Mahershala Ali Opens on many issues in The Hollywood Reporter!
If you didn't know who Mahershala Ali is, surely you know him now. The Oscar nominated star lands this week's cover of The Hollywood Reporter and he opens up about dealing with depression.
Inside, the Moonlight star reveals he went into depression after his father left him and his mother. He shares,
“After that, my uncle has told me, and even my grandmother, I went into a depression. I was borderline depressed for years. There was a sadness over me, a melancholy. That's always been a part of me — those are some of the things that lead you to the arts. It's something I still think about, not that it brings me sadness at this point; it's a void or fracture that happened so early that now I have to address it in the healthiest way. We're affected by things, but 20 or 30 years later we can choose to feel different about them. I understand: My mom and dad were kids. And I know that they loved me and did the best they could do.”
The “Luke Cage” star also dishes on how he started opening up to different religions and beliefs outside of Christianity – the religion he was taught to believe growing up – and how his mother reacted his life change. He says his journey started when he went with his wife Amatus and her mom to a mosque in Philadelphia back when they were in college.
He shares,
"I was around 23 or 24 years old when I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was going back in time and trying to find out why I believed what I believed, and it always ended with my mother, and with what I was told — not my own epiphany or studies."
"A week later, it was Christmas break for school, and I just happened to stay in New York. It was Dec. 31, 1999. I woke up and thought, 'I have to go to the mosque,' and I go to this mosque in Brooklyn, and it's packed. It's multiple stories, and I'm all the way in the back, and they do this sermon in English and in Arabic, and they go to make the prayer — 'In the name of God the gracious and the merciful. All praise is due to God alone' — and the same thing happens to me, and I just start crying. I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was beyond explanation. There was this connection that pierced through it all for me. And I felt like I was in the right place. And this guy touches me on the shoulder and says, 'Are you Muslim?' And I say, 'No.' And he goes, 'Do you want to be?' And I said, 'Yes.' So he took me up to the imam, and I made my pledge"
"When I told my mother, it was a little bit clumsy. I got on the phone and she wasn't excited about that, in large part because at that time she believed there's only one route to heaven, through Christianity. It probably took 10 or 12 years until she really embraced it. My mother is as spiritual as she is religious. She likes to have a good time, but she has an extraordinarily serious quality about her. She lives with the awareness that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, that everything is about the next life. She basically told me she accepted that was my path, and she's been really supportive of that choice. We are in an extraordinarily positive place today."
That's great he and his mother could put their religious beliefs aside for the sake of their relationship.
NeNe Leakes Says She Hasn’t Been Asked To Return To RHOA, But She’s Interested!
The current season of Real Housewives of Atlanta has been pretty wild, but I will always miss the golden era of RHOA. The show hasn’t been the same since we saw NeNe Leakes, Kim Zolciak, and Sheree Whitfield arguing with each other, shifting sides, and pulling wigs. That’s why I’m pretty pumped and hopeful that these rumors about NeNe and Kim coming back to the show may be true.
I never expected either of them to return to the show full time. I just figured – if anything – Kim and NeNe would make a few cameo appearances, stir stuff up, avoid the fray, and then collect their paychecks.
In all honesty, it seems like both Kim and NeNe think that they are way too good for this Housewife life. NeNe has basically said so a million times and has bragged about how she “created” the show and how she’s “too busy” being an actual celebrity. Kim has her own spin-off with her family that allows her to be a reality star without dealing with the clique drama.
So what do Kim and NeNe have to say about the prospect of returning to the show that made them famous? NeNe discussed the possibility in an E! News interview. NeNe did her best to pretend that she is actually a humble person who isn’t actually building up this buzz for herself. NeNe bashfully remarked, “I don’t know what’s wrong with these people and these rumors. They are so ridiculous” as she pretended to be overwhelmed and threw her hands up in the air trying to feign being clueless.
She snapped into being the fiscally-aware and attention-seeking NeNe that we have all come to know when she admitted, “Here’s the deal: I have not been asked back for Season 10 yet. I mean, I don’t know. It’s a little early.” Well, yeah. Season 9 is still airing and they didn’t even tape the reunion yet. So unfortunately it looks like NeNe someone started these rumors a little too soon.
NeNe admitted, “If they need me to come back for Season 10, I’m there.”
Well, yes of course. I don’t see this big acting career that NeNe has been bragging about for years. I love watching her on Fashion Police, but it seems like all the promises of big career moves from NeNe’s ego when she left the show did not really come to fruition. Yes, I know she is a “comedian” now, and she has a store and a website. But she is not an actress – that’s all I’m saying. And there’s no better way to promote her many products and businesses than by playing herself and talking about her stuff on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
During the interview, Jason Kennedy called Kim via Factime and asked her if she’d be willing to become a housewife again. Kim kept it real, admitting, “I’m definitely motivated by money.” She said something else that I couldn’t hear because Jason and NeNe were laughing hysterically, but she added, “Money talks.”
So do You Want Nene Leakes Back On Real Housewives Of Atlanta?
#EMPIRE; Jussie Smollet speaks on Black History Month
Watch Jussie give his take on Black History Month HERE
He’s right Celebrate it ALWAYS and EVERYDAY!
Music News: Trey Songz Announces Release Date For ‘Tremaine’ Album
Shortly after premiering the first episode of his VH1 dating show Tremaine the Playboy, R&B heartthrob Trey Songz has revealed the cover art and release date for his new album, Tremaine.
The seventh studio album from the singer is due out March 24, and is already available for pre-order on iTunes. The LP includes 15-tracks, including the song “Nobody Else But You,” however the titles of the rest have not yet been revealed.
Leading up to the release of the album Trey plans to drop a new song every Thursday/Friday. He also announced “Tremaine The Tour” will be following the album.
In January, Trey surprised fans with the mixtape, Anticipation III, which followed his collaborative project with Fabolous – Trappy New Years.
Back in 2015 when Trey initially announced the Tremaine album, he shared some details about his direction for the music. “It’s just another layer of myself,” he said. “The ‘Tremaine’ album will kind of be like the base of what my career started as. In music now, in R&B and hip hop, I feel like it’s easy to make women feel sexy and be a bad bitch, but I feel like the ‘Tremaine’ album will kind of put women on the pedestal again, and show that it’s cool to love, it’s cool to want to be romantic, it’s cool to want to be in a relationship.”
New Hip Hop New Music: Raekwon Feat. G-Eazy – ‘Purple Brick Road’
Raekwon takes a trip down the “Purple Brick Road” with G-Eazy on a new J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League-produced banger off his forthcoming LP The Wild.
Over menacing piano keys, the Wu-Tang Clan legend boasts about his celebrated discography. “I gave you styles,” he raps. “Taught you how to be fly / Go ahead and grace the sky / Gave you wings to soar like you ought to / Forever might not exist in the flesh, but my music will.”
Purple Brick Road prod by @JusticeLeague https://soundcloud.com/iceh2orecords/raekwon-purple-brick-road-feat-g-eazy …
Following the Chef’s second verse and a haunting chorus, Young Gerald makes his entrance with references to Rae’s classic 1995 LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. “It’s G rappin’ with Raekwon,” he rhymes. “Told the homies this wouldn’t take long.” Later, he adds: “You’ll only go as far as you take it Twenty years later and we’re still slappin’ that Purple Tape shit.”
LISTEN HERE
“Purple Brick Road” is a single off Rae’s The Wild, which is set to feature additional appearances from Lil Wayne, CeeLo Green, and Andra Day. The follow-up to 2015’s Fly International Luxurious Art is due March 24. See the tracklisting below.
THE WILD TRACKLISTING
1. “The Wild” (Intro)
2. “This Is What It Comes Too”
3. “Nothing”
4. “Bang Head Right” (Skit)
5. “Marvin” feat. CeeLo Green
6. “Can’t You See”
7. “My Corner” Feat. Lil Wayne
8. “Fuck You Up Card” (Skit)
9. “M & N” feat. P.U.R.E.
10. “Visiting Hour” feat. Andra Day
11. “Bang Fall Down” (Skit)
12. “The Reign”
13. “Crown of Thorns”
14. “Purple Brick Road” feat. G-Eazy
15. “You Hear Me”
16. “Bang Outro”
Social Media Clowns Master P Over His Shape In The NBA All Star Uniform Fit.
LOL!
Lil Kim attends Marc Jacobs Show
Lil Kim is spotted at the Marc Jacobs fashion show (during NYFW) with Kendall Jenner, Tiffany Panhilason and Char Defrancesco.
We see you Kimmy!
‘Greenleaf’ Cast Holds Press Preview In Atlanta (Photos)
On Friday the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) hosted a press preview of the highly-anticipated second season of “Greenleaf” during the annual aTVfest in Atlanta.
Attendees arrived at the Four Seasons Atlanta and were treated to a buffet lunch followed by a sizzle reel screening and a Q&A with cast members Lynn Whitfield, Keith David, Merle Dandridge, Deborah Joy Winans, Tye White, GregAlan Williams, Kim Hawthorne, series writer Erica Anderson and creator/executive producer Craig Wright.
The new season of #Greenleaf premieres Wed, March 15 at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.
Hampton University President SLAMS ‘The Quad’ in a Letter to BET President Debra Lee [Photos]
BET’s new drama series ‘The Quad’ has been a topic of intense discussion since it premiered a few weeks ago.
Many from HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) have been vocal about what they feel is a negative representation of their college culture and values.
Hampton University President William R. Harvey took his criticism of the show straight to BET President Debra Lee in the form of a three-page letter. In the letter, Harvey slams ‘The Quad’ for misrepresenting HBCU leadership and student culture.
It reads:Devoid of any reference to academics, The Quad is about a president who is promiscuous, trustees who are unwilling to deal with a rogue band director, and a band director who condones criminal activity on the part of his drum major. The Quad will lead many to believe that HBCUs exist because of their marching bands; that our presidents are unethical; that our boards are dysfunctional and have misplaced priorities; that our faculty, students and administrators are driven by sex, alcohol, marijuana, low self-esteem, parties and a preoccupation with music; that it is acceptable to disrespect women; that university policy can be set by a band director; and that there are no standards of conduct or penalties for bad behavior. This depiction seems more analogous to a disgruntled, adolescent and unrealistic point of view that some may have. It also feeds a false narrative about the irrelevance of HBCUs.
We cannot afford this kind of storytelling. It amounts to the type of ‘fake news’ that is prevalent today. You see, all that most people know about HBCUs is what they see on television. What I saw on BET February 1st was not accurate; rather, it was a bogus representation of very important and historic institutions.
None of us have actually seen the show, so we can’t quite comment on whether or not ‘The Quad’ is ‘damaging’ to HBCUs. However, we do question if a fictional TV show has a responsibility to be 100% accurate in its storytelling.
Mariah Carey Finally Confirms Relationship With Bryan Tanaka
Mariah Carey has finally confirmed her relationship with boyfriend Bryan Tanaka.
While everyone was fairly certain the pop diva was dating her backup dancer, she had yet to make things official.
During an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday (February 15), Mariah finally referred to Bryan as her boyfriend when asked about her dating life.
“I’m just going to be like ‘I really don’t talk about my personal life.’ Because that’s what I used to do and it really worked for a minute, back, a while ago. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life….Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that,” she explained.
That same day, Mariah also shared a cute Valentine’s photo sitting in a hot tub with Bryan
Oh?
Hillary Clinton Meets Up With 'SNL' Star Kate McKinnon in NYC
In a moment of life immitating art, Hillary Clinton met up with the Saturday Night Live star who portrays her, Kate McKinnon!
The duo were spotted dining at Orso restaurant along with SNL writer Sarah Schneider on Wednesday evening (February 15) in New York City.
According to Page Six, the two women “seemed very nice and friendly and had a quiet dinner.”
It’s not known exactly why Hillary and Kate met up but people are speculating that it means Hillary will be appearing on SNL soon.
While it looks like Kate is on great terms with Hillary, the same can’t be said for Alec Baldwin who portrays Donald Trump!
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Rey
Meet Rey! So you know what to do to see more. Just CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN NOR ALTER any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
You’re Welcome!
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
EASTER IS COMING
Valentine’s Day? That’s so 3 days ago man. It’s all about Easter now! Now clear those damn shelves of all the red and pink packaged candy to make room for all the blue and green pastel colored candies.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!
EFREM
No comments:
Post a Comment