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The 11 Most Heartbreaking Quotes From Brad Pitt's GQ Style Interview
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's split in September of 2016 seemed, at least to the public, absolutely cataclysmic. Hollywood's most high-profile couple filed for divorce amidst rumors of child abuse and alcohol addiction, and fans were heartbroken. Angelina Jolie fought back tears in February during an interview regarding the film First They Killed My Father, but insisted, "I don't want to say much about [the divorce.]" Pitt and Jolie have stayed understandably mum on the subject — rumors circulated that Pitt, driven to solitude post-divorce, was spending hours in a sculpture studio working on an original piece. In a new interview with GQ Style, though, Pitt was quite candid about the events of last fall.
The fact is, he's a 53-year-old who went through a very public divorce during which it seemed he might just lose custody of his five children. The interview, an exclusive cover story written by Michael Paterniti, is raw, intimate, and more than a little upsetting. These days, Pitt is actually working on a sculpture — he admitted it in the interview — and he's grappling with the World's Worst Midlife Crisis. Here are the more heart-wrenching moments in the epic profile.
On What He's Been Listening To
"I've been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean. I find this young man so special. Talk about getting to the raw truth. He's painfully honest. He's very, very special. I can't find a bad one.
And of great irony to me: Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear [Gaye's touchstone album about divorce]. And that kind of sent me down a road."
On Therapy
"You know, I just started therapy. I love it, I love it. I went through two therapists to get to the right one."
On Booze, Cigarettes & So-Called "Pacifiers"
"But me, personally, I can't remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn't boozing or had a spliff, or something. Something. And you realize that a lot of it is, um—cigarettes, you know, pacifiers. And I'm running from feelings. I'm really, really happy to be done with all of that. I mean I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family."
On Recovering From The Divorce
"...I've got my feelings in my fingertips again," Pitt admitted.
On Missing Alcohol
"I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground. I had to step away for a minute. And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good."
On Where He Went Immediately Following News Of His Divorce
"It was too sad to be here at first, so I went and stayed on a friend's floor, a little bungalow in Santa Monica. I crashed over here a little bit, my friend [David] Fincher lives right here...I stayed at my friend's house on the floor for a month and a half—until I was out there one morning, 5:30, and this surveillance van pulls up. They don't know that I'm up behind a wall, and they pull up—and it's a long story—but it was something more than TMZ, because they got into my friend's computer. The stuff they can do these days.... So I got a little paranoid being there. I decided I had to pick up and come here."
On Tragedy & Scandal
"It just keeps knocking. I'm 53 and I'm just getting into it."
On Being Misconstrued By The Media
"But, yes, at the same time, it is a drag to have certain things drug out in public and misconstrued. I worry about it more for my kids, being subjected to it, and their friends getting ideas from it. And of course it's not done with any kind of delicacy or insight—it's done to sell. And so you know the most sensational sells, and that's what they'll be subjected to, and that pains me."
On His Kids
"...it's hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven't been great at it."
On The Legal Proceedings Following His Divorce
"We're both doing our best. I heard one lawyer say, 'No one wins in court—it's just a matter of who gets hurt worse.' And it seems to be true, you spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you're right and why they're wrong, and it's just an investment in vitriolic hatred."
On Finding Happiness Again
"It's an elusive thing. It's been a more painful week than normal—just certain things have come up—but I see joy out the window, and I can see the silhouette of palms and an expression on one of my kids' faces, a parting smile, or finding some, you know, moment of bliss with the clay."
Get more HERE!
Kandi Speaks Out on Phaedra Being Exposed as a Liar on 'RHOA' Reunion
"The lies! The lies! The lies!"
In the final minutes of part four of the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion special, Phaedra Parks was exposed by her BFF, Porsha Williams, as the one who started the infamous Kandi drug rumor.
Now, while fans of the show wait to see how everything comes to an end, Kandi Burruss is speaking out about what she thought about the shocking revelation.
In an interview with Bravo, the Xscape member explained exactly what went through her mind when Phaedra was exposed.
"I was shocked, angry, disgusted... I could go on," she said. "Even with everything that had happened between me and Phaedra, I still didn't think Phaedra would go so low as to tell someone that I wanted to drug them. Being an attorney, you would think she wouldn't intentionally spread defamatory false statements about someone."
She added that what she was most bothered by was the fact that the attorney seemed to have no remorse for what she did.
"The sad thing was that she didn't even seem sorry for what she had done," she said. "I was thinking, 'Damn, was there a reason to hate me this much?' She already assisted Johnnie in helping him to meet an attorney to sue me, and now I find out she was spreading accusations that I want to drug people and take them home! This is too much."
Catch the final part of the RHOA reunion special this coming Sunday on Bravo.
#EMPIRE: Gabourey Sidibe Talks weight loss surgery, being phone sex operator
Gabourey Sidibe's social media followers know she has a voice like no other. Case in point: That time she crafted the perfect burn for trolls hating on her Golden Globes look in 2014. "To people making mean comments about my GG pics," she tweeted, "I mos def cried about it on that private jet on my way to my dream job last night. #JK."
Good news for fans of the actress' wit, they can now revel in it sans restriction of 140 characters or less, thanks to her new memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) out today.
While the Empire star doesn't shy away from serious topics like being raised by an abusive, polygamist father, bulimia, and her weight loss surgery, her humorous tone that garners compulsive likes and retweets is still present.
Take the chapter in which she takes readers behind the scenes of a phone sex company. Yes, for a short time, Sidibe was what she calls a "talker."
"Honestly, I thought I’d be walking into a dungeon with girls in ripped underwear chained to radiators who were moaning into receivers in phone booths," she writes, imagining what the environment would be like. In actuality, Sidibe states the office seemed more like "an elementary school classroom" adorned with colorful banners and inspirational messages.
But Sidibe admits the job at times felt "demeaning." During the interview process, Sidibe says she was informed that she should portray herself as white, although she observed "the average talker" at the company was "a plus-size black woman." When detailing the different types of "talker" personas, she says "Ebony girl" was the least popular, adding, "It hurt my heart to cut my words and suck my teeth in an effort to sound more 'black' for the caller."
Before her two-month anniversary, she was promoted to receptionist and stayed at the company for three years.
Sidibe also infuses humor into a recount of her weight loss surgery which she failed to mention to her family or the Empire crew.
Prior to her procedure, she aimed to lose 10 pounds by working out and hiring a personal chef, which she acknowledges as "hella fancy." She still made sure to have a last-minute indulgence, as post-op she would have to stick to a liquid diet for three weeks. A few days before surgery she washed down Popeye’s chicken, biscuits and fries with a Dr. Pepper and had her fill of champagne and tequila at a wedding.
Sidibe shares “the scariest part” of the whole ordeal was the thought of going back to work on the FOX series without having warned anyone about the laparoscopic bariatric operation or its impending results. Ultimately, she decided “the inconvenience of my morphing body would be outweighed by the pride they’d feel for my handling my own (expletive) and getting healthy by any means necessary.”
Even with that newfound confidence, she admits to feeling nervous on the morning of the procedure that no one in her family knew about. “I was filled with butterflies,” she writes, “but kept imagining them being shot down with the surgeon’s lasers.”
Sidibe also explains her decision was not fueled by vanity.
“I did not get this surgery to be beautiful. I did it so that I can walk around comfortably in heels," she shares. "I want to do a cartwheel. I want to not be in pain every time I walk up a flight of stairs. I want to stop worrying about losing my toes.”
We are all here for taking care of yourself
#MUSICNEWS: Erykah Badu Announces “Badu Vs. Everythang Tour”
Grammy Award-winning songstress Erykah Badu is coming to a city or country near you this summer, on her newly announced “Badu vs. Everythang Tour.”
After celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album Baduizm this past February, the singer-songwriter will be bringing old and new material to stages across 9 different countries kicking off in Alabama at the Birmingham Funk Fest this coming Saturday (May 6).
The surprise tour is set to make stops at several festivals including FYF Fest on July 22 in Los Angeles, Calif. and Meadows Festival on Sept. 16 in Queens, New York. She’ll also be taking her talents abroad for select dates in Paris, London, Italy and Japan.
See the full tour itinerary below.
“BADU VS. EVERYTHANG” TOUR DATES:
May 06 — Birmingham, AL @ Birmingham Funk Fest
May 19 — Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Funk Fest
May 27 — Houston, TX @ Houston Arena Theater
May 28 — New Orleans, LA @ Lakefront Arena
Jul 06-07 — London, England @ Hammerstein Theater
Jul 08 — Paris, France @ Palais Des Sports
Jul 09 — Rotterdam, Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Fest
Jul 11 — Montreux, Switzerland @ Montreux Jazz Fest
Jul 12 — Tuscany, Italy @ Lucca Summer Fest
Jul 14 — Copenhagen, Denmark @ Tivoli Gardens
Jul 15 — Pori, Finland @ Pori Jazz Festival
Jul 20 — Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Jul 22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Exposition Park
Aug 10 — Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
Aug 12 — Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Funk Fest
Aug 13 — Richmond, VA @ TBA
Sep 01 — Dallas, TX @ Riverfront Jazz Fest
Sep 15 — Newark, NJ @ TBA
Sep 16 — Queens, NY @ The Meadows Music & Arts Fest
Sep 22-23 — Chicago, IL @ Midwives Conference
Oct 01-03 / 06-12 — Tokyo, Japan @ Billboard Live
Oct 07 — Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Soul Camp Fest
Oct 09-10 — Osaka, Japan @ Billboard Live
#NEWHIPHOP from NEW MUSIC: DeJ Loaf – “BirdCall 1.5”
DeJ Loaf is back with a brand new single titled “BirdCall 1.5”. This is the sequel to “BirdCall”, which appeared on her 2014-project Sell Sole.
Listen HERE
Ladies Bradley Cooper Sports Hot Gray Scruff For 'A Star is Born'
Bradley Cooper continues to film his upcoming movie A Star is Born.
The 42-year-old actor was spotted wearing casual clothes while exiting his trailer on set on Wednesday (May 3) in Los Angeles.
Bradley “plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Gaga). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory,” according to Deadline.
Also starring Lady Gaga, A Star is Born will hit theaters in fall 2018.
House Republicans Have begun to Pass An Obamacare Repeal and Replacement!
But what seems like a GOP victory may ultimately be their downfall.
WASHINGTON (via HuffPost)― After years of promises and months of delays, House Republicans passed their version of an Obamacare repeal and replacement Thursday, muscling the far-right legislation through their chamber by feverishly pressuring moderates in the closing days.
Republicans passed the bill 217-213, with 20 Republicans voting “no” and not a single Democrat voting in support.
But what seems like a victory for House Republicans may ultimately be their downfall.
Democrats were of two minds about Republicans advancing the bill, which would gut some of Obamacare’s most popular provisions (including protections for people with pre-existing conditions as well as the Medicaid expansion).
On one hand, Democrats desperately wanted to protect President Barack Obama’s signature law. On the other hand, Democrats believe ― perhaps correctly ― that this extremely conservative bill can’t pass the Senate, and that House Republicans may have just hung a profoundly unpopular legislation around the necks of some of their most vulnerable members.
As Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Republicans during her floor speech before the vote, Democrats plan to tattoo every provision of this bill to the foreheads of Republicans. “You will glow in the dark,” Pelosi said.
While Republicans were cheering as they passed the voting threshold requirements, Democrats began singing to their counterparts the popular anthem of “Na-na-na-NA, na-na-NA, hey, hey, hey! Goodbye!”
A number of vulnerable Republicans also held off on voting for the bill until it was clear leadership needed their vote. Of particular note, Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) all waited to see if their votes would be needed before they supported the bill. Ultimately, leadership needed all of them.
When Democrats passed the health care law in 2010, many members knew it was coming at the expense of their seats. They did it, however, because it was policy they deeply believed in, protecting millions of sick and poor Americans while growing the number of insured in the country to record highs.
Republicans marched off this potential political cliff knowing their bill would uninsure millions, undermine protections for the sick and poor, and probably face little chance of becoming law ― and they did it without a revised score from the Congressional Budget Office.
But at least it’s off their plate.
That was the thinking among many members who just wanted to advance the process to the Senate and fulfill a promise that every Republican ran on: To repeal and replace Obamacare.
As long as we get another vote on the conference report, which we will, then there’s all kinds of ways to block [it] in the future if it doesn’t work out.
A number of the last remaining holdouts on the GOP health care legislation said in the closing days that they just wanted to move on. One vulnerable Republican, Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona, told members in a closed door meeting on Thursday that they just had to “get this fucking thing done,” according to members and aides present.
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), one of the last Republicans to flip from no to yes, changed his position after he got assurances from President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that they would address Webster’s concern about Florida having to pick up a clawback in federal funding for seniors in nursing homes, even though that fix isn’t in the legislation and leaders haven’t agreed on what they’ll do.
“We got several on line,” Webster said Thursday. “We’re working on those, we’re going to get some scores and so forth before we actually commit, and I’m willing to do that.”
Pressed that he was, in essence, voting to pass the legislation before he knows what will ultimately be in it, Webster said he was just advancing the process.
“There’s plenty of votes between now and the end. This is for this vote,” he said.
“As long as we get to a process,” Webster added. “As long as we have a conference, as long as the Senate has to vote, as long as we get another vote on the conference report, which we will, then there’s all kinds of ways to block [it] in the future if it doesn’t work out.”
Republicans are also voting on this latest legislation without a CBO score, a fact Republicans either shrugged off or denied, claiming that an earlier score was sufficient.
“We already had the Congressional Budget score when we did the main bill,” Rep. David McKinley (R-W.V.) told reporters Thursday morning. “These are amendments that only perfected, [and] do not add costs.”
McKinley added that the CBO score could “only get better” with the latest amendments, but when pressed how he knew that, McKinley ignored the question.
The amendments that McKinley believes will improve the legislation were critical to getting the bill over the finish line. The first amendment, which brought roughly 20 Freedom Caucus members who were voting no to yes, would allow states to opt out of the Obamacare provisions ensuring that people with pre-existing conditions are charged the same amount as healthy people, as well as the provisions mandating that insurers cover 10 Essential Health Benefits ― things like lab services, maternity care, and emergency room visits.
That amendment, worked out between moderate leader Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) and Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), was key to reviving health care talks, after the first version of the bill was pulled from the floor at the end of March.
That MacArthur and Meadows’ amendment will be difficult for the CBO to score, as they’ll have to predict whether states opt out of those Affordable Care Act provisions and set up a high-risk pool for sick people. (One of the conditions of a state waiving those regulations is that it establishes a high-risk pool.)
Republicans argue the high-risk pools are a sufficient protection for those people with pre-existing conditions, though, historically, those pools have been underfunded and people in them have paid much higher premiums and deductibles. The Center for American Progress estimated earlier this week that the Republican health care bill underfunds the high-risk pools by $200 billion over 10 years.
In a small bow to moderates, GOP leaders agreed to accept an amendment that would add $8 billion over five years for states that waive those Obamacare regulations to help people facing higher premiums. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who was a “no” vote on the bill earlier in the week, said leadership told him $5 billion would cover the costs of those higher premiums and he got $8 billion, though Upton doesn’t know where those figures came from and the Center for American Progress estimates it would only cover the costs of about 80,000 people ― a tiny portion of the people who could be affected by the change.
Either way, that amendment brought Upton and fellow Energy and Commerce member Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) back to a “yes” vote, and it was later treated as a key reasoning for Reps. David Young (R-Iowa,) Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), and David Valadao (R-Calif.) ― three potentially vulnerable Republicans who had been holding out ― to flip to a “yes” vote.
Those three members were key to leadership moving ahead, but there were dozens more Republicans who said they were undecided about the legislation that leadership had to win over.
While this bill’s passage will be treated as a victory for Paul Ryan and Donald Trump ― and, at least in the short-term, it is ― Republicans have chief deputy whip Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to thank for shoring up support among many doubtful members. McHenry worked the floor frantically in the week leading up to the vote, convincing fence-sitting Republicans to help leadership out by voting “yes.”
Of course, Meadows and MacArthur were also instrumental in reviving the bill, and Trump’s force of character may have helped persuade some members not to cross him. But on the president’s first real legislative battle, he showed that he can lose and he can “win” ― if you believe Republicans passing any bill at any cost constitutes a win ― as long as he mostly stays out of the specific negotiations.
James Earl Jones To Receive A Lifetime Achievement Award At This Year’s Tony Awards
Actor James Earl Jones has more than 50 years within the industry, and now he will be honored at this year’s Tony Awards.
According to the New York Times, the award administration announced his award earlier this week. With experience on the stage, film, and television, the 86-year-old has been known to play some iconic roles.
With all of the roles he has played throughout his career, he is most known for his distinctive deep voice.
Jones got his start in the theater back in 1958 when he starred in “Sunrise at Campobello,” and he would later go on to star in other shows such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Othello.”
He has won two Tony Awards, first in 1969 for “The Great White Hope,” and again in 1987 for “Fences.”
Each year the Tony Awards gives recognition to involved in the plays and musicals that are on Broadway each year. The nominees for this year’s award show will be announced on May 2nd and the show will take place on June 11th.
‘I Do!’ WNBA Star Skylar Diggins Weds Longtime Boyfriend
WNBA star Skylar Diggins got married last weekend!
The Dallas Wings guard made it official with her longtime boyfriend and fellow Notre Dame graduate, Daniel Smith, ESPNW. reports.
Diggins took to Instagram to share the news of her recent nuptials by posting a photo of her blissful moment with the caption, “Married my best friend this weekend, officially making me the happiest woman on earth! Thanks to everyone who has sent their love and support. To forever!”
Married my best friend this weekend, officially making me the happiest woman on earth! Thanks to everyone who has sent their love and support. To forever!
Diggins, or shall we say, Diggins-Smith, also couldn’t wait to show the world her newly-updated jersey.
Congrats to the lovely couple!
Drake Responds to Former Porn Star's Pregnancy Claims
Drake has spoken out in response to a woman claiming he got her pregnant.
The former porn star, Sophie Brussaux, told TMZ that she’s three-and-a-half months along with the rapper’s child.
She also claims she has text messages from Drake that allegedly proves he told her to get an abortion.
“This woman has a very questionable background,” Drake‘s rep told the site. “She has admitted to having multiple relationships. We understand she may have problems getting into the United States. She’s one of many women claiming he got them pregnant. These claims have always proven to be unfounded. If it is in fact Drake‘s child, which he does not believe, he would do the right thing by the child.”
Fantasia Barrino explains why she married herself
R&B Chanteuse Fantasia Barrino has learned to put herself first.
On May 2, 2017, Barrino explained to Harry Connick, Jr. on his talk show, Harry, why she wears two wedding rings, and the reason is quite simple: she married herself before she married her husband Kendall Taylor.
Really.
"Before I met him I bought a ring and married myself. That's crazy, right?" she revealed to Connick, Jr. "I married myself because I felt like before true love could come I needed to learn how to love myself again. And so, for me, I just forgot about myself."
Barrino, 32, went on, "I was so busy trying to take care of everybody else, so busy looking for that love that I was ending up in all the wrong situations, so I came here to do After Midnight, jazz … so that was a breath of fresh air for me, and so I said I'm going to marry myself."
Since her big win on American Idol in 2004, the singer, who's criticized how heavily the competition series focused on her past mistakes, has certainly faced some obstacles over the years. After mismanaging her finances, losing her house, and discovering tumors on her throat, Barrino reportedly sunk into a deep depression. In 2010, Barrino attempted suicide by overdosing on aspirin and sleeping pills.
"I didn't have any fight in me. I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out," she told VH1 in a 2016 interview for Behind the Music (via People). "At that moment, I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with – all of it."
Luckily, things seem to be looking up for the star. She got married (for real!) in July 2015 and was recently nominated at the 59th Grammy Awards for her song "Sleeping With The One I Love."
"I'm going to fast from all the things I used to do. I'm going to focus on Fantasia, and I needed to let God know because God knows what we need," Barrino told Connick, Jr. "He just wonders do we know what we need, and that was that time for me when I needed to figure out what I really needed."
Loves me some Tasia!
Queen Elizabeth's Husband Prince Philip Announces Retirement From Public Engagements
Prince Philip has announced that he is retiring from public engagements beginning in the fall.
The 95-year-old royal is married to Queen Elizabeth, 91, who is giving her husband her full support in his decision.
“Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen. Thereafter, The Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time,” the statement from the Palace read.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen.
Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen. Thereafter, The Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.
The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organisations, with which he will continue to be associated, although he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements.
Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Alex
Meet Alex! 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
Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!
Thanks for the see-through yoga pants. I like being able to see the whole area I plan on bouncing my quarter off.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!
EFREM
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