared her love for Stonestreet, she did recently tweet, "I'm very happy right now. It took me a minute but I'm here. Xo… I've really changed my mind on something: i think if u have a great textual banter, compatibility is likely." An insider told E!, “Eric is very different from his character on Modern Family. He's sharp and funny, but his humor is darker. He has an incredible relationship with his parents, especially his mom. He is very proud of his mid-western roots."
Michael Brown Sr. Calls Exhibit Featuring Replica Of His Son’s Corpse Disgusting
They say art is supposed to elicit some type of emotion. And sometimes those emotions won’t be pleasant.
Perhaps that was the rationale artist Ti-Rock-Moore utilized as she crafted her latest, controversial exhibit, Confronting Truths: Wake Up. Housed in Chicago’s Gallery Guichard, the piece recreates the scene of Mike Brown’s lifeless body, lying face down in the middle of that street in Ferguson, Missouri.
Most of us remember what Brown’s body looked like in the street. Images and video of it were shared all over social media and the news, as it took police hours to cover Brown’s corpse. Many of us not only remember the images, we remember the hurt, outrage, anger, frustration and grief that image produced within us.
Many of us didn’t want to relive it again. But we did with Eric Garner and then again Walter Scott and the other innocent Black men and women killed at the hands of police who didn’t receive excessive media coverage. Sadly, living in this country, it wouldn’t be surprising if we were confronted with an image like it again.
But perhaps Ti-Rock Moore wasn’t thinking about us when she created her exhibit for the Chicago. Perhaps she was thinking about the people who didn’t feel those emotions. And maybe she wanted to produce that response within them.
Moore, a White woman from New Orleans whose work often centers around race, says this piece represents White privilege in America and how it negatively affects the Black community.
The exhibit also features a Black statue of liberty, a noose hanging from a neon sign, and the words “I Can’t Breathe,” over a sculpture of the crucifix.
While Moore’s aims and her message are both needed and noble, not all members of the Brown family see it this way.
While some applaud the exhibit, Mike Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr. is anything but pleased.
In an interview with Fox 2, Brown senior said, “I really, really, really would like for them to take that away. I think it’s really disturbing, disgusting. I keep the thought, that thought, that picture is still in my head.”
Brown Sr. also said no one contacted him before the exhibit went on display.
“The feelings that I kind of tried to ball up and put the side a little bit–which I have good days and bad days, still anyway–, that just brought the whole day back alive.”
He says that he has no problem with the artist who created the images but he believes Moore, (though he didn’t mention her by name), should have reached out to both his side of the family as well as Mike Brown’s mother’s side of the family.
I can understand Moore’s intent. And I admire her for it. Still, there’s something almost cruel about making Brown’s family relive this moment again.
Maybe it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that in her attempt to confront White privilege she highlighted another element of it. Moore, even in recreating this scene, still gets to be removed from it. This was an art project, a way to promote a message. And for Michael Brown’s family, this tragic event was their life.
What do you think about the exhibit? Do you respect Moore’s message and believe it should stand? Or was is the piece disrespectful, no matter her initial intent? Should the exhibit be closed, should the life size replica of Mike Brown’s corpse be removed?
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘Super Potential’
Perhaps Marvel or D.C. Comics would be interested in our pitch for Lizard Man?
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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