Regina King Covers WSJ. Magazine’s December/January Issue!
Powerhouse creator Regina King covers WSJ. Magazine’s December/January Issue!
After three-plus decades on-screen, King had her breakthrough lead role, in 2019’s ‘Watchmen’; and this year she directed her first feature film, One Night in Miami, an adaptation of playwright Kemp Powers’s 2013 stage imagining of conversations between four Black legends. Now, after years of momentum, an expansive body of work in film and television as an actor, director and producer, and numerous awards, she is regarded as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic creators.
The scope of King’s performances since her first role at age 14—as Brenda Jenkins on the sitcom 227—has been wide ranging. Her first two Emmys came in 2015 and 2016 for roles in the ABC anthology ‘American Crime.’ She picked up her third Emmy for the 2018 Netflix drama ‘Seven Seconds,’ in which she played the mother of a son killed by a cop in a hit-and-run. She then won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in 2019, playing another maternal character in Barry Jenkins’s film adaptation of James Baldwin’s ‘If Beale Street Could Talk.’
‘One Night in Miami’ plays out like elevated fanfiction with four historical figures: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) before he called himself Muhammad Ali. The movie, though fictional, is based on a real gathering between the men on the night of February 25, 1964, when a 22-year-old Clay was victorious over Sonny Liston to snatch the heavyweight title.
King on finishing her movie during BLM protests & Covid:
“The work has truly been a welcome distraction. I find that…on set or editing, working on the music for the film [or] on the color, it forces you to focus on something else. Because everything around us has to do with the pandemic, who’s been in office, this election,” she says, two weeks before Election Day. “But as a Black American, that’s been the story before we were even born—of being marginalized people. That’s all the time happening, and the work kind of allows for me to escape it and not feel like I’m irresponsibly escaping it.”
King on winning an Emmy while wearing a Breonna Taylor T-shirt:
Like many Black Americans, King felt the fatigue of maintaining a professional visage amid violence. “The faces that we put on to smile and to succeed,” she says. “That shit is exhausting.”
King on having her son in mind when telling the story of One Night In Miami:
King describes the story as a personalized portrait of revered figures. “We meet them in places where they’re each getting punched in the gut and getting reminded of their blackness or inequities in some way,” she says. “I wanted the world to see Black men the way I see them, as complex, as vulnerable, as strong…as human beings that feel—who are not void of being hurt.”
King on keeping a focus on her Black audience without feeling she needed to please everyone:
She points to a pool scene of Cassius Clay that’s soundtracked to Donny Hathaway’s timeless cover of Ray Charles’s “I Believe to My Soul.” “I was like, ‘That’s for Black people! I’m letting y’all know now: I’m not changing that!’” she says, laughing. “There’s some things that are inside jokes that, because you’re not Black, you’re going to miss that joke. And in those moments, do you think, OK, does it matter to me if the joke is missed or that beat is missed? No, sometimes it doesn’t matter.”
The article appears in WSJ. Magazine’s December/January Issue, on newsstands December 12th.
#RHOP: Karen Huger throws some shade at Robyn Dixon!
The Grande Dame is not one to mess with as she will get down and throw shade that ends up stinging hard. Huger did not let her fans down when she appeared on The Wendy Williams Show and Dixon came up. She first shamed Dixon for age shaming her.
“That’s Robyn who was doing the age-shaming and shame on her,” Huger said on the show. “Again, they don’t understand because they don’t have the wisdom that we mature women have.”
Huger then threw that shade right back at her commenting on her looks, just like Dixon did to her.
“Now, Robyn is a hard 40, and lookin’ every day of it, but…I really feel like she shot herself in the foot with this because we 50-year-olds can afford her product,” Huger added. “In fact, the 20-year-olds that wanna buy Robyn’s hats come to their mama for the money, so she just shot herself in the foot.”
At the RHOP Season 5 reunion, the feud between Dixon and Huger came up. Dixon’s co-stars explained that her hats are good because they’re lined inside with satin and doesn’t mess up their hair. Dixon explained that everybody’s pictures were “more fun” and she felt Huger didn’t want to be there.
“I honestly felt that she didn’t want to be there, that was the energy that I got from her from the beginning of that photoshoot,” Dixon said during the reunion.
Huger denied not wanting to be there as she took time off her schedule to support Dixon.
“My sales have been tremendous, the response I’ve been overwhelmed with and I’m really excited about the future of my business,” Dixon added.
Huger then asked if her picture was going to go up and Dixon retaliated by saying, “Honestly Karen, that hat was one of my slow sellers, so I didn’t bring it back.”
Andy Cohen, host of the reunion, couldn’t help but laugh at Dixon’s shade and what she was implying. Huger added that she liked the hat but Dixon contradicted her reminded everyone she threw the hat during one of the RHOP confessionals.
#NewMusic from JoJo Hailey – In My Arms!
Legendary Jodeci singer JoJo Hailey returns with the brand new solo single called “In My Arms”.
The song finds the singer reminiscing of what it was like to have that special someone by his side.
LISTEN HERE
This is the latest solo effort from the singer since he took some time away from K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci to put out his own project.
It follows in the footsteps of his previous single “Special” released earlier this year.
#HipHopNews: Young Thug Says He Has More ‘Stadium’ Hits Than Jay-Z!
Young Thug is facing backlash for claiming he has more stadium hits than Hov.
Speaking with Gillie Da Kid’s “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, the “Take It to Trial” rapper boasted about his catalog, claiming he has 30-40 songs that concertgoers would recognize if he performed them live.
“When I perform, I got 30, 40 songs that the whole stadium gon’ know. They gon’ know these ones, all 30 songs,” he said.
He then boldly declared that his catalog would rival JAY-Z. “JAY-Z ain’t got 30 songs like that…that the whole stadium gonna sing.”
The host countered, “He got a lot though” before Thug backpedaled. “I know he do. He probably got 50 of them bitches,” he said. “I’m not just literally saying him, I’m saying ni**as who you thinking the man…”
Thug went on to say he’s been backstage at other rappers’ shows and was surprised when the audience didn’t respond to their hits. “I’m backstage like, ‘I thought they knew this song from him.'”
Thug won’t perform a song unless it’s familiar to the crowd. “I’m so scared to get booed, I don’t even perform a song they won’t know,” he said. “They know every song. It ain’t no dull moment. Every song. I ain’t even perform a song they don’t know.”
His comments about JAY-Z weren’t well received on social media. “25 years of rapping and Jay-Z don’t have 30 songs that a stadium knows and Young Thug does? Bruh…..cmon,” tweeted one fan.
Thug previously came under fire after he made disrespectful comments about André 3000. “I can’t rap you two André 3000 songs,” he told T.I.’s “ExpediTIously” podcast. “I ain’t never paid attention to him. Never in my life.”
#RIP: Famed French designer Pierre Cardin dies at 98!
Pierre Cardin, the French fashion designer famed for 1960s-era avant-garde and Space Age looks, who pioneered fashion ready-to-wear and the fashion licensing system that made him rich but diminished his brand's reputation, has died. He was 98.
His death was announced by French Academy of Fine Arts on Tuesday. The academy did not give a cause of death or say where or when he died.
Born Pietro Cardin in 1922 to French parents in their vacation home in San Biagio di Callalta near Venice, Cardin's family left Italy two years later to escape fascism and moved back to Sainte-Etienne in central France, where Pierre grew up.
From an early age, he was interested in dressmaking, starting work at age 14 as an apprentice even though his father wanted him to become an architect. He moved to Paris in 1945, where he studied architecture and worked with the fashion houses of Paquin and Elsa Schiaparelli.
After the war, Christian Dior's atelier hired him. He was put in charge of creating Dior’s famous 1947 New Look collection, which re-emphasized femininity in women’s apparel after the period when women took on male roles and jobs during the war.
He founded his own house in 1950, launching his career by designing costumes and masks for the theater and for the frequent masquerade balls in Paris and in Venice. After starting his haute couture business in 1953, his "bubble dresses" introduced in 1954 were an enormous success.
Pierre Cardin in September 1995 after he was promoted to Commander of the French Legion of Honor, an award for national achievement.
According to his website, Cardin was the first couturier to look to the east for potential fashion markets. He went to Japan for the first time in 1957; two decades later, he went to China to begin a long collaboration with that market. And in 1991, he staged a fashion show in Red Square in Moscow before 200,000 people, a first in Russian history.
He also was the first couturier to present a ready-to-wear collection for women, in 1959 at a Paris department store, which so unnerved the governing body of the French fashion industry that it briefly expelled him. But Cardin sought to make fashion more accessible to more women and he saw ready-to-wear as an idea ready to soar. Starting in earnest in the early 1960s, Cardin produced the designs that women didn't know they wanted until they saw them.
He was fascinated by geometric shapes and motifs as well as unisex designs. Beginning in the 1970s, he launched the "mod chic" style, geometrically inspired silhouettes that ignored the female form. His Space Age looks were inspired in part by his interest in space exploration; he even visited NASA to try on the spacesuit worn by Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to walk on the moon. Later in the 1970s, he designed the interior and exterior of jet aircraft and the uniforms of flight attendants.
In 1974, he was the first couturier to appear on Time magazine's cover. By the 1980s, he was winning awards such as the Gold Thimble of French Haute-Couture, and is made a Knight of the Legion of Honour. In 1992, he takes a seat in the Academy of Fine Arts at the French Institute.
He launched a menswear line, and perfumes for both men and women. He designed costumes for Hollywood and for ballet, he met the pope and Nelson Mandela, and he bought the famous restaurant Maxim's in Paris. He also bought a palazzo in Venice; the Marquis de Sade's castle in Lacoste, France, where he staged an annual music festival, and an old theater in Paris that he turned into a cultural center to promote new artists, theater ensembles and musicians.
But Cardin may be best remembered for his business strategy of licensing his name to a dizzying array of products, starting first with fashion, perfume and cosmetics. Those items were in keeping with an haute-couture brand but starting in the 1980s, the signature of Pierre Cardin appeared on up to 1,000 other items, most of them much cheaper, such as boxer shorts and baseball caps, cigarettes, pencil holders and pens, key chains and the like.
This approach had the effect of diluting the brand's cachet but it made Cardin a great deal of money. In a 1986 Women's Wear Daily article, he was designated “probably Europe’s wealthiest designer,” with an estimated total sales of more than $1 billion (in 1986) and some 160,000 employees around the world. By 1995, he was known derisively as "the licensing king," a designer who would sign his name to toilet paper for the right price.
In 1992, the late Pierre Berge, then chairman of Yves Saint Laurent, told Women's Wear Daily that Cardin was the "worst example" of indiscriminate licensing.
“You can’t continue just sticking your name on a product and expecting people to buy it," he said. "The strategy of ‘I’ll give you my name if you’ll give me your money’ is simply not legitimate.”
In 2011, Cardin attempted to sell his business and failed. He valued it at over $1 billion when it may have been worth only one-fifth of that, according to the Wall Street Journal. In an interview, Cardin said then he wanted to sell because he wanted the business to continue and he anticipated not being around in a "a few years."
He also defended his zeal for licensing: “I don’t want to end up like Balenciaga and die without a nickel – then, 20 years after I’m dead, see others make a fortune from my name.”
Diddy Cancels Annual Lavish Nye Bash Over COVOD Concerns!
On Dec. 28, Diddy announced on Instagram that his annual New Year's Eve party has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party, which Diddy has thrown for years, is typically a who's who of the entertainment world. Past parties have been attended by Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Meek Mill and more.
"TO ALL MY FRIENDS: In efforts to keep everyone safe & Healthy unfortunately WE ARE NOT HAVING A NYE PARTY THIS YEAR!" he wrote on Instagram. "I hope everyone had a blessed holiday and wish you all the best for the new year!"
Diddy's party usually takes place in Miami. As most COVID restrictions have been lifted in Florida, there is nothing preventing Diddy from holding the party. Still, the rap mogul added that he is steadfast in his decision.
"ATTENTION: THIS IS TO EVERYONE, ALL OF MY FRIENDS & FAMILY … I'M NOT CHANGING MY MIND … SEE YOU ALL IN 2021! LOVE YOU!" he added.
Many of Diddy's 17.4 million Instagram followers applauded him for canceling the always eagerly anticipated party given the current climate. Kerry Washington even commented, "Amen!" on his social media post.
It seems Diddy knows that holding a mass gathering right now would draw a tremendous amount of blowback — something other celebrities have experienced in recent months.
Last month, Rita Ora faced criticism for hosting a big 30th birthday party in England in spite of the country's lockdown orders. She later apologized. On Halloween, Kendall Jenner threw a huge celebrity-packed party in Los Angeles as COVID-19 cases climbed. She, too, faced major backlash.
Octavia Spencer Says Jessica Chastain Helped Get Her 5 Times Her Salary For Their Upcoming Movie!
Several Black A-list actresses including Oscar award-winners Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have been vocal in the past about not being paid what they believe they are worth. There has been much talk surrounding the disparity between men and women’s pay as well as Blacks as opposed to their white counterparts.
But now Octavia Spencer has revealed a new day has come, thanks to her friend Jessica Chastain, whom she worked with on The Help, earning both women Gold Globe for their performances.
According to Spencer, over a year ago, Chastain approached her for an idea for a holiday comedy for them to star headline. She tells Sundance’s “Women Breaking Barriers” panel that she opened up in conversation with Chastain about pay.
She said, “We were dropping F-bombs and getting it all out there. And then I said, ‘But here’s the thing, women of color on that spectrum, we make far less than white women. So, if we’re gonna have that conversation about pay equity, we gotta bring the women of color to the table.’ And I told her my story, and we talked numbers, and she was quiet, and she said she had no idea that that’s what it was like for women of color. I love that woman, because she’s walking the walk and she’s actually talking the talk. She said, ‘Octavia, we’re gonna get you paid on this film. You and I are gonna be tied together. We’re gonna be favored nations, and we’re gonna make the same thing.’ Fast forward to last week, we’re making five times what we asked for.”
Octavia Spencer previously stated,
“Oh, I haven’t gotten paid what I feel I deserve. Not yet. But I always get a raise. Every single job, I get a raise. I don’t think any woman has really gotten what she deserves. But when I ask for something and they don’t meet it, I’m always willing to walk away.”
Kenya Barris Files Restraining Order Against His Sister!
Blackish producer Kenya Barris files a restraining order against his own sister...
According to reports Kenya Barris has filed for a restraining order against his sister Colette Barris after she became irate at his refusal to help get her Hollywood career off the ground.
Kenya claims Colette has been using his name to secure meetings to pitch her movie ideas and has been putting pressure on his business partners unbeknownst to him. Kenya says Colette demanded he give her $4 million to fund a movie based on the novel she wrote and threatened to go public if he refused. Kenya also claims Colette feels entitled to his money and expects him to financially support her and their extended family.
Kenya believes Colette will harm his children in retaliation and has requested a restraining order against her.
The ruling is pending.
Master P ‘In Negotiations’ To Acquire Reebok With NBA Star Baron Davis!
Percy “Master P” Miller and former NBA All-Star, Baron Davis, are hoping to become the new owners of Reebok.
The pair are “in negotiations” to acquire the sportswear company, according to NBA reporter Eric Woodyard.
The music mogul and the basketball icon would be taking over ownership from Adidas, who bought the company in 2005.
According to Forbes, the asking price stands at around $3 billion ($2.4 billion USD).
“I think Reebok is being undervalued. I left Nike as a 22 year old kid representing myself and made the jump to Reebok, which took a chance on me as a creative and as an athlete.” said Davis, speaking to the outlet. “I want the people I know athletes, influencers, designers, celebs to sit at the table with me.”
Miller added, “As we focus on turning Reebok into a lifestyle brand not just a basketball brand, our most important initiative will be to put money back into the community that built this company.”
Janet Hubert Calls Out Racial Bias In Hollywood!
Fresh off the reconciliation with her former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Will Smith [click here if you missed that], Janet Hubert sounds off on racial biases in Hollywood after Full House actress Lori Loughlin serves just two months of her four month prison sentence for her part in a college admissions scandal...
Earleir this year Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were among the parents covicted of bribing college officials to ensure their children were admitted to elite universities
This week Janet Hubert blasted the Hollywood system for coddling white actresses after Lori's early release from jail.
Chrissy Teigen Shared Her Nose Piercing Disaster On Twitter!
There are many reasons why we love Chrissy Teigen, and her openness and candour on social media is definitely up there. In her latest Twitter thread Chrissy told fans that she'd had her nose pierced and had enough time to take a pretty selfie before it all went disastrously wrong. She also gets extra points here for taking us right back to the failed piercing attempts of our youth. Do not try this at home, obviously.
Taking to Twitter earlier today, Teigen shared a picture of herself lying on her side showing a brand new silver nose stud up-close. Alongside the picture, Teigen wrote, "So I did this today and it immediately fell out and healed the second she left because she did it wrong lmao."
She continued, "Like how do you do it wrong? It’s a hole, through the nose. It’s like jerry seinfeld's bobsledding joke. It’s impossible to do wrong," following up with, "Wait actually it was the luge."
Fans quickly responded to her tweet with lots of questions and advice about their own piercings. Eventually, Chrissy replied to one tweet saying that she would definitely be trying again before finally trying to calm down the dodgy-piercing-panic:
"It’s out and healed you don’t have to keep being assholes thanks I’ll do it better next time for you I promise!! U sweet little angels never cease to surprise me."
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Fingers crossed for next time, Chrissy.
Washington Football Team Has Released its Quarterback Dwayne Haskins!
Dwayne Haskins won’t have another chance in the nation’s capital, as the Washington Football Team released the former first-round quarterback on Monday.
The move comes hours after head coach Ron Rivera said Taylor Heinicke, and not Haskins, will get the start if Alex Smith (calf) is unable to play in the regular-season finale.
“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” River said in a statement. “I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”
It is the end of a long week for Haskins. After last weekend’s loss, Haskins was photographed at a party without a mask and was fined a reported $40,000. He was also stripped of his captaincy. Then he was benched in favor of Heinicke during the Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Haskins, 23, was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He started 13 games in less than two seasons with the franchise. Haskins is 3-10 as a starter, with 2,804 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Haskins began the season as the starter ahead of Smith and Kyle Allen, but was benched after four rough games and dropped to third string.
When Allen sustained a gruesome leg injury in Week 9, Rivera turned to Smith, who himself had a horrible leg injury that forced him to miss all of 2019 and threatened his career. Smith remained the starter until hurting his calf in Week 14. Haskins got the starting job again for Weeks 15 and 16.
It has been downhill for Haskins in that time both on and off the field. He was replaced for a third time on Monday morning with Heinicke, a former XFL player who reportedly was preparing for final exams at Old Dominion when Washington called.
The on-field struggles were only part of the headlines for the past eight days. After the Week 15 loss, Haskins was photographed partying at a club without a mask. It was reportedly a strip club, which Haskins has denied. He said he was at a private party.
Haskins apologized for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols by attending a gathering without a mask. He was stripped of his captaincy by Rivera and reportedly fined $40,000, the largest known individual fine of the season for a COVID violation.
After the poor showing and benching in Week 16, Haskins left the Washington facility without doing his media session. The team’s PR staff tracked him down and Haskins did talk with reporters, calling it “the hardest week of my life.”
Big Freedia To Join Hosts Of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve!
Big Freedia has been added as a host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
The Queen of Bounce is here to be your host for the New Orleans segment of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021, WBRZ.com reports. Big Freedia will join New Orleans native PJ Morton on stage. Morton will deliver a special performance of “Auld Lang Syne” during the broadcast.
“We are beyond excited that Big Freedia and PJ Morton, two of New Orleans’ brightest musical lights, will be shining for our city and before the entire world as we ring in the new year. Even though we won’t be watching this performance in person, we will be watching from the safety of our homes as ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021′ rings in the new year with that special New Orleans flavor. We’re also excited that this event will employ nearly 70 local crew members, many of whom have been shut out of production jobs due to the pandemic, and that the world will remember that New Orleans will be the safest place to visit and enjoy our music and culture in 2021,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
“We’re also excited that this event will employ nearly 70 local crew members, many of whom have been shut out of production jobs due to the pandemic,” she continued, “and that the world will remember that New Orleans will be the safest place to visit and enjoy our music and culture in 2021.”
Billy Porter, Lucy Hale, and Seacrest will be hosting from Times Square in New York for the televised program. Artists set to perform include Jennifer Lopez, Machine Gun Kelly, Porter, Cyndi Lauper, and Jimmie Allen. Brandy, Doja Cat, Ella Mai, Lewis Capaldi, Maluma, Megan Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus, Nelly, and Saweetie will take the West Coast stage.
Krispy Kreme & Kellogg’s Team Up For New Cereal Milkshakes!
Krispy Kreme Australia and Kellogg’s have joined forces to create two milkshakes inspired by popular cereal flavors.
From December 28th to March 1st, Krispy Kreme customers in Australia can get a Froot Loops Kreme Shake and a Coco Pops Kreme Shake. Both limited-edition milkshakes can be purchased in stores and via food delivery services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
The Froot Loops Kreme Shake blends the original creamy shake with Froot Loops. It is topped with whip cream and Fruit Loops. The Coco Pops Kreme Shake is made of the same formula, but instead of Fruit Loops, cereal lovers will have chocolate Coco Pops inside and on top of the shake.
The unique shakes are priced at $7.50, or customers can grab a Shake & Glaze combo for $10.95 if they’re in the mood for a donut to go along with the milkshake. The shakes will be available at over 30 locations throughout Australia.
In a statement, Krispy Kreme Marketing Director, Olivia Sutherland, says that the company is hopeful that its consumers will enjoy the cereal combo.
“Our Kreme Shakes are already so well-loved by Aussies, and now they’ll get to experience them in a way their inner child would only dream about,” she went on to add, “We hope our fans love these two new limited-edition flavors just as much as we did creating them – but how can they not, they get to eat cereal and not just for breakfast!”
Kamala Harris Receives First Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine On National TV!
On Tuesday, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received the COVID-19 vaccine on live television in Washington, DC.
Harris was administered the first dose of the Moderna vaccine by clinical nurse manager Patricia Cummings at United Medical Center. She confirmed that her husband, Doug Emhoff, would also be receiving the vaccine on Tuesday.
“That was easy,” Harris said once she received her dose. “Thank you. I barely felt it.” She thanked the United Medical staff “for the work that you do in Southeast (Washington) D.C., serving a community that is often overlooked.”
Just a week before Harris’ vaccination, president-elect Joe Biden took the vaccine on live television as well. The 78-year-old reassured U.S. citizens that the vaccine was safe and effective to use. Harris is corroborating this stance, urging everyone to take the vaccination once it becomes available to them.
“I want to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. It is relatively painless. It happens really quickly. It is safe,” Harris said before adding, “It’s literally about saving lives. I trust the scientists. And it is the scientists who created and approved this vaccine.”
As of now, the vaccine is being administered to the high-risk population and essential workers. Nevertheless, Kamala Harris says that “when it is your turn, get vaccinated.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
'THEY FOUND LOVE IN A HOPELESS PLACE'
Some people are so codependent they can’t be out of each others’ arms for even a moment. Even when they’re shopping. It’s nice to see people who can get along this well, but there’s a difference between wanting to and needing to do something like this. I’m guessing it’s the latte
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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