10/14/20

The Daily Buzz For Oct 15 ☕📰☕

Regina King is Glamour – Woman Of The Year 2020!
Regina King is having a great year professionally so it’s no wonder the star has been named as one of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year 2020. The Watchmen star absolutely slays on her digital cover for the issue as the actor opens up about stepping into the spotlight as a director, activist and just an all-round game-changer. All eyes have been on her highly anticipated directorial debut, One Night In Miami, and there’s already a lot of Oscar buzz for the project. The film is an adaptation of the Kemp Powers play of the same name, which follows Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), Jim Brown, Malcolm X and Sam Cooke through a night of celebration, conflict, fellowship, and moral and political epiphany after Clay beats Sonny Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing championship title.

If nominated for best director for her work on the film, Regina would become the first Black woman to get the nod. It’s been a good year for the beloved actress who became the first Black woman director in the 87-year history of the Venice Film Festival to have her work screened as part of the programming in September. There’s buzz the star might get nomination for the Best Director Oscar for her film One Night In Miami. She then went on to win her fourth prime-time Emmy for playing Sister Night, a.k.a. Angela Abar, in HBO’s Watchmen. But the actress admitted to Glamour that is has been tough to enjoy such career highs while the pain and trauma of the Black Lives Matter movement has been on her mind. She stated: ‘For that to be the case and all of this to be going on is bittersweet, sobering. I’ll tell you one thing, though: I am grateful that the universe brought this movie to me, because it does make me feel like through art, we—when I say “we,” the filmmakers, everyone that had something to do with this story—have an opportunity to put something out that feels like we are being active, that we are activators.
The actress admitted she’s struggled to enjoy career success while the trauma of black deaths have been so prevalent ‘I feel like there’s no mistake that the subject matter of this film is what it is and coming out at this time. I do feel that we were all designed for a moment. I mean, not designed just for one moment, but this moment we were supposed to all come together, everyone on this project, because this moment was so much bigger than One Night in Miami.’ Glamour has honoured individuals making positive impacts amid the year’s pandemic and the unrest over racism for their Women of the Year issue. Regina, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill were picked for the issue. Glamour also honored four essential workers from New York’s Elmhurst Hospital, which has been epicenter of America’s fight against the coronavirus.


#RHOA: #BYE! NeNe Leakes Reportedly Wanted $125,000 To Attend Cynthia Bailey's Wedding!
Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes allegedly wanted to get paid to attend Cynthia Bailey’s wedding.
According to Tamara Tattles, NeNe tried to work out a deal where Bravo would pay her $125,000 to show up to Cynthia’s wedding to Mike Hill this past weekend.

The outlet says a source claims Bravo didn’t try negotiating with NeNe and rejected the offer. The network reportedly was willing to pay NeNe $750,000 for 6-8 episodes of “RHOA” but she turned down the money.
Back in June, Tamara Tattles was the first to report on NeNe not returning for another season. At the time, the outlet said Bravo and NeNe were fighting over terms of her contract. The producers wanted to bring back the OG star but she wanted a play or pay clause.

The clause would have forced Bravo to pay NeNe for every episode of the season regardless if she appeared or not. The two could not reach an agreement and NeNe decided to walk away from the franchise.


#NewMusic: Usher & Kiana Lede – This Day!
Usher links up with Kiana Lede for the new single “This Day”. The song is the lead single from the soundtrack to the upcoming holiday movie “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”.
The song was produced by the film’s executive music producer Harvey Mason Jr., along with Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan and Joe London. The song is available now but the entire soundtrack will be out November 13th.

Usher added about recording the song for the movie:
“As a father, I jumped at the chance to be involved with a holiday film that’s both inspirational and inclusive. A film with a great message where my kids can see themselves reflected on the screen. Working with Kiana was a really great experience and I’m excited for people to hear this song.”

LISTEN HERE
Be sure to check out the Netflix film “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” when it arrives soon.


#HipHopNews: T.I. Reveals ‘The L.I.B.R.A’ Tracklist!
Ahead of its release on Friday, T.I. has shared the tracklist for his 11th and final studio album The L.I.B.R.A (The Legend Is Back Running Atlanta).

In addition to the Young Thug-assisted single “Ring,” the 20-track set includes appearances from 21 Savage, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Jeremih, and John Legend. Other features include Benny the Butcher, Jadakiss, Killer Mike, and Rapsody.
Lil Baby guests on “Pardon,” which will be released on Thursday, along with a video. Tip’s daughter Deyjah, who made headlines after her father’s controversial comments last year, appears on the closer “Deyjah’s Conclusion.”
T.I. revealed that he recorded over 120 songs for the project, which follows 2018’s Dime Trap. “This shit is for every Libra who has had to hear all the other zodiac signs talk shit about their sign all year long,” he said. “We don’t ever be saying nothing… Now it’s time y’all sit back and listen.”

THE L.I.B.R.A TRACKLIST
1. “The L.I.B.R.A. Introduction” with Ms. Pat
2. “Hit Dogs Holla” feat. Tokyo Jetz
3. “Ring” feat. Young Thug
4. “Pardon” feat. Lil Baby
5. “On the Hood” feat. 42 Dugg and Mozzy
6. “Moon Juice” feat. Jeremih and Snoop Dogg
7. “Air & Water Interlude” with Rapsody
8. “Hypno” feat. Rahky
9. “1/2 Ticket” feat. London Jae and Conway
10. “Respect the Code” feat. Rick Ross
11. “Put Some On It”
12. “Family Connect” feat. Domani
13. “Make Amends” feat. Benny the Butcher and Jadakiss
14. “Fire & Earth Interlude” with Ernestine Johnson Morrison
15. “Pantone Blue” feat. Alec Beretz
16. “Horizons”
17. “How I Feel” feat. Eric BeIlinger and Killer Mike
18. ”We Did It Big” feat. John Legend
19. “Thank God” feat.21 Savage
20. “Deyjah’s Conclusion


Do Cardi B and Nicki Minaj Could Have a New Collab Coming called ‘Lavish’?

The bad blood between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj could be a thing of the past, if rumors that are running rampant across the internet are any indicator. The two superstars potentially have a new collaboration on the way that could bring their fanbases together and end their long-running feud once and for all.


According to several reports that Cardi could potentially have a new single with Minaj set to come out soon. Called "Lavish," the site claims that a snippet of the song exists on the internet and briefly had a page on Genius before being taken down.

Cardi hasn't publicly spoken about the song, but, a couple of days ago, she hinted that she has something in the works that could upset the Barb stans that she was in the midst of arguing with.


"Since ya mad ..imma give ya something mad to be about …..This next single and coll- ….Gonna have ya sick….since ya here," she wrote, following up with four winking emojis.

She all but confirmed that it's a collaboration — but, in a wise move, she's left who it will be up to the reader's imagination.


Cardi's already pulled off a superstar collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion for "WAP" recently. Following that up with a Minaj collaboration would be the undeniable proof that she's found a way to win 2020 in ways that others could only dream of: by mending a broken relationship so that everyone can win.


Speaking of "WAP," Pitchfork reports that the song was not submitted for consideration for the 2021 Grammy Awards due to the fact that it will be submitted next year as part of the campaign for Cardi's forthcoming album.



Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming 2 America’ Is Coming to Amazon Prime Video in December!
In what was likely inevitable given the ongoing pandemic, Eddie Murphy‘s Coming to America sequel is skipping theaters and being sold to Amazon in a deal reportedly worth $125 million, according to Variety.

Should the deal close, Coming 2 America would premiere Dec. 18 on Amazon Prime Video, and it would represent an impressive 1-2 punch for the streaming giant on the heels of its high-profile Borat 2 acquisition.
With the exception of Top Gun: Maverick, which Paramount pushed to next summer, the studio has been in “sell” mode all year, sending The Lovebirds and The Trial of the Chicago 7 to Netflix, and Michael B. Jordan‘s upcoming action thriller Without Remorse to Amazon. The latter streamer has made it a priority to release more commercial fare in an effort to shore up its substantial subscriber base. Amazon continues to acquire acclaimed indie fare as well, having recently struck a deal for Regina King‘s directorial debut One Night in Miami.

Variety notes that the Coming 2 America deal is complicated by the film’s marketing tie-ins with major brands such as McDonalds and Crown Royal, though those are expected to transfer over to Amazon once Murphy gives the deal his blessing. The trade also reports that Paramount shopped the sequel to multiple other streamers, including Viacom’s own service CBS All Access. You have to imagine that Netflix took a look as well following its proud association with Murphy on last year’s awards hopeful Dolemite Is My Name.

Directed by Craig Brewer, Coming 2 America finds Murphy’s Prince Akeem poised to become king of the fictional African country of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son (Jermaine Fowler) living in Queens, New York. To honor his father’s dying wish to groom his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi (Arsenio Hall) set off on a journey to America. The supporting cast includes Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Wesley Snipes, KiKi Layne, Rick Ross, Teyana Taylor and the great James Earl Jones. The original 1988 movie grossed nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office, so there was intense interest in the sequel.


Cardi B Addresses Nude Photo Leak!
After a weekend full of birthday surprises, Cardi B surprised her fans by leaking a nude photo on social media.
On Tuesday, the “WAP” rapper accidentally shared a nude selfie with her 77 million followers on Instagram. The provocative pic, in which she appears topless, was quickly deleted from her IG Stories but that didn’t stop her from trending on Twitter.

Shortly after, Cardi took to Twitter to address the leak. In a voice note, she lamented over her “stupid” mistake.
“Lord, why the f**k you have to make me so fu**ing stupid and retarded? Why, why, why?” she said. “You know what, I’m not gonna beat myself up about it. I’m just gonna eat my breakfast and then I’m gonna go to the party.”
But she refuses to let it bring her down. “I am not going to think about it. No, I won’t. It is what it is. Shit happened. F**k it, it’s not even the first time. I used to be a stripper so whatever. Ay, dios mio.”

Over the weekend, Cardi celebrated her 28th birthday with a wild weekend in Las Vegas where she reunited with her estranged husband Offset, who surprised her with a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The couple was seen partying together, sparking rumors of a reconciliation after they shared a kiss.
It appears that Kulture’s parents may be on the rebound after Cardi filed for divorce from her husband on Sept. 14. “They aren’t back together but [it’s] just a matter of time,” a source tells E! Online. “She loves the attention from him and he’s trying really hard to win her back.”

Offset’s attempts to win back his wife seem to be working. “I won,” he captioned a selfie taken during Cardi’s birthday weekend. Earlier in the week, he bought a billboard to celebrate her birthday.
Meanwhile, “WAP” continues to dominate the charts. After four weeks at No. 1, the Megan Thee Stallion-assisted hit currently sits at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

But despite its success, “WAP” was not submitted for consideration at the 2021 Grammys, according to Pitchfork. Instead, the song will reportedly be submitted next year as part of Cardi’s upcoming album.


#RIP: Conchata Ferrell, ‘Two and a Half Men’ and ‘Mystic Pizza’ star, dead at 77!
“Two and a Half Men” star Conchata Ferrell died Monday after complications following a cardiac arrest. She was 77.
While rumors swirled online that Ferrell had died on August 8 from a heart attack, the “L.A. Law” actress passed away surrounded by family October 12 at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Sherman Oaks, California, Deadline reported.
Ferrell, who was nominated for three Emmy Awards during her career, was best known for playing housekeeper Berta on the CBS show “Two and a Half Men” alongside Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen and more.

“She was a beautiful human,” Cryer, 55, said in a statement on Twitter. “Berta’s gruff exterior was an invention of the writers. Chatty’s warmth and vulnerability were her real strengths. I’m crying for the woman I’ll miss, and the joy she brought so many.”
His statement continued on through several tweets, one in which he recalled meeting the legendary actress.
“I remember her first day on ‘2 1/2 Men.’ It was our second episode and I felt so lucky that they’d been able to cast her on the show. I gushed to her about what a fan i was of hers and she simply refused to believe it,” he wrote. “I had to recount one of my favorite bits of hers from a cancelled mid ’70s sitcom called ‘Hot L Baltimore’ before she finally got that I was serious.”

Cryer added: “I’m glad that I absolutely knew how fortunate I was to share a stage with her. I treasured every moment and will continue to until we meet again. I have a feeling she’ll call me ‘Zippy.'”
Their controversial co-star also paid warm tribute to Ferrell’s enduring talents.
“An absolute sweetheart, a consummate pro, a genuine friend a shocking and painful loss,” Sheen, 55, wrote on Twitter. “Berta, your housekeeping was a tad suspect, your ‘people’ keeping was perfect.”

As word of her passing spread across social media, emotional tributes started pouring in Tuesday night.
“RIP Conchata Ferrell,” “Two and a Half Men” co-creator Lee Aronsohn wrote on Twitter. “A warm, wonderful woman who was always a joy to be around on set. My heart goes out to her husband Arnie, who was *always* by her side. Bye, Chatty.”
“Dammit. Dammit. #ConchataFerrell was a lovely woman. I did #TwoAndAHalfMen at the very start of my career,” added “Community” actress Yvette Nicole Brown. “I learned a lot from her. I hate the callousness of 2020. I really, really do.”

Ferrell, who began her career on the stage in off-Broadway productions, also starred in Netflix’s “The Ranch,” and her film credits include “Network,” “Heartland,” “Mystic Pizza,” “True Romance,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Krampus.” She was slated to appear in the upcoming feature “Deported,” according to Deadline.
In July, Ferrell was moved into a long-term care facility after more than a month in the intensive care unit, TMZ reported at the time, following a cardiac arrest.
She is survived by her husband, Arnie Anderson, and her daughter, Samantha.


Dwight Howard’s Ex, Royce Reed, Drags Him After His Lakers Win: ‘He Doesn’t See His Kids’!
Dwight Howard could not celebrate the Los Angeles Lakers winning this year’s NBA championship without his ex, Royce Reed, chiming in with criticism. The mother of the NBA star’s son, Braylon Howard, took to social media to drag him this past weekend.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat with a final score of 106-93 on Sunday (October 11). Dwight and his fiancee, Tea Cooper, made their celebrations public by sharing their excitement on Instagram Live. Dwight went Live to rejoice over his team’s success. Te’a texted him during the broadcast, which ultimately led to Royce Reed chiming in with her opinion.

“Imagine wanting and praying this moment makes not being in your kids’ lives worth it,” Royce began her rant in a separate Instagram post. “Then imagine your child crying wondering why his own father is in the same city but won’t call, text, visit or send a note by pigeon. Imagine your child wanting to change his name. Imagine your child feeling like he’s not worth it and that he’s unloved no matter how much he tries to force it. Then imagine yourself trying to be the bigger person and telling your child to love, pray, and be proud regardless and forgive.”

Dwight Howard and others in the NBA were restricted to remaining in a “Bubble” during ing the remainder of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. While there were no restrictions on telecommunications, there were certain limitations on physical visits the players could make while finishing the season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Royce Reed ended her criticism of her son’s father by advising her Instagram followers to “stop praising people based off (sic) a screenshot of their lives on TV and Instagram posts


Stevie Wonder Says He’s Feeling 30 Years Younger After Kidney Transplant!
Stevie Wonder says he’s feeling 30 years younger after undergoing a kidney transplant last year.
“I was blessed with a new kidney and that happened on December 6, 2019 … I feel great. My voice feels great,” he said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “I told my daughter Aisha, ‘I’m going to be like five years younger than you now. I’m going from being 70 to being 40.’ I feel like I’m about 40 right now. I’m feeling great.”
Wonder announced that he would be having the surgery during a London concert in 2019. He addressed recent online scuttlebutt about his health — and said that if he has further health woes, fans and media will hear it from the horse’s mouth.

“For all of the people, who have been listening to these rumors — if I’m feeling some kind of way, I’ll let you know. We don’t want to have misinformation. I am alive and well and looking forward to … having a car that drives, so I can drive myself,” the singer quipped.
The Motown legend held the press conference to announce two new songs, “Can’t Put It in The Hands of Fate” and “Where Is Our Love Song” under his new So What’s The Fuss Music label with Republic Records. All proceeds from “Where is Our Love Song” will be donated to Feeding America.

“This is where we’re starting. Not seeing people starve is so very important … The commitment for me is don’t just talk about it, be about it. Use your music to make a difference,” he said.


Rep For David Adefeso Responds To Toni Braxton Post!
A representative for David Adefeso has responded after Toni Braxton, the sister of his ex, Tamar Braxton, slammed him on Twitter for dragging her kids into his drama
 “David, You Weasel…you Ferret…You are beyond contempt. Once again, DO NOT include my children in your shenanigans. Please leave my family alone!” Toni wrote.

Adefeso’s rep says: “David wishes the Braxton family nothing but the best and has moved on from this ordeal stronger. He’s focused on justice for Nigeria (sars) and releasing his app, Sootchy, that will address wealth disparity and help reduce educational debt within minority communities. “

Fans are relieved that Tamar has finally ditched Adefeso, especially since her show, Get Ya Life premiered. Viewers have accused Adefeso of being insecure and controlling. Adefeso has alleged that he was the victim of domestic violence, although on the show, he seems to very in control of Tamar and her career.


AMC Entertainment May File For Bankruptcy For Real As Reopening Stalls!
Exhibition shares took a beating Tuesday as AMC Entertainment announced its cash might be gone by year end and Walt Disney became the latest big content company to restructure operations around streaming.
As theaters reopen to limited audiences without key New York and Los Angeles markets and a paucity of new studio fare, heavily indebted AMC said in an SEC filing that it has enough cash to last until late this year-early next and would require “material” additional capital to operate beyond that point. It’s not a given that capital will appear, or enough of it, reviving speculation on Wall Street that AMC may be forced to file for bankruptcy.

“There is a significant risk that these potential sources of liquidity will not be realized or that they will be insufficient to generate the material amounts of additional liquidity that would be required until the Company is able to achieve more normalized levels of operating revenue,” AMC’s filing said.
“I really don’t know how they don’t go bankrupt,” said one Wall Street analyst. “They should be out of cash by the end of January. And most companies don’t file when they are minus ten million in cash. The attorneys have to be paid.”

At the close, AMC shares had plunged 13%. Cinemark, Marcus and National CineMedia fell, respectively, 8%, 7.2% and 9%. All had stabilized in after-hours trade.
AMC is in tight corner, as it acknowledged. It has about $5 billion in debt and high debt means high interest expense. AMC, which is majority owned by Chinese conglomerate Wanda, racked it up pre-pandemic with a string of acquisitions, dividend payments and upgrades to its theaters.

In contrast, Cinemark has said it has about 17 months of liquidity and less than half the debt of AMC. (One analyst attributed Cinemark’s stock dip in part the fact that it’s getting increasingly hard to short AMC stock. Short selling is when investors borrow shares, sells them and then buy them back to return to the lender, betting the price will fall. He said investors  may be shorting Cinemark as the only way to short exhibition.)

AMC noted in an SEC filing this morning that it had raised close to $40 million in a stock sale, which is good. But its cash burn is about $115 million a month and as of August 30 it had about $500 million in funds. The company said today it is considering asset sales, joint ventures, the sale of minority investments and new rounds of stock or bond sales. It recently sold off its Baltic theaters and, one source said, had been in talks to divest its Nordic cinemas.
Industry sources think the first asset on the block in a bankruptcy auction would be AMC Classic, the former Carmike Cinemas theaters acquired in 2016.

Meanwhile, said analyst Eric Wold of B Riley Securities, asset sales may be possible but it’s “a buyers’ market” — so prices would be low. “Given the unlikely ability to complete any additional debt financings, we would expect continued dilution under additional equity offerings and/or minority investments in the company’s equity.”
AMC restructured its debt in July giving it some runway but that can only last so long if moviegoing doesn’t resume properly.

Wold called the absence of New York and LA truly crippling. AMC has opened more than 80% of its U.S. theaters but a lack of new film content drove an 85% same-theater attendance decline, he said in a note this morning. And although only 17% of AMC’s domestic theaters have yet to reopen (with some in North Carolina and Washington coming online soon), “the most productive theaters” in California and New York still have an uncertain reopening timeline. He said those 17% of theaters yet to reopen generated 23% of AMC’s 2019 domestic revenue. He’s “not surprised to see studios continue to push out the film release calendar under these circumstances.”

“If things go on like this and there are not a lot of movies and they stay open they will be stressed,” said analyst Meghan Durkin of Credit Suisse. The debt restructuring “kicked the can down the road 12-18 months on some of the interest expense, but their cash burn rate is still more than twice what Cinemark’s is.”
Regal parent Cineworld decided it was too expensive to stay open and said it was re-closing almost all of its U.S. and U.K. theaters.
In a note on October 5, after news that MGM had move the next James Bond film No Time to Die from November into 2021, analyst Alan Gould of Loop Capital called it a “possible death knell for AMC.” Disney most recently announcing that Pixar’s Soul would follow Mulan direct to Disney+.

Gould forecasts the domestic box office fell 95% in the third quarter and 85% in the fourth quarter. He sees the domestic box office settling at $2.4 billion this year and $8.6 billion in 2021, down from $11.3 billion in 2019. He also expects the number of screens to decline to about 36,000 over the next two years, down from 41,000 currently.
COVID and theater woes have hastened a focus on streaming already underway before the pandemic. On Monday, Disney announce a rare restructuring of its content and distribution business units to maximize the potential of streaming, followed similar moves by AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Comcast’s NBCUniversal.

One upside is that Regal’s closing will benefit theaters that remain open. AMC CEO Adam Aron has said a unique windowing deal with Universal will give it a leg up in with a handful movies including Focus Features’ Kajillionaire, Come Play, and Let Him Go and Universal’s Croods: A New Age.
Also, Aron has been good at finding fresh cash. AMC raised $500 million in a debt offering early in the pandemic and other $200 million the debt restructuring, which also lowered debt and interest expenses and pushed out some repayment deadlines. Silver Lake, Partners invested $600 million in AMC in 2018 but it’s not known whether or not the investment firm would bail them out.

Silver Lake wasn’t immediately available to comment. AMC declined to comment.
AMC leases 875 theaters (10.1k screens) and owns or partially owns 62 theaters (561 screens) worldwide. Stateside, AMC manages or has a partial interest in seven theatres and 73 screens.
Bankruptcies are nothing new to the industry and some pundits think a lower U.S. screen count wouldn’t be amiss given shifts in the entertainment landscape. Two decades ago, a handful of exhibitors went bankrupt and bought each other out after racking up debt through overbuilding. Between 1999 and 2001, bankruptcies included Regal, Carmike, Loews Cineplex, United Artists, General Cinema, Edwards Theatres, Mann Theatres, Dickinson Theatres and Silver Cinemas.

B Riley’s Wold is hanging in with a “neutral” rating on AMC, which he acknowledged “may be too optimistic given our continued liquidity concerns.” But he said he also thinks that “should the major U.S. markets yet to reopen given the green light in the near-term, both the reaction to the company’s share price and ability to secure capital could be extremely positive.”


Dr. Dre’s Estranged Wife Being Investigated By LAPD For Alleged Embezzlement!
Sources tell TMZ  that Dr. Dre’s estranged wife Nicole Young is being investigated for embezzlement by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Dre’s business partner, Larry Chatman, recently filed a police report alleging Young withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from their business account without permission. Chatman co-founded Record One studio with Dre in 2015.9
The report lists the total withdrawal as $385,029, the same amount Dre said she withdrew from his business account during their divorce case. Young claims she is listed on the account.
As previously reported by TMZ, her legal team is calling Chatman’s claims a “low-grade PR stunt.”

“This is a clear attempt to smear Nicole’s name. As people are well aware, banks do not give out money to people who are not authorized to receive it,” Young’s attorney Bryan Freedman told the outlet last month.


Netflix Co-CEO Defends ‘Cuties’ Film; Calls It ‘Misunderstood’!
Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos is coming to defend the controversial French film “Cuties,” which was accused of sexualizing children.
“Cuties” has been the topic of conversation for the past few months now. The drama surrounding the film began earlier this year after the steaming platform released an image that showed young girls posing sexually.

The story tells the life of an 11-year-old Senegalese girl who escapes the dysfunction of her family by joining a dance group with other young girls her age. Backlash regarding the film included people calling the movie out over inappropriate scenes in which the children are seen dancing sexually, and in other scenes, the girls are heard using provocative language. There’s been so much criticism that even a Texas grand jury is looking to indict Netflix for allegedly promoting “lewd visual material.”

The creator and director of the film, Maïmouna Doucouré, has maintained her stance by defending the film, and after some initial reluctance, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings cemented his position on the film by standing by Doucouré in support. Now, Netflix’s other CEO, Sarandos is also speaking out in its defense: “The film speaks for itself.”

“It’s a very personal coming-of-age film, it’s the director’s story and the film has obviously played very well at Sundance without any of this controversy and played in theaters throughout Europe without any of this controversy,” Sarandos added during a Q&A Monday at the annual global content conference Mipcom, according to Variety. “It’s a little surprising that in 2020 America we’re having a discussion about censoring storytelling,” he said.


AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘THIS LITTLE PIGGY’
Think we found the cover art for our People of Walmart album.


EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Tiago
Meet! You can see more when GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSFW!

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.

Enjoy!


HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM

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