Taraji P. Henson is Rocking the Pages of Essence Mag’s March/April 2020 Issue!
New empire. Same woman. Taraji P. Henson is a boss, and don’t you forget it! On the latest episode of Essence’s Yes, Girl! podcast, the actress and Essence March/April cover star sits down with hosts Cori Murray and Charli Penn and dishes on everything from saying goodbye to her iconic character “Cookie,” her new haircare line, the importance of talking about mental health within the Black community and references the late NASA mathematician Catherine Johnson.
ON AGING AND BEING REAL ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: “I know we all are enamored and we’re in love with how Black don’t crack, and we all loved the youthfulness and yes, I’m pushing 50…that’s great, but let’s be real. There are things that happen to us physically, and we get caught up in the pretty aesthetics of it all, that we really never talk about perimenopause, menopause. That’s mental health right there. Depression, lows…Yes, we look good, but I had to say something…”
ON BEING HOOD…AND STUDYING SHAKESPEARE: “…When you come to me for my advice, I’ve got to tell you from my experience—I studied, I trained. You think that I just woke up one day and was able to give you Catherine Johnson and turn around and give you Sug, and then Cookie, and then Proud Mary, and the list goes on? I went broke putting myself through college. The reason why I know how to pick a script is because I studied literature. I’ve read some of the most amazing literature known to man, so I know the structure of a good script. Not that every script I pick is the best structurally, but I know I can do something to it to make it pop.That’s because I studied the craft. I’m a hood girl. I came from the hood, but I was doing Shakespeare at 12…”
#RHOA: Tia Mowry Is Now revealing Whether She'd Join ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ After Working With Kenya Moore!
Is there a possibility that Kenya Moore could get Tia Mowry to join Real Housewives of Atlanta?
Apparently not. On Thursday (February 27), Mowry discussed part two of her Netflix show Family Reunion with E! News, and of course, she was asked about working with Moore.
"Oh my gosh, she's amazing," she said. "She's so professional, you know what I mean? And she's such like, a great actress."
Mowry continued: "She does a reality show, so you wouldn't necessarily expect, you know, her to just be on. But, she did do several movies before," the Disney Channel alum continued. "She's just so funny. We have such great chemistry."
As far as joining RHOA, Mowry said that while fans will see more of Kenya on season two of Family Reunion, a crossover onto the Bravo series will not be happening any time soon.
"She told me some stories, you know, behind the scenes and I'm scared," Mowry said. "I'm scared to be on her show…It's intense!"
Tia Mowry has apparently already had her dose of reality television. Between 2011 and 2013, she starred alongside her twin Tamera on Style Networks’s Tia & Tamera.
#MusicNews: Johnny Gill & Ralph Tresvant Sign New Record Label Deal!
R&B legends Johnny Gill & Ralph Tresvant have both just made the exciting announcement that they’ve each signed brand new record label deal to release a joint single that is expected to release this Spring.
The deal is signed with SRG/ILS Group. Ralph’s deal is in partnership with his Noss’Tap LLC label, and Johnny’s deal is in partnership with his label J Skillz Entertainment.
The pair are of course very familiar with each other from their time as part of New Edition and also as Heads of State. The recently collaborated on the song “Perfect” which was included on Gill’s recently released album “Game Changer II”.
Of the latest editions to his label, SRG CEO and founder Claude Villani adds: “we are looking forward to a long term relationship with Ralph and Johnny and their companies. On the first single fans can expect a soulful and hypnotic blending of two skillful artists. It is one of those songs that when it ends you want to replay again and again.”
This is certainly an exciting time for both artists. Johnny Gill has emerged as one of the most successful artists in Adult R&B in recent years, releasing his latest album in 2019. Ralph Tresvant has not released a solo album in nearly 15 years since “Rizz-Wa-Faire” in 2006.
With the announcement coming, we can only dream that this may lead to a joint album!
If you’re not familiar with the label SRG, they’ve been compiling quite a list of R&B talent. The current roster includes Brian McKnight, Raheem DeVaughn, Shawn Stockman, Avant, and Vivian Green.
#HipHopNews: Public Enemy Announces Flavor Flav Is No Longer In The Group!
LOS ANGELES, CA – Although Chuck D recently said Flavor Flav would have one year to “get his act together,” Public Enemy has just announced he’s no longer part of the groundbreaking Hip Hop group.
In a statement sent Chuck D and company made it abundantly clear their time with Flav has come to end.
“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the statement reads. “‘We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”
'Judge Judy' is Ending After 25 Seasons, Also Has New Show in the Works!
During an upcoming interview on Ellen, host Judge Judy Sheindlin revealed that her hit show is coming to an end after 25 years with the upcoming 2020-2021 season.
“CBS [which distributes the show] sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program,” the 77-year-old judge shared. “Now they have 25 years of my reruns. What they decided to do is sell a couple of years’ worth of reruns.”
However, this doesn’t mean Judy is hanging up her gavel just yet – she also announced that she has a new show in the works!
“But I’m not tired, so Judy Justice will be coming out a year later,” Judy revealed. When asked what network the show will be on, Judy coyly replied, “I can’t tell you yet.”
Judy continued: “Judge Judy, you’ll be able to see next year — a full year, all new shows. The following couple of years, you should be able to get all the reruns that CBS has sold on the stations currently carrying Judge Judy, and Judy Justice will be going elsewhere. Isn’t that fun?”
Judge Judy first premiered back in 1996.
Kandi Burruss’ “Old Lady Gang” Begins Production on a New Show!
Back in 2019, Kandi Burruss had allegedly landed a spin-off focusing on their soul food restaurant “Old Lady Gang”.
The show is moving forward and has begun production, according to Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker have multiple locations for their soul food restaurant, which was inspired by Kandi’s mother “Mama Joyce” and aunts Nora and Bertha.
The original OLG restaurant is in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood of Atlanta, while their second location is part of the Camp Creek Marketplace in East Point, Georgia. They also have OLG Concessions inside the State Farm Arena.
Kandi joined RHOA in 2009. She received the second spin-off from The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Originally planned as a one-time television special, The Kandi Factory was launched as the second spin-off from The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2012. It followed Kandi and her record producers as they attempted to launch the music careers of undiscovered artists, although it was confirmed in 2013 that the series was canceled after airing one season.
Kandi and Todd secured a wedding spin-off, Kandi’s Wedding, in 2014. The pair also had a three-part special called Kandi’s Ski Trip, the third offshoot starring Kandi.
No further details about the spin-off have been confirmed.
Vanessa Bryant ‘Devastated’ Over Reports Of Photos From Crash Site!
Vanessa Bryant is expressing dismay and anger over reports that some Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others in Calabasas.
A note written by an attorney representing Bryant's widow and posted on Vanessa Bryant's Instagram page says that Bryant specifically asked sheriff's officials on the day of the crash to declare the area a no-fly zone to guard against photographers trying to cash in on the tragedy.
"At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families' privacy and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests," the letter states.
"First responders should be trustworthy. It is inexcusable and deplorable that some deputies from the Los Hills Sheriff's substation, and other surrounding substations and LAFD would allegedly breach their duty. This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families. We are demanding that those responsible for these alleged actions face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light ... we are requesting an Internal Affairs investigation of these alleged incidents."
Some deputies were ordered to delete any photos taken at the scene and told that doing so would clear them of any discipline, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
The order was given in the days after the Jan. 26 crash into a Calabasas hillside during a meeting at the sheriff's Lost Hills Station in Malibu and came after a complaint was filed that a deputy was showing the images to others at a bar in Norwalk, according to public safety sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to the newspaper.
The complaint was sent to the Sheriff's Information Bureau. The head of the bureau, Capt. Jorge Valdez, told The Times on Wednesday he was not aware of the complaint and "there was no order given to delete any photographs."
Sources told The Times Friday that Valdez was among those who handled the complaint.
TMZ reported deputies and members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department had taken and shared the photos.
"Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, multiple L.A. County Sheriff's deputies who responded to the crash scene took photos that included remains. We're told one of the deputies -- a trainee -- took photos and at some point went to a bar and, as one source put it, `He tried to impress a girl by showing her the photos.' We're told the bartender overheard the conversation and filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Dept.
"We're also told the cellphone photos were passed around at the Lost Hills Sheriff's substation -- the first responders to the crash. Sources say deputies from other substations around L.A. County also took cellphone photos."
In a statement issued by the department Friday, Villanueva said he was "deeply disturbed at the thought deputies could allegedly engage in such an insensitive act."
Villanueva went on to pledge in the statement that "a thorough investigation will be conducted by the department, with the No. 1 priority of protecting the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families."
It's unclear how many people saw or received the photos without authorization, The Times reported.
The sharing of photos of the crash scene and the victims' remains was the topic of a discussion among first responders two days after the crash, a public safety source with knowledge of the events told The Times. The source said he saw one of the photos in a setting separate from the crash's investigation.
Brian Williams, executive director of the Civilian Oversight Commission, told The Times sheriff's department officials would be questioned next week.
The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents deputies, said Friday "as with all investigations, we will aggressively represent our members and preserve their rights."
The sheriff's department and other Los Angeles-area law enforcement agencies have struggled with keeping confidential information in high-profile cases from being shared in the past.
Drake Has Stirred Controversy With Michael Jackson Lyric In His New Song!
Saturday night, Drake surprised fans by dropping two new tracks including “Chicago Freestyle” and “When to Say When.” The latter contains a lyric that did not sit well with Michael Jackson fans.
“Michael Jackson shit, but the palace is not for kids / Still women sayin’ it’s childish the way we live,” he raps.
Drake is referring to the King of Pop, who was charged with seven counts of molesting a minor at his Neverland Ranch. He was acquitted on all charges in 2005, but sexual abuse allegations resurfaced in last year’s HBO documentary “Finding Neverland.” Drake’s “palace” may refer to his three-acre compound in Hidden Hills, Calif., which he calls the YOLO estate, or his new Toronto mansion nicknamed The Embassy.
Michael Jackson fans were quick to call him out for seemingly dissing the late legend.
The lyric is also surprising considering Drake sampled Jackson’s unreleased vocals from his 1983 session with Paul Anka on “Don’t Matter to Me” off 2018’s Scorpion. “Drake wants to drop Michael Jackson p*dophile jokes but spend money on a damn unreleased verse for his last album. that shit is disrespectful,” tweeted one fan.
Both “When to Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” arrive ahead of Drake’s upcoming album. He also released a visual for the tracks, which was shot at various locations throughout New York as well as his hometown of Toronto.
Jennifer Lopez Talks Oscar Snub and Feeling “Letdown” For Her Role in Hustlers!
Jennifer Lopez spilled her feelings about not getting an Oscar nomination for her role in Hustlers.
“I was sad, I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it,” JLo told Oprah Winfrey during an on-stage interview Saturday for Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour.
JLo said she was mostly disappointed because of all the Oscar buzz surrounding her performance as Ramona in Hustlers, which did earn her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations.
“There were so many articles, I got so many good notices — more than ever in my career — and there was a lot of ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar, it’s going to happen, if it doesn’t you’re crazy.’
“I’m reading all the articles going, ‘Oh my god, could this happen?’ And then it didn’t and I was like ‘ouch,’ it was a little bit of a letdown.
“Also I felt like my whole team — most of my team has been with me for years, 20, 25 years — and I think they had a lot of hopes on that and they wanted it too, so I felt like I let everyone down a little bit.”
JLo said despite coming off the ‘most amazing’ year her life, she was still disappointed.
“I had to re-examine like ‘Why do you do this, what are you so sad about right now? You just had the most amazing year of your life — you just had the biggest opening of a movie in your career, you just walked the runway in Milan and had a fashion moment, you’re doing the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks, what is it?’”
“You want people’s validation,” she said. “You want people to say you did a good job, and I realized, ‘No you don’t need that, you do this because you love it.’”
“I don’t need this award right here to tell me that I am enough,” she said.
Katy Perry Reveals Her Current Friendship Status With Taylor Swift!
Is there still some "bad blood" between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry?
The American Idol judge recently opened up about her current friendship status with the Lover songstress in a candid interview with Stellar magazine. "We don't have a very close relationship because we are very busy," Perry revealed, "But we text a lot."
Aside from the fact that they both have demanding schedules, the 35-year-old songstress explained that it was especially "important" for her to be part of Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video. Fans will recall the dynamic duo dressed up in a burger and fries costume and confirmed their feud was completely over after they hugged and made up in the video.
"Even though it was difficult, it was important to make that appearance in the music video because people want people to look up to," Perry told the publication. "We wanted to be an example of unity."
She added, "Forgiveness is important. It's so powerful. If you can forgive your enemy, that's amazing. As difficult as it is!"
It's clear the two have grown and Perry even praised Swift for being extremely candid and honest in her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. "I was really excited for her to be able to show that to the world: that things aren't perfect, they don't have to be and it's more beautiful when they aren't."
Just last year, the "Roar" singer told Ellen DeGeneres that she and Swift's longtime drama was all just a "misunderstanding." They both decided it was time to put things to rest.
"It was actually just a misunderstanding but we have such big groups of people that like to follow us, and so they kind of started turning against each other a little bit too," she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"Then we started seeing each other out and about and I just would walk up to her and say, ‘Hey, how are you?' " she explained about how they slowly began reconciling their friendship. "It's like, we have so much in common—there's probably only 10 people in the world that have the same things in common—I was like, ‘We should really be friends over that and share our strengths and our weaknesses and our challenges. We can help each other get through a lot.'"
She added, "Because it's not as easy as it seems sometimes."
Jonathan Van Ness Blasts Bernie Sanders Staffer Who Mocked Him About Dying Of AIDS!
Jonathan Van Ness is speaking out against the Bernie Sanders staffer who mocked him for having aids.
Ben Mora, who worked as a Michigan regional field director for the campaign, was fired this week after his private Twitter account leaked with derogatory messages towards Ness. The message was posted around September 2019 after Van Ness came out about HIV.
“Jonathon [sic] Van Ness trying to look hot while Daddy Ronald Reagan watches him die of AIDS,” Mora said next to an image of Van Ness modeling.
Van Ness took to Twitter to respond to the tweets,
This is the tweet a former Bernie staffer tweeted from a locked account. How many senior Bernie staffers saw these tweets for months and promoted their behavior? It’s commonplace I endure this by extreme Bernie supporters daily. The change has to come from inside their campaign. https://t.co/TyjKc6KGtW
— Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) February 25, 2020
Tiffany Haddish Talks ‘Success and Prosperity’ at Premier Nightclub at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
She ready … to party! Comedian Tiffany Haddish celebrated her sold-out comedy show by hosting an afterparty at the Premier Nightclub at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday, February 29 — and she rang in Leap Day in style.
“I want to bring on success,” she said when asked how she would be spending the extra day in 2020. “And I’d like to leap on some D but I don’t see any prospects.”
The fun shindig followed Haddish’s comedy performance at the Borgata’s Event Center in Atlantic City earlier that night.
The 40-year-old looked amazing in a red pantsuit with a sexy black top, featuring a plunging V-neck line underneath. She joked during her performance that she previously wore the same look during one of her Groupon commercials. She then hammed it up for the cameras while posing for photos on the red carpet before arriving at the swanky Las Vegas-style nightclub.
While on the carpet, Haddish gushed over the Borgata’s hospitality. “Cleanliness is godliness and when there’s cleanliness we can create fanasticness [sic] and there will be success and prosperity, which means wealth and abundance to everyone who participates,” she said.
The Like a Boss star made her grand entrance to the Premier Nightclub holding a sign that read, “Leap Day 2020, She Ready!” Once inside, Haddish got the party started and pumped up the crowd at the packed venue. She was then seated with her entourage at a table next to the DJ booth, where they enjoyed Veuve Clicquot and CÎROC Peach Vodka.
The night took a fun turn when Haddish took off her red blazer and tossed it into the banquet seating before jumping into the DJ booth, where she grabbed the microphone and showed off her best dance moves. She sang Journey’s hit “Don’t Stop Believing” and rapped to 50 Cent’s party anthem, “In the Club.”
The Girls Trip star also gave some shout-outs to several party guests who were celebrating birthdays and she raged into the early hours on Leap Day.
Trader Joe's Founder Joe Coulombe Dies At 89!
Joe Coulombe, the man who founded Trader Joe’s, has died. He was 89.
The figure behind one of America’s most beloved grocery chains passed away at his home in Pasadena, California, on Friday (February 28). According to USA Today, a statement from Coulombe’s son, whose name is also Joe, revealed the entrepreneur died after a long illness.
Coulombe was born and raised on an avocado ranch in Del Mar, California. He graduated from Stanford University in 1952 with an economics degree and went on to earn an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business two years later. In the late-50s, Coulombe launched his career with Rexall, for whom he ran several Pronto Markets — a 7-Eleven competitor brand — before buying them out when Rexall shuttered the company.
From there, the rest was history. By 1967, Coulombe had transformed Pronto Markets to what we now know as Trader Joe’s and continued to helm the franchise until selling the company 12 years later to German billionaire Theo Albrecht. Coulombe remained the company’s chief executive until his 1988 retirement.
Trader Joe’s has become widely successful since its inception. As of November 2019, the brand has over 500 stores nationwide in 42 states, including Washington, D.C.
Coulombe is survived by his wife, Alice Steere, and their three children.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘ALONG FOR THE RIDE’
Geez. Toys R Us Geoffrey just doesn’t know what to do with himself. Don’t torture yourself by checking in on your more successful friend. That will just make you more depressed buddy.
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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