Misty Copeland Dances on the Cover of Essence Magazine’s September 2015 Issue
Ballerina Misty Copeland is the cover star of the September 2015 issue of Essence Magazine and she covers the mag in a gorgeous billowing Zimmermann gown as she gracefully strikes a mind-blowing pose.
The image was captured by photographer Dennis Leupold. The 32-year-old dancer made history just a few weeks ago by becoming the first black principal dancer at ABT in the company’s 75 years of existence.
Essence magazine writes:
Misty Copeland is having one amazing year, and the joy and focus of it all shows clearly on her face as she gracefully poses on the September cover of ESSENCE, her perfect arabesque accentuated by the beautiful Zimmermann dress flowing around her.
After years of training and overcoming a seemingly career-ending injury, Copeland has earned her spot in the pantheon of great dancers by becoming the first Black woman to perform the lead in Swan Lake for the American Ballet Theatre and then days later becoming the first Black woman to be promoted to principal ballerina in the ABT’s 75-year history. Add in a Broadway show run (in On the Town), a groundbreaking contract with Under Armour, and a new engagement to her longtime boyfriend and it’s a great time to be Misty Copeland.
Check out more about her cover feature here.
Serena Williams Poses For ‘New York’ Magazine
Serena Williams rocks a hot new shoot for New York Magazine’s August 10 issue. The tennis pro, who just weeks ago won her sixth Wimbledon championship (which was her fourth consecutive Grand Slam title and 21st of her career), slips into a sexy black dress and poses with her adorable teacup Yorkie, Chip, and also shows off her balance and flexibility in one shot.
The tennis champ is talking about what her life may be like after she retires … whenever that’ll be. In the mag, when asked what she’ll do after her “eventual retirement”, Williams responded, “I will finally be able to make some Miami Dolphin games,” she says, laughing, “and make some, uh, better decisions down there with the players.”
Serena also opens up about her second love, fashion.
Serena wanted not just to design clothes but to design wedding dresses. “That was my first real love,” she says, “but then I was like, Listen. I’m playing professional tennis. I’ll just do athleticwear.” In her sartorial interests, as in all things, she followed Venus, who encouraged her to take some college design classes. Together, they brought to the game black lace, flesh-colored underwear, and knee-high sneaker boots. Today, Venus has her own line, EleVen — “Ten is just another number, but EleVen is a lifestyle” — an affordable athleticwear line far tamer than much of what Serena and Venus wear on the court. “We brought fashion back to tennis,” Serena says. “It was great when Chris Evert was around. Tracy Austin had some great designs. But the ’90s was not a good time.”
She looks great!
Awwwww SHUCKS! They’re back "Real Housewives Of Atlanta" Season 8
Well isn't this interesting? They're back and According to reports, Sheree has signed a new contract with Bravo to return with a peach. We can see all the Chateau Sheree and She by Sheree shade now....and it will be epic.
As for why NeNe's former friend Marlo is in the pic above, we hear she will be returning on a "friend of the Housewives" basis, much like the position she was in previously.
Marlo and Kenya Moore were spotted chatting up Cynthia's husband Peter Thomas inside. But it wasn't all rosy at the event. ET reports that Porsha Williams and Marlo got into a fight with Peter! And that's not all...Sheree and Kenya allegedly got into a bit of a catfight at the party as well. And we an only imagine what type of shady talk was spewed.
Kandi and Todd were there minding their pregnant business. Gotta love it
Well #TEAMRHoA get ready!
Did Wendy Williams kill NeNe Leakes’ talk show?
It’s no secret at all that Wendy Williams and NeNe Leakes are far from friends these days and both of them have thrown barbs at each other over the past few years during their on-again, off-again feud. But a new report claims that the feud between Leakes and Williams had an unknown casualty, which was Leakes’ defunct talk show plans.
According to Lovebscott.com, some time ago, Leakes was developing a daytime talk show that would capitalize off the steam of Williams’ talk show by airing right after it.
Leakes’ show was also being produced by Debmar-Mercury, the same production company for the “Wendy Williams Show.” At the time, Debmar-Mercury producers spoke Williams about doing production work on Leakes’ planned show and Williams allegedly gave them her blessing to work with the reality star.
However, as fans will remember, Williams and Leakes had a public falling out after Williams criticized Leakes for defacing/personalizing a Birkin bag of hers with her many catchphrases. Afterward, Leakes wrote a scathing open letter about Williams and referred to her as Wendell.
According to the report, Williams was furious with Leakes and she allegedly demanded that Debmar-Mercury make a choice to either work with her or Leakes. Debmar-Mercury reportedly decided to stick with Williams because of her talk show’s massive success.
The report also claims that Williams’ power move against Leakes may have been the source of why Williams’ husband had a public outburst backstage at a public speaking event in Atlanta that both Leakes and Williams were booked for, during which Leakes apparently shaded Williams.
We’re not sure if the allegations are true, but we wouldn’t be surprised if these two have carried on a lot of drama between each other outside of the public eye.
The Houston LGBTQ Community wants Beyonce to support HERO!
Well Houston do we have a problem? Beyoncé is being asked To support Houston’s Pro-Gay HERO Ordinance By LGBT Activists!
Via HufffingtonPost: Houston is on the verge of legalizing discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. With a single Instagram post, Beyoncé could help make sure her hometown doesn’t repeal protections for LGBT Houstonians this November.
For the past 15 months, the city of Houston has been caught in a legal battle over the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance, known as “HERO.” The ordinance, which was passed by the city council in April of 2014, bans discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing, public accommodations like hotels and restaurants and other areas.
Opponents of LGBT equality have fought to put HERO on the ballot for a repeal vote this November, and thanks to a recent Texas Supreme Court decision, they’ll likely succeed.
That means Houston is in for a nasty, dishonest and divisive campaign to repeal HERO and legalize discrimination against LGBT Houstonians. These kinds of campaigns don’t usually end well for LGBT people: they’re dehumanizing, traumatic and usually result in LGBT people losing their basic civil rights.
But that could change if the world’s proudest and most famous Houstonian decides to stand up for her LGBT fans and speak out in favor of keeping HERO. With a single post to her over forty million Instagram followers, Beyoncé could change the debate over Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance and mobilize support for protecting LGBT Houstonians from discrimination.
Beyoncé is no stranger to wading into political battles. In April, she used her Instragram to draw attention to the death Freddie Gray and urged followers to donate to the NAACP’s effort to help “those affected by the unrest in Baltimore” – posts that racked up hundreds of thousands of likes. More recently, she and husband Jay-Z were criticized for reportedly giving money to pay bail for Black Lives Matter protesters in Ferguson and Baltimore. She’s spoken out against sex discrimination, criticizing gender inequality and unequal pay in the workplace.
If she were to lend her support to the LGBT cause, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time…
Beyoncé has also been open about her support for the LGBT community, publicly celebrating her gay fans’ “confidence and fearlessness.” In 2013, she expressed her public support for marriage equality in an Instagram post featuring a note that read “If you like it you should be able to put a ring on it.” The post got over two hundred thousand likes:
Beyoncé echoed her support for LGBT equality in a 2014 Out Magazine interview about her fifth album. Asked if her lyrics were written with the LGBT community in mind, she said:
[W]hat I’m really referring to, and hoping for, is human rights and equality, not just that between a woman and a man. So I’m very happy if my words can ever inspire or empower someone who considers themselves an oppressed minority…We are all the same and we all want the same things: the right to be happy, to be just who we want to be and to love who we want to love.
And in July, the pop star celebrated the Supreme Court’s historic marriage equality decision with a rainbow-themed Instagram video captioned “#LoveWins.” That video has since earned over a million likes.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, but it suffers from incredibly low voter turnout, especially during non-presidential election cycles. A few thousand votes will likely decide whether HERO lives or dies. Given the amount of attention that Beyoncé’s support for the LGBT community has gotten in the past, it’s not hard to imagine the kind of positive impact her support for HERO might have on a local election
Alright Mrs. Carter…..HOLLA!
Timbaland Teases Unreleased Aaliyah Music?
Fourteen years after her death, Aaliyah’s legacy lives on. Fans have been eager to hear unreleased music, and now Timbaland plans to grant their wish.
The super-producer and longtime Aaliyah collaborator announced that he has songs in the vault, and will soon share them with the world. “Attention!!!!! People ask me all the time do I have any babegirl music we haven’t heard !!!!!well the answer is YES!!!!!!!! TIMBO x BABEGIRL !!!!!” he said.
He intends to release a preview in the near future: “Sneak peak coming!!!!!!!”
There hasn’t been a full Aaliyah project since 2002’s posthumous album I Care 4 U. In August 2012, Drake announced that he and producer Noah “40” Shebib had been tapped by Blackground Records to produce an album from Aaliyah, but those plans were subsequently called off.
“I think the press got out of hand and they maybe had a different vision for it or something,” said Drake. “It was sounding great to me. Whatever they end up doing with it, I wish them the best of luck
New Music: R. Kelly – ‘Backyard Party’
Happy summertime. R. Kelly keeps the feel-good vibes coming on “Backyard Party.” The R&B king throws back some shots, fires up the grill, and gets the celebration started. According to FakeShore Drive, the breezy jam will serve as the first single from his upcoming album Buffet, due Sept. 25.
“You got hip-hop, you got old school music with the ‘Step in the Name of Love’ type music, ‘Happy People’ type of music, then you have traditional R. Kelly sensuous, sexual music,” he said of the follow-up to 2013’s Black Panties.
Throw your cares away and boogie down with Kellz HERE!
Thoughts?
#TEAMEMPIRE Jussie Smollet gets FAB for HOLLYROD!
Holly Robnson Peete celebrated her 17th Annual HollyRod event this weekend amd Jussie Smollet came out to help!
The 17th annual fundraising event was produced by actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband Rodney Peete through their nonprofit organization, The HollyRod Foundation (HRF), and benefited those with Parkinson's disease and autism.
Guests arrived at The LOT Studios in West Hollywood for cocktails and silent auction bidding, followed by a delicious buffet dinner provided by Outback Steakhouse all under the stars
Jussie looked great in his cranberry suit while Holly looked polished in her all black cocktail attire.
Nice!
BET Announces there will be a New Edition Biopic!
BET Networks and Jesse Collins Entertainment announced today the production of an original miniseries based on the iconic music group New Edition. New Edition members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant have all signed on as co-producers for the film that is being developed into a three-night miniseries premiering on BET in 2016. New Edition stated:
It’s been a long time coming and that time is finally here! Now that we have signed the deal, New Edition’s journey will be captured in a three night miniseries to tell our life story through our very own eyes. We are happy to have New Edition Enterprises collaborate with BET Networks’ Debra Lee and Stephen Hill along with Jesse Collins Entertainment. From our beginning in the Orchard Park Projects in Boston to Hollywood and everything in between, just like The Temptations and The Jackson Five—we are ready to retrace our footsteps and show everyone how we got here. For the fans all over the world, this one’s for you.
Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks states:
Personally, my relationship with New Edition goes back to being among the first to play ‘Candy Girl’ on my college radio station, so I’m ecstatic that BET is the place where the guys wanted to come to tell their complete, dynamic story. Everyone’s been waiting for the New Edition saga to be told in all its triumphs and heartbreaks and we can’t wait to bring it to the screen.
Jesse Collins (Real Husbands of Hollywood) is executive producer and New Edition’s longtime manager Brooke Payne will also serve as a co-producer. With a script by Abdul Williams (Lottery Ticket), the untitled film is slated to begin shooting in early 2016. A director has not yet been selected. This will be the first scripted music-focused television movie to air on BET.
OUCH! Wendy Williams Falls Off the Stage!
In the new age of camera phones — with the ability to upload instantly to places like Instagram and Twitter — the days of celebrities having an embarrassing moment without traveling across the ‘net are long gone.
Just ask Wendy Williams. Over the weekend, the talk show host took a fall off stage, while at her Wendy Williams Sit-Down Tour in Houston. The talk show host was walking on stage when it appears that she missed a step down and took a spill.
WATCH:
Well Based on the Instagram clips surfacing, the fall didn’t look too bad as she quickly was helped up and kept it movin’. Anywho, the Wendy Williams Show is on hiatus until September 14th. video courtesy of thejasminebrand
‘Straight Outta Compton': The story of N.W.A. unfolds with Rolling Out Mag!
The cast and Director of The NWA Biopic ‘Straight Outta Compton' are on a media Blitz to promote the upcoming film that is out this Friday. The cast and Diector sat down with Rolling out for an interview.
Straight Outta Compton is a film that had been in works since 2002. F. Gary Gray, at what point did you know that this film was ready to be released to the public?
F. Gary Gray: Ice Cube gave me a call, I read the script and thought that it was really good. I also felt like this was my first opportunity to become a journalist and a historian. I have a great relationship with Cube, so I was up for the challenge to be able to get an opportunity to create a snapshot of American popular culture.
What was the process of figuring out the mannerisms of each member of N.W.A.? Jason, I got an opportunity to see the film and you embodied every aspect of Eazy-E. So you go first. How did this come together?
Jason Mitchell: Well, by me not being from California, the first thing I had to do is transform to be able to understand the culture. Compton is not just a culture that you experience everywhere else, so the first thing I had to do was step into that realm and then start with Eazy’s old interviews. But at the same time, I had my guys around me. F. Gary Gray, Cube and Dre kept me on a certain path and they laid everything out for me.
O’Shea Jackson: I would say the easiest part for me is the fact that I live with my character, and I’ve been bred by my character, so I’ve been doing my research for 20 plus years on my character, but they put me through the ringer. They put me through hard work; two years of auditions, callbacks, three different acting coaches and techniques, and also they flew me out to New York to live out there for a week and I had to do boot camp with a cross-trainer just to get in shape.
FGG: I also want to add that there was nothing easy about what these guys had to do with these characters. Everybody had their own share of challenges and they did a great job, but it was extremely hard for them to put the magic on the screen that they did.
Corey Hawkins: It was a long process, but it was a process and a labor of love. I just remember being nervous about taking on the role because it’s Dr. Dre. I remember the first dinner we had with Dre and Gary. And at the end of the dinner, Dre pulled out his iPhone and started showing everybody my audition.
JM: There was a chemistry reading, but there were things that he wouldn’t tell each of us to try to make us keep pushing through that chemistry read. Once we got through the chemistry reading, we started boot camp and O’Shea had to lose weight, Corey had to gain weight, and we all did that together. Corey even had to learn how to DJ, I had to learn how to move mechanically like Eazy-E, and, of course, Shea had to bring a level of energy that’s from the ’80s. We had to do things that brought us together as brothers, and by the time production started, we were N.W.A.
N.W.A. was the first rap group to touch on police brutality. With the recent killings of unarmed Black men, how timely was this film considering what’s happening today?
CH: I always think of art as being a reflection of our reality. We are talking to the humanity in all of us through this movie, and we are pushing the envelope because I don’t think people were ready back then. I still don’t think that people are ready now. This movie opens that dialogue up that we need and it let’s people say this is what we need to be talking about and we should be angry because there’s nothing wrong with a little anger. I’ve dealt with police brutality, and it’s hard being a Black man in America, but we gotta keep that dialogue open.
JM: In the film, it shows police brutality and how you’re treated in different situations. But it also shows the oppression as a whole because they have people behind the scenes as police who aren’t treated like men or don’t feel like they’re amongst brothers. So it’s hard to rub shoulders with somebody who you can’t trust; and they have a code as well because just like we have a no-snitching policy, they have a no-snitching policy, so it’s an issue where people are judging each other off of their different social classes and statuses rather than their character.
I think some people put too much pressure on first week numbers instead of thinking about the overall impact of a film. What will be the impact of Straight Outta Compton 20 years from now?
OJ: This movie is bigger than rap. The messages that are in this movie are something that the human spirit must be reminded of constantly so I don’t think this film will ever be out of date or anything like that because the things that we are trying to embed in people’s minds are things that we need to be refreshed on every now and then, and a powerful movie like ours will inspire and fuel the fire, and I think this movie will stand the test of time.
JM: The thing about telling stories is, if you whisper something in my ear and by the time it gets to Corey, it could be a little bit different. But with this film, we have something that everybody can absorb. It might not be absorbed the same way or depicted the same way, but we gave you the same amount of information and we gave everybody a clear understanding of what’s happening. We can look at the film now and say “hey this is what’s been happening and this is what needs to be changed.”
FGG: Part of the reason why this movie is special to me is because it’s history and not only history in hip-hop, but American history. One hundred years from now, people will wonder what was going on in America in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and this is the group that changed the world. If I don’t make another film, I would feel good about this one because I know for a fact that we did more than just make a movie, we did something special as a group.
The Movie is out Friday! H/t rollingout.com
FKA Twigs was ATTACKED by RACIST Trolls On Social Media over being in a Interracial Relationship!
When it comes to Internet trolls, no one is safe. Especially not celebrities. These days, celebs have way more to deal with when it comes to their fans. While platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are technological advancements that can bring celebrities closer to their fans and keep them up-to-date with everything they have going on, it can also be a medium for the celebrity to receive tons of hate. And unfortunately for FKA Twigs, neither she nor her fans are spared.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, the British singer/songwriter, who’s currently dating Twilight actor Robert Pattinson (above), opened up about how Twitter trolls came for her once they found out she was in a relationship with a white man.
The eclectic 27-year-old singer, who’s of English, Spanish and Jamaican decent, revealed trolls attack her often on social media. But one interaction in particular brought her to tears…and it wasn’t even directed towards her.
She said she responded to a fan who shared a picture of himself with a friend who was battling cancer. In the tweet, he revealed she had been listening to her music as she goes through the ordeal to help cheer herself up. Once she responded to the fan, she said all hell broke loose on her timeline, with hateful tweets directed towards the young woman with cancer from Internet trolls.
She told the magazine, “They all started attacking her. Within 20 seconds it was just like n*gga, monkey, ugly, die b*tch all this stuff on his feed. It broke my heart… this lady who is really sick and is probably going to die.”
So disgusting.
Although it hurts when you’re simply hated because of the color of your skin, it’s something her parents had prepared her for being a bi-racial child. She said her father would tell her, “Sometimes you're going to have to work 10 times harder than somebody else to get the same appreciation, but never use it as an excuse. I agree with that.”
Switching gears, the singer was asked about her wedding plans to her Hollywood hunk fiancé but she had very little to say. In response to the wedding questions, she said,
"Who told you I was getting married? You might read somewhere I'm a monkey and it doesn't mean I am. I’m not prepared to talk about my private life. I don't really understand the fascination."
Now there!
Caitlyn Jenner Wears Revealing Bathing Suit in ‘I Am Cait’
65-year-old Caitlyn Jenner, overcame her fears of wearing a bathing suit in episode 3 of E! Network’s docu-series I Am Cait.
Jenner revealed her white one-piece bathing suit while swimming with transwomen during a road trip to take a break from the paparazzi
In episode 2 (Road trip 1), Jenner hesitated to expose her body in a bathing suit and jump into a hot tub with his friends.
“It’s kinda scary because, you know, you’re really exposing yourself,” said Jenner,
But she finally did as you see!
Whites Only? Black Lowe’s Driver Replaced At Racist Customer’s Request!
A Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse in Southern Virginia went above and beyond to provide a racist customer with excellent service last week. The manager of the location, stopped a Black employee from making a delivery, after a customer informed them of her “Whites Only” policy.
Marcus Bradley was actually on his way to make the delivery, when he got the phone call telling him to turn that truck back around. “I asked him why I couldn’t do it, and he said because you’re Black, and they don’t want you at the house,” said Bradley.
Bradley wasn’t exactly happy that Lowe’s didn’t stand behind him, and neither was his white co-worker. “To me, it just ain’t right for a business that we work at to go on with the woman’s wishes,” said Alex Brooks, who worked with Bradley for 11 years.
When the drivers made it back to Lowe’s, Bradley was replaced by a white person, and Brooks didn’t like that one bit. “That’s kind of where I just had to put my foot down and say I couldn’t do it with them.”
Regardless of the situation, Bradley had to continue working because it’s his job. “I mean, I thought that Lowe’s would take up for me,” he admitted. “I’m going to keep going to work like I’ve always done. But I would think Lowe’s would take it into consideration to think about what they’re doing next time.”
The manager of the store has been fired for caving to racist demands, and the customer is perfectly fine with her decision. Lowe’s however, denounced the store saying in a statement: “A discriminatory request should never be honored because it is inconsistent with the company’s values.”
When approached, the racist customer explained why she won’t let Black people in her home to deliver stuff: “I got a right to have whatever I want and that’s it,” she said.
Also, racism has no conscience, so when asked if she felt bad about the debacle, she stuck to her guns. “No, I don’t feel bad about nothing.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘DRESSING THE PART’
I’d like to put a stipulation on Furries in public. If you’re going to dress like a cartoon character, then you should have to entertain me and act like one
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!
EFREM
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