Janelle Monae for Allure July 2018
Janelle Monae is on the cover of Allure’s “Freedom” issue.
Here’s what the entertainer had to share with the mag…
On celebrities being told to stay in their lane: “You strip away the makeup, the costumes, and everything you know about Janelle Monáe the artist, and I’m still the African-American, queer woman who grew up with poor, working-class parents. When I walk off a stage, I have to deal with these confrontations. I have to deal with being afraid for my family.”
On the risk of living openly and freely: “There’s lots of fears that I have about just living openly and freely and criticizing those who are in the position of power. You just never know. You never know what could happen when you are outspoken. It’s a risk. It’s a risk that I’ve prayed on and I’m willing to take.”
On how results of the presidential election affected her ability to create: “I felt it was a direct attack on us, on black women, on women, on women’s rights, on the LGBTQIA community, on poor folks. I felt like it was a direct attack saying, ‘You’re not important. You’re not valuable and we’re going to make laws and regulations that make it official and make it legal for us to devalue you and treat you like second-class citizens or worse.’ I got to the point where I stopped recording because I was just like, ‘I’m going to make an angry album.’”
For more from Janelle, visit Allure.com.
#RHoA: Kenya Moore –Dear Bravo “I Will Be A Housewife Or Nothing At All”
Real Housewives of Atlanta star/former Miss USA queen, Kenya Moore, took to Instagram to set the record straight about the status of her peach. As we previously reported, Kenya Moore was rumored to have been fired from “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” along with Sheree Whitfield and Kim Zolciak-Biermann. Kenya hinted that she isn’t willing to settle for a recurring role on the show. She posted a behind the scenes video shooting a green-screen for the show’s intro, holding her peach. She included the caption:
In the meantime, Kenya is flaunting her baby bump. She is expecting a bundle of joy with her husband, restauranteur Marc Daly. She debuted her pregnant belly to the public at the Ultimate Womens’ Expo in Atlanta, GA.Do you think Kenya Moore deserves to keep her peach?#Empire: The Best All-Time Anika Moments on “Empire” Part #3When Empire first came out back in 2015, it became an instant hit mainly because of the characters at play. The top billers, Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, are the epitome of what power couples should be. Not only are their characters successful and charismatic; they’re also equally insane in the most dramatic sense of the word. Of course, for Taraji’s character Cookie to be fully recognized, there has to be an opposing force that’s just equal in power and pull. That opposing force for the past four seasons of the show is Anika Calhoun, played by the amazing Grace Byers. Anika was a force to be reckoned with on the show, and she still managed to shock us all her time on the show. So in her honor all this week on The Chronicles we will show you the five best Anika moments on Empire.The Lyon Who Cried Wolf – Season 2 Episode 16This wasn’t exactly the episode when Rhonda was pushed down a flight of stairs, which led to her losing her baby. By this point, we already knew that it was evil Anika that pushed Rhonda out of pure jealousy and craze, and as shocking as that scene was, we didn’t really see her do it—it was all just an assumption then. In this episode, what we see is the immaculate acting that Anika was so capable of doing in just the right moments. We never really knew when this woman was being sincere or not. Perhaps she was just never sincere. But in this moment, we saw just how capable she was at spewing lies, as she completely falsified concerns for Rhonda.WATCH HERE
#NewMusicVideo Marsha Ambrosius Drops Video For New Single, ‘Old Times’Recently, Marsha Ambrosius released the emotional visual for her new single, “Old Times.”Produced by DJ Camper, the single features Marsha’s signature melodic vocals as she reminds her lover of their longtime love as he navigates the streets to get home to their family.WATCH HERE
The video was shot and directed in Atlanta by The RiskTakerz (of Gucci Mane, Future, and 2Chainz video fame), and replicates the same feeling, adding symbolic imagery that has made headline news of violence against African-American people by authorities in the U.S. She sits and waits at home with her real-life daughter Nyla for her partner a to arrive. Will he make it home safely?Marsha is also gearing up to release her third album NYLA on September 14 via Entertainment One (eOne), which is the follow up to her 2014 release Friends & Lovers. The album will feature production by Focus, Stereotypes, Harmony Samuels as well as a heartfelt collaboration with PJ Morton. “Old Times” is currently available on all digital platformsIn addition, Ambrosius will be serenading fans in New Orleans at the 2018 ESSENCE Festival on Saturday, July 7 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (click here for the schedule). She will be performing chart-topping hits spanning across almost 2 decades including “Far Away,” “Say Yes” “Butterflies” “Hope She Cheats…,” “Late Nights & Early Mornings” and introducing new songs from the incredible upcoming album “NYLA.”#HipHopNews: Kanye west and kid cudi’s ‘kids see ghosts’ debuts at no. 2A week after the chart-topping debut of ye, Kids See Ghosts enters the Billboard 200 at No. 2.The 7-track joint album from Kanye West and Kid Cudi sold 142,000 equivalent album units in its first week, according to Billboard. Of that number, 79,000 were in traditional album sales.Kids See Ghosts is the second weekly release from G.O.O.D. Music, following West’s ye, which falls 1-5 in its second week (74,000 units). Cudi’s previous solo album, 2016’s Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, debuted at No. 11 with 49,000 album equivalent units.Elsewhere in the top 10, Post Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys falls 2-4 (92,000), Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy drops 5-6 (46,000), Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance dips 6-7 (43,000), and Lil Baby’s Harder Than Ever holds at No. 9 (34,000).Next week will see the debut of Nas’ 11th studio album Nasir, which was also executive produced by West, as well as Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s surprise joint album Everything Is Love.BILLBOARD 200 TOP 101. Dave Matthews Band – Come Tomorrow – 292,0002. Kanye West and Kid Cudi – Kids See Ghosts – 142,0003. Dierks Bentley – The Mountain – 102,0004. Post Malone – beerbongs & bentleys – 92,0005. Kanye West – ye – 74,0006. Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy – 46,0007. Juice WRLD – Goodbye & Good Riddance – 43,0008. Various – The Greatest Showman – 38,0009. Lil Baby – Harder Than Ever – 34,0008. Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes – 31,000Prince’s Estate Seeks To Pull Out Of Tidal DealBack in May it was announced, The Prince Estate and global music and entertainment platform TIDAL confirm plans to debut highly anticipated new Prince music exclusively via the TIDAL streaming service. The new album will contain previously unreleased music sourced from Prince’s vast archive of Vault recordings. The album – expected to be released in 2019 – will stream exclusively on TIDAL for fourteen days and will be available for download seven days after its debut.Tidal has been accused of intentionally falsifying streaming numbers for Beyonce’s“Lemonade” and Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo” albums and consequently paying inflated royalties to the artists’ labels.The heirs to Prince‘s fortune are calling out Tidal for allegedly lying about streaming data,According to TMZ reports, The attorney for Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson blew the whistle on Tidal with the probate judge in Prince’s case. In a letter, obtained by TMZ, they say Tidal’s been accused of “inflating the streaming numbers” for Beyonce’s “Lemonade” and Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo.”They say Tidal allegedly boosted the numbers by several hundred million streams … which would jack up the royalties paid to Bey and Ye.Kim Kardashian’s Tweet Won’t Sway Gov. Jerry Brown in Kevin Cooper Clemency CaseKim Kardashian West‘s latest crusade for criminal justice reform has gotten a response from California Governor Jerry Brown and her royal celebrity status won’t be enough to change things for one death row inmate.KKW tweeted a link to a New York Times piece this weekend about Kevin Cooper, a death row inmate in California who claims new DNA testing will exonerate him for the brutal slaying of four people in the 1980s. In her tweet, the mogul implored Gov. Brown to test Cooper’s DNA.Democratic and Republican officials alike turn their backs on what should be a scandal of justice and race.“The Governor’s Office has received the clemency petition from Cooper and it remains under review,” a representative from Gov. Brown’s office tells The Blast. “A request for clemency is a serious matter and applications are thoroughly and diligently reviewed. That review will ultimately dictate next steps.”Kardashian’s celebrity status is undeniable and after her recent success getting President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of low-level drug offender Alice Marie Johnson, many thought it was possible that the reality star’s tweet might sway the governor.The Gov’s office explained that while some are focused “on a celebrity tweet,” the history of Cooper’s case is long and intricate.They referred The Blast to a post-conviction order from 2011 that detailed the “many, many proceedings over the years, the long history of extensive testing and the great complexity of this case, which has been before every level of state and federal court multiple times.”However, several legal experts and even judges have questioned the veracity of Cooper’s murder conviction and Senator Kamala Harris even recently supported testing the DNA evidence in the case.Additionally, the sole survivor of the massacre (then 8-years-old) has repeatedly maintained that the perpetrators were two or three white men; Cooper is black.In 1983, Cooper escaped from a minimum-security prison just two days before the gruesome slayings of Peggy and Doug Ryen, their daughter and a friend who was there for a sleepover. While a fugitive, Cooper holed up in an abandoned house close to the crime scene. He was apprehended by police two months later after a rape was reported on a sailboat anchored near Santa Cruz and the victim identified Cooper as the rapist.According to Gov. Brown’s office, Cooper’s request for clemency remains under review and they emphasized “how seriously the office takes its clemency responsibilities,” Kim Kardashian West notwithstanding.#YOURFIRSTLOOK: Michael B. Jordan In ‘Creed 2’
Warner Bros. Pictures has offered us a first look at ‘Creed II’ with the release of the official poster featuring Michael B. Jordan.Creed II poster - Michael B. JordanWarner Bros. Pictures has offered us a first look at Creed II with the release of the official poster featuring Michael B. Jordan looking scrum-dilly-umptious!In the highly anticipated sequel, slated to open in theaters on November 21, newly crowned light heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.The trailer is also expected to drop later…Beyoncé & Jay-Z Drop Bonus Track ‘Salud!’Mazel tov! Hot off the release of their surprise joint album Everything Is Love, The Carters put up a glass on their bonus track “Salud!”The celebratory song, a TIDAL exclusive, was produced by Cool & Dre, and also features vocals from Dre.Bey gets the party started on her rap-sung verse. “Put it on ice / Celebrate that we made it / I put it on Christ,” she sings. “Lord knows it takes hella patience when your name is a verb and these comments absurd / And they swear they know you better than you know yourself.”Hov boasts about his all-glass house, wife with a “model walk,” and homes in Montauk, Tribeca, and New Orleans. He also addresses Donald Trump. “Your president’s tweeting about Hov like he know us / My road to the top was to take what you owed us / I give a fuck what that man find vulgar / Just look in my eyes when you toast us.”In addition to “Salud!,” Cool & Dre produced “Summer,” “713,” and “Black Effect.” Everything Is Love also features contributions from Quavo, Offset, Pharrell, Ty Dolla $ign, NAV, Dave Sitek, and Boi-1da.MTV Movie & TV Awards: See the full list of winners
Host Tiffany Haddish did it all at the MTV Movie & TV Awards Monday night: she riffed on the Kardashians, she danced, she got spontaneously pregnant, Cardi B-style, by looking Michael B. Jordan directly in the face. Everything. She also won Best Comedic Performance, because, well, naturally. Check out the full list of this year’s winners, who competed in gender-neutral categories once again, below.BEST MOVIEAvengers: Infinity War (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)*Black Panther (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)Girls Trip (Universal Pictures)IT (New Line Cinema)Wonder Woman (Warner Bros. Pictures)BEST SHOW13 Reasons Why (Netflix)Game of Thrones (HBO)grown-ish (Freeform)Riverdale (The CW)*Stranger Things (Netflix)BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MOVIE*Chadwick Boseman – Black PantherTimothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your NameAnsel Elgort – Baby DriverDaisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last JediSaoirse Ronan – Lady BirdBEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW*Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger ThingsDarren Criss – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime StoryKatherine Langford – 13 Reasons WhyIssa Rae – InsecureMaisie Williams – Game of ThronesBEST HERO*Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther) – Black PantherEmilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) – Game of ThronesGal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman) – Wonder WomanGrant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash) – The FlashDaisy Ridley (Rey) – Star Wars: The Last JediBEST VILLAINJosh Brolin (Thanos) – Avengers: Infinity WarAdam Driver (Kylo Ren) – Star Wars: The Last Jedi*Michael B. Jordan (N’Jadaka/Erik Killmonger) – Black PantherAubrey Plaza (Lenny Busker) – LegionBill Skarsgard (Pennywise) – ITBEST KISSJane the Virgin – Gina Rodriguez (Jane) and Justin Baldoni (Rafael)*Love, Simon – Nick Robinson (Simon) and Keiynan Lonsdale (Bram)Ready Player One – Olivia Cooke (Sam) and Tye Sheridan (Wade)Riverdale – KJ Apa (Archie) and Camila Mendes (Veronica)Stranger Things – Finn Wolfhard (Mike) and Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)MOST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCETalitha Bateman (Janice) – Annabelle: CreationEmily Blunt (Evelyn Abbott) – A Quiet PlaceSophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh) – ITCristin Milioti (Nanette Cole) – Black Mirror*Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) – Stranger ThingsBEST ON-SCREEN TEAMBlack Panther – Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/ Black Panther), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Letitia Wright (Shuri)*IT – Finn Wolfhard (Richie), Sophia Lillis (Beverly), Jaeden Lieberher (Bill), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie), Wyatt Oleff (Stanley), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Chosen Jacobs (Mike)Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – Dwayne Johnson (Smolder), Kevin Hart (Mouse), Jack Black (Shelly), Karen Gillan (Ruby), Nick Jonas (Seaplane)Ready Player One – Tye Sheridan (Wade), Olivia Cooke (Samantha), Philip Zhao (Sho), Win Morisaki (Daito), Lena Waithe (Aech)Stranger Things – Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), Sadie Sink (Max)BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCEJack Black – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle*Tiffany Haddish – Girls TripDan Levy – Schitt’s CreekKate McKinnon – SNLAmy Schumer – I Feel PrettySCENE STEALERTiffany Haddish (Dina) – Girls TripDacre Montgomery (Billy Hargrove) – Stranger Things*Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom) – RiverdaleTaika Waititi (Korg) – Thor: RagnarokLetitia Wright (Shuri) – Black PantherBEST FIGHTAtomic Blonde – Charlize Theron (Lorraine) vs. Daniel Hargrave (Sniper), Greg Rementer (Spotter)Avengers: Infinity War – Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) vs. Carrie Coon (Proxima Midnight)Black Panther – Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) vs. Winston Duke (M’Baku)Thor: Ragnarok – Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) vs. Chris Hemsworth (Thor)*Wonder Woman – Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) vs. German SoldiersBEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARYCan’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy StoryDemi Lovato: Simply Complicated*Gaga: Five Foot TwoJay-Z’s “Footnotes for 4:44”The Defiant OnesBEST REALITY SERIES*Keeping Up With the KardashiansLove & Hip HopReal HousewivesRuPaul’s Drag RaceVanderpump RulesBEST MUSICAL MOMENTblack-ish (Cast performs “Freedom”)Call Me by Your Name (Elio crying through the end credits)Girls Trip (Girls Trip dance battle)Love, Simon (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” dream sequence)Riverdale (Cast performs “A Night We’ll Never Forget”)*Stranger Things (Mike and Eleven dance to “Every Breath You Take”)The Greatest Showman (Phillip and Anne sing “Rewrite the Stars”)This Is Us (Kate sings “Landslide”)Congrats to all Winners!Suge Knight Denied Permission To Attend His Mother’s FuneralSuge Knight‘s mother, Maxine Chatman, passed away on Sunday, but he will not have the opportunity to say his final goodbyes.Ms. Chatman’s death comes a month after she suffered a stroke. Her health continued to decline resulting in her lungs collapsing and her kidneys failing.She died surrounded by family in a Paramount, California hospital.Suge Knight was hoping he’d be granted permission to attend his mother’s funeral service, but it’s a no-go because he’s in jail and awaiting trial for a homicide.Welp. My condolences to the Ms. Chatman’s family.#RHOC Tamra Judge gives fans hope for a life after divorceTamra Judge is currently celebrating love, but she’s becoming a beacon of hope that one can find love and happiness after divorce.Tamra Judge has gone through quite the health challenges over the past couple of months, as she herself has been diagnosed with skin cancer. Her husband has also been diagnosed with some heart troubles and has undergone several heart-related surgeries. But both of them are sticking to their vows, through sickness, and in health, as they battle these illnesses and conditions. Tamra and her husband Eddie Judge are currently hanging out near the California Sur and it sounds like they are enjoying their time together after these obstacles.On The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra Judge has shared the struggles she’s gone through with her divorce from Simon Barney. When they got divorced, Tamra thought she had gone through the worst of it, but she had no idea that she would soon be facing parental alienation from her oldest daughter, Sidney. She struggled to make sense of it all but tried to stay positive. And fans have noticed how she’s gone through everything and still managed to be there for her husband, run a business, film a reality show, and care for her kids.It sounds like Tamra Judge is becoming the face of hope after divorce. It’s clear that she and Eddie are happy and she has no problem putting their lives on television or social media.These days, fans are curious as to whether Tamra and Vicki Gunvalson are still friends. Tamra and Kelly Dodd recently went out to eat where Kelly was caught calling Vicki a liar. It is possible that Judge feels the same way about her former best friend.What do you think about Tamra Judge being the face of happiness after divorce? Are you surprised that she’s shared so much of her life on the show?Roseanne Spinoff will move Ahead and Roseanne Barr has Agreed to Walk Away from ShowRoseanne Barr has reportedly agreed to walk away from the show and characters she created in order to allow Roseanne‘s cast and crew to move forward with a proposed spinoff.After her racist tweet prompted the cancellation of her show in May, the actress will not be involved financially or creatively in the Sara Gilbert-centered spinoff about Darlene Conner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.THR also reports that cast members John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf are tentatively on board and would likely receive the same $250,000 an episode fee as negotiated for the second season of the revival prior to the show’s abrupt cancellation.For the Roseanne spinoff to officially be greenlit without Barr, she would likely have to waive rights to financially benefit from the spinoff because the original series was credited as being “based upon a character created by Barr.”Though nothing has been decided, if Barr does relinquish the rights, she may still receive a one-time payment or “go-away money,” according to THR.The controversy erupted after Barr likened former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an “ape” in a since-deleted tweet. She has since claimed that she didn’t know Jarrett is black — and that she was on Ambien while tweeting.Days after news of the Roseanne cancellation, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that there were discussions underway about a potential reboot revolving around Gilbert’s character.A source at ABC previously called the cancellation “really unfortunate” as the network’s revival was the network’s “biggest hit.”“Everyone is upset for the cast and the crew, but there was always a feeling that something was going to happen. There was always a heightened awareness with her and we were always on edge about her going off track,” the ABC source said.“But you just hold your breath until it does. Did we think she would say something like that? No. But then it all fell apart,” the source added.Gilbert also addressed the sitcom’s cancellation on The Talk earlier this month.“I would like to say this has been a very difficult week. A lot of people have been hurt by this,” she said. “I will say I’m proud of the show we made. The show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion and it’s sad to see it end in this way.”The actress continued, “I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process, however I do stand behind the decision that ABC made.”Fran Drescher Teases ‘The Nanny’ Revival: “We’re Talking About It”As networks and streaming services harvest classic shows for reboots and revivals, one show is planting a seed the television landscape: The Nanny.The sitcom celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and Fran Drescher is very aware of the show’s popularity. “It’s unreal,” she told Entertainment Tonight in an interview. The conversation led to whether or not a revival forThe Nanny was on the table.“We’re talking about it,” she admitted. “Peter [Marc Jacobson] and I are talking about it.”Drescher and ex-husband Jacobson created the CBS sitcom which ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1999. The show was loosely based on her life growing up in Queens. The story followed Drescher’s Fran Fine, a nanny — with a very distinct laugh — to three children of millionaire British Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield.“The thing is our show would be the same characters 20 years later,” she said in regards to a potential revival. “We can’t just pick up where we left off. But in a way, that could be really good because the show can have a whole fresh bend to it.” She adds that her character would probably be more involved with social issues.Drescher and Jacobson continue to work together and said, “We’re working on a very big project. It’s going to be very exciting for the fans, but I’m not at liberty to announce it yet. But it’s gonna be big.”With revivals a hot TV commodity, Drescher said she “wouldn’t be mad” at replacing the recently canceled Roseanne. “I mean, I’m waiting to get the call,” she said.So you Wanna Be Staring Something? Michael Jackson The Musical is Coming to Broadway in 2020The King of Pop is hitting the Great White Way.The Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage announced Tuesday that they are developing a new stage musical inspired by the life of Michael Jackson. The as yet untitled show is expected to arrive on Broadway in 2020, though the backers did not announce what theater they plan to book for the run.The show will boast a book by Lynn Nottage, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner known for “Sweat” and “Ruined,” two gritty dramas that grapple with subjects such as war and rust belt privation, both of which seem pretty far removed from the life of the Gloved One. The score will draw on Jackson’s catalogue — a list of pop favorites that includes “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Beat It,” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Tony Award winner and contemporary ballet superstar Christopher Wheeldon (“An American in Paris”) will direct and choreograph the production.It will be interesting to see if the Michael Jackson Estate’s involvement prevents the show from dealing with some of the more controversial aspects of the pop star’s life, such as his 2005 trial and acquittal for charges of child sexual abuse.Juke box musicals have become increasingly popular on Broadway. “Jersey Boys,” “On Your Feet,” and “Beautiful” are just a few of the recent shows that have arrived in New York boasting scores based on the music of singers such as the Temptations, Gloria Estefan, and Carole King. Now, add Jackson to the list.AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES‘COWBOY CARL’Who’s trying to buck this bronco?EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Duane!Meet Duane! You can see more when CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSFW!DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.Enjoy!HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!EFREM
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