Janelle Monae for UK Stylist Magazine!
Music Phenom Janelle Monae did an interview and photoshoot for Stylist Mag. Here’s a bit of the intreview. If you’ve been near the internet in the past two weeks, you’ll have seen Janelle Monáe wearing a pair of vagina trousers in her new “emotion picture” (music video) Pynk. You’ll have also seen Westworld actor (and recent Stylist cover star) Tessa Thompson climbing out of Monáe’s ‘vulva’. And heard Monáe singing the words: “Pink like the inside of your…”
The video, which has been viewed more than five million times on YouTube, is a brilliantly unsubtle statement about the “power of the pussy”, self-love and sexuality. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Monáe draws a line between her art and her life – as I’m preparing to interview her, I get an email requesting that there be no questions about her personal relationships or sexuality.
Not talking about such issues has been a fixed rule throughout Monáe’s 11-year solo career, even though her songs have long hinted that there’s something to ask. The dichotomy of Monáe is a complex and modern one. She’s an enigma – a superstar-shaped one.
Because there is no doubt that Monáe is a superstar. When she turned her hand to acting in 2017, her first two films (Moonlight and Hidden Figures) were nominated for Oscars. She’s a political force who can be relied on to give smart, sharp speeches that cut to the bones of what a debate is really about. When she introduced Kesha at the Grammys in January, she did so with a statement that has already appeared on placards at political marches: “We come in peace, but we mean business.” But it’s her status as a pop icon that’s the focus of today’s conversation. After a five-year hiatus, this week the Kansas-born, Atlanta-based singer, 32, releases her third album, Dirty Computer, her most honest and revealing work so far, drawn from what’s going on in the world right now. Get more at Stylist!
#RHoA: Harvey Weinstein’s Designer Ex-Wife Georgina Chapman was ‘HORRIFIED’ that NeNe Wore Her Gown: Those Housewives Are Beneath Me!
Nene Leakes was on fire in her red Marchesa dress during the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion show but according to sources Harvey Weinstein’s fashion designer ex-wife was “horrified” that she was in her gown.
Georgina Chapman, whose fashion line was nearly destroyed after the news broke about her movie mogul husband’s shocking sexual assault scandal, refused to dress the NeNe in her gown, despite sales coming to a near-halt.
“NeNe bought that dress at Neiman Marcus because Georgina refused to ever gift her one of her dresses for free.”
Leakes loved the dress and captioned one picture wearing it with the hashtag “slayingmarchesa,” but the insider snitched to Radar that Weinstein’s wife was haughty about the reality star.
“Georgina thinks Housewives are beneath her. Even though she’s selling zero dresses and getting no good publicity after the Harvey scandal, Georgina is still a major snob.”
Leakes had a lengthy love affair with the line, reaching out in 2013 to wear a dress on the RHOA reunion and the label turned her down.
“Georgina said she would never dress a Housewife, ever, and she still feels that way. NeNe was turned down and she bought that dress off the rack too.”
Chapman left Weinstein as the sexual assault scandal broke and the pair reached a divorce settlement in early 2018. If you ask me at this point no ones buying your dresses. Beggars shouldn’t be choosey!
#Empire: Meet theTwin sisters from Tampa who help shape Fox's 'Empire' stories by being writers!
JaNeika and JaSheika James’ television obsession was fueled by scarcity and convenience.
As self-described "military brats" living in Germany, the girls treasured the VHS tapes their grandparents shipped overseas filled with English-language Saturday morning cartoons, A Different World and the Golden Girls. As identical twin sisters, they didn’t need to leave the house to find a playmate, so they would hang out with each other and watch TV.
But it was eighth or ninth grade, after their mother left the Air Force and the family had settled in Tampa, that they read an article in Jet about Yvette Lee Bowser, showrunner and creator of the sitcom Living Single.
"It was the first time we were even aware that as a black woman you could write TV," JaSheika James told the Tampa Bay Times. "We stated it right then and there, we want to do that when we get out of school. That planted a seed in us."
They got there and then some. Now 36, JaNeika and JaSheika are writers for Fox’s smash hit, nighttime soap Empire. The latest episode co-written by the James twins premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. and it’s going to be a big one, introducing Emmy-winning actress Alfre Woodard as the mother of Cookie Lyon, the female lead played by Taraji P. Henson.
It’s also the first time they’ll be back home in Tampa from Los Angeles to watch one of their episodes with local family, friends and their former teachers from Tampa Bay Tech. They’re hosting a private watch party at the Marriott Waterside.
The women revel in helping create the tangled family and relationship drama that characterizes Empire — a soap opera addiction had them scheduling classes at the University of Florida around the Young and the Restless and General Hospital and spending spring break driving to the Dawson’s Creek set because "we had to meet Pacey" — but they’re also proud of helping taking Empire in new directions.
"One thing that’s really cool this season is that although the majority of the Lyon family are men, we’ve been able to examine the role of women more," JaNeika said. "When Lucious had memory loss, Cookie had to lead as CEO, when our Becky character became head of A and R, she had to face the difficult decision of having an abortion, Tiana has to choose whether to let her love life affect her career."
"It’s giving voices to women who over the seasons hadn’t had them," JaSheika said."Our core audience is African American women, and they’ve definitely been responding."
Writing for a series watched weekly by more than five million people hasn’t stifled the sisters’ ambition. Their biggest future goal is to create and run their own TV show, and they want to start writing and developing their own movies.
"We’d like to be in a position to hire young men and women out of Tampa to come work in Hollywood," JaNeika said. "It can be a dark place, and we’d like to be a source of light."
They’ve drawn inspiration from what director Barry Jenkins did with his Oscar-winning film Moonlight, set and filmed in his home town of Miami.
"One thing we want to do eventually is shoot something here or bring some stories from Tampa into the light," JaNeika said, referring to the story of a so-called "tax fraud queen" in Tampa who was sentenced to 21 years in prison. "In a way, someone who’s able to steal millions has to be really brilliant, but she was also flashing all of the money around on Instagram. So there’s an example of a fascinating story from Tampa that also has this comical element."
They visited the University of Florida on Friday to talk with students. Their biggest advice: tell everyone what it is you’re trying to achieve. Not only does it hold you accountable, you never know who will hear it and be able to help.
When Janeika was in grad school, she had the opportunity to interview Yvette Lee Bowser, the creator she’d read about in Jet all those years earlier for her thesis. She told Bowser about what she wanted to do, and later got her start in TV as Bowser’s intern on the UPN series Half and Half.
It also helps to have a writing partner you can be bluntly honest with. Sugarcoating wastes time.
"We have a shorthand between us. Sometimes we’ll be in the writers room and disagree and people turn and look at us like, ‘Is this okay?’, JaNeika said. "We’re like ‘It’s fine, we’ve been doing this for 30 years guys’."
#MusicNews: JoJo Announces ‘Leaks, Covers & Mixtapes’ Tour
R&B/Soul songstress JoJo will be hitting the road for a late spring/early summer jaunt. The ‘mad Love’ artist will launch the ‘Leaks, Covers & Mixtapes’ tour on May 29th in Anaheim, California. The trek will make stops in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Atlanta before wrapping on June 26th in Dallas, Texas.
Pre-sale will be available starting tomorrow, April 25th at 10am local time – use password: JOJOEXCLUSIVE. Venue pre-sale tickets available this Thurs, April 26th at 10am and general tickets will go on sale this Fri, April 27th at 10am local (except New York, which goes on sale at noon).
JoJo’s last album, Mad Love, was released in October 2016. The project was her only album release under Atlantic Records, as she left in August 2017 to form her own label under Interscope Records.
#HipHopNews: Slum Village Release "Lost Scrolls Vol. 2"
Slum Village may be no more, but the acclaimed group has provided fans with something new(ish) to enjoy via the release of Lost Scroll Vol. 2.
The project compiles 11 demos and remixes from the vault of the original trio: J Dilla, T3 and Baatin. Each song is produced by Dilla and was recorded during the timeframe of 1996-1999.
Check out Slum Village’s Lost Scrolls Vol. 2 HERE
Prince's Estate To Release Original, Exclusive Material
Fans of The Purple One may have new memorabilia to swoon over sooner than later.
According to TMZ, boxes of unreleased photos and writings have been found by the Prince Estate in Minnesota. Paisley Park Enterprises, the merchandising division of Prince’s Estate, intends to cash in on the discoveries, having just filed documents for clearance to release the handwritten poetry, lyrics, journals and never-before-seen photos. The estate plans to produce a collector’s book of this original printed material, though there has been no word on when the book will be available.
#OOOPS Bravo has STOPPED PRODUCTION on ‘Don’t Be Tardy’!
On Sunday, Kim Zolciak said racism doesn’t really exist anymore and that it really only exists because of social media.
“This whole racism thing in this day and age is bullshit,” she tells Cohen as Shereé Whitfield and hubby Kroy Biermann look on. “Like, every one of those motherf–kers on that couch owes this world an apology for this racism shit. They already tried to claim that shit long ago, Shereé, as you know.”
“Kim and her team have halted all production for Don’t Be Tardy while her lawyers have been working around the clock to investigate and deal with the final episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion,” one source says. A second insider adds, “Kim has pulled the plug on filming. She’s very upset about the entire situation.”
The news comes just days after Bravo aired part 3 of the explosive RHOA season 10 reunion. At the end of the Sunday, April 22, episode, Zolciak called host and executive producer Andy Cohen into the bathroom to express her frustration over the way she was treated by him and castmates NeNe Leakes, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Cynthia Bailey, Sherée Whitfield and Porsha Williams.
Girl Bye!
Meek Mill Ordered to Remain in Philadelphia While Out on Bail
Meek Mill won’t be hitting up Las Vegas — or anywhere else outside of Philadelphia — anytime soon.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the judge ordered Meek Mill not to leave Philadelphia County while he is out on bail.
“Pursuant to this same Order,” the document reads, “this Court ORDERS that Defendant reside in Philadelphia County, be supervised by the Philadelphia County Adult Probation and Parole Department, and shall report to the Philadelphia County Adult Probation and Parole Department within 24 hours of the date of this Order.”
Meek can petition the court to leave the county, should he desire, and an evidentiary hearing is scheduled for June 18, 2018.
The rapper was released from prison on Tuesday after a lengthy legal battle. After his release, he released a statement saying:
I’d like to thank God, my family, my friends, my attorneys, my team at Roc Nation including JAY-Z, Desiree Perez, my good friend Michael Rubin, my fans, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and all my public advocates for their love, support and encouragement during this difficult time. While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive.
To the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, I’m grateful for your commitment to justice – not only for my case, but for others that have been wrongfully jailed due to police misconduct. Although I’m blessed to have the resources to fight this unjust situation, I understand that many people of color across the country don’t have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues.
In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career.
Cardi B Announces Her Maternity Leave
On social media, Cardi wanted to make matters “a little clearer” for fans, Cardi announced that her set at Broccoli City Festival in Washington DC this weekend will be her “last performance for a little while” because “shawty keep growing”.
Saying that she can “barely breathe” at the moment, Cardi also confirmed that she will be back on the run for her tour supporting Bruno Mars in North America during September.
Cancelled dates include shows in the US, Norway and Ireland. Cardi had already pulled out of her Wireless Festival appearance.
iamcardibHey guys after Broccoli fest I won’t be doing no more performances .Thank you for understanding 😘love yaaa
Beyonce, Kelly & Michelle was hanging out At Peter Dundas’ Store Opening!
Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams popped up a fashion designer Peter Dundas’ store opening in Los Angeles last night. And, as expected, the ladies were the talk of the event. Like, if Destiny’s Child walks into a room, no matter where you’re at, y’all can not convince us that you wouldn’t start acting up and stanning out. Folks in the room basically did just that.
Mrs. Carter rolled up to the event in a black long-sleeved mini dress with fringe accents on the sleeves. Cute.
Kelly sparkled in a silve sequin jumpsuit she topped with a white blazer, while Michelle rocked a black crop top to show off her midsection paired with black high wasited pants.
After the event, all three ladies hopped in the same ride together:
Nice Love DC!
#POLITICS: Ben Carson Thinks Poor People Should Pay Higher Rent If They Want Government Help
The HUD secretary also wants stricter work requirements for people living in subsidized housing.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is proposing to increase rent for millions of low-income tenants in government-subsidized housing and impose stricter work requirements.
The plan, unveiled Wednesday, would raise rent to 35 percent of gross income for more than 2 million families now paying 30 percent of adjusted income for subsidized housing. It would also mean that the poorest households ― more than 700,000 of them ― could see monthly rental caps triple to $150 from $50, HUD said. Elderly and disabled tenants would be exempt from the increase.
In addition, Carson wants to give public housing agencies the ability to impose minimum work requirements, excluding the elderly and the disabled.
“Every year, it takes more money, millions of dollars more, to serve the same number of households,” Carson said Wednesday on a call with reporters. “It’s clear from a budget perspective and a human point of view that the current system is unsustainable.” It also discourages people from working, he added.
Carson’s proposal falls in line with President Donald Trump’s broader push to curb federal assistance. The Department of Health and Human Services began encouraging states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients earlier this year. The Department of Agriculture is also contemplating more stringent work requirements for people on food stamps.
Carson’s plan could push low-income people toward homelessness, some advocates said.
“We’re talking about keeping a roof over people who can’t afford the market,” Jack Cooper, executive director of the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants, told The Associated Press. “They’re devastating folks that are already in dire straits.”
A Sequel To “A Quiet Place” Has Already Been Announced
Yessss, this is good news. There will be a sequel to ‘A Quiet Place” THR reports: Paramount is moving ahead with a sequel to A Quiet Place, the hit horror film that has earned more than $213 million at the worldwide box office to date, including $134.8 million in North America.
The film has defied box-office expectations, even overtaking the big-budget Dwayne Johnson pic Rampage last weekend to come in No. 1 in its third weekend (it opened at No. 1, while coming in No. 2 behind Rampage in its second outing).
God, we’re a dumb country. Like many, I saw A Quiet Place and left the theater thinking that an adequate movie starring two adequately attractive people had been adequately executed. Sure I had some quibbles (mostly about farts and birth control) but generally felt that adequacy had been achieved. But do we really need a sequel?
Without giving any spoilers away, the whole sequence where all the mimes went out and erected an imaginary wall to keep the monsters away was a bit silly. And the fact that everybody was saved when Jim from The Office held up a boom box playing Taylor Swift’s “September“ and all the monsters looked at each other and simultaneously bit down on their cyanide capsules, was a bit a stretch. Like where did they even get those from? Was is Stanley?
They should just roll the sequel in with the planned reboot of The Office. If they do that AND if they work out some of the glaring leaps of logic, I might give AQP2: The Silence Of The Pams a shot.
Angela Bassett and Tom Cruise Cruising at CinemaCon
Angela Bassett hung out with honoree Tom Cruise at the 2018 Will Rogers “Pioneer of the Year” Dinner in Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 25. They look nice!
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘THE MIDDLE’
If there is one outfit every kid could pick for their mom, it would definitely be a crop top. Regardless of how it fits, every child just loves nothing more than mom walking around full gut out.
#EGGPLANT NATION Meet Trey!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
ENJOY!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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