“Suicide Squad” Scores Four Entertainment Weekly Covers!
It won’t be long before “Suicide Squad” is on silver screens all over the nation, and in preparation for the wide release, Entertainment Weekly has rolled out four versions of its front page.
NICE!
RHOA: Really? Peter Thomas Says He Was Blindsided By Cynthia Bailey’s Divorce Announcement!
Well we knew “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas were separated. And that Cynthia recently said how she wants to but don’t want to divorce Peter….But???
Well while hitting up events at ESSENCE Festival, Cynthia announced she was ready to file for divorce from her husband of six-years after announcing she and Peter had officially split last month.
Apparently, Peter had no idea his estranged wife was ready to pull the trigger on their marriage and now he’s speaking out about it all.
The Bar One owner tells UPTOWN magazine that having their relationship under a microscope on “RHOA” put a major strain on their relationship, although he says that isn’t the only cause of their break up. The two got married on the show in 2010 and fans have been given a front row seat into their lives together ever since. While the show did put a strain on their relationship, he says their “individual ambitions” were also a part of their relationship’s demise.
Peter says they had talked about divorce before, but it wasn’t something he wanted. He says he found out about Cynthia’s announcement after family and friends called him up after reading about the divorce talk online. He says he would have preferred they released a joint statement rather than being blindsided.
He’s adamant that he never cheated on his “fiercely independent” wife (despite that eyebrow raising video that surfaced), he never stole money from her and that he truly loves her. Now, he says he’s going to keep busy and distract himself from it all by continuing to build his Bar One empire. Oh, and he wishes her well.
Peep his full statement below:
“On July 24th, Cynthia Bailey and I will be married six years, and for our entire marriage we have been a part of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Bravo TV’s most successful reality show. As a result, Cynthia and I have shared almost every aspect of our lives with the millions of RHOA fans. Viewers had a front row seat at our wedding, and watched as we worked to blend our families, personalities, and business ventures. Most of the highs and too many of the lows in our relationship have been on display for public consumption and condemnation since we joined the cast in 2010. I say ‘we’ because Cynthia and I came as a package deal. We were in this together. And until July 5th, I thought we were in agreement about our separation until I was flooded with calls, text messages, direct messages, and emails from my closest friends and family members. They were concerned about my well-being after reading news stories and blog posts where my wife says, ‘We are just not going to be married anymore.’
“We have discussed divorce. It wasn’t something that I wanted. But it is something that I believe she thinks she needs. And honestly, I wish we could have made the public announcement jointly.
“I love Cynthia. I have never cheated on her. She knows this. I have never taken money from Cynthia. She knows this. I have never done anything, but love and defend my wife. She knows this too.
“While the show is not the single contributing factor to the turmoil in our relationship, RHOA had a lot to do with it. Reality TV can be a blessing and a curse, as it provides tremendous opportunities, but it also puts one hell of a strain on a relationship, especially if the foundation is not solid. Our individual ambitions were also part of our relationship’s demise.
“When we got married, divorce was never an option, at least not for me. I am not sure where our relationship went left for her, or perhaps it was never really there. I’ve always been here for Cynthia, even though she is fiercely independent. I want her to be happy. I want her to win, and I am happy she has seemingly found peace. In the meantime, I will continue to distract myself by growing and expanding my businesses. Charlotte, North Carolina has been great to Peter Thomas and I am so appreciative to the Queen City for all their support. Bar One Atlanta will be opening before the end of 2016.”
That reality show curse for couples is real!
#EMPIRE: Taraji P Henon was having a Ball at The Taste of Chicago Festival.
Well looky looky! While filming Empire in Chicago, Tarajii and Jussie took some time off and attended The Taste of Chicago Festival which also starred The Roots! Check out some pics!
And Jussie performing with The Roots!
WERK!
Well they are in town working and don’t forget Kitty Boo Boo’s Season 3 of "Empire" premieres Wednesday, September 21st on FOX.
New Music from Keith Sweat Feat. Takiya Mason – Just The 2 Of Us
Don’t call it a comeback – but Keith Sweat is returning to the music later this month.
The R&B legend is prepping for the release of his 12th (!) studio album, entitled Dress to Impress, and today he drops the second single from the upcoming project, “Just The 2 of Us.”
While its title might imply a contemporary remake of the Bill Withers classic, Sweat’s “Just The 2 of Us” is a more slowed down, romantic groove. Feature Takiya Mason plays a perfect compliment to Sweat’s smooth vocals, as both singers sing of a love that endures over time. There’s a timeless feel to the track overall, one that feels classic enough for grown folks, and yet whose emotional appeal will surely make even the younger crowd two-step along to.
Take a listen to Keith Sweat’s “Just The 2 of Us” featuring Takiya Mason HERE.
Sweat’s Dress to Impress album is expected to be released on July 22.
New Hip Hop: Swizz Beatz Feat. Scarface – ‘Sad News’
Swizz Beatz and Scarface unite for “Sad News,” a protest song in light of recent police shootings.
“This must stop,” Swizz wrote on Instagram. “[Scarface] and I have something to say today.”
The track features a somber Swizz on the hook. “A little boy got shot down today,” he sings. “I hope his family is OK / They said erase that pain / I hope the whole world be OK / Get on your knees and pray.”
Scarface takes over from there with potent rhymes. “Shot down for the dope and the dollar sign,” he raps. “I often sit and wonder, ‘Could this world be mine?’ / Nah, I’d be lying / If I said I ain’t heard ’em when they told me I was ‘just a ni**a’ / Nothing but a burden to society.”
Swizz and Scarface aren’t the only ones outraged by the police shootings that have concerned the nation this week. Beyoncé, Drake, Chris Brown, and many others have also shared their outrage in different ways.
Listen to “Sad News HERE
All of this comes in the wake of two separate incidents where two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, were shot and killed by police during incidents that are now under investigation.
THE PETS RULE! The Secret Life of Pets DESTROYS The Box Office with $103,107,000!
Illumination and Universal's The Secret Life of Pets delivered a record opening for an original animated property as it led a strong, post-holiday weekend where the top twelve grossed an estimated $206 million, down only a fraction of a percentage compared to last year when Minions scorched the box office with a $115.7 million opening. The weekend's other wide release, Fox's Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, also performed well as did Yash Raj's Bollywood release Sultan, which secured a top ten finish after opening on Wednesday and playing in a mere 283 theaters.
Heading into the weekend, the largest opening for an original, animated property was the $90.4 million Inside Out brought in last year followed by the $75 million opening for Zootopia just a few months ago. Thus, the $103.17 million opening for The Secret Life of Pets handily tops those openings while also becoming only the sixth animated film to ever open with more than $100 million.
Pets also delivered a solid "A-" CinemaScore as it premiered in 4,370 theaters, the widest opening ever for an animated film, earning the film a $23,609 per theater average. With Pets' performance it also becomes the sixth film in 2016 to open with more than $100 million, tying the record for the number of films that opened above the century mark, which was set just last year as 2016 is currently 2.9% ahead of 2015 year-to-date.
Internationally, Secret Life of Pets continued its slow roll out as it is only playing in nine territories so far with an international total of $42.6 million. The film will release in 57 more territories over the next three months, including Argentina, Chile and Colombia on July 21 followed by France on July 27, Germany (July 28), Mexico (July 29) and China on August 2.
The Box Officer numbers are as follows
1 The Secret Life of Pets $103,170,000
2 The Legend of Tarzan $20,615,000
3 Finding Dory $20,351,000
4 Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates $16,600,000
5 The Purge: Election Year $11,700,000
6 Central Intelligence $8,125,000
7 Independence Day $7,700,000
8 The BFG $7,604,000
9 The Shallows $4,800,000
10 Sultan $2,216,475
We Remember: New York Radio ICON Vaughn Harper Dies
Harper was described as having an amazing voice and was known to be a humble gentleman and always quick to smile give a complement or just talk!
Harper, 71, had been struggling with serious health issues over the years as he suffered from diabetes. According to Radio Facts, he was honored by friends and colleagues last Fall to show their support and love for him.
Rest In peace Sir NYC owes you much gratitude for your service in the radio industry!
Ladies, Idris Elba Smolders For You In Interview Magazine
Interview Magazine unveiled its August 2016 cover featuring Idris Elba and it does not disappoint.
The issue, which hits newsstands on July 12, features an interview with Elba conducted by director Jon Favreau (Elba stars as the voice of the CG-animated Shere Khan in the Jungle Book film which Favreau directed), and the two chat about everything from working with strong directors to Elba’s work as a DJ.
In the lengthy interview —Elba also opens up about trying to have it all and juggle everything in his life.
“When you break it down like that, it’s unhealthy to have that much going on. [laughs] I don’t want to sound ungrateful or anything, but I sleep less, I’m constantly thinking, I’m constantly multitasking, and I really don’t know what the effects are going to be when I’m older. I don’t ever stop. Not because I’m greedy or anything, but I’m always creating, debating with the part of my brain that is dormant. Wondering how I can move in and create a bit more space and take a bit more time. But it’s almost like the more I achieve, the more capacity I have to achieve. I do worry sometimes about whether I’m going to burn out. Not burn myself out, but burn my art out, with audiences going, ‘Ah, yeah, I’ve seen enough’.”
Elba has long harbored a passion for DJ-ing, having put out some house beats here and there. But in order to pursue his acting career in the United States, Elba effectively put his passion of DJ-ing aside. Elba’s DJ name is DJ Driis.
“What happened was, once I got The Wire, my life changed. I couldn’t DJ as much and I couldn’t take it seriously because my career as an actor was just getting to a place where I was finally making it in America,” Elba told Interview. “I wanted to be on American TV so much. I didn’t park DJ’ing; I just sort of ended up becoming more of a studio guy.”
Beyoncé Tributes the 5 Fallen Dallas Police Officers
‘No Violence Will Create Peace’
Lest you think Beyoncé isn’t sensitive to the killings of cops, the singer took to her Instagram to denounce the ‘senseless’ deaths by sniper of the five Dallas police officers.
“Rest in peace to the officers whose lives were senselessly taken in Dallas,” she captured the clip. Adding, “No violence will create peace. Every human life is valuable. We must be the solution. Every human being has the right to gather in peaceful protest without suffering more unnecessary violence.”
Here is her post:
Prayers goes out to ALL involved in this tragedy!!!!
Sports News: Serena Williams Makes History and Ties Steffi Graph
(NYT) Back at Wimbledon in 2012, Serena Williams and her new, not yet official coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, had a discussion at the All England Club.
Williams had just lost in the first round of the French Open and knew she was at a roadblock that she hoped would turn into a crossroad.
“She told me, ‘I want you to help me win one last one,’” recalled Mouratoglou on Saturday.
She was referring to one last major singles title.
“She had 13 at the time,” Mouratoglou said. “And I said to myself, We’re not going to win one; we’re going to win 10.”
Four years later, Williams is almost there. It was once worth asking how much great tennis she had left after the age of 30. On Saturday, with one of the finest performances of her boundary-expanding career, she demonstrated that there was still no definitive answer to that question.
Back on her now-beloved grass at Wimbledon in 2016, she resumed playing her now-customary role of champion: embracing the pressure; shrugging off the counterpunching brilliance of her opponent, Angelique Kerber; and, above all, slamming aces like no one in the history of the women’s game when she needed them most.
It was quite a final and quite an occasion. With the 7-5, 6-3 victory, Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam singles title, tying Steffi Graf’s Open-era record. The next target (and to discuss another day) is the all-time mark of 24, set by Margaret Court, who was in the royal box on Saturday.
But it is far too easy to get bogged down in the numbers at this stage of Williams’s career, much as it has been with Roger Federer, who is also 34 but no longer in the same position of tennis authority as Williams.
Both are firmly and fairly in the running to be the greatest players ever in their ends of the tennis business. They have pushed each other forward from a respectful distance all these years, reassuring each other by their performances under duress that limits are as much in one’s mind as they are in one’s aging body.
“Who said 34 was old for tennis? Who makes the rules?” Serena says to herself in the mirror during “Serena: The Other Side of Greatness,” a recently released documentary on her 2015 season. “Shouldn’t each person make their own rules? There’s records and there’s numbers I’m really close to, but whether I reach those numbers or not, I will play and I will fight, and when I feel that I’m done, then I’ll be done." Congrats Serena!
Seahawks' Michael Bennett criticizes Steph Curry for expensive basketball camp in Hawaii!
On Saturday, Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett will host his fourth annual football camp in Hawaii featuring instruction from Bennett, Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o and other NFL players.
The day-long camp on the island of Oahu is free of charge for the 700-plus kids and teenagers (ages 7 to 18) who will attend.
Other athletes have hosted camps in Hawaii as well, namely Warriors guard Steph Curry who passed through recently for the Warriors Basketball Camp featuring Steph Curry from July 2-5. The cost of that four-day, three-night camp at BYU-Hawaii's campus in Oahu was $2,250 per camper, not including airfare.
Different sports, durations and programs, and yes, vastly different costs, a point noted by Bennett a conversation with Honolulu-based KHON News:
"I see a lot of different athletes come through Hawaii whether it's Steph Curry or whoever it is," Bennett said. "They all come here and it makes me mad, because I live in this community and I understand this community -- that there's so many kids who can't afford to pay such a high amount of money. In my mind it's like, how much money do you need before you start giving back for free? And I think a lot of athletes should start focusing on that."
"If you do have a camp and you charge money for it, you need to make sure that money that you take from this community, you give back to the kids that are paying for the camp. These are the kids that live here. When you leave Hawaii and you go back to wherever you're at, or you come here and you go back from this vacation you leave with a piece of paradise, but these people still live here every day."
This is obviously a personal subject for Bennett who resides in East Honolulu in the offseason with his wife Pele, who is a Hawaii native. The very generous Bennett and his wife also host the Annual OCEAN Health Fest, a free event promoting healthier and active lifestyles that features cooking demonstrations, group fitness activities and a health expo that offers health screenings.
But the matter of free camps versus non-free camps isn't cut and dry.
Some more context: the first four-day Curry camp in 2013, held at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, cost $695 per camper, per Darren Rovell. In 2015 at the same venue it cost $1,175 apiece. As mentioned above, the price tag this year was $2,250 in Hawaii.
The Curry camps are "powered by Under Armour," the brand that sponsors Curry and obviously has some relationship with the camp. While it's safe to guess that Curry could afford to foot the entire camp bill if he wanted, it's also a near certainty that someone other than Curry is setting the price on the camp, a price that might be stipulated by contract.
I don't know, and Michael Bennett probably doesn't know either. Bennett's own efforts and the message is truly admirable and every sport could use more people like him. But it's dangerous to tell another person how to spend his money. We don't know what contributions Curry might be making privately.
Alanis Morrissette Named Her Baby Onyx Solace
Alanis Morrissette took to Instagram to announce the June 23rd birth of baby Onyx Solace Morissette-Treadway and deemed herself #beyondblessed. It’s not quite as dreadful as “over the moon” but #blessed is getting there. People are getting good seats at the movies and feeling #beyondblessed about it. No.
As for that name. Alanis and her husband Souleye (tn Mario Treadway) already have a 6-year-old son named Ever Imre, so they probably own a vintage VW bus and drive across the country stopping in meadows a lot. I assume they live in a souped-up yert of some sort. Rich hippies. But I think they were aiming for “darkly beautiful jewel” and ended up with “Legs and Eggs-breakfast shift stripper” on this one. “Solace” fits the bill by sounding like a wispy anime character who lives in a tree and constantly has butterflies hovering about her lavender-hued hair. But “Onyx” evokes strenuous pole-dancing on a carpet of beer-soaked ones. In Florida.
Alanis Instagrammed the above pic prior to Onyx’s arrival. don’t know how you ladies do it. Swimming? Maybe if there was a buffet at the bottom of the pool?
OMG! Mary J. Blige’s stepdaughter battered and bruised, vows to press charges
Briana Latrise Isaacs, stepdaughter of the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” Mary J. Blige has come forward with shocking accusations that she, like Blige, is a victim of domestic abuse.
On Friday, July 8, Isaacs posted a series of disturbing video clips via Instagram, highlighting a long list of injuries, including a visibly busted lip and bloody gash over her right eye. “Ah s—. I do need stitches don’t I? Ah s—, am I going to have a scar?” said Isaacs. “Great another scar from another n—a beating up on me. I sure know how to pick them.”
Meanwhile, an insider tells rolling out, this was not a first occurrence. “It’s a shame, this is her second time being physically assaulted by a boyfriend, Iman Omari. I know her stepmother is a huge advocate against domestic violence and I know her father, Kendu, wants better for her.”
According to a second clip released by Isaacs, she is also suffering from a slight concussion in addition to slurred speech. “It’s been a long night. My son is safe — he didn’t see anything. Thank God.” While the mother of one appeared to initially place blame on herself, admitting she “spit in his face,” while lying on the ground following the beating, she (and a ‘friend’ in the background) quickly had a change of heart, stating there was “no justification” for the assault.
“Just to continue and end it — I’m still beautiful on the inside and outside. I’m just a little bruised up,” Isaacs said to the camera with a wink. “I just had my jaw realigned last week. Now I have to have it done again. That s— is not cheap,’ continued Isaacs. In the meantime, Briana says the bloody blow will “stop nothing” as she will “absolutely be pressing charges” against her attacker.
“My son doesn’t deserve to see his mom beat up. I don’t deserve to be beat up. I love wholeheartedly,” she said.
As fans know far too well, Blige is a long time advocate against domestic abuse. In December 2014, Blige released a striking domestic abuse-themed visual for “Whole Damn Year,” taking a backseat as couples fought dramatically — a blistering, starkly literal take on the song’s unsettling lyrics: “It took a whole damn year to repair my body,” sings Blige over a static-soaked piano hook. “Winter turned most of my heart / Spring punched me right in the stomach.”
Up next, our insider tells us that Isaacs is “filming WE tv’s ‘Growing Up Hip Hop’ season two.”
#EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Ben Cub
Meet Ben Cub ! And you can see more FUR when you GO HERE FOR THE PICS! Also it’s NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘RASPBERRY M&M’S’
Meet Puerto Rican Prince. He sings about his little red 1991 IROC-Z
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
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