Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, September 2021, Iris Apfel!
FAB!!!
#RHOA: How NeNe Leakes Is Coping After The Loss of Gregg!
Fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta want to check in on NeNe Leakes after the tragic loss of her husband, Gregg Leakes, and it's time to share information about how she is doing these days. NeNe has always been the star of the Georgia franchise, and fans have missed watching her on the small screen. Hopefully, the original cast member will be able to return to the show to share updates on her life as she heals.
Gregg lost his battle with colon cancer shortly after NeNe shared that he was "transitioning to the other side" during an appearance at The Linnethia Lounge, which she owns. This information was shared by Onsite TV! at Twitter. Friends and fans quickly sent their love. Gregg was first diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer back in 2018, but during a few episodes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, fans watched as he went into remission after chemotherapy. His cancer returned, and the illness took a toll on Gregg and the couple's marriage. Viewers watched as Gregg went through so many emotions, including anger that was aimed at his wife. The couple finally got back on the right path, but Gregg sadly passed on.
NeNe is looking at a whole new normal now that her husband is no longer by her side. During her Instagram story, she shared that she was currently pushing through. She said that people have been coming to her home each day to try and keep her mind off of her loss. NeNe told her followers that she had her good and bad days, saying, “Some days I’m up, some days I’m down." On that particular day, she felt like heading to the salon, so she did. NeNe has returned to her bar. She's thanked actress Lauren London for her support through the trying times.
NeNe is also looking to the spiritual side, and this is helping her as she grieves. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star shared that she had taken to fasting, and had been praying a lot as well. The mother of two shared that she fasts during the day and doesn't eat until 6 p.m. NeNe is making the best out of a terrible situation and revealed that she has plans to make videos about grief. She will be sharing the clips on her YouTube channel in the hopes of helping others.
The loss of Gregg on September 1 was a shock to NeNe's friends, who sent their love and support on social media. Andy Cohen shared that Gregg was a great man, while Cynthia Bailey from RHOA also expressed her love for him. Gregg will forever be missed, but NeNe is trying her best to move forward. With the support of her nearest and dearest, she will make it through this challenging time in her life.
#NewMusic from Ne-Yo Releases New Single And Video “What If”!
NE-YO has returned with his first single of 2021, “What If.” The new release is made for the dance floor and brings the R&B superstar to reminiscing over a past love and what could have been in their romance.
WATCH HERE
The new single was created in London with Ebenezer and Magnus Klausen. Curtis “Sauce” Wilson was the vocal producer.
#HipHopNews: Nicki Minaj’s Husband’s Victim Receives Death Threats After ‘The Real’ Interview!
Jennifer Hough is facing backlash after speaking out against Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty.
Hough, who Petty was convicted of trying to rape in 1995, gave her first on-camera interview since suing the couple for allegedly harassing and intimidating her to not speak about the incident
Following her appearance on “The Real” earlier in the week, Hough’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, says that his client has been bombarded with hate-filled messages from Nicki’s legion of fans.
TMZ has some obtained some of the DMs, including death threats and even one where Hough’s personal contact info was shared.
“Nicki is not dumb and works with the Kardashian lawyers. You are sick,” wrote one of Nicki’s Barbz, while another called Hough a “clout chaser” and wished death upon her. “Hope you die bitch…Your clown ass will be exposed don’t come for my queen.”
Hough replied to some of the messages. “I’m not bothering anyone. just speaking facts,” she wrote. “I wish they would have just left me alone and been happy.
During her emotional interview on “The Real,” Hough said she has lived in constant fear and even had to move out of New York because of her connection to Petty. “I had to leave my family, I had to leave my home and I had to move away,” she said.
However, she decided to speak out because she’s “tired of being afraid.” “I feel like the actions that were taken in regards to this whole situation put me in a different type of fear at my age now, and it was wrong,” she said. “And I don’t want to be afraid anymore. The only way not to be afraid is to continue to speak up.”
Hough was the victim in Petty’s 1995 conviction for first-degree attempted rape in New York. He had to register as a sex offender and recently accepted a plea deal for not registering in California.
In August, Hough filed a lawsuit against Minaj and Petty, accusing them of witness intimidation, emotional distress, harassment, assault, and battery. She is seeking damages as well as statutory damages and attorney’s fees.
On the positive side, Hough has also received support from women, who say that her appearance has inspired them to come forward and share their own stories.
#BoxOfficeNews: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Comes in Second as ‘Shang-Chi’ Stays No. 1!
“Dear Evan Hansen,” the Universal Pictures adaptation of the smash Broadway musical, didn’t strike a chord with moviegoers.
Marred by negative reviews and COVID-19 concerns, the film fell short of expectations and collected a muted $7.5 million from 3,365 North American theaters in its debut. Industry experts predicted the movie musical would make at least $10 million between Friday and Sunday.
Even though the film seems unlikely to turn a profit in theaters, the losses won’t be catastrophic. “Dear Evan Hansen” cost $28 million to produce, a modest budget for a musical. That puts Universal in a much better position compared to its last movie musical, “Cats,” which opened to $6.5 million in late 2019 and ultimately lost the studio nearly all of its $100 million budget.
The critical response to “Dear Evan Hansen” has been vastly different than the glowing reactions that greeted the 2016 stage version, which netted six Tony Awards and cemented Ben Platt as a star. It underscores the struggle to bring even commercially popular musicals to the big screen. Earlier in the summer, the well-reviewed Warner Bros. adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit show “In the Heights” struggled to draw crowds while debuting simultaneously on HBO Max. The splashy song-and-dance spectacle cost $55 million, almost double the amount that Universal spent on “Dear Evan Hansen,” and opened to $11.5 million. It ended its box office run with $29 million in the U.S. and Canada and $43 million globally, losing millions for the studio.
Platt reprised his role as Evan Hansen, an anxious high school student who finds himself tangled in a lie that spirals out of control. Many criticized the casting choice because Platt is 27 years old and doesn’t look like a teenager. Audiences, at least the few who bought a ticket on opening weekend, appeared to be less distracted by a high schooler with 5 o’clock shadow. Moviegoers awarded the film an “A-” CinemaScore, which is exponentially better than its 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Around 62% of patrons were female, while 53% were, like Platt, over the age of 25.
“Dear Evan Hansen” is playing only in theaters, which could help ticket sales. Since Universal last year hammered out a rare agreement with movie theater chains to put its films online sooner than usual, the coming-of-age story will land on premium video-on-demand platforms on Oct. 14.
“We have very good audience reactions, especially with younger females,” says Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “We hope it points to a good run from here.”
Given the underwhelming turnout for “Dear Evan Hansen,” reigning box office champion “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” had no trouble staying atop domestic charts, even in its fourth weekend of release. The Disney and Marvel superhero adventure added a solid $13.3 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic tally to $196.5 million, a pandemic record.
After this weekend’s haul, “Shang-Chi” surpassed its fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe installment “Black Widow” ($183 million) as the highest-grossing movie of the year. Unlike “Shang-Chi,” Scarlett Johansson’s “Black Widow” wasn’t available exclusively in theaters. The film premiered simultaneously on Disney Plus (for a premium $30 fee), where it has generated at least $125 million. Weeks ago, Johansson sued Disney and alleged the movie’s hybrid release depressed box office ticket sales and cut into her compensation.
At the international box office, “Shang-Chi” has brought in $166.9 million and the studio hopes to secure a release date in China to boost revenues even higher. Globally, the film has made $363 million.
In third place, Disney’s sci-fi comedy “Free Guy” nabbed $4.1 million from 3,175 venues. After nearly two months in theaters, the Ryan Reynolds-led film has made $114 million at the domestic box office and $317.4 million globally. That’s an especially promising result because it’s an original property and not part of an existing film franchise. The studio has already hinted at plans for a sequel.
Universal’s slasher film “Candyman” landed at the No. 4 spot with $2.5 million from 2,556 locations in North America. So far, the movie has amassed $56.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $73 million worldwide.
Clint Eastwood’s Western “Cry Macho” rounded out the top five. The Warner Bros. film, which premiered simultaneously on HBO Max, declined 52% from its opening and brought in $2.1 million from 4,022 venues. It has grossed an anemic $8.3 million since debuting last weekend.
11 Men Charged in Hazing Death of Virginia Commonwealth University Fraternity Pledge!
11 men have been charged after the body of Adam Oakes, a 19-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University student, was found at an off-campus home in February.
via: Daily News Eleven indictments in total were handed down Friday, with the final three waiting to be arrested, according to the Richmond Police Department.
Benjamin Corado, 19; Quinn Kuby, 22; Riley McDaniel, 21; Alessandro Medina-Villanueva, 21; Jason Mulgrew, 21; Christian Rohrbach, 22; Colin Tran, 20; and Enayat Sheikhzad, 22, have all been charged with unlawful hazing of a student.
Corado, Kuby, and Tran have also been charged with purchasing and giving alcohol to a minor.
Freshman Adam Oakes was found dead in February in off-campus housing after he attended an initiation party at the Delta Chi fraternity, where he had been pledging, according to his family.
Oakes had been forced to drink a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey as part of his hazing, his family believes, and a coroner confirmed his cause of death as ethanol toxicity.
“We are grateful for some measure of justice these charges and arrests may produce, as well as the protection from hazing they may give young, impressionable college students. The past 7 months have been agonizing for our family. This is the first time these young men have been held accountable for their historically toxic and destructive traditions, manipulation of the VCU disciplinary systems, and for Adam’s death,” his family wrote on Facebook.
“Do not tell us these are just ‘boys.’ Adam was just a boy. He had his whole life ahead of him. He will never have the same opportunities or future these young men will. He will never graduate from college, never get married, never have kids, and never have the chance to grow into the person HE was meant to be. They stole that from him. They stole that from us.”
“VCU continues to mourn the tragic death of Adam Oakes and is grateful to the Richmond Police Department for its investigation,” school officials told the Daily News in a statement Sunday. “VCU is dedicated to continuing its efforts, announced this summer, to promote a safe and welcoming fraternity and sorority life culture for all.”
VCU suspended Delta Chi in response to Oakes’ death, one day after the fraternity’s national office did the same to its Richmond chapte
‘Moulin Rouge!’ Wins Tony For Best Musical, Taking 10 Awards; ‘The Inheritance’ Named Best Play:
Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 2001 film, won the Tony Award for Best Musical tonight. The Inheritance, Matthew López’s elegiac two-part drama about the AIDS scourge inspired by E.M Forster’s Howards End, won the Tony Award tonight for Best Play.
López, after thanking and acknowledging three queer artists who inspired him (Forster, Terrence McNally and Miguel Pinero), noted that he was the first Latinx playwright to win a Tony Award for Best Play. He said that while the Latinx community made up 19% of the U.S. population, the number drops to only 2% on Broadway. “This must change,” he said.
With the Best Play award going to The Inheritance, Slave Play, nominated for 12 Tonys, ended the night with no awards. The shut out is easily the biggest upset of the night.
Earlier in the broadcast, director Kenny Leon, accepting the award for best play revival for his direction of A Soldier’s Play, invoked the names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Kobe Bryant and Melvin Van Peebles, reminded the Winter Garden Theatre audience that they were seated on Native American land and urged Broadway to tell the stories of all Americans.
“We need to hear all of the stories,” Leon said. “When we hear all of the stories we are better.”
A Soldier’s Play won the first award presented during Broadway’s Back!, the CBS concert portion of tonight’s Tony festivities. Earlier in the evening, during the Paramount+ livestream of most of the awards, came the first big surprises of the night: Andrew Burnap of The Inheritance won the Tony for his lead performance in the play, beating out other better known nominees including Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Sturridge, Blair Underwood and Ian Barford. And Mary-Louise Parker won for her lead performance in the play The Sound Inside, in a category some thought would go to Slave Play actress Joaquina Kalukango.
With only three categories left to be presented – Best Play, Best Musical and Best Revival of a Play will be handed out during the CBS portion of tonight’s Emmy festivities – Slave Play, the controversial, groundbreaking and much-discussed play by Jeremy O. Harris has so far been entirely shut out. Of 11 nominations, including five acting nominees and director Robert O’Hara, presented during the livestream portion of the ceremony, Slave Play won none. It’s sole remained shot at a Tony is in the Best Play category, still to be announced.
In perhaps the least surprising moments, Aaron Tveit, the sole nominee in the leading actor/musical category, won, delivering a good-natured and moving speech in which he thanked the late Terrence McNally, and Adrienne Warren, star of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, won the lead actress/musical trophy. Warren, aside from Tveit, was considered the night’s shoo-in for her star-making performance as music icon Tina Turner.
Stephen Daldry and Alex Timbers won the Tony Awards for their direction of, respectively, The Inheritance and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Daldry, accepting the award for Best direction of a play, made special mention of the many people who died “in that other pandemic, AIDS,” the subject of the Matthew Lopez play The Inheritance. Timbers, accepting for best direction of a musical, included Baz Luhrmann, director of the 2001 film version of Moulin Rouge!, in his thank-yous.
A Christmas Carol, adapted from the Charles Dickens classic by playwright Jack Thorne and which starred Campbell Scott as Scrooge during the 2019 holiday season won the Tonys for scenic design, costume design, lighting and sound design for a play, and also took the award for Best Original Score.
Lauren Patten, winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her role in Jagged Little Pill thanked her trans and non-binary colleagues for engaging in a dialogue about her character Jo.
“I want to thank my trans and nonbinary friends and colleagues who have engaged with me in difficult conversations that have joined me in dialogue about my character, Jo,” Patten said. “I believe that the future for the change we need to see on Broadway comes from these kinds of conversations that are full of honesty and empathy and respect for our shared humanity. And I am so excited to see the action that comes from them, and to see where that leads our future as theatre artists in this country.”
Jagged Little Pill writer Diablo Cody won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, but did not address the recent controversies.
The writing of Patten’s character drew criticism from the trans and non-binary communities after the production revised the character named Jo from non-binary in a pre-Broadway staging to a gay cis female character for Broadway. Producers later apologized and outlined steps they plan to take to address the matter.
David Alan Grier won the Tony Award for actor in a featured role in a play for his performance in A Soldier’s Play, and Danny Burstein then was awarded the trophy for featured actor in a musical for Moulin Rouge!
Veteran stage actor Lois Smith won for her featured role in the play The Inheritance.
Moulin Rouge! took the same quartet of major design awards in the musical categories: Scenic, costume, lighting and sound design.
The 74th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Audra McDonald, will be livestreamed tonight at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, exclusively on Paramount+. The presentation will honor the outstanding shows, performances and artistry of the 2019-2020 Broadway season, which was brought to a halt in March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!, hosted by Leslie Odom, Jr., airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Below find the complete list of Tony nominees, special award recipients and honorees. Deadline will update this winners list as the awards are announced.
74th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS WINNERS LIST
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Lois Smith, The Inheritance
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol
Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, A Christmas Carol
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
A Christmas Carol
Music: Christopher Nightingale
Best Book of a Musical
Jagged Little Pill
Diablo Cody
Best Orchestrations
Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine and Justin Levine, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Choreography
Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance
Best Direction of a Musical
Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Burnap, The Inheritance
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Adrienne Warren, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Revival of a Play
A Soldier’s Play Charles Fuller
Best Play
The Inheritance
Author: Matthew López
Best Musical
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Special Tony Awards were presented to:
The Broadway Advocacy Coalition, an arts-based advocacy nonprofit dedicated to building the capacity of individuals, organizations and communities to use storytelling as a way of dismantling the systems that perpetuate racism. The organization was founded in 2016 by several Black members of the Broadway community as a direct response to the nation’s pandemic of rac:ism and police brutality, and has since grown into a multidisciplinary organization which unites artists, legal experts and community advocates to create lasting impact and collaborations on policy issues ranging from criminal justice reform to education equity to immigration.
David Byrne’s American Utopia, the Broadway theatrical concert production described by the Tony Awards administration committee as “a jubilant celebration of live music, community, and connection.” The production recently returned to Broadway for a limited engagement.
Freestyle Love Supreme, created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale, was developed in the basement of The Drama Bookshop in 2004 and slowly worked its way to Broadway’s Booth Theatre in 2019. Directed by Kail, the acclaimed show features a comedic improvisational musical structure, and a rotating cast. Freestyle Love Supreme will return to Broadway for a strictly limited engagement at the Booth on Thursday, October 7.
Tony Honors For Excellence in the Theater were previously announced for:
Fred Gallo, President of PRG Scenic Technologies. Gallo, a former stagehand and production carpenter, co-founded Scenic Technologies leading to the formation of his company PRG, one of the world’s leading suppliers of scenery and automation for theatrical productions.
Irene Gandy, the first Black female press agent member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, and a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and a producer for Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill starring Audra MacDonald.
Beverly Jenkins, a professional stage manager for over 30 years, currently the production stage manager for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown.
Woodie King, Jr., founder of the New Federal Theatre, a groundbreaking company with a mission to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theater.
The 2020 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award was previously announced for:
Actress Julie Halston for her work and advocacy in raising funding and awareness for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
Minnesota Timberwolves Fires Gm Gersson Rosas Days Before Training Camp Opens!
The Minnesota Timberwolves are parting ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, according to several reports. Rosas’ dismissal comes five days before the NBA’s start of training camp on Monday, a delicate time for such a decision. But according to Chris Hine of the Star Tribune, “there has been a growing discord and strained relationships between Rosas, the front office and the rest of the organization” in the last few months, leading to his dismissal.
WCCO’s Mike Max reported on Wednesday that Rosas created a culture that allegedly was toxic. Max also reportedly had an “inappropriate relationship” inside the organization.
Max’s story noted that another employee also left the organization abruptly on Wednesday. That may corroborate the report about Rosas having an inappropriate relationship. The timing of the firing is just awful because training camps are set to open soon.
Timberwolves All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns immediately voiced his opinion on the situation and simply was at a lost for words.
Rosas, who was hired by Minnesota in May 2019, made an assortment of moves during his tenure. Only two players remain from the Timberwolves’ active roster from the 2018-19 season, Towns and guard Josh Okogie.
In the meantime, the Timberwolves have promoted Sachin Gupta to interim head of basketball operations. Gupta is an analytics guru, creator of ESPN’s trade machine, and protege of former Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Presti. The Timberwolves announced they will begin a search for a permanent replacement but didn’t give an exact timeline to when a new hire will happen.
Kelly Price Speaks Out, Says She's Not Missing and That COVID-19 Nearly Killed Her!
Kelly Price is speaking out amid reports she’s missing from her family.
She and her attorney, Monica Ewing, spoke to TMZ and basically said that she’s been recovering from COVID-19 and isolated herself from her family — who she doesn’t routinely stay in touch with.
As far as her health is concerned, Kelly says that during her battle with COVID-19 she flatlined and had to be brought back to life by doctors.
WATCH
Kelly is still on oxygen and at times had a tough time speaking, but wanted to get her story out.
There’s clearly some family drama going on and Kelly addressed it briefly, but the important thing here is that she’s alive and not missing.
SF Bay Area News Anchor (Frank Somerville) Suspended Over Gabby Petito Coverage!
*KTVU (San Francisco Bay Area) news anchor Frank Somerville has been removed from air after a disagreement with news director Amber Eikel over coverage of the Gabby Petito homicide case.
According to Mercury News, the disagreement apparently happened earlier this week after the body of Gabby was discovered in Wyoming. She had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. The FBI has since issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Gabby’s 23-year-old fiancé.
KTVU was prepared to air a news report detailing the latest developments in the case. Frank wanted to add a brief tagline at the end of the report that questioned the level of media coverage devoted to this particular story.
Sources said he wanted to point out that the U.S. media often disproportionately covers tragedies involving young White women, while largely ignoring similar cases involving women of color and Indigenous people.
Frank is the adoptive father of a Black teen daughter.
He was told that the tagline was inappropriate and apparently pushed back on it.
Sources said that Frank was told by station management the next day that he was being suspended.
Lil Nas X Named One Of The Most Influential People Of 2021!
Lil Nas X is having a great year! The entertainer has been named in Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2021. Lil Nas X has done a lot this year alone, from making national news over his bold and fearless performances and music videos, to being praised for his efforts to push for LGBTQ acceptance in the hip-hop/ music industry and community.
While speaking about Nas X for the Time Magazine feature, fellow rapper Kid Cudi said, “There’s a homophobic cloud over hip-hop, and he’s going to break that sh-t down. We have to stand with him. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to let him know—you have my support. When we do our song together, however trippy the video is, let’s get sexy with it.” He also said, “ Lil Nas X is a new twist on some of the themes I was riding on when I first started out: being true to yourself and not giving a f-ck what anyone says. What he’s doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records—that is huge for us and for Black excellence.”
Other pioneers, leaders, artists, innovators and icons that are apart of the most influential people of the 2021 list include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Tennis Star Naomi Osaka, pop star Britney Spears, activist and attorney Ben Crump, singer Billie Eilish and more.
Three Killed, Five Injured In Amtrak Train Derailment In Montana!
Three people were killed and five injured when an Amtrak train bound for the Pacific Northwest derailed in a remote area of Montana Saturday afternoon.
Amtrak’s Empire Builder train 7/27 traveled from Chicago, headed for Seattle/Portland when eight cars derailed around 4 p.m. The incident happened near Joplin, Montana, a small town with a population of about 150.
According to Amtrak, there were 141 passengers on board, with 16 crew members. Injured passengers were treated at various hospitals in the area. The most critically injured passengers were flown for treatment.
“We are deeply saddened to learn local authorities are now confirming that three people have lost their lives as a result of this accident,” Amtrak said in a statement. “There are also reported injuries among the passengers and crew members traveling on the train. Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport those who were injured to medical care and to safely evacuate everyone else at the scene.”
Federal officials sent a “Go Team” from the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate. The derailment involved no other trains or equipment.
The accident site is about 30 miles from the Canadian border and 150 miles northeast of Helena.
“I would describe the experience as kind of extreme turbulence on an airplane but louder, and there was kind of a lot of smoke smell,” passenger Megan Vandervest told CNN. “The first thought I really had when I woke up was, ‘Oh my God, we’re derailing.”
Vandervest told the outlet it took her about 10 minutes to evacuate. When she was off the train, she saw the extent of the damage. The car behind hers was slightly off the track, while the one behind that was entirely off the track and the one behind that was completely tipped over.
Erykah Badu Gifts Rihanna Her Signature Scent After Walking In Savage X Fenty Fashion Show!
Badu said she enjoyed spending time with a “fellow visionary Pisces mind.”
It’s no R9, but Rihanna’s recent Savage X Fenty show is undeniably some of the best content we’ve gotten from the hands of the CEO in some time. Volume three hit Amazon Prime Video on Friday, and fans already can’t stop talking about it.
Riri has been known to call up friends from her roster of celebrity besties to help out with her runways, and this year was no exception. Normani, Bia, Ricky Martin, and Nas were all on the list of incredible performances, but that wasn’t all that viewers had to look forward to.
Several famous faces also made their way down the runway, rocking Rihanna’s sultry designs, including Vanessa Hudgens, Troye Sivan, and Erykah Badu.
After the show, Badu and her 33-year-old friend spent some time together backstage, during which the “Next Lifetime” singer handed over a super sweet (no pun intended) gift.
In a photo posted to her Instagram, the Dallas-born artist revealed that she surprised Rihanna with a bottle of her signature perfume, called “Badu Pussy.”
“Thanks RiRi. I had a ball at your @savagexfenty show. Always cool to spend a lil love time with a fellow visionary Pisces mind. Enjoy the scents. I like your hustle,” the 50-year-old wrote.
Other photos in the dump show the two musicians goofing off together, sticking their tongues out, making funny faces, and smiling wide for the camera. The energy being radiated was so contagious that even the comment section picked up on it.
“Green eyed legends,” one person said.
“Whewww… ain’t nothing like that Pisces feminine energy,” another commenter posted.
Birdman Reveals Why He Didn’t Sign Kanye West!
Kanye West was almost a Cash Money Millionaire.
Speaking with the “Big Facts Podcast,” Birdman revealed that he had the opportunity to sign Ye to Cash Money Records when he was a producer, but he had to pass.
“Kanye West was with me before he was Kanye West,” said Birdman. “I knew he was special. I let him go.”
Mannie Fresh was the reason behind his decision. The New Orleans producer was already signed to Cash Money and Birdman wanted to remain loyal to his day one.
“Kanye came to me as a producer and I wasn’t gonna ever disrespect Mannie Fresh ’cause I started with Fresh,” he explained. “I wasn’t gonna play with Fresh ’cause Fresh was my day one.”
He “had to let Ye go,” but Kanye eventually signed with JAY-Z at Roc-A-Fella. “I flew him to Roc-A-Fella,” said Birdman. “And we always kept a bond, but he was with me at my house, living with me at my house.”
During the candid interview, the hip-hop mogul also revealed that he gave a combined $1.4 billion to his artists including Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne as part of his unprecedented 90/10 deal with Universal Music.
“We all become hundreds of millionaires,” he said. “When Universal gave me a bag, I can honestly say, I gave Wayne about $400 to $500 million. Drake got about $500 million and Nicki got about $300-400 million out my pocket, no cap.”
Lizzo Condemns Institutional Racism During Global Citizen Live Performance: 'It's Time to Make a Change'!
Lizzo had an important message for the crowd during her performance at Global Citizen Live on Saturday evening.
Dressed in a hot pink catsuit, the 33-year-old singer hit the stage in New York City's Central Park to perform a series of her biggest songs, including "Good as Hell," "Truth Hurts" and "Juice."
During her set, the Grammy winner also took a moment to address the audience and condemn institutional racism in the U.S. and across the world.
"Thank you so much to Global Citizen for having me," she began. "You know, big Black girl from Detroit by way of Houston, Texas, doing big ass things with my life. I'm just so grateful every time I can step on the stage and sing for y'all. Thank you so much."
"And now I'm a rich bitch, that's exciting, that's never happened," she continued. "I'll be like, 'What kind of rich bitch do I want to be?' And I decided I want to be a philanthropist. I want to give back. Why would god give me so much if I can't give it back? So thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to give back."
The music superstar went on to mention that the location of the event was previously Seneca Village, a predominantly African American community that existed in the mid-19th century. According to the National Park Service, residents were forcibly removed in 1857 and the neighborhood was subsequently demolished to develop Central Park.
"As we talk about climate change and making the world a better place and solving homelessness, we also have to talk about the institutionalized racism that happens in this country all the time," Lizzo said.
"And if we don't talk about our history constructively, how can we build a better future?" she added. "It's time to talk about things, and it's time to make a change. And it starts within. You got to better to yourself, so you can be better to others."
In addition to Lizzo, the Global Citizen Live event features performances from Jennifer Lopez, Elton John, Coldplay, Shawn Mendes and various others.
The 24-hour broadcast from cities around the world is calling on G7 countries and the European Union to share at least 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses with those most in need and support calls for a waiver on COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property rights. The campaign is also calling on vaccine providers to share mRNA technology with the new World Health Organization-backed transfer hub based in South Africa.
Last month, Lizzo tearfully responded to "hurtful" comments she received on social media following the release of her song "Rumors" with Cardi B.
"It's fatphobic, it's racist, and it's hurtful," she said in an Instagram Live video. "What I won't accept is y'all doing this to Black women over and over and over again, especially us big Black girls. When we don't fit into the box that you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred onto us. It's not cool. I'm doing this s— for the big Black women in the future who just want to live their lives without being scrutinized or put into boxes."
She also tweeted out words of encouragement to others to love themselves.
"Loving yourself in a world that don't love u back takes an incredible amount of self awareness & a bulls— detector that can see through ass backwards societal standards," she wrote. "If u managed to love yourself today I'm proud of u. If u haven't, I'm still proud of u. This s—s hard."
Malika Andrews Replaces Rachel Nichols and Lands New NBA Show on ESPN!
*Less than a month after Rachel Nichols was fired from ESPN, as well as her show removed, for being a hater-faced hater, Malika Andrews is slated to step up and replace her a high-profile NBA reporter with her own show, “NBA Today.”
She will work alongside panelists analysts Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike, Vince Carter and ESPN Senior Writer Zach Lowe to provide in-depth analysis.
“It’s an incredible time to cover the NBA — a league that is full of characters and stories that have resonance far beyond the sports world,” said Andrews, who will continue to do coverage as a sideline reporter for NBA live events. “Our goal every day is to deliver information and analysis to our viewers that can’t be gleaned anywhere else. I’m so excited to showcase the league and the talented reporters, analysts and insiders on our team.”
Andrews was let go after it was revealed that she had disparaging remarks to say about colleague Maria Taylor, who is black. She insisted that the only reason Taylor landed the coveted role of 2020 NBA Finals host was due to the network’s poor record on diversity. Which, as you might guess, would ruffle in the feathers of any professional.
“We mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned,” David Roberts, ESPN’s senior vice president of production, said at the time. “Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content.”
Stephen Curry Surprised Ayesha With A Vow Renewal Ceremony Officiated By Their Daughter, Riley!
To celebrate 10 years of marriage, Stephen Curry pulled off the ultimate romantic surprise for wife Ayesha.
The entrepreneur and cookbook author gave followers an inside look at the vow renewal ceremony Stephen put on with help from their kids and loved ones, including daughter Riley as the officiant. She gushed over the moment.
“A couple of weeks ago @stephencurry30 surprised me with the most beautiful vow renewal ceremony. He even picked out my dress for me and had it waiting 😭,” she wrote. “Our big girl Riley officiated and Ryan and Canon walked me through the grass of our backyard. It’s everything I’ve always dreamed of but didn’t know could be possible in this way. A moment I will never forget. I love you @stephencurry30 .”
The bride wore a Maison Valentino gown that her husband had picked out for her. The groom looked dapper in Brunello Cucinelli.
Artist JazMiyagi captured the couple’s special day. They followed up their ceremony with a private dinner put on by Chef Michael Mina and danced in the grass. It seemed like an amazing, beautiful experience.
Stephen and Ayesha met as teenagers in their church youth group in Charlotte, North Carolina. They would stay connected and start dating when he was in college, and while she was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood. They wed in 2011 and have since welcomed Riley, 9, Ryan, 6, and Canon, 3. In July they reached 10 years as husband and wife and celebrated with a getaway to Tanzania.
“My love! my adventure partner! My best friend! My confidant! My baby daddaaaay! My everything!” she wrote on Instagram to celebrate at the time. “10 years married y’all 🎉. It has felt like the blink of an eye. @stephencurry30 is by far, hands down the most amazing being I know. I can’t wait to see what the next 50 has in store for us. Happy day happy day! We’ve been doing the most celebrating the past couple of days. July 30,2011 to infinity and beyonnnnnnd.”
At a time when his parents are going through a divorce, it’s nice to see that Stephen and Ayesha decided to celebrate the strength of their union. And we can’t help but mention that NBA stars are tying the knot left and right right now, from Josh Hart, Damian Lillard and most recently, Anthony Davis. We love to see the veterans, like Stephen and LeBron James, leading the way, celebrating love and marriage in unique, beautiful ways.
Offset Helps Cover AJ Johnson’s Funeral Costs!
Offset has joined the list of celebrity donors who contributed significant money to help AJ Johnson’s family give the beloved comedian the funeral he deserves.
According to TMZ, Johnson’s widow, Lexis Jones Mason, confirmed that his funeral costs had been paid after nearly $70,000 in donations came pouring in.
Offset reportedly donated $5,000 while comedian Lil Rel gave $4,000, and Michael Blackson gave $10,000.
Mason told TMZ about other notables who reached out to her, including Fat Joe, Faison Love, D.L. Hughley, Michael Colyar, D.C. Young fly and Tommy Davidson.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
CHILLING PHARMACIST
Maybe back pain issues?
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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