Ana DeArmas and Lashana Lynch for The Hollywood Reporter November 2019!
In London with the 'No Time to Die' actresses, part of The Hollywood Reporter's Next Gen Talent list, as they open up about bringing James Bond into the #MeToo age: "There is an evolution."
When Ana de Armas first arrived at London’s Pinewood Studios to shoot No Time to Die, the 25th installment in the James Bond franchise, she was a bit starstruck — though not when introduced to lead Daniel Craig. It happened as she was walking into a meeting with director Cary Joji Fukunaga, who was chatting with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the British creator of Fleabag and Killing Eve who’d been hired to bring a fresh female perspective (and some humor) to the film’s script.
"I saw Phoebe, and I just blushed — I got red like a tomato," says de Armas, 31. "I was like, 'Oh my God, can I hug you? I want to be your friend.' " De Armas' co-star, Lashana Lynch, had a similar reaction when she learned of Waller-Bridge's involvement. "I very literally squealed when I first heard her name," says Lynch, 31. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, British girl just like me. She's going to know how to actually take care of women onscreen.' "
Never has that been so critical for a Bond film. When it's released April 10, the $250 million No Time to Die will be the first entry in the series to land in a #MeToo and Time's Up world. And while the $7 billion franchise may forever be best known for its womanizing namesake agent, director Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts of No Nation) and producer Barbara Broccoli have worked hard with both Lynch and de Armas to create a new type of female Bond character who is much more fully realized than the "Bond girls" of films past.
"It's pretty obvious that there is an evolution in the fact that Lashana is one of the main characters in the film and wears the pants — literally. I wear the gown. She wears the pants," says de Armas, curled up in a chair in the lobby of London's Charlotte Street Hotel.
She and Lynch, chatting about their career trajectories for THR's annual Next Gen issue, are both in the midst of breakout years. In addition to Bond, de Armas plays a lead in Rian Johnson's Knives Out (Nov. 27) and will portray Marilyn Monroe in Netflix's Blonde, arriving in 2020. Lynch co-starred in March's blockbuster Captain Marvel and will soon begin shooting FX's anticipated comic book adaptation of Y: The Last Man.
Now they are one week away from wrapping what has been an epic six-month Bond shoot, and both are exhausted. De Armas pours two packets of sugar into her coffee. "I use a lot of sugar," says the Cuban-Spanish actress apologetically as she cracks open still another packet. "I usually put condensed milk in it — we call it café bon bon."
Lynch, who plays a British agent in the film, is presently at her West London home sleeping after shooting late into the night, but during an interview at the Ace Hotel the next day, her voice cracks from strain and she orders a hot tea. "Luckily, we don't have any speaking scenes next week, so I don't have to use it," she says.
These two rising stars don't have much in common when it comes their paths to Bond. One was born in Cuba. The other in London to Jamaican parents. One cut her teeth on Spanish TV, the other on the stage. But both have roots tied to this latest Bond outing, which is set in Cuba and Jamaica. And through their characters, they're helping redefine what it means to be a Bond heroine. "Everyone was really responsive to having her be what I wanted," says Lynch. "You're given a fresh perspective on a brand-new black woman in the Bond world."
“Onscreen, I want to see the world as I see it when I open my front door in the morning,” says Lynch when it comes to representation. “If I have anything to do with it, it will happen.”
Bond girls have a complicated history. For decades, they've had a reputation for being eye candy, wooed by Bond and then cast off. In 1964's Goldfinger, Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) says repeatedly she's not interested, but Bond tosses her to the ground and kisses her; in From Russia With Love (1963), Bond attempts to beat a confession out of Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi); and in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, Bond pulls a bikini top off Marie (Denise Perrier) and strangles her with it. Recent films have brought more fully realized female characters into the series, including Judi Dench's M, Naomie Harris' Moneypenny and Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann, the latter two of whom return in No Time to Die. Still, both de Armas and Lynch paused before signing on.
#RHOA: Porsha Williams says she’s 'Beyond Hurt' as Dennis McKinley Admits to Cheating During Her Pregnancy!
Sunday’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was an emotional one for star Porsha Williams. She broke down in tears after learning that Dennis McKinley — her estranged fiancé and father of her 7-month-old daughter, Pilar Jhena — had cheated on her during her pregnancy.
McKinley had admitted to the affair during a therapy session.
“After I heard what I needed to hear, I got up and stormed out,” Williams recalled. “At that point, I didn’t want to hear anymore. Because for me, I had just heard my fiancé say that he actually had sex with someone while I was carrying our child.”
“I didn’t want to hear anything else,” she said. “There was nothing else I needed to hear, nothing I needed to say. I didn’t need to know the reasons, I didn’t need to know anything else.”
Rumors had been floating around the tabloids that McKinley had been unfaithful, though this was the first time his affair was confirmed to Williams.
His confession left Williams at a crossroads, unsure of what she wanted to do about their relationship.
Up until that point, the two had been estranged for three weeks, with McKinley asking for his engagement ring back and moving out of the house they shared amid “vicious” fights.
Things got more complicated when the two seemed reconcile, sleeping together after a night watching movies.
That was before McKinely admitted to cheating. Now, on one hand, Williams said she wanted to try to make things work for her family. But on the other, she said McKinely’s deceit made it impossible for her to trust him.
“To be disrespected at the most sacred time in life is like, I just can’t forgive that,” Williams said, in tears. “I’m looking at my daughter, telling her, ‘I’m going to work it out, I’m going to work it out.’ But some stuff is not forgivable, and I don’t think she would want me to have to deal with certain things. I don’t think she’s want that.”
“I’m done,” she added. “This isn’t anything I’m even capable of forgiving.”
After dating for a year, the two got engaged last September — just two months after Williams learned she was pregnant with their child.
Both appeared to be head-over-heels in love, their romance documented last season on RHOA and on their spin-off special, The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Porsha’s Having a Baby.
“I literally wish I could wake up and somebody could be like, ‘It was a dream, it didn’t happen,’ ” Williams said on Sunday’s episode. “The movie keeps playing in my head. I keep playing all of these moments. We’re like creating a real family and just to think it wasn’t real, is really hurtful.”
“I’m beyond hurt,” said Williams. “When I think about my pregnancy, I think about how he was right there by my side. And it makes me think, ‘So you were by my side doing what? Planning to go somewhere else?’ “
Ultimately, Williams said felt what McKinley did was “very unforgivable.”
“I am not going to sit up here and take that. I don’t deserve that,” she said on RHOA.
“The love I had for him. The love that we were building? I would have never betrayed him,” Williams insisted. “He could have gotten sick and penis could have not even been working no more, and I would have never betrayed him.”
She shared: “I loved him and no one will understand it. As closed up as I was when we I met him, for me to blossom and open completely up to him is how hurt I am.”
Back in June, rumors of Williams and McKinley’s split made headlines — two months after Williams had unfollowed McKinley on Instagram.
McKinley denied the cheating allegations in an statement to E! News at the time, saying, “These false and slanderous allegations against me are made solely to damage my reputation, jeopardize my ongoing businesses, and negatively impact my family.”
Days later, McKinley shared a sweet birthday message for Williams on Instagram.
As of now, it appears the two have reconciled.
The couple frequently appear together on Instagram, Williams captioning a romantic selfie of the two “Love you Baby” just four weeks ago.
She hashtagged the post, “#Fiance #TheMckinleys #Family #ThickNThin”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
#Empire: Cookie Goes OFF on Lucious in This Empire Sneak Peek!
Loretha "Cookie" Lyon (Taraji P. Henson), née Holloway, has had it with Lucious (Terrence Howard) and his trifling ways. It's been two weeks since she walked out of their house (and out of their relationship) and Lucious, suddenly realizing that meant Cookie won't be around to caress his peg leg through difficult times, is now wondering when she's coming home. Not fully grasping Cookie's grand gesture at the end of last week's Empire episode when she handed over her keys and threw up the deuces, Lucious thinks they can still work things out. He's in for a rude awakening.
In an exclusive sneak peek at Tuesday's episode, Cookie makes it clear that she has no intention of throwing herself back into their vicious cycle of fights and reconciliations. Those therapy sessions have opened her eyes to the toxicity of their relationship so, barring a complete personality overhaul from Lucious, there's no way she's walking back into that minefield of emotional distress. Lucious played her for the last time.
"You want me to come home now, Lucious? After what you said about my measly $400,000?" she asks in the preview. "I'm tired of getting crumbs and begging for what's rightfully mine, so you win. You win, Lucious."
WATCH
Cookie's monologue hits with the emotional gravity of Mary J. Blige ripping off her earrings at the apex of "No More Drama." This woman is tired and in those harsh words to Lucious we can feel the fatigue reverberating from every inch of her body.
Call it a wrap and give Taraji the Emmy, already. She ate that.
Empire airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Fox.
#NewMusic from Sevyn Streeter – Whatchusay!
LISTEN HERE
Her debut album “Girl Disrupted” came out in 2017 via Atlantic Records. Sevyn is currently putting the final touches on her upcoming album “Drunken Words Sober Thoughts”.
#HipHopNews: Travis Scott Brings Out Kanye West At Astroworld Festival!
Travis Scott’s festival returned to Houston’s NRG Park for the second year. During Travis’ headlining set on Saturday night, he surprised the crowd by bringing out West, who took the stage to his Jesus Is King single “Follow God,” rapping along as Travis turned up alongside him.
“Make some noise for Kanye West!” said Travis before the DJ played “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” as Kanye repeated the hook, while the crowd sang along to every word.
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Before leaving the stage, the two shared a long embrace and some words before West exited and Travis finished his performance.
The onstage reunion comes nearly one year after their fallout. Kanye was upset that Travis allowed Drake to “sneak diss” him (“Checks over stripes”) on their hit collaboration “Sicko Mode.” “I actually like sickomode but I don’t like that that is was sneak disses,” Ye tweeted in Dec. 2018. “Trav is my family and let this met throw sneak disses at me for clout.” They apparently met up in person later and resolved their issues.
Earlier in the day, three people were trampled and hospitalized as hoards of fans rushed to enter ASTROWORLD. Video footage shows festivalgoers climbing over fences and knocking down a barricade to enter the festival, which was attended by 50,000 people.
The second annual event also featured performances from Migos, Pharrell Williams, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Gucci Mane, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Rosalía, and Marilyn Manson.
Nicki Minaj Says She Won't Post On Instagram Anymore After They Remove Likes!
Nicki Minaj is apparently getting off the gram if they remove her likes. Earlier this week, the company announced that it will start testing a feature in the United States that will hide likes from showing on certain accounts.
“I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes,” she wrote on Twitter. “Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life.”
The testing will be rolled out only for a select group of users beginning next week, so Nicki may be speaking too soon. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri recently spoke on the initiative with Wired’s Arielle Pardes and actor Tracee Ellis Ross saying that “it’s about young people.”
“The idea is to try and depressurize Instagram. Make it less of a competition. Give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them,” he said. “But it’s really focused on young people. We have to see how it affects how people feel about the platform, how they use the platform, how it affects creator ecosystem, but I’ve been spending a lot of time on this personally.”
The company has already rolled out the feature in other countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Italy, and Brazil. The feature will still allow users to see likes on their end, but they will be hidden from public view. It’s unclear if that makes it any better for Nicki.
#RIP: Father of Atatiana Jefferson, Texas Woman Killed by Police in Her Own Home, Dies of Heart Attack!
The father of Atatiana Jefferson, the Black Texas woman who was fatally shot by a Fort Worth police officer in her own home last month, has died.
Family spokesman Bruce Carter told the Dallas Morning News that 58-year-old Marquis Jefferson suffered a heart attack and passed away Saturday (Nov. 9) at a Dallas area hospital, not even a full month after his daughter was murdered.
“Less than a month ago, he was working at El Centro, mentoring kids twice a week,” Carter said. “He just couldn’t get back from what happened with his daughter.”
Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed on October 12th in her home while she played video games with her 8-year-old nephew. She was 28 years old.
Aaron Dean, the officer who fired the fatal shot has since resigned from the Ft. Worth Police Department and faces a murder charge in Jefferson’s death.
Prior to his death, Marquis Jefferson was very vocal about the circumstances surrounding his daughter’s murder. Mr. Jefferson called his daughter’s death “senseless” in an interview with local news reporters the day after she was killed.
“Her mother called me yesterday morning. She say, ‘Tay was shot,'” the heartbroken father told KTVT-TV. “I mean it’s senseless. My daughter was 28. My daughter was 28 years old. Had her whole life in front of her.”
Jefferson also said in the Oct. 13th interview that police should be more sensitive when dealing with the community.
“You have to know that was somebody’s daughter,” he told Channel 11. “Somebody loved her and there was a better way. It didn’t have to be like that.”
Atatiana’s tragic death also caused Jefferson to become involved in a family dispute over details regarding her funeral.
Mr. Jefferson postponed his daughter’s service to ask a judge to grant him the “full authority to make arrangements for the funeral and burial,” and he also sought a temporary restraining order for Atatiana’s aunt.
The judge ruled in her favor and Atatiana was laid to rest on October 24th under the direction of her father.
Kevin Hart Makes First Public Appearance at People's Choice Awards 2019 Since Car Accident!
Well looky. Looky it’s Kevin Hart. The 40-year-old actor and comedian made his first public appearance in over two months at the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards on Sunday (November 10) at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
Kevin attended the awards show where he accepted the award for The Comedy Act of 2019 for his Netflix special Irresponsible.
WATCH
Tonight’s appearance marked Kevin’s first public event since he was seriously injured in a car accident in September. He has been in recovery ever since and it looks like he’s doing much better these days!
#BoxOfficeNews: 'Midway' Scores Surprise #1 Finish as 'Doctor Sleep' is Caught Sleeping at #2!
Heading into the weekend we were anticipating a top ten that would deliver around $110 million, as it turns out the top ten currently falls just short of a combined $100 million as Lionsgate's Midway delivered a surprise #1 finish, topping WB's Doctor Sleep, which slipped to second and well below expectations. Paramount's Playing with Fire joined Midway in outperforming expectations while Universal's Last Christmas fell below Mojo's forecast, but well within studio expectations.
At the top of the weekend box office is Lionsgate's Midway, finishing ahead of expectations with an estimated $17.5 million from 3,242 locations. The film also scored an "A" CinemaScore from opening day audiences and should expect a strong performance over Veteran's Day tomorrow that should push the film's four-day gross over $20 million. Overall, the opening weekend audience skewed male and older with males making up 60% of the audience and 87% of the overall audience coming in aged 25 and older.
Finishing in second is Warner Bros.'s release of Doctor Sleep, which was expected to deliver at least $25 million this weekend, but could only manage just a bit over half that number, finishing with an estimated $14.1 million from 3,855 locations. The film did score a "B+" CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which is solid for a genre film, but that wasn't enough to turn the weekend around. Opening weekend crowds were 57% male and 74% of the overall audience was aged 25 or older. Compared to Pet Sematary, which opened with $24.5 million earlier this year, Doctor Sleep played to a crowd that was older and leaned a bit more male, suggesting ties to Stanley Kubrick's nearly 40-year-old adaptation of The Shining didn't work in the film's favor.
Internationally, after opening in a handful of markets last weekend, Doctor Sleep is now playing in 68 overseas markets and delivered an estimated $13 million this weekend for an overseas cume that now stands at $20 million. This weekend saw the film open in Russia with an estimated $2 million followed by Mexico ($1.5m) and Brazil ($577k). The film will open in Germany next week followed by a November 29 opening in Japan.
Paramount's Playing with Fire scored a third place finish with an estimated $12.8 million, topping expectations which saw the film finishing with $10 million at the most. The film scored a "B+" CinemaScore from opening day audiences. The weekend's audience was 51% male with families making up 61% of the crowd. Internationally the film opened in ten markets with $2.5 million led by a $1.1 million opening in Mexico.
Universal's Last Christmas slipped to fourth with an estimated $11.6 million, which is well within expectation, but a bit lower than Mojo's forecast heading into the weekend. The film scored a "B-" CinemaScore and played to an opening weekend crowd that was 65% female and 65% of the overall audience was aged 25 or older. While the performance is a bit light, it could very easily deliver a solid overall performance over the weeks ahead, playing throughout the holiday season.
Internationally, Last Christmas opened in ten markets with an estimated $3.1 million, half of which came from Australia where it debuted with an estimated $1.58 million. Looking ahead the film will open in Germany and the UK next weekend followed by openings in France (Nov 27), Brazil (Nov 28), Spain (Nov 29), Russia (Dec 5), Korea (Dec 5), Mexico (Dec 6), Japan (Dec 6) and Italy (Dec 19).
Rounding out the top five is Paramount's Terminator: Dark Fate with an estimated $10.8 million, dipping -63% following last weekend's disappointing opening as the film's domestic cume now stands at $48.45 million after ten days in release, already pacing well behind Terminator Genisys, which topped $59 million after its first ten days domestically. Internationally, the film added another $29.9 million this weekend for an overseas cume that now totals over $150 million and a global cume that is just shy of $200 million. This weekend the film debuted in Japan where it brought in an estimated $6 million as China still leads all overseas markets with nearly $45 million.
Falling outside of the top five for the first time since release, WB's Joker added another $9.2 million this weekend for a domestic cume that now stands at $313.5 million. Internationally it added another $20.3 million for an overseas cume that now stands at $671.2 million as it is now just over $15 million shy of reaching the billion dollar mark worldwide with a $984.7 million global cume. Once it reaches that billion dollar mark it will serve as only the fourth DC Comics adaptation to do so joining Aquaman ($1.148b), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.84b) and The Dark Knight ($1.003b).
Currently finishing just outside the top ten based on estimates is Fox Searchlight's Jojo Rabbit, which expanded nationwide into 802 theaters this weekend and finished with an estimated $3.9 million ($4,862 PTA). The film's domestic cume now tops $9 million domestically. The film will expand slightly next weekend, looking to continue its strong run in moderate release.
Thee ICON Janet Jackson is mobbed by fans outside her Adelaide hotel in Australia!
Janet Jackson's devoted fans showed love, as the legendary singer was mobbed by fans outside of her Adelaide hotel on Sunday.
The 53-year-old star shared footage to Instagram of herself signing autographs as fans swarmed her.
Janet is in the country to perform RNB Fridays Live, which is making a number of stops around the country's state capitals.
In the footage, groups of people could be seen holding vintage photographs from the hit-maker's long career.
Several photographers also surrounded the star, with flashes from their cameras seen going off in front of her.
Ex Reality Star Deelishis Vacations With Exonerated Five’s Raymond Santana!
Things are getting pretty serious between Deelishis and Raymond Santana!
They vacationed together in Cancún, Mexico Friday (Nov. 8).
Deelishis, whose real name is Chandra Davis (and also goes by London Charles), wrote,
“He said “London I was judged by many, even accused and convicted of a crime I never committed… trust me I know what it feels like to be judge by people who know NOTHING about you” ….. I’ve been smiling ever since”
They haven’t revealed how long they’ve been dating, but they were first seen on a date together on Oct. 29.
Fans were first introduced to Deelishis on the second season of VH1’s “Flavor of Love”, a dating competition series to win the heart of rapper Flavor Flav, in 2006. She ended up being the winner for the season, but she and Flavor Flav split shortly after.
Raymond is known as a member of the Exonerated Five. He and four others (Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, and Antron McCray) were wrongly convicted for the brutal rape of a woman in Central Park back in 1989. Santana spent years in jail before he was released, and the conviction was later overturned as the men received $41 million from the city of New York.
Are you loving this new couple?
Ric Ocasek's Ex Wife Addresses Being Left Out Of His Will!
Ric Ocasek's estranged wife Paulina Porizkova is speaking out after reports surfaced that she was cut out of the late Cars frontman's will. The model addressed the situation through an Instagram post.
"I’ve known about the will since the day after Ric passed," she wrote alongside a happy family photo. "All you have heard from me since- is inspite [sic] of that. #loveneverdies"
Porizkova was caring for Ocasek during his last days, and was actually the one to find him the day he passed away in September. Days after he died, she left a simple "thank you" message to fans who had paid tribute to the rockstar.
Despite the special time she spent with her husband at the end of his life, Page Six reports he specifically excluded her from his will, claiming she "abandoned" him.
“I have made no provision for my wife Paulina Porizkova (“Paulina”) as we are in the process of divorcing,” he wrote in his last wishes. “Even if I should die before our divorce is final … Paulina is not entitled to any elective share … because she has abandoned me.” The document was dated August 28, 2019. He passed away on September 15.
Did Cory Gamble and Kris Jenner Secretly Tie the Knot?
Kris Jenner and her boytoy Cory Gamble spark marriage rumors after he starts sporting a wedding band...
This week while scrolling through Instagram I noticed Kris Jenner's longtime boyfriend Cory Gamble tagged her in a post with her name strategically placed above what appears to be a wedding band on his ring finger.
That picture sent me searching to see if Cory has always worn a ring on that finger, and he did not. On this post from back in August the ring was on his middle finger.
Kris and Cory have been dating for six years.
Justin Bieber Sparks Outrage With His Opinion Of Popeyes Chicken Sandwich!
Justin Bieber was not impressed with the Popeyes Chicken sandwich.
On Thursday (November 7), the 25-year-old singer took to Instagram Story to give his review of the oh-so-popular and always sold-out sandwich to his 121 million Instagram followers.
"I gotta see what all this hype is about," he said as he showed the three sandwiches he picked up. "All this hype on the Popeyes chicken sandwich. Let me see what we got here"
It only took one big bite for Justin to issue a verdict. In his second Instagram Story video, he said while chewing, “It’s good but it’s not worth the hype."
While he wasn't a fan of the sandwich, Justin did say he loved one thing from the fast-food joint. “Sweet tea’s bangin’ though,”
recently returned to its menu after it debuted in August and sold out in just two weeks.
Last month, the food chain announced that the sandwich would permanently return on November 3. Since then, the sandwich's return has caused complete pandemonium at some restaurants with patrons waiting hours to get their hands on a sandwich.
Fans of the sandwich and curious foodies alike have taken to social media to document their journey to get the highly-coveted food item. Justin was among the many celebrities like Cardi B, Diplo, Quavo, and Jimmy Kimmel, who shared their experience trying to get the sandwich online.
Real Housewives of Potomac's Monique Samuels Charged With Assault After Alleged Fight with Candiace Dillard!
Real Housewives of Potomac star Monique Samuels is facing charges after allegedly getting into a physical fight with co-star Candiace Dillard.
According to a summons issued on Nov. 7, News, Samuels has been charged with second-degree assault from the District Court of Montogomery Country in Maryland. Furthermore, the records state that Dillard filed the complaint directly with the court. The charge made against Samuels appears to be from an incident that allegedly occurred on Oct. 16.
The records also show that Samuels is expected to appear in court on Dec. 23.
Once in court and in front of a judge, if the judge rules that there is a "probable cause," according to People, Samuels could "be arrested on the spot" since a second-degree assault conviction could lead to potential jail time.
According to the publication, a source said that Samuels and Dillard were at a dinner party alongside their RHOP cast members when the physical altercation occurred. Per the source, "Samuels grabbed Dillard by the hair and pulled her down. Bravo cameras were said to be filming the incident the whole time, for the franchise's upcoming fifth season."
Dillard's personal attorney responded to People's request for comment with a statement, "At this time, we do not want to say too much and just allow the criminal process to play out. We only ask everyone to pray for our client Candiace and her family. The physical assault, humiliation and emotional distress have all been very painful and difficult for Candiace, as it would be for anyone attacked so viciously."
The 32-year-old reality TV star's attorney also told the publication: "We also pray that Monique will get some help. The summons to court charge of Second Degree Assault is just one step below first-degree assault and must be taken very seriously. This behavior has no place in our society."
The two RHOP stars became good friends on the show during its third season. Soon thereafter, their friendship quickly unraveled and went sour during the show's fourth season.
Dillard is married to Chris Bassett. Samuels is married to Chris Samuels and the two share three children together, Chase Omari Samuels, Christopher Samuels and Milani Samuels.
#RIP: 13-year-old Broadway star Laurel Griggs’ cause of death revealed!
Young Broadway actress Laurel Griggs suffered a fatal asthma attack while doing homework in her family’s Manhattan apartment — calling out to her father that she didn’t “feel so good,” kin said Sunday.
The 13-year-old — who debuted on Broadway at age 6 and had appearances on TV’s “Saturday Night Live” — started to feel unwell Tuesday evening as she worked on a homework assignment on her computer at her family’s Stuyvesant Town home, according to relatives.
“She said, ‘I don’t think I feel so good,’ which immediately set off all the alarms in my head,” her father, Andy Griggs, told The Post on Sunday. “She would never normally say something like that.”
Laurel was born with asthma and took medication for the condition, he said. The teen previously suffered a similar serious attack three years ago, and both of her parents closely monitored her afterward, the dad said.
“We dealt with it swiftly, and I became aware of how deadly the illness was,” her dad said.
So when her breathing Tuesday became labored, her parents realized the teen was in urgent need of help.
“My wife noticed that she was having trouble breathing, and she turned to me, and she said, ‘Andy, get her to the hospital right away,’ ” her father said.
Cops tried to save the teen by performing CPR in a police vehicle as they rushed her to Mount Sinai Hospital, but she died four hours later, authorities said.
Laurel made her Broadway debut in 2013 alongside the actress Scarlett Johansson in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” according to her IMDB page. She then joined the Tony-winning production of “Once,” where she had the longest run in the role of Ivanka.
Dozens of loved ones — including classmates and entertainment industry fixtures — gathered on Sunday at a Chelsea cafe, where a remembrance service was held to celebrate her life.
Her aunt — a former actress, Pamela Mandell — said her niece “got a lot of inspiration” from her and started taking acting classes at age 5.
“She was a doll, all she wanted to do is make people laugh,” Mandell said Sunday at the service.
While appearing in hundreds of Broadway performances, Laurel took on a full workload at the Clinton School in the Chelsea neighborhood, her relatives said.
Then days before her death, she auditioned to attend the famed Laguardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts.
“She did in 13 years what most people can’t do in a lifetime,” her grandfather, David Rivlin, told The Post. “She was incredibly multi-talented, and her life was a balancing act.”
Broadway dimmed its lights Friday in the young thespian’s honor as fellow cast members took to social media to remember her, relatives said.
“My @oncemusical family tragically lost one of our youngest members this past week,” wrote actor Lucas Papaelias in an Instagram post. “We are heartbroken & devastated… We will never forget this sweet, talented, young soul.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘CLEARANCE RACK’
Honestly, I’ll be honest and say that I’m kind of surprised Walmart hasn’t gotten into the used car market yet. How else are are going to finally live in a world where only Amazon and Walmart rule?
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Joey Guns
Meet Joey! You can see more when GO 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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