2/25/20

The Daily Buzz For Feb 26 ☕πŸ“°☕

Latin Breakout Artist Maluma is Profiled for Men’s Health Magazine!
Latin music’s newest crossover star, Maluma, shows off the latest spring fashion essentials in the March issue of Men’s Health magazine, on newsstand now.
On his style, the 26-year-old tells Men’s Health: “I don’t really like following the trends – I’d rather start trends. I pick my clothes depending on my mood. My style is a way to tell the world my feelings, my thinking.”

On the one item he refuses to wear – a thong: “I love wearing crazy stuff, you know? But that kind of shit, never!”
On starring alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson in the upcoming movie Marry Me: “[Lopez and Wilson] helped me out a lot. They were like my parents on the movie set. I was like a young student every day – I just wanted to learn.”


#RHOA: Kandi Burruss Shares Adorable Photos Of Her Growing Kids!
Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) star Kandi Burruss is giving life with the latest pictures of her kids. Ace Wells Tucker and Blaze Tucker were all that fans needed to gush over the candids.
“It seems like just yesterday when @acetucker was small like @blazetucker,” Kandi shared along with a photo of her kids. “Time flies,” the celebrity mom exclaimed.
The RHOA star also shared a candid of herself with her daughter. “My youngest turned 3 months old yesterday,” Kansi exclaimed. “Time is flying by,” the celebrity mom continued. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for @blazetucker.”
So Cute!


#Empire: Taraji P. Henson speaks at St. Philip’s event in South Dallas!
DALLAS - Students at St. Philip’s School and Community Center were star-struck when they got to meet "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson.
The actress visited South Dallas for the 20th annual Destiny Award Luncheon on Friday. She spoke about her success in Hollywood, challenges her family faced during her childhood, her foundation supporting mental health and the challenges of being a single mom.
Students spoke during the event after shaking off some nerves.

"In the beginning it was nerve-wracking, but she was so sweet, she was like, ‘It’s alright just talk to me like there is no one else in the room.’ So I told her about it and she hugged me, and I cried. Like OMG Taraji P Henson is hugging me,” said McKenzie Morgan, 5th grade presenter .

The Destiny Award Luncheon supports St. Philip's and the thousands of North Texans it serves. Henson pledged $10,000 to help with that ongoing effort.


#NewMusic from Ne-Yo ‘Pinky Ring’!
Ne-Yo is embarking on a new chapter. After announcing his separation from his wife, the newly-single singer pushes restart with his new single “Pinky Ring” featuring O.T. Genasis.
The 40-year-old crooner gets in his zone, delivering some boastful bars with confident swagger. “You better hope I don’t go savage mode,” he raps. “I feel like I’m back from retirement / I feel like I’m better than I ever been.”

He also addresses his split from his wife of four years, Crystal Renay. “She gave back the wedding ring / I turned it to a pinky ring,” he proclaims. “I do not feel bad / I gave her everything / Now it’s on to better things.”

LISTEN HERE
In addition to releasing new music, Ne-Yo will return as a judge for the fourth season of NBC’s “World of Dance,” which premieres in May.


#HipHopNews: The Family Of Pop Smoke To Hold Private Service For Rapper!
The family of Pop Smoke is reportedly preparing a private gathering for the slain rapper.
On Sunday (Feb. 23), TMZ reported the Brooklyn rapper's loved ones are in the process of having his body transported back to New York City for his upcoming funeral. In the mean time, they reportedly have a private gathering set up to honor the late MC. The event will take place at a church in his hometown of Brooklyn on Sunday. It will be more so a vigil and prayer service for Pop, with his funeral and burial service to be held at a later date.

As previously reported, Pop Smoke was shot and killed during an apparent home invasion in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Feb. 19). According to law enforcement sources, two to six individuals broke into a home the rapper was staying in in the Hollywood Hills section of L.A. At least one of them was concealing his face with a ski mask. During the break-in, shots were fired inside the home, some of which struck Pop. The intruders then reportedly fled.
During a press conference about the murder, the LAPD revealed they were notified about the crime by someone from "back East" who called and told them a house their friend was staying in was being robbed. Authorities continue to search for a motive in the crime, which some sources say could be gang-related.

The hip-hop community has been reeling over the ascendant rapper's passing for the past few days including the Pop Smoke's record label who released a statement on the sad situation.
Police are still looking suspects in the killing.


Vanessa Bryant Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Helicopter Operator in Fatal Crash!
Kobe Bryant's widow sued the owner and operator of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter last month as she publicly mourned their deaths Monday in an emotional public ceremony.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles Superior Court said the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight that killed all nine people aboard.

The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc., operator of the service, and Island Express Holding Corp., owner of the craft. It also targets pilot Ara Zobayan's representative or successor, listed only as “Doe 1” until a name can be determined.
Calls to Island Express Inc. seeking comment were not answered, and its voicemail was full.

The lawsuit asserts Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn’t cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.
It was filed the morning that a star-studded public memorial service for Kobe Bryant, his daughter and all the victims, including Zobayan, was held before a sold-out crowd at Staples Center, the arena where Bryant played most of his career.
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel read Zobayan's name among the victims and encouraged donations to a fund set up for their families.

Plaintiffs have two years to pursue a wrongful death claim in California, which made the timing of the lawsuit unusual.
“That is a bit odd,” aviation attorney Robert Hajek said. “I don’t know what the strategy of that would be.”
Attorneys for Vanessa Bryant would not comment on why they filed the case on the day of the memorial service.
Zobayan, Bryant's frequent pilot, was flying the basketball star, his daughter Gianna, and six of their friends to a basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas.
Zobayan had been trying to navigate in heavy fog that limited visibility to the point that the Los Angeles police and sheriff’s departments had grounded their helicopter fleets.
Bryant never indicated anything was awry with the flight as he texted just before the crash, his friend and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said at the memorial.

Under the visual flight rules Zobayan was following, he was required to see where he was going. Zobayan was cited by the Federal Aviation Administration in May 2015 for violating those rules by flying into reduced visibility airspace, the lawsuit said.
In his last transmission, Zobayan told air traffic control that he was climbing to 4,000 feet to get above the clouds. He was 100 feet short of breaking through the cloud cover when the helicopter banked left and plunged into a grassy hillside, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB hasn’t concluded what caused the crash on the outskirts of Los Angeles County but said there was no sign of mechanical failure. A final report isn’t expected for a year or so.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Vanessa Bryant's grief, sorrow, loss of companionship and funeral expenses, among other things.
It also seeks punitive damages to “deter future wrongdoing," the lawsuit said. “Acts and omissions of the defendant has manifested such reckless and complete indifference to and a conscious disregard for the safety of others.”
The lawsuit said Island Express Inc. was liable for the actions of the pilot, who had worked there 10 years. It said the company failed to supervise and train him, allowed him to fly in unsafe weather and didn't implement reasonable flight safety rules and policies.

It asserted the helicopter owner failed to install an alarm system that would have warned the pilot he was close to hitting the ground. The NTSB has recommended that helicopters like the Sikorsky model that crashed be equipped with a terrain avoidance and warning system, but the FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
Island Express Inc. issued a statement Jan. 30 on its website saying the shock of the crash had prompted it to suspend service until it was appropriate for staff and customers.

The company has had at least three previous helicopter crashes since 1985, two of them fatal, according to the NTSB’s accident database. All involved flights to or from the company’s main destination of Santa Catalina Island, about 20 miles off the Southern California coast.


Wendy Williams Denies Having a New Boyfriend: 'I Was with My Friend'!
Wendy Williams is putting the latest rumors about her to rest.
After the daytime talk show host was spotted out with William Selby for a dinner date in New York City on Friday night, she is denying that the two are a romantic item.

“I had an interesting weekend,” Williams, 55, said on The Wendy Williams Show Monday. “It was all innocent to me but apparently it caused waves everywhere else. All I’m doing is being Wendy. So I met this young man that I really like. Not in that way, I was setting you up with dramatic effect, he’s this rapper from Philly.”

“His name is Black Papi. He’s 27,” she said. “Now, I went to a studio session because he’s working on his album and he’s working on it in N.Y. Now, I don’t know Black Papi but I was going along for a ride on Friday night. So Black Papi, 27, he’s from from Philly. He got his mom on the FaceTime. His mom and I are the same age. She and I are talking like we’re two homegirls. … I told Papi, ‘Look, your weight is not quite up for the Wendy Show. But one day …’ “
 “I was only at the studio for 35 minutes,” Williams continued. “I was with my friend, who is also my jeweler, Will. But and whatever, here is the big [scoop]. Will is my friend, he happens to be a jeweler. I’m one of his probably low-paying clients. I’m not buying jewelry all the time.”
The mother of one said that Selby “fixes stuff, shines stuff, he’s made a couple of pieces for me” — and that she likes him “a whole lot.”

“Will is involved with his family, he’s got a whole ‘nother life,” she said. “No, we did not plan to dress alike. A lot of you all said we looked like a couple. No, we’re not a couple. I got on a beige negligee and threw on that [coat]. It was cold out. And then we get in the studio and I put it on my ‘gram.”
“Yeah, we’re huddled like this in the studio because it’s freezing in there,” she added. “It’s like five degrees, it’s colder in there than it is in here. The studio is only about the size of my chair, you know. Papi’s in the other room, rapping. I’m sitting there huddled. Belly full from meatballs and all kinds of stuff we ate earlier. And next thing you know there’s accusations being thrown.”
At the end of her lengthy monologue, Williams insisted that Selby is just her “friend.”

“We are not a couple and I do not have a boyfriend,” she claimed. “That’s it. If I did, I wouldn’t have been out with Will.”


Uh Oh? Did Lena Waithe Copy 'Girls Room' From an Atlanta Screenwriter?
In an interview, Nina Lee details her 2017 show and the issues she experienced after it went viral. A teaser trailer for Lena Waithe’s latest project, Girls Room debuted last Friday. In partnership with Dove, the show received a bit of pushback from social media users for the inclusion of names that seemed to be from a different time period and also for allegedly copying its concept from a previous project.

Girls Room centers a group of multiracial high school-aged girls. The show features names pulled directly from participants of the Little Rock Nine: Melba, Minnie, Thelma, Gloria, and Carlotta. The show will address thorny issues like bullying, body image in the age of social media.
Following the rollout of the trailer, Nina Lee, a screenwriter based in Atlanta, took to Twitter to share that she had previously created and written a project titled The Girls Room in 2017, it was never unveiled. Lee claimed that Waithe’s show was derivative of her previous project with the same name. One tweet paired with a screenshot of an Instagram account screenshot read, “I made a lot of mistakes when it came to this show. Mistakes I can still feel. We were young and didn’t know what we had in our hands,” she wrote.

This show was definitely a learning experience, thanks to everyone involved and to those who still believes in me!
Even the way her show is colored is oddly similar, I have to laugh. Ours was fun as hell though cuz it was about the great drunk girls you meet the girls restroom. And it extended out to their lives and how tough and rewarding navigating through life in your 20s can be.

In an additional tweet, Lee who went to Spelman College and studied screenwriting expressed that there were other distinct differences in both of the projects. In a phone call, Nina shared that she wrote The Girls Room while she was in college. The show was set to explore a group of black women who became friends after meeting in the bathroom while at a club. It also was slated to unpack the struggles and successes the group experienced while in their 20s. A former friend initially reached out to Lee about producing the show for a graduate school class and she happily agreed. Photoshoots, an Instagram account, and a teaser would follow, shortly after releasing these assets publicly, The Girls Room went viral online.

“It became this huge thing and everything that could go wrong with this really went wrong,” she said. Her former friend had her sign paperwork showing her professor that she gave her permission to use her show as her project. “[As companies] began reaching out to us, she comes to me and says I want you off the project,” Lee shared. This was directly after large companies were sent assets of the show. She would later find out that what she signed was actually a contract and that she had given all of her rights to her former friend. Lee eventually got a lawyer which unfortunately didn’t solve the copyright issues she was experiencing.

Then, on the last day of filming, the show’s director of photography was robbed of his laptop, his computer and his harddrive and the crew lost all of their footage. At that point, Lee said she hung up her dreams of the project and decided to move on.
When touching on the idea of Waithe unveiling Girls Room she shared, “I honestly didn’t think that she had stolen it from me. When I started posting about it, I was like ‘this sucks, it would’ve been great if I would’ve been able to come out with my show.’” Lee said. “Twitter was like no she stole your show.”

Ultimately, Lee feels that the shows are similar to one another, she pointed out that she agreed with social media users who shared that the lighting on both shows looked alike. Additionally, she agreed that the fact that the 2020 version of The Girls Room being set in a bathroom was another similarity. Despite this, Lee details that she has other projects she’s more passionate about that she’d love to see come into fruition.

One of her latest scripts, Clubhouse is a show about four black women in their mid to late twenties who are roommates. When one has to move out, they decide to turn her room into an Airbnb. Each episode of the series will follow a new guest in the room that has their own set of issues, it also showcases how the women are navigating their lives.
During our call, Lee spoke about her work being heavily influenced by growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. She also detailed that she chooses to focus on black women and also selects dark-skinned and brown-skinned women as th
A spokesperson at Dove has shared that the company began working on Girls Room in early 2017. Per the representative, the name of the series was developed before Waithe or ATTN: were added to the project and the title was chosen because the scenes take place in the “Girls Room.” Additionally, the statement notes that the similarity to any other creative projects is “entirely unintentional.”


Hillary Clinton Reacts To Harvey Weinstein's Guilty Verdict: 'It Was Time for An Accounting'!
Hillary Clinton is sharing her thoughts on Harvey Weinstein‘s guilty verdict. “The jury’s verdict [in the Weinstein trial] really speaks for itself,” the former US Secretary of State and First Lady expressed (via Variety) while attending the photo call and press conference for her docu-series Hillary held during the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival at Grand Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday (February 25).

Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of committing a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. The charges and verdict come almost two years after the former producer was accused of sexual harassment, assault or rape.
“It is obviously something that people have looked at and followed, because it was time for an accounting and the jury clearly found that,” Hillary said at the Berlin Film Festival.
When asked if the Weinstein verdict will cause politicians to think more carefully about the donations they accept from senior figures in the entertainment industry, Hillary said she doesn’t think it will “chill” the donations process.

“He contributed to every Democrat’s campaign — he contributed to Barack Obama’s campaign, John Kerry’s campaign, Al Gore’s campaign, everyone’s campaign,” she said. “I don’t know whether that should chill anyone else from contributing to political campaigns but it should certainly end the kind of behavior for which he was convicted for.”


Janelle Monae In Red Striped Boots For Christian Louboutin's Paris Fashion Week Exhibition! Hot or Not?
Janelle Monae accessorizes her look with red striped boots and heart shaped lip jewelry for the L’Exibition[niste] by Christian Louboutin during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on Monday night (February 24) in France.
So is it HOT or NOT?


Cardi B defends Zaya Wade against anti-trans attacks, urges people to 'try to understand'!
Rapper Cardi B took to Instagram Live over the weekend to defend Zaya Wade, the transgender daughter of retired basketball player Dwyane Wade who came out this year, saying, “Let people find their happiness, especially kids — let them feel comfortable.”
In remarks lasting over four minutes, Cardi B addressed critics of Zaya Wade who say she is too young to transition or should have kept her identity secret.
“I feel like people are saying that this kid is too young to transition, but it’s like, how old is too young?” Cardi B asked. “What is the age limit for you to know that that’s what you want to be?”

The rapper said she had learned about transgender children from a documentary and questioned the notion that transgender children are confused about their identity — an argument used to support proposed bans on transition-related medical care for minors in states across the country.
“If you’re born like that, then you’re going to forever be like that,” Cardi B said. “What’s the point of you being older and then transitioning and being like, damn, I should have been through this.”

“Let people find their happiness, especially kids, let them feel comfortable,” she continued.
In a video shared on Gabrielle Union’s Instagram account, Zaya herself grappled with these complex questions of identity and belonging in a conversation with her father: “What's the point of being on this Earth if you're going to try to be someone you're not?” Zaya asked. “It's like you're not even living like yourself, which is, like, the dumbest concept to me."

Dwyane Wade recalls 'proud' moment his 12-year-old came out as transgender
“People are born like that, like that Lady Gaga song, I was born this way — that s--- is f------ real,” Cardi said.
Research published in December suggests that transgender children sense their own gender identity at a young age, just like cisgender children.
Cardi also touched on the dangerous circumstances faced by so many transgender youth, who are disproportionately homeless because of familial rejection.
“Some people are old school,” she said. “A lot of people don’t grow up with trans, gay people, this and that — they just don’t.”
“Please try to understand,” Cardi B said. “Especially when it’s a child.”

Transgender advocates praised Cardi B’s post for its humanity — and her enormous platform. The rapper has nearly 60 million Instagram followers, and nearly 34,000 people tuned in for her live video.


Lady Gaga Teases 6th Album and Its First Single "Stupid Love"!
IT'S. FINALLY. HAPPENING. #LG6 is officially on its way, at long last, and we will have new music from Lady Gaga THIS WEEK! This is NOT a drill!
On social media, Gaga revealed that she is releasing her new single "Stupid Love" this Friday (February 28th) at midnight by sharing a picture of a billboard, and ladies and gents, there is a lot to unpack here. First, the billboard features a pair of pink glossed lips with "Stupid Love" written above them in a liquid-esque font and to the right are several images (from the song's music video perhaps?) that show Lady G in a pink cosmic look with an amazing long pink ponytail.

But, that's not all. Down in the lefthand corner of this billboard is "LG-6" which can only mean one thing: Lady Gaga's sixth album! AND, in tiny lettering at the very bottom is "CHROMATICA" which can also be found next to the several images on the right in a pink font (but sideways) — fans are speculating that "CHROMATICA" is the album's title. Furthermore, there is a date in the bottom left corner that could possibly be the album's release date.
In the caption of her post, Gaga wrote, "'STUPID LOVE' THE NEW SINGLE BY LADY GAGA OUT FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT ET #LG6."
While fans have been enjoying Lady Gaga's incredible music from A Star Is Born over the last year, Little Monsters have been waiting for movement on #LG6 for a while. — since Mother Monster herself shared THIS now-famous tweet nearly a year ago:

But, along the way, Gaga has assured us that she has been very hard at work on it. I mean, when you don't even have time to shower, your time MUST be completely dedicated to the studio, right?
This new album will be Lady G's first since 2016's Joanne. Since the release of her last LP, the recording artist has kept herself extremely busy not only appearing in A Star Is Born, but also with her ENIGMA residency in Las Vegas, as well as her makeup line Haus Laboratories. We stan a multi-talented creative queen.

Bring on #LG6!


Beyonce Reportedly Banned Photographers From Taking Pictures Of Her Singing At Kobe & Gianna Bryant’s Memorial!
Beyonce looked stunning as she donned the stage of the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. But according to editors from sites like Associated Press and Getty Images, professional photographers were banned from getting pictures of Beyonce and Kobe Bryant’s three daughters: Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri Kobe Bryant, who will be one this summer.

Beyonce was one of the artists who paid tribute to the father and daughter after they tragically died, along with seven other victims, in a fatal helicopter crash on Jan. 26. The memorial service for the two was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Monday (Feb. 24), and Beyonce took the stage to perform her hits “XO” and “Halo.”
A source tells Page Six,
“It is so offensive to Kobe’s family and the fans, BeyoncΓ© is so controlling of her image — she usually only allows approved selected images of her to be released — so no photographers at the Kobe memorial were allowed to take her picture. Really, at a memorial? Not even the family of Michael Jackson did that.”

The venue reportedly went to great lengths to make sure pictures of Beyonce weren’t taken during the live-streamed event.
“A Staples Center staffer was dispatched to make sure not a single camera was focused on the stage. The photographers couldn’t believe it. This doesn’t help BeyoncΓ©’s image at all, it hurts her. It makes her look like a diva. The memorial wasn’t about her. The only shots of Bey that did emerge were screen grabs from TV. None of the other artists at the memorial asked for this, not Christina Aguilera, not Alicia Keys.”

This isn’t the first time Beyonce was said to have been strict about pictures of her circulating online.
After her Super Bowl performance in 2013, her publicist Yvette Noel-Schure reportedly reached out to BuzzFeed and asked it to remove unflattering pictures in its post that’s now titled “The ‘Unflattering’ Photos Beyonce’s Publicist Doesn’t Want You To See”.


Steven Spielberg Embarrassed by Daughter's Adult Film Career?
Last week director Steven Spielberg's adopted daughter Mikaela announced she was embarking on an adult film career and that her parents were supportive and intrigued.

Not so fast...Sources close to Spielberg tell Page Six,
“Outwardly, Steven and Kate — who are the most evolved parents in the world and love their kids beyond all measure — have always been supportive of Mikaela and try to understand her. Obviously, though, they’re embarrassed by her sudden public admission of entry into the sex worker world.”
“Nothing can hurt Steven Spielberg’s immaculate reputation, nor Kate’s, but they’re worried about how [Mikaela’s revelation] looks for their other kids, who are trying to be supportive but who are also embarrassed. This certainly isn’t how they were raised.”


SCOTUS Rules 5-4 To Reject Suit By Family Of Mexican Boy Killed In Cross-Border Shooting By Border Patrol!
The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred a lawsuit against a Border Patrol agent for fatally shooting a 15-year-old Mexican boy on Mexican soil from across the border in Texas, refusing to open the door for foreign nationals to pursue civil rights cases in American courts in such incidents.
The court ruled 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit against the agent, Jesus Mesa, who was standing on the U.S. side of the border when he shot Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca in the face in the 2010 incident.

The court, with the five conservative justices in the majority and the four liberals dissenting, refused to allow people who are not in the US at the time of a cross-border incident to file civil rights lawsuits in federal court.


Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak dies at 91!
Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president for almost 30 years who stepped down after a popular revolution in 2011, has died. He was 91.
Mubarak served as Egypt's fourth president starting in 1981 until his removal in what became known as the Arab Spring revolution.
He was jailed for years after the uprising, but was freed in 2017 after being acquitted of most charges. The acquittal stunned many Egyptians, thousands of whom poured into central Cairo to show their anger against the court.

The Arab Spring protests convulsed regimes across the Middle East.

State television said Mubarak died at a Cairo hospital where he had undergone an unspecified surgery. The report said he had health complications but offered no other details. One of his sons, Alaa, announced over the weekend the former president was in an intensive care after undergoing surgery.
His brother-in-law, General Mounir Thabet, told AFP news agency he passed away at Cairo's Galaa military hospital.
Egypt's presidency said in a statement that it mourned Mubarak's death as a "military leader and war hero" and has offered its condolences to his family.

The former air force officer will be buried in a military funeral but the timing was still unclear, a military source told Reuters news agency.


AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘LAB RAT’
Took me a minute to realize your fur coat has f*cking eyes! Get our of here with that disease-filled thing man.


HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM

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