Vogue Drops a FANTABULOUS Cover For it’s April Issue!
Anna Wintour is famous for being one of the first editor-in-chiefs to put celebrities on her magazine covers instead of models. But on Thursday, Vogue magazine took the opposite approach. Its April cover, photographed by Tyler Mitchell, aims to highlight models from the around the world, featuring Ugbad Abdi, Adut Akech, and Kaia Gerber. A total of 30 digital covers also feature models like Paloma Elsesser, Liu Wen, Adesuwa Aighewi, and more, representing 25 international editions of Vogue.
“Phrases once used to crassly compartmentalize models — from the ‘Brazilian bombshell’ to the ‘all-American beauty’ — no longer fit,” writes Chioma Nnadi. “The wave of identically cast Eastern European faces that dominated the runways in the early aughts has given way to a new generation of diverse international characters with multilayered identities.”
In lieu of a single cover story, the magazine let each model speak. “Before I’m anything else, I am a refugee, and I’m so proud of that,” says Akech, who was born in the war-torn area that is now South Sudan and raised in Kakuma, Kenya, in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. “I want to educate people on what that really means.”
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On Instagram, Elsesser teared up on the subject of the main cover. “Seeing Ugbad on the cover of American Vogue is one of the most powerful things I’ve seen in a really long time,” she said. “It’s such a big deal. It shouldn’t be, but it is. She did that. Y’all did that. All these other girls — we really did that.”
You can see the full cast and read their stories, here.
#RHOA: Tanya Sam Says She Doesn’t Want To Be A Full-Time Cast Member and Here’s Why?
If you’ve been waiting for Toronto’s very own, Tanya Sam, to receive a coveted peach on Real Housewives of Atlanta, you’ll have to keep waiting sis. Though the tech pioneer and entrepreneur brings fresh, positive energy to the group, she is securing her bag in other ways and wants to keep it that way.
“I kind of love being the friend to the show, it’s really the best of both worlds,” she said during a recent Instagram Live chat. “I have autonomy. No one can tell me like when you have to show up, for what. I can still travel so I kind of like it.”
Being a part-time cast member versus full time offers many perks that wouldn’t be afforded otherwise. Sam can still manage her full-time job responsibilities as the Director of Partnerships at TechSquare Labs in Atlanta, and also get an occasional twirl with the girls as she chooses, without the commitment.
Sam added that she gets to have just as much fun as everyone else. “I get to host trips,” she explained. “I get to travel and when I have to work I can go, ‘Sorry guys, I can’t show up for eight hours of taping today because I have to work.'”
Fans were first introduced to Sam two seasons ago as a longtime friend of Nene Leakes, but since her debut, we’ve seen her friendships blossom with other cast members such as Porsha Williams, Eva Marcille and Cynthia Bailey.
#Empire: As The Show bids audiences farewell, its cast reflects on the show’s legacy!
Empire” held true to its name from the get-go. Since its freshman season, the FOX drama powerhouse shattered ratings records and gave viewers story lines that became regular fodder at the water cooler.
The series is a mesh of music and martyrdom, depicting bold personalities ruthless in the pursuit of their R&B ambitions, idyllic musical dreams that never fully materialize, or at least in the way they hope.
Now, after six seasons, the Golden Globe-winning series is saying farewell.
Conceptualized by Oscar nominee Lee Daniels and Emmy winner Danny Strong, each episode of “Empire” dove into the the inner turmoil brewing among the Lyons, the first family of hip-hop. Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson were top-billed stars, but the show also made acting contenders out of Ta’Rhonda Jones and Serayah.
But it isn’t over yet. Check out new episodes from the final season every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET | 8 p.m. CT on FOX.
#MusicNews: New Music: Noel Gourdin – Lovin’ Up (You)!
Soul crooner Noel Crooner Noel Gourdin returns with the new single “Lovin’ Up (You)”. When you listen to the song you’re immediately hit with a nostalgic R&B vibe including the verses which tastefully borrow the melody from “I Can’t Help It” by Michael Jackson.
LISTEN HERE
The song is set to be included on the long anticipated upcoming return EP from Noel Gourdin called “BlakButtah Vol. 2”. The song was written by Noel Gourdin and Canita Rogers and produced by Tone Jonez and Regi Myrix.
#HipHopNews: Slim Thug Says He Tested Positive For Coronavirus!
Houston rapper Slim Thug announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus in a video he posted to Instagram Tuesday.
“So check this out. No games being played. The other day I got tested for the coronavirus, and it came back positive,” the rapper said in the video. “As careful as I have been self-quarantined, staying at home, I might gotten something to eat or something, did some stuff like that, simple stuff, nothing crazy.”
Slim Thug reiterated that he was doing his best to follow CDC guidelines when out and about, but still contracted the virus.
“Stayed in my truck, had mask, gloves, everything on, and my test came back positive, so take this stuff seriously,” he said. “Sit at home, self-quarantine, do not come outside for however long they sayin’.”
The rapper encourages those who have symptoms to get checked out. He added that he is feeling better now but did have some of the symptoms before he was tested.
“I’m good, I don’t got no problems right now,” he said. “The other day I had a slight fever and a cough, I feel better now, no fever, nothing like that, I feel like I am good, you all better take this serious, coronavirus is real.”
Coronavirus symptoms The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Finally! White House and Congress Reach $2 Trillion Stimulus Deal!
Rushing to deliver government aid amid a spiraling public health and economic crisis, senators and Trump administration officials reached an agreement early Wednesday on a sweeping, roughly $2 trillion stimulus measure.
The deal would send direct payments and jobless benefits to individuals, as well as money to states and businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The legislation, which is expected to be enacted within days, is the biggest economic stimulus package in modern American history, aimed at delivering critical financial support to businesses forced to shut their doors and relief to American families and hospitals reeling from the rapid spread of the disease and the resulting economic disruption.
Struck shortly before 1 a.m., it was the product of a marathon set of negotiations among Senate Republicans, Democrats and President Trump’s team that nearly fell apart as Democrats insisted upon stronger worker protections and oversight over a new $500 billion fund to bail out distressed businesses.The deal was struck after a furious final round of haggling between Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, after Democrats twice blocked action on the measure as they insisted on concessions.
Mr. Mnuchin and Eric Ueland, the White House legislative affairs director, remained on Capitol Hill late into the evening Tuesday, shuttling between the Republican and Democratic leaders’ offices as they hammered out final details.
“We have a deal,” Mr. Ueland told reporters just before 1 a.m., adding that the text of the bill still needed to be completed. “We have either, clear, explicit legislative text reflecting all parties or we know exactly where we’re going to land on legislative text as we continue to finish.”
Kevin Hart & Wife Eniko Expecting 2nd Child Together!
The Hart Family is officially expanding. Kevin Hart and his wife Eniko are expecting their second child together. Eniko shared the news on social media, debuting her baby bump with a maternity photo.
Kevin has two children (a son and daughter( from his previous marriage to ex wife Torrei Hart filed.
Kevin and Eniko also have one son together, born in 2017. Congrats to them!
Idris Elba Responds To Cardi B’s Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory!
Idris Elba is shooting down claims that he was paid to say he has the coronavirus.
The actor recently revealed that he and his wife Sabrina Dhowre tested positive for COVID-19. While the couple received widespread support after going public with their diagnosis, they also faced some scrutiny.
Now the former “Wire” star is firing back at his critics, some of whom thought he received preferential treatment because of his celebrity status. “I think that the negativity around test shaming is like counterproductive. I don’t see what people get out of that,” he said.
Cardi B went on Instagram Live to share a conspiracy theory that celebrities are being paid to say they have the virus. “I’m starting to feel like y’all ni**as is paying ni**as to say that they got it,” said the “Bodak Yellow” rapper. “And if y’all are paying ni**as to say that they got it, pay me too.”
Elba scoffed at the idea that he would be paid, saying the conspiracy theory can have dangerous impacts. “And also this idea that someone like myself is gonna be paid to say I’ve got coronavirus. That’s like absolute bullshit, such stupidness,” he said. “And people wanna spread that as if it’s like news. That’s stupid. It’s the quickest way to get people sick. There’s no benefit to me and Sabrina sitting there saying we’ve got it and we ain’t got it. I don’t even understand the logic of that.”
While speaking with Oprah for an episode of “Oprah Talks: COVID-19” on Apple TV, he also warned of the dangers of spreading misinformation. “I’d rather go out with a positive, knowing that other people benefited from, you know, the messaging that we’re trying to put out,” said Elba. “You know, stop trolling people, stop sending misinformation. Stop, you know, writing these incredible stories about, you know, conspiracy theories.”
Todrick Hall Goes Off on Kim Kardashian Over Taylor Swift Statements: He called her “KIMBERLITA!
Todrick Hall went off on Kim Kardashian in a series of posts about the Taylor Swift “Famous” phone call leak. Todrick obviously saw Kim‘s response to the new leak, where she called Taylor a liar.
“I CANNOT STAND THIS WOMAN! Kim Kardashian posted these on her story, and clearly is still missing the point,” Todrick wrote in a series of now-deleted posts.
“1. Taylor didn’t reignite anything, Kris probably leaked this footage her damn self. 2. After your Ray J video and publicly documenting every crevice of your vagina … I HIGHLY doubt that you’re embarrassed NOW to respond to this….3. Just apologize, you self absorbed, entitled, stubborn little queef.”
“She was CLEARLY uncomfortable with the situation & after you publicly embarrass someone TWICE on national television, I think these calls should be going through management or some legit form of professional contact,” Todrick continued.
“Would it be SOOO difficult for her to just say ‘I’m sorry Taylor. I didn’t think about the fact that we didn’t tell you you were being recorded,’” he continued. “‘We called you out of the blue asking you to promote my husbands music THAT ISN’T YOURS after he’s acted like a damn good in front of millions and hasn’t publicly apologized. I don’t make music and I never thought of how this put an even larger target on your back than there already was and for that I apologize. Hope we can be friends in the future.’”
Ellen DeGeneres Termed 'Meanest Person Alive' As Ex-Employees Share Startling Stories!
Kevin T Porter urged the public to share their own unpleasant experiences with Ellen DeGeneres
Famed TV personality Ellen DeGeneres is recognized as one of the kindest and most generous stars on television.
However, a new debate going rife on social media is suggesting otherwise, as her past employees and fans are stepping forward with startling revelations about the 62-year-old comedian actually being ‘unkind.’
Comedian Kevin T Porter was the one to spark the online trend after he termed her to be “one of the meanest people alive.”
He further urged the public to share their own unpleasant experiences with the TV star, even pledging to contribute $2 to Los Angeles food bank for every story that is shared on Twitter.
"Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about!”
"She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank," he added.
Soon after that, a number of appalling experiences were brought to light as wait staff and some of the TV workers shared their experiences of ‘ridiculous’ rules on the sets.
It was revealed that DeGeneres would send her staff home if they “smelled” or hadn’t chewed gum before talking to her. She was even alleged of axing employees over chipped nail polish.
Responding to Kevin’s tweet, one social media user narrated: “A) She has a "sensitive nose" so everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her and if she thinks you smell that day you have to go home and shower."
Another added: "I was PAing for the Letterman special and her rider was 50 items long and one was specific vegan cauliflower puffs that are rarely sold so i had to drive to 15 different grocery stores to find it and she didn’t even touch them."
A TV staffer also shared his encounter: "I was her agent's exec asst for a year, so many! 1st thing you learn on the desk is if he was on a call w another client You have to beep in & say 'your kids on the other line, it’s an emergency' so he could take the call as she could never be called back bc she would fire him lol."
"She had a PA fired from a commerical for leading her to set the "long" way," another revealed.
Looking back at an encounter with Ellen and her wife Portia, one user commented: "I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & Porsha at brunch. She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired.”
Lil’ Kim reveals Tory Lanez is executive producing her next album!
Lil’ Kim is already working on her next album — and Tory Lanez is executive producing. The legendary MC shared 9 last year, her first album in 14 years, and has now revealed that she and Lanez have been cooking up some new music in the studio.
“Anybody who knows me knows that I love this man and that he’s one of my biggest music idols,” she captioned a photo of herself and Lanez in an Instagram post on Monday (March 23). “I can’t wait for us to get out of this damn quarantine.”
“And before y’all get started wit ya mess me and my friend [Tory Lanez] (and one of the executive producer’s of my next album) and I oop!” she continued. “We just be having so much fun when we be working in the studio!! I guess it’s safe to say I’m a big fan of Toronto!!”
Although Kim hasn’t offered any further details on the upcoming project, she was also reportedly seen hitting the studio with Fivio Foreign recently. The Brooklyn-bred rapper collaborated with Rick Ross, Musiq Soulchild, Rich the Kid, O.T. Genasis and the City Girls on 9.
Ava DuVernay & Netflix Win ‘When They See Us’ Defamation Suit; Judge Dismisses Battle Over Interrogation Scene!
Netflix and Ava DuVernay won the defamation suit filed by an ex-prosecutor who was portrayed in the Emmy-nominated miniseries When They See Us, according to Deadline. A federal judge dismissed the case on Monday (March 23).
“Because the First Amendment protects non-factual assertions (and because neither defendant’s Ava DuVernay nor Array Alliance Inc. has sufficient minimum contacts with the State of Illinois to justify haling them into court here), Reid’s complaint is dismissed,” reportedly wrote U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah on Monday.
The lawsuit filed by John E. Reid & Associates was over their controversial interrogation technique.
“If the technique is as widely used as Reid says it is, the effect of the criticism has been felt well beyond Illinois’s borders,” the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division official stated. “To find that DuVernay should be hauled into court here because she criticized a process sold by a company that happens to be located in Illinois would be to offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.”
Furthermore, the court found the judgment in the Midwest-based civil case, “in favor of defendants Netflix, Inc., Ava DuVernay, and Array Alliance, Inc., and against plaintiff John E. Reid and Associates, Inc.”
Netflix stated after the ruling of the Reid and Associates case on Monday that they were, “pleased the court has found in our favor.”
The Netflix four-part miniseries When They See Us was released on June 12, 2019, about five young teens of color falsely accused of horrifically raping and beating a Caucasian woman that was jogging in Central Park in 1989.
Weeks after Jharrel Jerome won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie; the Illinois based John E. Reid & Associates filed a suit against Ava DuVernay, her independent film distribution and resource collective company titled Array Alliance, and Netflix over a line in the series that stated the interrogation technique the company routinely used was “universally rejected.” They asked for the series to be taken off of Netflix globally until the line was removed or changed and for unspecified damages and profits.
Netflix and DuVernay filed paperwork last November, stating that the case should be terminated. Their wishes have been delivered.
Netflix and DuVernay were also sued on March 18 by Manhattan Assistant D.A. Linda Fairstein for defamation of character. “Linda Fairstein’s frivolous lawsuit is without merit,” a spokesperson for Netflix stated.
The 2020 Olympics Postponed Due To Coronavirus!
The 2020 Olympics, which were scheduled to begin July 24 in Tokyo, have been postponed to a date “no later than summer 2021” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee announced the decision Tuesday amid mounting pressure from athletes and various stakeholders.
“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the IOC said in a statement.
This is the first time an Olympic Games has been postponed. Several have been canceled due to war (1916, 1940, 1944).
With the world struggling to contain COVID-19, the disease that has shut down many aspects of public life across the globe, it had become clear to experts that staging the Games this summer would be “utterly irresponsible.” Most major sports leagues in the United States and Europe have been suspended indefinitely for more than a week.
The IOC, despite the outbreak, had publicly and privately maintained confidence that the 2020 Games would be unaffected. On March 3, IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters: “We've made a decision. And the decision is that the Games go ahead.” On March 17, the IOC said it remained “fully committed” to holding the Games in 2020.
But its tone changed shortly thereafter as resistance grew. Athletes struggled to find places to train. Their qualifying events were disrupted. Some criticized the IOC for its lack of worry and care. Prominent individuals and sport federations began to call for postponement. On Sunday, hours after the IOC finally acknowledged the mere possibility of postponement, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced it would not send athletes to the Games if they were held as scheduled in 2020. On Monday, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee urged organizers to postpone.
Finally, the IOC made the call. The Games, it acknowledged, cannot go on this summer. And thousands of Olympic dreams are now on hold.
From the moment the coronavirus first endangered the 2020 Olympics, officials past and present realized that postponement of any sort would present colossal challenges.
Dick Pound, the IOC’s most senior member, and the first to speak publicly about the possibility of cancellation, told the Associated Press in February: “You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics. There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can’t just say, ‘We’ll do it in October.’ ”
October was unfeasible, in large part because NBC paid $1.1 billion for the right to broadcast the Games. In July and August, they fill a void on the sports calendar. In October, they’d clash with the NFL, college football and the MLB playoffs. The global soccer calendar creates a similar dynamic in Europe. If the IOC proposed such a postponement, sports economist Andrew Zimbalist told Yahoo Sports, “NBC and the other networks around the world are gonna say, ‘No, no, no, we don’t want you to do that.’ ”
Plus, it remains unclear whether the pandemic will have relented by October. “Safely holding a mass international sports event doesn't just depend on local or national conditions,” Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization’s center on global health law, explained to Yahoo Sports. “Even if a venue, like Tokyo, had a verifiable absence of cases, the Olympics could not be held because of mass travel from every region of the world. It's clear that as cases drop in Asia and peak in Europe and the U.S., they will also be on a steady rise in Africa and other regions. Thus, I can't foresee a time in the immediate future when it would be safe to hold an international sporting event.”
In fact, epidemiologists and global health experts are unsure whether it will be safe to hold the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Brooklyn Principal, 36, Dies From Coronavirus Complications!
A Brooklyn principal has died due to complications from the coronavirus.
Dezann Romain was only 36 years old, and has become the first known coronavirus death of a New York City public school staff, officials said Monday.
Romain was the principal at Brooklyn Democracy Academy high school in Brownsville.
It’s not clear exactly what the complications were or if Romain had any underlying health issues.
“It is with profound sadness and overwhelming grief that we announce the passing of our sister, CSA member Dezann Romain, Principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy, due to complications from Coronavirus,” the union said in a statement.
“Our prayers are with her family and school community as we mourn alongside them. Please keep Principal Romain in your thoughts and continue to do everything possible to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe during this health crisis.”
Floyd Mayweather’s Ex Josie Harris Was Reportedly Writing Tell-All Book Detailing Abuse!
Floyd Mayweather has been publicly mourning the death of his ex-girlfriend and mother of three of his children, Josie Harris, along with also recently losing his uncle as well. According to those close to the late Harris, she was reportedly working on a new tell-all book that detailed physical abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Mayweather.
The Sun shared portions of a draft of a book in progress from Harris by was of one of her close friends in where she shared shocking details of what she framed as the “last beat down” from the celebrated boxer.
The alleged incident was witnessed by the former couple’s three sons and was sparked by Mayweather believing Harris was seeing another man and giving him money. One of Mayweather’s sons reportedly went to get help and it was said by Harris that Mayweather drove off after security was alerted.
We will share a portion of what Harris wrote of this alleged incident but must warn that the details could be disturbing to some.
From The Sun:
“Before I could say anything Floyd again tightened his grip on my hair and beat the back of my head…”
“He was determined to teach me a lesson. I could see it in his eyes. But, I knew I couldn’t lay down, so I fought back.”
Josie describes how she tried to fight back – but stood no chance against the strength of the legendary boxer – and screamed for help as he continued to punch her.
“I knew the power that Floyd Mayweather had in those hands and I was afraid now,” she wrote.
“‘Motha f*ckin’ b***h, I want you outta’ my house…! Givin’ my money to C.J..’ he spat out in disgust.
As The Sun notes in their piece, Harris lived in fear of Mayweather and told USA Today that she once needed to take Xanax ahead of seeing him as he visited his children. Mayweather denied the claims of the beating despite his now-adult son confirming his mother’s story. He claimed in a later interview that their exchange was due to Mayweather attempting to restrain Harris after a bad episode with drugs.
Mayweather served two months in jail for domestic abuse and has continually denied the claims. Harris also filed a $20 million lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend after he suggested she was hooked on drugs. Harris was found dead at the wheel of her on March 9 in California, but a cause of death has yet to be released but investigators do not suspect foul play.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘DOUBLE D’S’
Say it extra slow for the people!
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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