The Icon Dolly Parton Covers Marie Claire Magazine!
Dolly Parton is the cover of Marie Claire’s Holiday digital issue. Dolly Parton, in conversation with RuPaul, talk about Dolly’s Christmas album, Miley Cyrus, how she recharges and much more.
On always being ready: “I have to always stay ready—street ready, I always say. I have to keep my makeup on and keep my hair done. Like, when I’m in L.A.—I’ve told you about it—if it’s going to earthquake, if we get an earthquake, I’m not running out in the street looking like you look now. I have to be ambulance-ready at all times, if I get sick or something. But I actually do wear high heels most of the time. They’re not always as high as the ones I wear for show. But I’m little. I’m short. And I have to wear heels in order to reach my cabinets. But I always enjoy wearing the shoes too, and I just feel more like me. But I can come down, though. I’m comfortable in my own skin; I’m comfortable with my image. I dress for myself more than I do for somebody else.”
On Miley Cyrus: “I’ve always loved her, since she was little, and I knew she was special. She just had a light about her. Her sparkle, and her smile, and her eyes were always full of wonder.”
On the Imagination Library: “…that is one of the things I am proudest of, of all the things that I’ve done since I’ve been in the business. And I’m sure you’ve heard the story that it came from a sincere place in my life and in my heart, because my dad—and a lot of my relatives, and a lot of people in that part of the country [where I’m from], but especially my dad—couldn’t read and write. And he was kind of embarrassed by that, and he thought it was too hard of a thing to learn to do after he was grown. And I just remember feeling bad for my dad because he was so smart. And I thought, Lord, if he’d had an education, no telling what all he could have been.”
On how she recharges her batteries: “I’m energized by just what I do. It’s like, work begets work, energy begets energy. I just really stay alive because I just live on creative and spiritual energy. I’m like the little Energizer Bunny. I’m just recharged by the excitement of being able to still be active and to still be able to create stuff and to be still in demand. That’s exciting to me, that I have all these fans that care about me, and I love us sharing that kind of love and that kind of energy. You know how that feels. People love you. And that’s a great feeling to know that people care about you, and so it kind of generates its own kind of energy.”
U.S Carries Out Execution Of Brandon Bernard, During Presidential Transition
The Trump administration on Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year and the first during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member for his role in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago.
Four more federal executions, including one Friday, are planned in the weeks before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The case of Brandon Bernard, who received a lethal injection of phenobarbital inside a death chamber at a U.S. prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a rare execution of a person who was in his teens when his crime was committed.
Several high-profile figures, including reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, had appealed to President Donald Trump to commute Bernard’s sentence to life in prison.
With witnesses looking on from behind a glass barrier, the 40-year-old Bernard was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. Eastern time.
Bernard directed his last words to the family of the couple he killed, speaking with striking calm for someone who knew he was about to die. “I’m sorry,” he said, lifting his head and looking at the witness-room windows. “That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.”
As he spoke before he died, Bernard showed no outward signs of fear, distress or apprehension, speaking lucidly and naturally as witnesses looked on behind a glass barrier. Speaking for more than three minutes, Bernard said he had been waiting for this chance to say he was sorry — not only to the victims’ family, but also for the pain he caused his own family. Earlier, he said about his role in the killing, “I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t.”
Bernard was 18 when he and four other teenagers abducted and robbed Todd and Stacie Bagley on their way from a Sunday service in Killeen, Texas. Federal executions were resumed by Trump in July after a 17-year hiatus despite coronavirus outbreak in U.S. prisons.
Todd Bagley’s mother, Georgia, spoke to reporters within 30 minutes of the execution, saying she wanted to thank Trump, Attorney General William Barr and others at the Justice Department for bringing the family some closure. She became emotional when she spoke about the apologies from Bernard before he died and from an accomplice, Christopher Vialva, who was executed in September. “The apology and remorse ... helped very much heal my heart,” she said, beginning to cry and then recomposing herself. “I can very much say: I forgive them.”
Alfred Bourgeois, a 56-year-old Louisiana truck driver, is set to die Friday for killing his 2-year-old daughter by repeatedly slamming her head into a truck’s windows and dashboard. Bourgeois’ lawyers alleged he was intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for the death penalty, but several courts said evidence didn’t support that claim.
Before Bernard’s execution, Kardashian West tweeted that she’d spoken to him earlier: “Hardest call I’ve ever had. Brandon, selfless as always, was focused on his family and making sure they are ok. He told me not to cry because our fight isn’t over.”
Just before the execution was scheduled, Bernard’s lawyers filed papers with the Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution, but the high court denied the request, clearing the way for the execution to proceed.
Bernard had been crocheting in prison and even launched a death-row crocheting group in which inmates have shared patterns for making sweaters, blankets and hats, said Ashley Kincaid Eve, an anti-death penalty activist.
Federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like Biden opposed to capital punishment. The last time executions occurred in a lame-duck period was during the presidency of Grover Cleveland in the 1890s.
Defense attorneys have argued in court and in a petition for clemency from Trump that Bernard was a low-ranking, subservient member of the group. They say both Bagleys were likely dead before Bernard doused their car with lighter fluid and set it on fire, a claim that conflicts with government testimony at trial. Bernard, they say, had repeatedly expressed remorse.
The case prompted calls for Trump to intervene, including from one prosecutor at his 2000 trial who now says racial bias may have influenced the nearly all-white jury’s imposition of a death sentence against Bernard, who is Black. Several jurors have also since said publicly that they regret not opting for life in prison instead.
The Justice Department refused to delay Thursday’s execution of Bernard, another inmate Friday and three more in January, even after eight officials who participated in an execution last month tested positive for the coronavirus. The eight federal executions in 2020 already is more than in the previous 56 years combined.
One of Bernard’s co-defendants, Vialva, was executed in September. Prosecutors said Vialva, the oldest of the teens at 19, was the ringleader who shot the Bagleys, as they lay in the trunk before Bernard set the car on fire.
The teenagers approached the Bagleys in the afternoon on June 21, 1999, and asked them for a lift after they stopped at a convenience store — planning all along to rob the couple. After the Bagleys agreed, Vialva pulled a gun and forced them into the trunk.
The Bagleys, both of whom were in their 20s, spoke through an opening in the back seat and urged their kidnappers to accept Jesus as they drove around for hours trying to use the Bagleys’ ATM cards. After the teens pulled to the side of the road, Vialva walked to the back and shot the Bagleys in the head.
The central question in the decision to sentence Bernard to death was whether Vialva’s gunshots or the fire set by Bernard killed the Bagleys.
DEVELOPING NOW! Ellen DeGeneres Has COVID
Well, well, well. Ellen DeGeneres has COVID-19, she announced on social media on December 10. “Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now,” she wrote in a note posted to Instagram and Twitter. “Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.” As if she hadn’t put her crew through enough! (But at least they can now take time off for doctor’s appointments?)
DeGeneres has been in the middle of the 18th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which premiered in September 2020. DeGeneres has had some guests in-studio on the show during the pandemic, along with welcoming a few dozen in-person, masked audience members since late October. The 11th day of her annual “12 Days of Giveaways” airs today, and the 12th airs tomorrow, December 11, but those episodes were likely filmed days to weeks ago due to daytime-TV production schedules.
#RHOA: Peter Thomas Confirms The Death Of His Father!
2020 continues to be a trying year for many, including former Real Housewives Of Atlanta star and entrepreneur Peter Thomas. The former reality star revealed that his father has just passed away in a somber Instagram post.
“This have to be the saddest day of my life,” wrote Thomas beneath a photo of himself lying in bed. “I don’t know where to begin, I don’t know what to do, I am completely dead inside, my daddy is no longer on this side. God please give me strength, my heart is broken.”
The death of Thomas’s father comes just months after the Bar One owner was diagnosed with COVID-19. In an Instagram video, he complained of textbook symptoms like difficulty breathing, chest pain and fatigue. Thankfully, he was able to make a full recovery and is back to running the ship at his new location, Bar One Miami.
We send Thomas and his family our condolences for their loss.
#NewMusicVideo from JoJo – December Baby!
Singer JoJo stays in the holiday spirit with the release of the visual for her holiday single “December Baby”. The release comes along with the announcement of her “December Baby Livestream Concert Special” which will air live from The Roxy in L.A. on December 18th.
The video features an intro from 2021 Grammy Award nominee Jacob Collier, sharing a taste of their duet “Noelle”. Both of the songs were included on JoJo’s recently released first holiday album which is out now.
WATCH HERE
In another exciting announcement, JoJo has teamed up with Tori Kelly for an upcoming Raphael Saadiq produced duet called “Stand Up” for Global Citizen. The song will release on December 18th as well.
#HipHopNews: MO3 Murder Suspect Reportedly Arrested In Dallas!
A suspect has reportedly been arrested in connection to the murder of Dallas rapper Mo3. According to Fox affiliate KDFW, the Dallas Police Department apprehended 21-year-old Kewon Dontrell White on Wednesday (December 9) and charged him with murder.
Mo3 (real name Melvin Noble) was shot and killed on November 11 as he was driving down Interstate 35. White, the alleged gunman. was driving parallel to the BadAzz Music Syndicate rapper when he got out of his car and approached Mo3’s vehicle. That’s when Mo3 jumped out of the car and fled on foot, but the gunman started chasing him, firing multiple rounds and striking him in the back of the head.
Although Mo3 was rushed to a local hospital, he eventually succumbed to his injuries. Following his death, police released video footage of the incident and asked the public for help. The clip shows the masked gunman, believed to be driving a black 2014 or 2015 Chevy Camaro, with a weapon in his hand running down the highway in pursuit of his intended target.
According to TMZ, Mo3 noticed someone had been following him and hopped on I-35 to escape, but his efforts were futile. Mo3 was only 28 at the time of his death. As the Dallas rap community mourned, collaborator and BadAzz Music Syndicate founder Boosie Badazz traveled to the Texas city for a vigil on November 14.
Boosie had been parading around town in a sprinter van most of the day when somebody opened fire on the vehicle, striking Boosie in the leg. The shooters quickly fled the scene, while Boosie and his entourage made their way to a hospital. He was reportedly treated for a gunshot wound below the knee and listed in stable condition.
The same day, Benny The Butcher was also struck in the leg while leaving a Houston Walmart. The shootings followed the November 6 murder of Chicago rapper King Von, who was gunned down outside of an Atlanta hookah bar following a run-in with Quando Rondo’s crew.
Meanwhile, a mugshot for White has yet to be released and his bond hasn’t been set.
Dionne Warwick Pops Back at Wendy Williams’ Comments About Her Tweets and 2002 Marijuana Charge!
Legendary singer Dionne Warwick is not happy with Wendy Williams' recent comments about her.
After the talk show host critiqued the 79-year-old's recent catchy tweets and referred to an old marijuana charge, Warwick sent a stern message to Williams, 56, on Twitter.
"A friend alerted me that Wendy Williams was spending a lot of not nice time speaking on me," she tweeted. "I tuned in to her show to catch the last few minutes of her speaking about me and as in the past, she seems not to be able to speak without maliciously made comments."
"My hope is my name will refrain from being spoken or thought of by her as this conversation was held a few years ago letting her know there was, nor would be any need, for her to say the name Dionne Warwick for any reason," she added. "I don’t believe one has to be mean to get noticed."
Warwick followed up with a third tweet: "...There’s an old saying, 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!' Try it Wendy you might like it. 🤡🙂."
On her show, Wendy started a lengthy segment referring to Warwick's start in the "Twitter-sphere" and calling her "a beautiful woman."
"She doesn't like me though, I know she doesn't like me," Williams said. "She's been here. She's a friend to the show. She's a friend to the show 'cause she has something to promote and we're the social influencers and she's smart."
"But, once she gets off the show, you know she's probably like, 'Bitch,'" added Williams. "It's okay, Ms. Warwick, it's okay."
Dionne Warwick and Wendy Williams | CREDIT: SYLVAIN GABOURY/PATRICK MCMULLAN VIA
The talk show host went on to refer to Warwick's recent tweets teasing The Weeknd, before talking about a tweet video where the singer said she sends her own tweets. (Warwick also recently told Andy Cohen on his radio show that her niece Brittani helps her draft some of her tweets.)
Continuing the segment, Williams brought up a past instance in which Warwick was caught carrying marijuana, alleging the singer still smokes today. (Warwick faced marijuana charges in 2002, but claimed she was framed, according to Billboard.)
"I totally believe that she is doing her own tweeting, but I think that Brittani is her right hand," Williams commented. "After Aunt Dionne does what she wants, after midnight, maybe after some bud."
"Well, you remember a few years ago, aunt Dionne was stopped at the Miami airport trying to get back to Jersey and you know, Jersey now has the bud. But, Miami is 'buddier,'" Williams added. "TSA stopped aunt Dionne and opened up a lipstick tube and found four, excuse me, 11 pre-rolled joints. Oh yeah, they got the dog on it [and] it was weed... Yeah, she's still [consuming marijuana.] After midnight, a little bud, a little Chardonnay."
The TV personality then critiqued the camera angle in which Warwick recorded her recent Twitter video. She ended her spiel by saying she loves the singer and that "we're only having fun with you."
"Aunt Dionne knows how to stay relevant and Brittani is right there giving her all the filters and checking it over before she sends [it] and I think that's a great thing," she said. "I think if you're a person of a particular age, you need social media and you need to get down sometimes and talk at these kids, not to them, at them. But you did need someone in your family to make sure that you're coming off correct."
Then Williams pointed to a photo of Warwick in which the star was wearing a necklace with a large pendant and joked, while laughing, that, "That necklace might be hitting and holding [marijuana]."
In response to the segment, Warwick's niece Brittani wrote on Twitter, "I’m not commenting on anything else, but @WendyWilliams gave me some props for socials today. Thank you! it’s fun to teach Aunt @_DionneWarwick new things. Can’t stop, won’t stop."
Warwick replied, "Let’s do tick tock [sic] then," referring to the viral video app, TikTok.
The back-and-forth also comes just days after Williams recently revealed that her mom, Shirley, died "beautifully and peacefully weeks ago."
Reps for Williams and Warwick had no comment.
Faizon Love Calls Jay-Z A “Puppet” Who Faked Drug Dealing Lifestyle!
The actor criticized the rap mogul for glorifying a street life that Faizon claims Jay never lived because he worked in the shadows of real drug dealers.
We’ve been relentlessly covering the news of rappers losing their lives too soon over street battles and ongoing beefs that have gone too far, but Faizon Love has an idea of why things have gotten so out of control. Since rap’s inception, gang and street life have been lyrical staples in the culture, but Faizon partially places the blame of escalating incidents of violence on Jay-Z’s shoulders. He explained that the rap mogul glorified a way of life that he allegedly wasn’t even living, causing many to follow in his “drug lord” footsteps when that lifestyle didn’t exist.
“I criticize him for it because it’s kinda his fault,” Faizon told VladTV. “Jay-Z creates this drug dealing drug lord, I’ma drug dealer, I’ma drug lord. These kids are like, ‘We gotta do it, too.’ Not knowing that this is all made up sh*t.” Vlad interrupted to add that Jay-Z was a drug dealer, but Faizon stuck to his point. Vlad also mentioned that he interviewed Jay-Z’s former street partner De-Haven, but Faizon said De-Haven was the drug dealer while Jay was just standing around “eating chips.”
“De-Haven knows the truth,” added Faizon. “Listen to me. I heard one dude say, ‘Jay-Z had so much money, drawers full of money.’ If he had so much money why does he have to go to [Kareem] Biggs [Burke] to start a record company? Just go start it yourself. All the money’s yours.” The actor added that out of “that whole crew,” Biggs was his favorite.
Faizon also said after learning about his behind-the-scenes information, he came to the conclusion that Jay-Z “is a puppet.” He added, “Can you imagine Jay-Z fighting somebody in the streets? Somebody slap him, taking his cocaine, what he gon’ do?” After saying that real street dudes would “go to work,” he mocked Jay-Z as if he had to call De-Haven to take care of the business for him.
Rapper Biz Markie Reportedly Recovering from a Stroke After Diabetic Coma!
Rapper Biz Markie is reportedly recovering from a stroke he suffered while in a diabetic coma. Biz, aka Marcel Theo Hall, has not been on his Sirius XM show Rock The Bells or on social media in over six months. Back in July, it was rumored that the 56-year old rapper had been in the hospital for several weeks due to a serious illness, though it was reportedly not COVID-19. The news had people asking for answers, though not a lot of information was made available. Biz's management said that he was "not in a coma" back in September, but no other information about his health was provided.
According to a source close to Biz Markie and his family, the rapper suffered a stroke while in the hospital after a diabetic coma. The source says, "He's not doing great, but it's not as scandalous as it felt in the beginning," which is certainly great news. You can read what else the unnamed source had to say about the matter below.
"Short story is Biz is diabetic, he had slipped into a diabetic coma, but that has happened to him in the past and it would only last a little while. He would go to the hospital, get discharged and get his meds under control. This particular time, he had a stroke while he was in the middle of the coma."
The hip hop community have been looking for answers pertaining to Biz Markie's health for months now. According to the aforementioned source, Biz is able to FaceTime with his family, though the is having some trouble with his speech due to the stroke. He is allegedly in a rehab facility and on the road to recovery. Over the years, Biz has been very open about his struggles with being diabetic and even lost 140 pounds with a goal to stop taking his medications.
Biz Markie took off in the 1980s with hip hop classics like "Make The Music With Your Mouth Biz," "Vapors," "Pickin' Boogers" "Just a Friend," and "Nobody Beats The Biz." He has collaborated with the Beastie Boys on multiple records, which usually ended with some intense basketball games. In addition to being a pioneering MC, Biz has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, including Yo Gabba Gabba!, Celebrity Fit Club, and Men in Black 2 with Will Smith.
Back in 2014, Biz Markie discussed his reasoning behind getting healthy. "I wanted to live," Biz said. "Since I have to be a diabetic, If I didn't make the changes, it was going to make the diabetes worse." For now his fans and the entire hip hop community are wishing him well and a speedy recovery to get back on the mic. Hip Hop DX was the first outlet to report on Biz Markie's recent health struggles.
'Brokeback Mountain' At 15: Jake Gyllenhaal On How Filming Gay Romance 'Was Uncomfortable At Times But We Knew The Bigger Picture'!
Though it was often far oversimplified as “the gay cowboy movie,” Brokeback Mountain nonetheless became a worldwide phenomenon upon its release 15 years ago today. It should have also become a Best Picture winner, but lost to the since-largely forgotten Crash in one of Oscar’s all-time biggest head-scratchers.
Unlike Crash, Brokeback’s legacy still mounts today. The film, about the secret and ultimately tragic love story between two men (Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger) who meet as farmhands in the rural and rugged terrain of eastern Wyoming, is generally considered one of the most impactful LGBTQ-themed releases of the century. Its $178 million box office haul proved audiences thirsted to see gay stories represented on the big screen.
“It became so much bigger than what we thought it would be,” Gyllenhaal told Yahoo Entertainment during a 2014 Role Recall interview (watch above, with Brokeback starting at 2:05). “It became so much more than what we expected. It was no longer ours, really, at a certain point. It was sort of everyone’s, in this way, and we were just a part of it.”
There were far fewer actors who were out at the time of the film’s production, and as Diana Ossana (who adapted Annie Proulx’s short story with Larry McMurtry for director Ang Lee) revealed in 2018, it was a difficult film to cast because of its subject material, with names like Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton all once approached or involved.
“It was uncomfortable at times for us, but we also knew the bigger picture,” Gyllenhaal said of filming the love scenes with Ledger. “And we knew what the story was about and how much it meant to us and how important it was.”
Beyond its cultural impact and accolades (the film did win three Oscars, including Best Director for Lee), Gyllenhaal generally has warm memories of shooting the $14 million indie in a very cold Alberta, Canada.
“Brokeback Mountain was a very special, very intimate process,” he said. “We were in the middle of nowhere, altogether. Particularly towards the beginning we were all living in trailers. So I’d wake up in the morning and Ang Lee would be doing tai chi by the river and different people would cook in the morning and then we’d walk to the set. There’s not a lot of pomp, it’s just making a movie and we’re all doing it together. It’s about telling a story and being real and being connected.”
Brokeback Mountain is currently streaming on Amazon.
Kevin Hart, Wesley Snipes To Play Brothers In Netflix Series
Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes will play brothers in a new Netflix series. Netflix confirmed Wednesday that Hart, 41, and Snipes, 58, will star in True Story, a limited series from Narcos and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman.
Newman will write and executive produce the eight-part series, which is produced by Hart's HartBeat Production company. Hart will also serve as an executive producer.
"Kevin Hart's career is one defined by courageous creative risks and Wesley Snipes is a legendary talent -- together they are truly a dream team," Newman said in a statement. "I am absolutely thrilled to be working with these two."
Hart will play Kid, a world-famous comedian and fictionalized version of himself, with Snipes as Carlton, Kid's wayward older brother. The series follows Kid after a lost evening with Carlton threatens to destroy everything he's built.
"I've never been more excited about an acting project in my career," Hart said in a statement. "I've always been a fan of Wesley Snipes and working with him is mind-blowing."
"Having HartBeat Productions at the helm and working alongside Eric Newman as a partner and creative arm has been unreal, nobody is ready for what this show is going to be," he added.
Stephen Williams will direct and executive produce the first four episodes, with Hanelle Culpepper to direct the final four episodes.
Jennifer Hudson To Sing New Holiday Songs in Upcoming Christmas Movie!
Jennifer Hudson has been tapped to star in an upcoming Christmas movie.
Deadline reports that the 39-year-old Oscar winner and singer will produce the pic alongside Jonathan Glickman. The untitled movie will be penned by Ira Madison III.
According to reports, the movie will see Jennifer performing classic holiday tunes and brand new Christmas songs as well.
Jennifer will play “a down-and-out singer whose life is turned upside down when she is mistaken for writing the next Christmas hit.”
Jennifer is a big fan of the holiday season and once admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she starts decorating super early.
Rihanna, Beyonce, Oprah, Taylor Among Forbes' 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women'!
Forbes unveiled The World's 100 Most Powerful Women on Wednesday (Dec. 9), and music stars Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Rihanna made the list.
According to Forbes, the women who made the 17th annual list "hail from 30 countries and were born across four generations. There are 10 heads of state, 38 CEOs and five entertainers among them. But where they differ in age, nationality and job description, they are united in the ways they have been using their platforms to address the unique challenges of 2020."
2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Music List: Roddy Ricch, Gabby Barrett, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Lil Baby & More
RiRi, who is No. 69 on the tally, is spotlighted as "one of the most publicly charitable celebrities" who "has donated upwards of $8 million to coronavirus relief efforts."
Beyoncé follows at No. 72, and was honored for her highly successful On The Run II stadium tour with Jay-Z, her Homecoming Netflix special, contributions to the Lion King remake and her Ivy Park partnership with Adidas.
Swift, at No. 82, is applauded for using "her fame to encourage political action, asking fans to support the Equality Act with her 2019 single 'You Need to Calm Down.'"
See the full list here.
Jeremih Shares First Photo Of Himself Since Being Discharged From Hospital!
After being discharged from the hospital following his COVID-19 diagnosis, Jeremih returned to the 'gram.
On Tuesday (December 9), the R&B singer marked his return to social media by sharing two photos of himself: a selfie from a hospital bed and a seemingly recent shot of him getting his hair done. "THANK GOD IM STILL HERE ," he captioned the Instagram Series. "THANK YA’LL FOR THE 🙏🏾 UP #imbackkkk."
As fans know, Jeremih contracted a “severe” case of coronavirus last month. “The COVID-19 condition he’s experiencing is rare for a young man his age without underlying conditions," the 33-year-old singer's spokesperson said at the time. “There’s no shame in contracting COVID-19, and people that have it need to be responsible and considerate of others. Everyone diagnosed with COVID-19 is affected differently. Unfortunately for Jeremih, COVID-19 viciously attacked his body.”
Jeremih spent most of the last month in the hospital due to his severe coronavirus symptoms. At one point, he was placed in the ICU and was put on a ventilator. Thankfully, his health improved soon after, and he was transferred out of the ICU, taken off the ventilator, and later discharged from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God and the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for saving my life," Jeremih said in a statement after his hospital release. "I will be forever grateful. I would also like to thank my family and friends for all their prayers and well wishes. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude."
“A special thanks to Chance the Rapper, 50 Cent and Diddy for their love and support," he added. "I would like to thank all my fans and people around the world who prayed for me. I’m getting stronger everyday, and look forward to spending time with my sons.”
Despite being recently discharged from the hospital, Jeremih is already preparing to release new music. On Monday (December 8), it was announced that he and Chance the Rapper are dropping a holiday album on Friday (December 11). The project is titled Merry Christmas Lil Mama: The Gift That Keeps on Giving and will include the collaboration will include 12 tracks.
Jackee Harry Announces New Role On Days Of Our Lives!
Sister, Sister star Jackée Harry has landed a role on long-running US soap Days Of Our Lives.
Harry, who played Lisa Landry the adoptive mother of Tia on the show, announced on the Today show on Tuesday (December 9) that she's joining the cast of Days as part of a brand new storyline.
"Oh, she's fabulous," Harry told host Hoda Kotb. "You know I'm playing a fabulous woman, you know that.
"But I don't want to give away the storyline because it's a brand new storyline with African Americans. They have been at the forefront of hiring minorities, they have a lot of diversity on Days of Our Lives.
"I don't want to give away the storyline but I have a daughter and you know there ain't nothing but trouble in River City."
According to Entertainment Weekly, Harry will be playing a new character named Paulina, who comes to Salem to reconnect with her family – but she'll also have a connection to the Carvers.
Harry will begin filming her Days role this month, with her debut set for March 2021.
Last month, Harry thanked Netflix fans for showing their support for Sister, Sister after it landed on the streaming service over the summer.
"So honoured that our little old show is getting as much love today as it did 26 years ago when it premiered. We're in the top 3!" she wrote on Twitter.
"Thanks to everyone watching #SisterSister on Netflix!"
Jada Pinkett Smith’s Mom Adrienne Norris Is Not A Fan Of Olivia Jade Giannulli’s “Red Table Talk” ; “Her Being Here Is The Epitome Of White Privilege”!
Adrienne Banfield Norris had to express how she felt about having Olivia Jade Giannulli on “Red Table Talk.”
We all have seen Norris appear on the Facebook Watch series with her daughter and granddaughter, Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith.
During Tuesday’s episode that featured Giannulli, a social media influencer and daughter of actress Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli, to discuss the admissions scandal that resulted in her parents being sent to prison.
Pinkett Smith said she, her mother, and her daughter “all had very different feelings about it,” before Olivia Jade even appeared at the table.
Norris chimed in, “I fought it tooth and nail.” She said, “I just found it really ironic that she chose three Black women to reach out to for her redemption story.” She added, “I feel like here we are, a white woman coming to Black women for support when we don’t get the same from them. It’s bothersome to me on so many levels.”
She said, “Her being here is the epitome of white privilege to me.”
Earlier this year, Jade’s parents admitted to paying $500,000 to aid their two daughters in getting admitted to the University of Southern California. The couple was later arrested and pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.
The 21-year-old came on “Red Table Talk” to break her silence about what happened.
Smith-Pinkett asked her mother to share with Jade her feelings about the appearance.
“I think for me it’s like there is so much violent dehumanization that the Black community has to go through on a daily basis,” Banfield Norris said. “There is so much devastation, particularly this year, 2020 with the pandemic, and everything brought to the table about how there is so much inequality and inequity, that when you come to the table with something like this, it’s like, ‘Child, please.'”
Jade understood, and Banfield Norris said she was “glad because what I am hearing from you is that there’s an interest and a desire to learn and figure out where you fit into the world and what your role is to make a difference.”
Jade said, “I didn’t come on here to like try and win people over and say, ‘I really need people to like me.” She added, “I just want to apologize for contributing to these social inequalities even though I didn’t realize it at the time.”
US Government And 48 States Sue Facebook In Major Antitrust Actions!
The US Federal Trade Commission and the coalition of states are suing Facebook, alleging that the social media giant had illegally impeded the competition by snapping up rivals to protect its monopoly power hold in social networking.
According to The Guardian, one lawsuit brings together nearly every state in the USA in a legal coalition led by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James.
“For nearly a decade, Facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users,” James said in a statement.
The combined actions focus on Facebook’s key acquisition of Instagram, a photo-sharing service, and WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging app. The lawsuit contents that these deals sealed Facebook’s dominance in the social networking world.
“Today, we are taking action to stand up for the millions of consumers and many small businesses that have been harmed by Facebook’s illegal behavior, instead of competing on the merits, Facebook used its power to suppress competition so it could take advantage of users and make billions by converting personal data into a cash cow,” James said in her statement.
Facebook could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the filing of these lawsuits.
Facebook’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees back in July that Facebook was preparing to “go to the mat” to fight a legal challenge to break up the company, calling it an “existential” threat, according to audio of internal company meetings that published by The Verge.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘BETTY LOU WHO’
The people of Whoville just aren’t as cutesy when they grow up and move away from the herd.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!
EFREM
No comments:
Post a Comment