Chris Rock for The Hollywood Reporter - September 2020!
The actor-comedian has been famous for nearly two-thirds of his life but until he showed up on set of the FX series, he rarely pushed himself this far.
Chris Rock signed on to star in the fourth installment of FX’s Fargo before creator Noah Hawley had written a single word. Rock’s "yes," which was immediate and emphatic, had everything to do with the quality of what had come before — specifically, the show’s nuanced treatment of another Black character, season two’s mob henchman Mike Milligan, played to perfection by Bokeem Woodbine.
"No matter how good somebody is, you don’t know how they’re going to handle Black," says Rock, noting that writers and directors too often "cut corners" when they’re not in their comfort zone. "I knew that wasn’t going to happen here because that character was so Black, but not one ounce of it was stereotypical."
Rock would come to feel the same way about his character, Loy Cannon, a brilliant mob boss, though getting comfortable in such a role would take time. It was as much the part — "very straight, relative to what you would expect Chris Rock to play," says FX chief John Landgraf — as the format, a sweeping period ensemble that invited very little improv or spontaneity. "This shit is hard," he kept telling Hawley, who directed the first two episodes, giving him a chance to work closely with his star.
"The biggest thing I did with Chris was to try to get him to relax that part of the brain that needs to be in control and that needs to monitor the performance experience," says Hawley, who notes that there’s no performer with a greater need for control than the stand-up comic, who’s not only timed out his or her exact words but also the pauses between. With Rock, Hawley found he’d often be in the scene but also outside of it watching himself, a habit that he was ultimately able to break as production went on.
Rock’s the first to admit that Fargo required much more of him than he’d anticipated, as he’d never before starred in a TV series. Plans to work on new stand-up or take improv lessons were quickly scrapped, as he had to devote himself fully to the show. "Doing a movie is like playing a game — doing a series is like playing a season," he says. "Even Michael Jordan, at 50-something, could probably kick some ass if you had him play one game right now. But a season? He’s not retired because he can’t play basketball, he’s retired because he can’t play a season."
This story first appeared in the Sept. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine
#RHOA: Cynthia Bailey Seems Unbothered By Haters’ Remarks That She Should Lose Weight And Eva Marcille Praises Her!
Cynthia Bailey dropped some pics these days in which she’s wearing a gorgeous all-black outfit. Her diehard fans made sure to praise her amazing look, but there were some haters who hopped in the comments and told Cynthia that she’s been gaining weight.
She was a lady and remained unbothered, reading such hateful comments. The Shade Room is showing readers what a hater told Cynthia and they also caught her reaction as well.
Eva Marcille said: ‘@cynthiabailey Babygirl / Muva you ALWAYS show up and slay! You look good Bride to Be💍’
Someone posted this: ‘Why are people so worried about her weight? She looks fantastic,’ and another follower said: ‘Ppl still out here body shaming.’
Tami Roman wrote: ‘Why do ppl do this?!?! It’s so annoying 🤦🏽♀️ #bodyshaming is not cool’
A commenter wrote: ‘Some people need to mind their own business and their own weight! 🤬’ and someone else posted this message: ‘Who raised some of y’all? The internet is wild. Cynthia is gorgeous.’
A commenter said: ‘Why are ppl on the internet so incredibly rude/hateful I don’t get it?’ and someone else noted that ‘Y’all know this woman is like 54?! Pray you look half this good at her age.’
A fan said: ‘Cynthia is beautiful inside and out. STOP BODY SHAMING!! Thought we learned this lesson with Chadwick’s passing?!?
#NewVideoMusic from Janelle Monae – Turntables!
Janelle Monae is giving us the first new music since she put out the album “Dirty Computer” in 2018 with the new single “Turntables”.
WATCH HERE
The inspirational song is featured in “All In: The Fight for Democracy” which investigates issues with voter suppression in the U.S.
Monae felt so compelled by the issue that she wanted to contribute the special song “Turntables” to the cause.
#HipHopNews: Remy Ma Tells Fat Joe Big Pun Wanted Eminem Collaboration Before His Death!
Remy Ma recently chopped it up with fellow Terror Squad member Fat Joe for his Instagram Live show.
During the conversation, Joe and the “SHEther” spitter talked about how much they admired the late Big Pun, the magic he’d bring to the studio and the previously unheard Pun and Jadakiss collaboration Joe premiered earlier this week.
Remy also revealed the one artist he always wanted to work with — Eminem. When Joe asked whether Remy and Pun had ever discussed Jadakiss, she replied, “We didn’t. The only discussion that we had — and he put it to me, ‘Any time I get a song with anybody, any cypher, my goal was to kill everybody.’
“So at the time, that’s when [the posse cuts] ‘John Blaze’ was out and ‘Banned From TV.’ He felt like all those records, he had to watch for that muthafucka Jadakiss ’cause he gon’ do what he do. But I can honestly say that he was waiting for Eminem. That was his thing. He was like, ‘I can’t wait to get on a track with him.’ That was his goal. Out of his lips, he told me he cannot wait for the song to come with him and Eminem. That’s what he was waiting for.”
Joe almost couldn’t believe his ears and simply cried out, “Oh my god!” He added, “You know Pun would have went blow-for-blow. They’d have been on triple time.”
The fiercely proud Puerto Rican rapper passed away in February 2000, not long after Eminem dropped the Slim Shady LP and was featured on Dr. Dre’s 2001 album. While staying at a hotel in White Plains, New York, he suffered a heart attack and respiratory failure. Although the 698-pound rapper was taken to a hospital, paramedics were unable to revive him.
Barack Obama Memoir Gets Nov. 17th Release Date!
The first part of former President Barack Obama’s two-volume memoir, A Promised Land, has an official release date.
Publisher Penguin Random House announced Thursday (Sept. 17th) that the first volume will be released on Nov. 17th, and will cover his life from his iconic presidential campaign in 2008 until the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
It will be available in 25 different languages, from Spanish and Chinese to Arabic and Vietnamese. The publisher has already ordered 3 million copies of the U.S. edition for the highly anticipated book. A date for the second volume hasn’t been set yet.
Barack Obama said in a statement:
“There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one. I’ve spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in ‘A Promised Land’ I’ve tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office: the key events and people who shaped it, my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made, and the political, economic, and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then — and that as a nation we are grappling with still.”
He added that the book will tell of “all the incredible highs and lows” that he experienced from 2008-2011.
It was previously reported that Barack Obama and Michelle Obama sold their memoirs to Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in a $65 million deal.
Michelle Obama’s breakout project Becoming sold 8.1 million copies in the U.s. and Canada after hitting shelves in 2018.
Barack Obama’s first book Dreams of My Father has sold more than 3.3 million copies since it was released in 1995. His sophomore book, The Audacity of Hope, sold more than 4.2 million copies after its 2006 release.
Will you be reading Barack Obama’s new memoir?
Kanye West’s Twitter Suspended After Leaking Journalist’s Phone Number!
Kanye West has blown up Twitter in the last few days trying to reform the music industry. He has shared his progress, tweeting conversations he has had with industry executives, letting his followers know who he is going to contact, and even putting up his 100+ page UMG contract.
It was kind of weird to not see Mr. West tweet almost all day on Wednesday (September 16). His tweets started rolling in around 5 in the morning but stopped around 10 a.m. It turns out, however, his recent antics have gotten him suspended from Twitter.
According to CNN’s Oliver Darcy, Kanye was put on notice by Twitter that his account would be suspended after posting a screenshot of the phone number of Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. In the Tweet, Kanye had urged his fans to call Lane if they wanted to call a white supremacist. “If any of my fans want to call a white supremacist… This is the editor of Forbes,” Ye tweeted.
Cardi B Camp Shuts Down Offset Rumors: ‘There Is No Other Child’!
Cardi B and daughter Kulture show off mommy-and-me Hermès Birkin bags
Rumors are swirling that Cardi B filed for divorce because her estranged husband, Offset, is expecting a baby with another woman.
But a source close to the rapper told Page Six that the scuttlebutt is “super false.”
“There is no other child. No baby is on the way. That rumor is super false. Cardi is thinking of her child and wants everything to be amicable. She’s evolved over the years and continues to,” the insider said.
In fact, Cardi had the legal documents amended after learning they originally requested primary physical custody of their 2-year-old daughter, Kulture, for her.
“She went back to have the petition amended because she wasn’t aware that it read ‘primary custody.’ She wants them both to have custody and to co-parent. She’s not requesting spousal support or child support. She wants everything to be super amicable,” the source said.
Cardi and Offset secretly wed in 2017 and briefly split in 2018. Offset has yet to file a response to Cardi’s divorce filing.
Reps for the entertainers did not comment.
Charlie Sheen Denies Having A Hand In Ex-Wife Denise Richards’ ‘RHOBH’ Exit!
Charlie Sheen thinks that ex-wife Denise Richards made the right call when she decided to leave “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
As rumors bubbled that the controversial actor may have had a hand in convincing her to quit the Bravo show, Sheen denied that he’d given her a nudge.
“She does what she wants in these matters,” he told us through his publicist Jeffrey Ballard, but he added, “And I applaud her decision of ‘one and done.’” (Richards was actually on the show for two seasons, but then again Sheen never let logic get in the way of a good catchphrase.)
Bravo sources told Page Six that Richards jumped ship because the network wouldn’t pay her as much money as she wanted to re-up her contract for a third season, while sources close to the “Wild Things” star insisted that she left without even negotiating because she didn’t enjoy her second season.
Richards, who joined the cast in 2019, clashed with castmates and was accused of having an affair with “Housewife” Brandi Glanville. Richards denies having any tryst.
Sheen and Richards were married from 2002 to 2006 and have two kids together.
Roy Jones, Jr. Is Having Second Thoughts About Fighting Mike Tyson; “I Made a Mistake Going In With Him”!
It looks Roy Jones Jr. may have reviewed the 1997 footage of Mike Tyson taking a bite out of Evander Holyfield’s ear and had a change of heart about their November exhibition match.
“He’s still Mike Tyson. He’s still one of the strongest, most explosive people who ever touched a boxing ring,” Jones revealed to Sky Sports. “If anything, I made a mistake going in with him. He’s the bigger guy, he’s the explosive guy. He’s going to have all the first-round fireworks, not me.”
The 51-year-old who is two years out of retirement continued, saying,” I do have first-round fireworks, but he’s known for more first-round fireworks than anybody to ever touch boxing, other than maybe George Foreman. With him having the first-round fireworks, he’ll be against a guy smaller than him, maybe 40-50 pounds smaller than him.”
The fight, which is scheduled for November 28th, is a part of Tyson’s Legends Only League, which supports older athletes who are making their comeback to sports. The league is looking to reintroduce boxers and other athletes, which will bring “the best of the best back into the ring, onto the court, and back on the field.”
54-year-old Tyson has been training vigorously for the matchup, as documented on his social media, where videos of his workouts have been posted, showcasing his immaculate speed and punching power.
“I’ve been working out, I’ve been trying to get in the ring. I think I’m going to box some exhibitions and get in shape,” Tyson explained to rapper T.I. during an Instagram Live session earlier this month. “I want to go to the gym and get in shape to be able to box three- or four-round exhibitions for some charities and stuff,” he added.
Despite his doubts, Jones says that the show must go on for their fans’ sake.
“When it comes time to fight, we’re going to fight,” he said. “If it comes down to bite, we’re going to bite. Whatever has to happen is going to happen. That’s just what it is.”
Both Jones and Tyson are considered boxing legends. Jones ended his career with 66 wins and nine losses, while Tyson retired with a 50-6 record, including 44 knockouts.
Showtime Renews Desus & Mero for Season 3!
Today Showtime announced it is renewing its signature late-night show, Desus & Mero, for a third season. Season two is currently airing with episodes filmed remotely from co-hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero’s homes and will wrap up in October. Season three is set to premiere in 2021, an era that seems so distant and futuristic it’s hard to even wrap our minds around it:
Will Desus and Mero be filming from the studio again, or will we still be watching segments from the sneaker closet and the outdoor barbershop in the park? Will past guests Joe Biden and Kamala Harris be in office? Will we be constantly surrounded by such a thick haze of wildfire smog that we can’t see our own TV screens, effectively reverting the show back to an audio-only format like the Bodega Boys podcast? At least we’ll have them back.
Lori Loughlin’s Request to Serve Her 2-Month Prison Sentence in Victorville, California, Approved!
A judge has signed off on Lori Loughlin‘s request to serve her prison sentence at the federal correctional institution in Victorville, California.
According to an order filed on September 9, Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton signed off on the actress’ request to serve her time at the medium-security prison.
According to the document, the Fuller House star will “be designated to a facility closest to her home in CA, preferably the camp at FCI Victorville, if commensurate with the appropriate security level.”
While the Bureau of Prisons will have final approval of her request, federal prison records show the 56-year-old already has a registration number assigned to her. She is ordered to surrender to the facility no later than 2 p.m. on November 19, 2020.
The Victorville facility has a low-security prison camp for 300 inmates where Loughlin would serve her time.
The When Calls the Heart star was sentenced in August to serve two months in prison, two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine for her part in the nationwide college admissions scandal. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of suspended release, a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service. They were found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Delaware State Primary Will Make History By Sending It’s First 2 LGBTQ Citizens To Dover!
Eric Morrison was criticized by his Democratic opponent after performing in drag at a campaign fundraiser. Morrison won the primary on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of the Morrison campaign)
Gay Democratic activist and human resources project manager Eric Morrison defeated a six-term incumbent by a decisive margin in Delaware’s Democratic primary on Tuesday for a seat in the state House of Representatives.
Morrison beat Rep. Earl Jaques by a margin of 61.1 percent to 38.8 percent in the state’s 27th House District, which is located in New Castle County and includes part of the city of Newark.
A long-time LGBTQ rights advocate, Morrison ran on a progressive platform. He pointed out that Jaques, while voting for a state LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill, voted against a 2013 bill calling for legalizing same-sex marriage that then Gov. Jack Markell (D) quickly signed after the full legislature approved it.
During his campaign, which he launched in 2019, Morrison also noted that Jaques abstained from voting on a bill to ban LGBTQ conversion therapy for minors. The fact Jaques could not support banning a practice condemned as harmful by virtually all medical and mental health professional associations indicated his support for the LGBTQ community was highly questionable, Morrison said.
Jaques came under criticism by Delaware’s top Democratic officials, including Delaware House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth Beach), when he criticized Morrison for performing in drag as part of a campaign fundraiser. Jaques, who later apologized for raising the issue, told a local media outlet Morrison’s drag performance was offensive to churches located in the 27th District.
Morrison, 46, who has a long record of community involvement in civic affairs and local charitable causes, does not appear to have been hurt by the drag revelation.
Morrison is considered the strong favorite to win in the Nov. 3 general election in a heavily Democratic district. He will be running against a Republican and a Libertarian Party candidate. If elected, he will emerge as Delaware’s first openly gay man to serve in the Delaware State Legislature.
“We ran a truly grassroots, people-powered, issues-based campaign,” Morrison said in a statement on Wednesday. “We kept our promises. We spoke the truth. We held ourselves to the highest level of integrity.”
His victory in the primary on Tuesday came on the same day that transgender Democrat Sarah McBride won her primary race for a seat in the Delaware State Senate in a district in Wilmington. McBride, whose district is also heavily Democratic, makes her the strong favorite to win in November to become the nation’s first openly transgender person to become a state senator.
Kerry Washington Wins Her First-Ever Emmy During 2020 Creative Arts Awards!
Kerry Washington is officially an Emmy winner! The Scandal alum received the honor for her work as an executive producer on Tuesday, Sept. 15, during the 2020 Creative Arts Emmys. As fans may know, Washington was an executive producer on ABC's Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: "All In The Family" And "Good Times." During Tuesday's Creative Arts Emmys, the show won the award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). To win the award, the special was up against the 73rd Annual Tony Awards, the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the Oscars and the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
After hearing the news, Washington took to her Instagram Story to celebrate the Emmy win. "OMG," she wrote. "So proud of @simpsonstreet and this incredible cast and crew." The 43-year-old star—who launched her production company, Simpson Street, in 2016—received four Emmy nominations this year. Three as an executive producer and one as a lead actress.
In addition to the nod for Outstanding Variety Special, she's also nominated as an executive producer on American Son and Little Fires Everywhere. American Son is nominated in the Outstanding Television Movie category while Little Fires Everywhere is up for Outstanding Limited Series.
this year for her portrayal of character Mia Warren in Little Fires Everywhere.
"True story…I am giving you all the 'I LOVE YOU SO MUCH' knock today," Washington wrote on Instagram in July after receiving the Emmy nominations. "To everyone who watched @littlefireshulu, #AmericanSon and Live In Front of a Studio Audience, thank you. To everyone who fell in love with these characters and identified with the stories, and to everyone who worked on these shows and put their FULL hearts and souls into making something brilliant and important…thank you."
Washington was previously nominated for an Emmy in 2013 and 2014 for her incredible work on Scandal. In 2016, she received an Emmy nod as an executive producer on HBO's Confirmation. That same year, she was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress category for her work on the show.
Basketball Star Turned Activist Maya Moore Gets Married to Wrongfully Accused Man She Helped Free From Prison!
Wednesday on Good Morning America, Maya Moore, basketball star turned activist, revealed that she and Jonathon Irons had gotten married
” We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we are doing together, but doing it as a married couple,” Moore said.” We got married a couple months ago, and we’re excited to just continue this new chapter of life together.”
The pair wanted to share exclusive details of how their love blossomed from a friendship after she helped free him from prison following his wrongful conviction.
During the pandemic, the couple celebrated their nuptials, and Moore said it did not take away from their special occasion. Guests were asked to wear masks and social distance, but the couple was able to celebrate their special moment with their closest loved ones.
The couple’s relationship began to progress romantically overtime after Moore, 31, met Jonathon through a prison ministry program when she was 18.
” Over the last 13 years we have just developed a friendship and just entered into this huge battle to get him home, and just over time it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts, and now we’re sitting here today, starting a whole new chapter together,” said Moore.
She added that what she loves the most about her husband is that he is able to rise above adversity and his strong faith in God.
While Jonathon was still at Jefferson Correctional Center, he told Moore that he wanted to be close and remain friends. He then revealed to her that he wanted her to marry him, but said, “don’t answer right now.”
” I wanted to marry her but at the same time protect her because being in a relationship with a man in prison, it’s extremely difficult and painful. And I didn’t want her to feel trapped, and I wanted her to feel open and have the ability any time if this is too much for you, go and find somebody. Live your life. Because this is hard,” he said.
However, Irons said that when he finally popped the question, it was worth the wait.
” When I got out, we were in the hotel room we had some friends in the room, it was winding down, and we were extremely tired, but we were still gassed up on excitement,” he said.” It was just me and her in the room and I got down on my knees, and I looked up at her, and she kind of knew what was going on, and I said, ‘will you marry me,’ she said, ‘yes,'” recalled Irons.
When Irons was 16 years old, he was wrongfully convicted by an all-white jury for a burglary and the shooting of Stanley Stotler, 38.
In March, a Missouri judge overturned his conviction, saying that there were problems with the case and the way Irons was tried. There was also a fingerprint report that would’ve proved Irons’ innocence, but it was never given to his defense team.
Despite the unfortunate events, Irons, 40, said he doesn’t feel resentment toward the man who wrongly identified him, adding that Stotler was a victim as well. Irons spent most of his life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Now, in the wake of his release, the couple is enjoying their new normal and new life, participating in activities that neither have been able to do for a while.
But when it comes to their work together, the two are focused on spreading the word about local elections and getting people to make a real impact in their communities about voting with their Win With Justice’s “Get Out the Vote” campaign.
“We’re basically trying to just educate the public, get them engaged in the voting process and just being more involved in what’s going on with our country and our government and local jurisdictions, prosecuting offices,” Moore said, adding that they want people “to be aware and pay attention because if you don’t pay attention, things can get out of hand and become harmful to our country.”
The couple also hopes to continue to help others who have been wrongfully convicted, especially those who don’t have the” same resources or the blessings that I have been blessed with.”
” Hopefully, I can continue to do and whatever else, you know, that we can contribute to the fight because it’s a big fight and the more hands involved makes the work easier. So we’re doing our part,” he said.
Even though Moore has taken a break from basketball, she said,” I’m still trying to be so present in this second year away from the game.”
” I’m hoping sometime in the spring we’ll be able to have a next step moving forward, but right now, I am trying to really just breathe from this long, long battle and enjoy and rest,” Moore continued.” There’s a lot of unknowns for a lot of us right now, so I’m still in that camp,” says Moore.
According to GMA anchor Robin Roberts, the newlyweds will be getting a documentary by Rock’n Robin productions, who has teamed up with ESPN.
Nicki Minaj Wins Copyright Dispute In Legal Battle With Tracy Chapman!
Nicki Minaj just took home another Win. On Wednesday, a judge found that she did not commit copyright infringement when she created a song based on Tracy Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You.”
According to Variety, the ruling protects the industry practice of creating a new song based on existing material and then seeking a license from the original creator of the material to release.
U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled that the female rapper’s experimentation with Chapman’s song is “fair use” and is not copyright infringement.
“Artists usually experiment with works before seeking licenses from rights holders, and rights holders typically ask to see a proposed work before approving a license,” the judge wrote. “A ruling uprooting these common practices would limit creativity and stifle innovation within the music industry.”
In 2017, Minaj created the new song “Sorry” with recording artist Nas; she believed at the time it was a remake of a song made by Shelly Thunder but later learned that most of the lyrics and some of the melody actually came from Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You” from her debut album in 1988.
Chapman refused to give Minaj permission to use the song on her 2018 album “Queen.” In her suit, she cited that she has a blanket policy against granting such permission.
Somehow a copy of the unreleased song landed in the hands of DJ Flex, a New York DJ who then played it on the air. Chapman alleged that Minaj provided the track to DJ Flex; however, they both denied those claims, saying it did not come from her authorized representatives either.
Portions of the song later aired on the radio show “The Breakfast Club,” and the track became widely available online.
In Minaj’s defense, her attorneys filed a motion warning that Chapman’s suit “should send a shiver down the spine of those concerned with the entertainment industry” and argued that artists need to be allowed to create material that is based on existing work without worrying that they could be sued once they approach the rights-holder for a license to use.
“Such free-flowing creativity is important to all recording artists, but particularly in hip hop,” Minaj’s attorneys argued. “With that category of music, a recording artist typically goes into the studio and experiments with dozens of different ‘beats’ or snippets of melodies, before hitting upon a pleasing combination.”
As they continued, they argued that a finding in Chapman’s favor, “would impose a financial and administrative burden so early in the creative process that all but the most well-funded creators would be forced to abandon their visions at the outset.”
The judge agreed with Minaj’s attorneys’ argument that she was protected by the “fair use” doctrine.
But it remains unclear if Minaj did, in fact, infringe on Chapman’s sony by sending it to DJ Flex. Chapman’s lawyers asked the judge to find that the distribution constituted copyright infringement, but the judge ruled that the dispute would have to go to a jury.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘CROWN & GINGER’
Pour a little ginger ale in there and you’ve got the perfect quarantine face mask.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!
EFREM
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