#FASHIONFILES: Precious Lee Covers ELLE US April 2022 by Adrienne Raquel
Growing Up Like an Atlanta Peach Queen The folks over at AOC has told the Precious Lee story several times now. We are well aware that the Atlanta beauty has continually resisted external expectations of what she can and cannot do. Her glorious family was not only behind her efforts but cultivated a home life centered around the good life.
Most likely a few Atlanta bluebloods would raise an eyebrow over her cosmetologist, hair-salons-owning father wearing Versace and “silk shirts unbuttoned with gold chains.” But in this interview with Alexis Okeowo and others, it’s clear that Lee’s family nurtured her enormous self-confidence and comfort level with being in the spotlight.
Lee admits that she hasn’t spoken to the fact that her sister Charisma died in a car accident when she was young. Checking a couple earlier articles, we haven’t talked about this tragic event in Lee’s young life.
“It was so much pain at that age from losing the brightest light,” Lee says. “I actually never talk about this in interviews, but it’s just really important to because I’m starting to realize and understand how transformative that age was for me in being able to tap into things that were creative as an outlet for healing for me.”
Precious Lee needs to develop this story in a TED Talk. It should inspire us all. Lee was no different than many young women about pursuing competitive cheerleading. I have to believe it’s even more competitive in the South. Precious Lee believes that mastering ‘healthy competition’ is key to success in the modern world.
Early in practice, the coach began organizing the physical structure of the cheerleading squad. She assigned Precious a base position, at the bottom of the pyramid, because of her height and size, leaving Lee hurt and confused. Today popular culture calls it a “micro-aggression” and people carry these perceived insults for years.
Precious Lee wasn’t having it.
#RHOA: Kandi Burruss In an All-White Ensemble HOT or NOT?
Kandi Burruss put her best spring fashion on display while attending the 15th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon on March 24. The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member stunned while hitting the red carpet in a chic all-white ensemble.
Kandi donned a fabulous suit from Alice + Olivia for the special occasion. The mom of three looked radiant in the glamorous, bright white outfit, which consisted of a white mid-length blazer layered over a halter crop top and matching wide-legged pants.
Kandi topped off the gorgeous ensemble with white heels and some dazzling gold jewelry, including hoop earrings and a pair of gold cuff bracelets stacked on one wrist. She completed the look with a sleek wavy hairstyle.
“I had to pull it together for the #EssenceBlackWomenInHollywood event! That’s one of my favorite events to go to,” Kandi captioned a photo of her look on March 25.
#MusicNews: H.E.R. Joins Mary J. Blige On Remix For “Good Morning Gorgeous”
R&B star H.E.R. has hopped on the remix for Mary J. Blige’s latest single “Good Morning”. What people may not realize is that H.E.R. actually co-write this song originally with Tiara Thomas, Lucky Daye and D’Mile. The original version has been a big success at R&B radio and is just another hit record for the Queen of Queen of Hip Hop Soul.
LISTEN HERE
Mary J. Blige has just released her long awaited album “Good Morning Gorgeous”. You can stream the album now on all major platforms.
H.E.R. is currently on the road with Coldplay for their “Music of the Spheres” tour. After that, she will be kicking off her “Back Of My Mind” tour which kicks off in Hawaii on April 8th.
#HipHopNews: How Biggie & 2pac's Murders Led Pete Rock To Bridge East Coast-West Coast Hip Hop
Legendary Hip Hop producer Pete Rock is bringing his story to TV One’s Unsung series on Sunday (March 27). The episode tells the journey of Rock’s move from the Bronx to Mount Vernon, New York where he would go on to make magic in a downstairs studio on Hillside Avenue affectionately known as The Basement.
Similar to Outkast and Goodie Mob’s Dungeon in Atlanta, The Basement was a hub for Hip Hop creatives to hone their craft. Nas, Will Smith, Busta Rhymes, The Notorious B.I.G. and LL COOL J were among the many who came through the modest Mt. Vernon home. It’s where Rock really sharpened his skills as a producer, DJ and an MC.
In 1992, Rock’s life would change forever when neighborhood friend Troy Dixon was killed during a freak accident while on tour with Rock’s cousin Heavy D. The tragedy spawned the Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth classic “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” a tribute to their fallen friend. Taken from the duo’s sophomore album Mecca and the Soul Brother, the song elevated their careers to epic heights and soon, Rock was the go-to producer.
After crafting songs for artists such as Nas (“The World Is Yours”), Run-DMC (“Down With The King”) and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (“Something Like Dis,” “Code Red”), Pete Rock was on a roll, then the murders of 2Pac and Biggie shook the Hip Hop community to its core. But they also gave Rock an idea to bridge West Coast and East Coast Hip Hop with a 1998 collaboration called “Tru Master” featuring Kurupt and Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck, which arrived on Rock’s Soul Survivor solo debut.
“Once I established myself in the game and made relationships with people and with artists and stuff, anytime I would meet an artist, we always talk about working,” he explained in a recent Zoom interview with HipHopDX. “So I thought the perfect opportunity after all of that stuff was going on was to come together with the coasts and just show love. That’s all.
“I always have respect for the West Coast. I probably was the only DJ in New York playing West Coast music at the time when The Chronic came out and all that stuff. I distinctly remember playing The D.O.C.’s record when that came out first. People would think it was dope because a good ear knows good music. That’s it, period. It ain’t about a person’s personal. It’s the music. You know what I mean? And then it was a cover of that Foster Sylvers record [1973’s ‘Misdemeanor’], which I loved since I was a kid. It was pretty dope to me.”
When asked if the Biggie and 2Pac murders were the catalysts for “Tru Master,” Rock replied, “Yeah. It was 1998. Anytime I went to the West Coast, I always showed love and respect and got it back. So I feel like that’s very important when you’re going to another side of the coast and you’re stepping in a different arena, because you don’t know anything or any type of culture they do and you have to learn about where you go, everywhere you go.”
Rock talks about never really buying into the West Coast-East Coast rivalry during the Unsung episode, saying, “I never believed in the East and West Coast beef.” As a result, he was able to work with anybody he wanted — whether it was Compton’s Most Wanted rapper MC Eiht or Method Man.
The 51-year-old beat magician owes a lot to his father, who was also a DJ growing up. Had he not forbade his son from building a mini-studio in his family’s home, The Basement might not have become a music mecca.
“He had a lot of records around and the basement was off limits,” Rock explained. “I couldn’t possibly have any space with all the records that he had. He was serious about his space. He didn’t play.” So instead, Rock hauled his records to a friend’s house and the rest is history.
“I did a party next door to a friend of mine’s house and I brought all my records over there and equipment over there and I did a house party, which was pretty crowded that night,” he recalled. “It was a good party. It was such a good party that I just left my stuff over there at my friend’s house next door and just never took it out of there. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t.
“Then I started working on my career with Heavy D. And he was already working on his career and I was just under his wing. But he believed in me and he believed that I had talent and we worked on that a lot with each other. And then the stuff was still down there in the basement. And I just made it a little home place for me to make music.”
With the exception of a brief hiatus, Pete Rock hasn’t stopped making music in the 30+ years since discovering his passion. As noted in the doc, he wakes up at 7 a.m. and starts making beats, sometimes until midnight. So it’s no surprise, the fourth installment in his ongoing instrumental series, PeteStrumentals 4, is expected to arrive on March 31. Until then, check out the Unsung premiere at 9 p.m./8 p.m. CT on TV One.
2022 Oscars Awards The Winners List
Verbal volleys between Jane Campion and Sam Elliott, Twitter clashes over CODA's quality (yes, it's good), and universal, decades-long affection for the women of West Side Story all led up to Sunday's 94th Academy Awards, though the chaotic race itself wasn't the only thing that came to blows at one of the wildest Oscars ceremonies in recent memory.
The Academy broadcast its 2022 edition with Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall presiding over the live ceremony as the show's first official hosts since 2018, but their well-received opening monologue — with jokes about controversial topics like Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill and the presumed death of the Golden Globes — didn't contain the sharpest jabs of the evening. Before capping a golden run through awards season that saw him take nearly every major precursor in existence, Smith overshadowed his first Oscars victory after he slapped comedian Chris Rock live on stage after the comedian and Best Documentary Feature presenter joked about the hair of Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.
Other winners included Ariana DeBose (who won Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story 60 years after Rita Moreno won for the same role), Jessica Chastain (Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye), and CODA star Troy Kotsur, who became the second deaf person to win an acting Oscar for his performance in the film that would go on to become the first streaming title to win Best Picture in Academy Awards history.
Billie Eilish also won her first Oscar for writing "No Time to Die" from the James Bond movie of the same name, while Power of the Dog filmmaker Jane Campion's Best Director victory marked the first time women have won the Best Director prize two years in a row, following Nomadland director Chloé Zhao's win last year. Campion is now the third woman to win Best Director overall, after The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow first blazed the trail in 2010.
Before the ceremony, the Academy ruffled feathers when it announced it would present eight categories at a pre-show ceremony outside the normal broadcast. Affected categories relegated to the pre-show presentation included Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music Score, Production Design, Live Action Short, Animated Short, Documentary Short, and Sound. Academy producers and hosts assured that footage of the victories would be stitched into the main telecast, and they were, with acceptance speeches (albeit shortened ones) from the Eyes of Tammy Faye hair and makeup squad, the Dune crafts team, and Live Action Short winner Riz Ahmed airing on ABC in brief segments.
Ahead of the Oscars, speculation was strong that Sian Heder's CODA — about a pair of deaf parents raising a hearing daughter — will take the biggest prize of the night, after swooping in to win big at last weekend's Producers Guild of America Awards. The Apple TV+ drama took frontrunner status away from Campion's Netflix western The Power of the Dog, which also racked up an impressive report card filled with industry accolades in recent months, ahead of garnering the highest number of overall nominations (12) among this year's crop of contenders.
See the full list of 2022 Oscars winners below.
Best Picture
Belfast
WINNER: CODA
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Best Director
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
WINNER: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
Best Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick... Boom!
WINNER: Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
WINNER: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
WINNER: Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Best Original Screenplay
WINNER: Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Adam McKay and David Sirota, Don't Look Up
Zach Baylin, King Richard
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, The Worst Person in the World
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: Siân Heder, CODA
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth, Dune
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Greg Fraser, Dune
Dan Lausten, Nightmare Alley
Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog
Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Janusz Kaminski, West Side Story
Best Film Editing
Hank Corwin, Don't Look Up
WINNER: Joe Walker, Dune
Pamela Martin, King Richard
Peter Sciberras, The Power of the Dog
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum, Tick, Tick... Boom!
Best Animated Feature
WINNER: Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Best Animated Short
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
WINNER: The Windshield Wiper
Best Live-Action Short
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
WINNER: The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold
Best International Feature
WINNER: Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
Best Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
WINNER: Summer of Soul
Writing with Fire
Best Documentary Short
Audible
Lead Me Home
WINNER: The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
Best Original Score
Nicholas Britell, Don't Look Up
WINNER: Hans Zimmer, Dune
Germaine Franco, Encanto
Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
Best Original Song
"Be Alive" from King Richard — Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto — Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Down to Joy" from Belfast — Music and Lyric by Van Morrison
WINNER: "No Time to Die" from No Time to Die — Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
"Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days — Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Best Sound
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather, and Niv Adiri, Belfast
WINNER: Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, and Ron Bartlett, Dune
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey, and Mark Taylor, No Time to Die
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie, and Tara Webb, The Power of the Dog
Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, and Shawn Murphy, West Side Story
Best Costume Design
WINNER: Jenny Beavan, Cruella
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran, Cyrano
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan, Dune
Luis Sequeira, Nightmare Alley
Paul Tazewell, West Side Story
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer, Coming 2 America
Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon, Cruella
Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr, Dune
WINNER: Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras, House of Gucci
Best Production Design
WINNER: Dune — Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
Nightmare Alley — Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
The Power of the Dog — Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards
The Tragedy of Macbeth — Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
West Side Story — Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer, Dune
Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, and Dan Sudick, Free Guy
Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner, and Chris Corbould, No Time to Die
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker, and Dan Oliver, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein, and Dan Sudick, Spider-Man: No Way Home
Congrats to all the winners
#BoxOfficeNews: Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s ‘The Lost City’ Tops Box Office With $31 Million Debut
Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s new romantic adventure comedy The Lost City topped the weekend box office with an impressive $31 million debut, Variety reports.
That number was enough to topple The Batman from the top position, which it had held for three consecutive weekends.
The success of the film is further proof that Bullock is still one of Hollywood’s most bankable movie stars. It speaks volumes that a film with no preexisting IP attached to it was able to attract such a huge audience. It also proves that there’s still an appetite for romantic comedies, which have long been considered something of a dying breed.
Directed by Aaron and Adam Nee, The Lost City sees Bullock as a middle-aged author of romantic novels who embarks on a jungle adventure with the hunky model for her book series, played here by Tatum, who by all accounts is totally winning the role. It helps that Daniel Radcliffe delivers a totally thrilling performance as a villainous billionaire. Oh, and did we mention that Brad Pitt flexes his action star chops in what will likely go down as one of the greatest movie cameos ever?
Sandra Bullock Says ‘If It Wasn’t for Netflix, a Lot of People Wouldn’t Be Working’
But with all that said, The Lost City’s reign atop the box office will likely be short-lived. When it comes down to it, superhero movies still reign supreme, and next week sees the release of Jared Leto’s Morbius. And while the film won’t have an opening on par with some of the more familiar properties in the Marvel canon, it would be a shocker if it didn’t finish number one with a bullet.
Ariana DeBose makes history as first Afro Latina, openly queer actor of color to win Oscar
DeBose won in the best supporting actress category for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story."
Actor Ariana DeBose has made history as the first Afro Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award for acting.
DeBose won in the best supporting actress category for her performance reviving the iconic role of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story.”
"Imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white ford Focus. When you look into her eyes you see an openly queer woman of color, an Afro Latina, who found her strength in life through art. And that's what I believe we're here to celebrate," DeBose said Sunday night during her acceptance speech.
"So to anybody who's ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the grey spaces, I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us," she added.
Set in the 1950s, “West Side Story” centers on the rivalry between two teenage street gangs — the Jets, a white gang, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang — as their communities faced displacement during New York City’s urban renewal period. Their rivalry intensifies when Tony, a Jet, falls in love with Maria, the young sister of Sharks leader Bernardo.
Anita, Bernardo’s girlfriend and Maria’s friend, is Puerto Rican like the rest of the Sharks. She stands out for her assertiveness and captivating dance skills.
DeBose, a triple-threat performer of Puerto Rican descent, shows off her versatile skills in “America” — leading an epic ensemble around the streets of New York’s San Juan Hill in the iconic musical number.
Her performance then takes a poignant turn in the intensely emotional number “A Boy Like That” alongside Rachel Zegler, who plays Maria, the lead female character, in the film.
“Ultimately what you see on the screen is such a beautiful exploration of a deep female relationship,” DeBose previously told NBC News. “It is ugly. It is loud. It is highly emotional. Quite frankly, it’s volatile, and then just downright heartbreaking because there is so much love there.”
With her Oscar win, DeBose and legendary actor Rita Moreno, who originated the role in the 1961 film version of the acclaimed Broadway musical, are now part of a small group of pairs of actors who’ve won an Academy Award for playing the same character.
When Moreno won her acting Oscar for her portrayal of Anita 60 years ago, she made history as the first Latina to win the honor.
DeBose and Moreno, who also returned for Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake as an executive producer and as the character Valentina, are the first women and performers of color to join the rare club.
“She means a lot to me,” DeBose said of Moreno in a previous NBC News joint interview. “She means a lot to the Puerto Rican community. She means a lot to the Latino community and to the entertainment industry at large.”
In reinterpreting Moreno’s Anita for a new generation, DeBose continued breaking new ground this awards season.
In winning the Screen Actors Guild’s best supporting actress award last month, she became the first Latina to win a film award from the guild and the first queer woman of color to be recognized in an acting category.
Her critically acclaimed performance also earned DeBose her first Golden Globe as well as a BAFTA Award.
Chris Wallace on Fox News exit: 'I just no longer felt comfortable with the programming'
Ahead of the March 29 launch of his new CNN+ show, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, veteran newscaster Chris Wallace is opening up about his decision to move on from Fox News after 18 years at the network. Wallace, 74, announced his departure during the Dec. 12 broadcast of Fox News Sunday, telling viewers that it would be his last appearance on the show he'd hosted since 2003. His hiring at the CNN+ streaming service was confirmed soon afterwards.
Though he described his tenure at Fox News as "a wild ride" in his parting message, Wallace's new interview with New York Times is shedding light on his dissatisfaction with the network, home to conservative pundits including Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson.
“I just no longer felt comfortable with the programming at Fox," Wallace tells the Times, pointing to the framing of the 2020 election results and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that followed as something of a breaking point. He confirms that he complained to Fox News management about fellow network personality Carlson and his Patriot Purge documentary, which leaned into baseless conspiracy theories that the Jan. 6 insurrection was a "false flag" operation designed to vilify right-wingers.
“I’m fine with opinion: conservative opinion, liberal opinion,” the veteran journalist, known for his moderate appeal, shared. “But when people start to question the truth — Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? — I found that unsustainable.”
He adds, "Before, I found it was an environment in which I could do my job and feel good about my involvement at Fox. And since November of 2020, that just became unsustainable, increasingly unsustainable as time went on.”
That discomfort prompted Wallace to seek out other opportunities; he tells the Times that he "spent a lot of 2021 looking to see if there was a different place for me to do my job."
That place ended up being CNN+, which, by dint of being a streaming service rather than a live studio, had a certain appeal to the longtime Sunday morning news host. "Doing a Sunday show on the incremental change from week to week in the Build Back Better plan began to lose its attraction," he notes.
In his final Fox News Sunday message, Wallace told viewers that he wanted "to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in" in terms of his "new adventure." Indeed, Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? will see him having "intimate, thoughtful" conversations not just with lawmakers, but also cultural personalities such as William Shatner and Judy Collins, in a format inspired by Larry King and Charlie Rose.
Though he admits that the recent departure of CNN boss Jeff Zucker is "not ideal," Wallace hasn't "second-guessed" his decision to leave Fox, nor does he care to comment about Carlson and other Fox News personalities and their controversial statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"One of the reasons that I left Fox was because I wanted to put all of that behind me," he says now. Wallace does acknowledge that some might see his exit from the network as "too little, too late."
“Some people might have drawn the line earlier, or at a different point,” he says, adding, “I think Fox has changed over the course of the last year and a half. But I can certainly understand where somebody would say, ‘Gee, you were a slow learner, Chris.’”
‘Never Find Someone Like You’ Singer Keith Martin Found Dead – He was 55
*Keith Martin, known for his smash hit “Never Find Someone Like You” has passed away at the age of 55.
The singer was found dead at his home in Quezon City, Phillippines on Friday, according to local police. Authorities arrived at the home after building workers were alerted by neighbors that a smell was coming from the home and officials said he could’ve been deceased for a week.
Prior to his death, Martin moved to Manila in 2004 to be an in-house producer for EMI Philippines to help develop careers for Asian artists as reported by the New York Post.
Martin’s rise to fame started after his hit song, “Never Find Someone Like You,” was featured in “Bad Boys.”
‘P-Valley’ Returns for Second Season with New Faces
*After a break lasting two years, “P-Valley” returns for its second season, with a few new cast members. The new faces are Shamika Cotton, John Clarence Stewart, and Miracle Watts (in her television debut). The trio is set to have recurring roles.
Stewart is set to play Big Teak, a member of Murda’s crew who is recently paroled and is now trying to adapt to a new life as a free man.
Cotton will play a talented artist in an unconventional marriage with Coach, her best client, but who still forms a dubious connection with Mercedes. Watts is to play Big Bone, an ambitious firefighter.
“P-Valley” debuted in the summer of 2020 and went on to become one of the year’s best and most critically acclaimed shows. It stands because of the way it puts those who are often overlooked by society at the center of its incredible story, and reveals how they support themselves and their communities.
The Starz series is created by Katori Hall and based on Hall’s play “Pussy Valley.” It is set at The Pynk, a troubled strip club deep in the Mississippi Delta that is run by the gender-fluid Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan).
The successful first season is about the club and its employees, together with its star dancer (Brandee Evans), who is said to be considering quitting to start her own dance studio. The season climaxes when Uncle Clifford defaults on payments and almost loses the club as opportunistic, greedy developers flock about like vultures.
“P-Valley’ elevates the stories of people often deemed unworthy — poor Black people, country folk, non-binary individuals, and of course strippers — to show their full humanity, resilience, and tenderness,” states TV Guide in its review of the first season.
Popeyes Responds to Video of White Man Yelling Racial Slurs and Threatening Employee at Florida Location
After a video went viral showing a white Popeyes customer yelling racial slurs at several employees and threatening to beat a woman, the company told TMZ that it has zero tolerance for the aggression displayed in the clip.
The video shows a Florida man enter a Popeyes and demand a refund at the register, threatening to call the police and using the N-word against employees. The man claimed he was called a “cracker” before apparently threatening to beat and lynch a Black woman who worked at a Popeyes location in Okeechobee, FL. A police report was not filed over the incident and Okeechobee Police were not called, per TMZ.
The man in the video is then told by an employee that he’s “entitled to his own freedom of speech,” before another rant he went on, when the woman recording told him to “suck a dick” and called him a “fat-ass cracker.” He then shuffled out of the restaurant.
The video, shared by Tarik Nasheed on Twitter, has since been viewed over 3 million times.
Michael Che leaving ‘Weekend Update’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Michael Che is moving on from the anchor desk. The “Saturday Night Live” star said during a Minneapolis show that he’s done doing the “Weekend Update” segment on the hit NBC show.
“This is my last year,” Che reportedly said during a set at a Minnesota salon, according to the Star Tribune. “You know my tie is a clip-on, right? What man wears a clip-on tie to work for eight years — that’s embarrassing.”
It wasn’t clear if he’d still write for the segment or dissociate entirely from the series.
Che, 38, reportedly joked to the crowd that he had no interest in the “news” about the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“Did you guys think I was gonna talk about the news?” he asked the crowd. “I don’t really do jokes. If I had jokes, I would’ve like, booked a theater. I’m in a beauty shop.”
Che made history on “SNL” when he became the first black co-head writer in “SNL” in 2017, when he and co-anchor Colin Jost were promoted to lead the show’s writing team, according to Vice.
Despite his history-making role, Che has come under fire for his more controversial material in which he’s mocked Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination policies.
“Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of its population,” Che quipped during a “Weekend Update” segment. “And I’m gonna guess it’s the Jewish half.”
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called the joke “deeply offensive” on Twitter, adding it was full of “factual inaccuracies” and played into “an antisemitic trope in the process.”
Will Smith 'Slaps' Chris Rock on Oscars 2022 Stage After Jada Pinkett Smith Joke!
Umm, what just happened at the Oscars?! Will Smith and Chris Rock seem to be in a feud, though it could also just be a joke.
It all went down when Chris walked on stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Academy Awards on Sunday (March 27) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it. Alright?” Chris said. After laughing it off, he added, “That was a nice one.”
Fans think that Chris was joking about Jada‘s bald head, seeing as Demi Moore went bald for the original movie. If you didn’t know, she has a condition where she lost her hair.
WATCH HERE
Will then got on stage and seemingly slapped Chris, though it doesn’t seem like he actually made contact. Fans are debating if it was a slap, hit, punch, or smack. The sound on the U.S. feed then cut out.
“Wow, wow. Will Smith just smacked the s–t out of me,” Chris said.
Will then screamed from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”
Chris then said, “Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke.”
Will then repeated, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”
Chris replied, “I’m going to, okay?” He then presented the award.
Donald Trump Accuses Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Of Being “Disrespectful” To GOP Senators
During his speech at a rally in Commerce, Georgia, on Saturday, Trump accused Jackson of responding to GOP senators with “disdain” and “hatred” during the four-day confirmation hearings. He says, “Judge Jackson was unbelievably disrespectful to Republican Senators that in many cases were really nicely asking questions. She had total disdain and even hatred for them.”
Trump also claimed Jackson was “very proud” of ruling against him: “I understand the fact that she’s very proud of the fact that she never once voted to support President Trump on anything, she always voted against me, and she brags about it. I always voted against Trump.’ How about that? Is that nice?”
Throughout the week, Republican senators were criticized for their aggressive questioning and interrogation of Jackson. According to Insider, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin intervened when Sen. Lindsey Graham continued to interrupt Jackson as she was answering questions on Wednesday. Durbin had to intervene again when Sen. Ted Cruz didn’t follow the protocol for questioning after he interrogated Jackson about her sentencing of child pornography offenders and Critical Race Theory.
Woman Says She Was Left ‘Looking Like Monsters Inc Character’ After Allergic Reaction To Lip Filler
A woman recently went viral on Tiktok after sharing she had a severe allergic reaction after getting a lip filler. The viral woman said her lips were ‘eight times’ their normal size leaving her ‘looking like a character from Monsters Inc’
The 23-year-old says she noticed her lips started to swell just one hour after her appointment.
She continued to explain that she put ice on it thinking it would help, but she says that only made things worst.
She said: “I’ve always had thinner lips and they disappear when I smile so I wanted to make them fit my face a little bit more.
“Everything went well at the appointment and the first hour after it started swelling but I think it was just normal because they do swell.
“I kept icing them and I think that the ice might have made it worse because then they really started to blow up.
“Once it hit after an hour or two they were really big and then it was 48 hours of them being that big.
“I couldn’t drink anything or even open my mouth to talk – I couldn’t speak.”
YK Osiris offers to cover funeral costs for Tyre Sampson
YK Osiris is offering to help the family of a 14-year-old football star who fell to his death on an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida this past week.
The “Worth It” singer took to his Instagram Stories on Saturday (March 26) to make a generous offer to the family of Tyre Sampson — the St. Louis native who died after riding the 430-foot Orlando Free Fall at ICON Park on Thursday (March 24).
“If anybody knows his family tell them to DM me because I want to pay for his funeral cost,” YK wrote.
It’s unclear what prompted YK, a Jacksonville, Florida native, to want to cover the funeral costs for Sampson’s family.
Tyre’s father, Yarnell Sampson, recently hired Ben Crump — renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney — to represent the family.
In a statement released Saturday (March 26), Crump said the family is “shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son.”
“This young man was the kind of son every parent hopes for — and honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kid-hearted person who cared about others. Needless to say, his family is absolutely devastated. A fun theme park visit with his football team should not have ended in tragedy,” Crump said in the statement. “Bob Hillard and I, on behalf of both parents, Yarnell and Neki, inted to get answers for Tyre’s grieving family and request prayers as they shoulder this unthinkable loss.”
Officials reported Tyre succumbed to his injuries after he was transported to a local hospital. During a press conference on Friday (March 25), Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters the eighth grader was strapped in his seat with a locking device over his shoulders, however, he was “not aware of a seatbelt.”
The sheriff said investigators are still looking into how Tyre slipped out of his seat. No criminal charges have been filed
Rapper Chika Updates Fans, I'm Okay ...After Suicide Threats
Chika seems to be okay after all, writing ... "alive. wanna go home." She adds, "leaving the hospital. not that i should care about updating anyone besides family. i just wanna be left alone, if that’s okay. i appreciate the prayers and stuff. thanks."
Law enforcement sources says ... police responded to Chika's North Hollywood apartment today to conduct a welfare check, only to discover she wasn't home when directed to her unit by an onsite manager.
A one-time up-and-coming rapper who was nominated for a Grammy not too long ago is now making a terrifying revelation -- saying she's likely to end her life at any given moment.
The artist is Chika -- who was named in XXL's 2020 freshman class, and was actually up for a Grammy last year in the Best New Artist category. She posted a lengthy statement on her social media page that implied she was on the verge of suicide ... to the shock of many.
She writes, in part, "i went to the top of the intercontinental, but could not jump. not because i don't want to, but because the metal stairs were scary." Chika adds, "it looks like crying wolf, but it's not. it's just difficult to find the right way. the quickest way. the painless way. i am tired of myself too."
Chika goes on to say how she believes she'll serve as a cautionary tale, in leaving a broken person to their own devices, and how she won't be sorry for those she might leave behind ... saying she refuses to carry the burden of others who refused to share her own.
It's a gut-wrenching note, and she ends it by writing ... "no more typing. i'm going to finish my drink and find a way that works. thanks for the ride, i hated it."
She's also been posting extra photos and text notes on her IG story, saying people can find her body and that she doesn't care. She actually appears to give certain street names, but it's unclear what city she might be in at the moment. She's from Montgomery, Alabama.
Of course, people have fired off with a ton of concern ... sending prayers her way, and openly hoping someone on her team or in her inner circle can reach her before something tragic happens. She hasn't posted any new notes in at least an hour or so.
Travis Scott Performs For The First Time Since Astroworld Tragedy At Pre-Oscar Party
Travis Scott took the stage for the first time Saturday night since the Astroworld tragedy claimed the lives of 10 and injured hundreds more last November.
Scott took the mic at a private Oscar pre-party, where he performed his hit “Sicko Mode” for the crowd. Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tyga, YG, Venus, and Serena Williams were said to be in attendance.
TMZ reports that the dad of two was at the event solo, without girlfriend Kylie Jenner. He appeared to be enjoying himself. Scott has been relatively low-key since the events at the Houston festival.
Scott and Live Nation face hundreds of lawsuits stemming from the incident at Astroworld. One lawsuit seeks $750 million, while another asks for $2 billion. The suits allege negligence against concert organizers.
The rapper recently launched Project HEAL, “a multi-tier initiative dedicated to addressing challenges facing today’s youth.” It aims to give particular focus to marginalized and at-risk youth.
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Nebraska Republican Congressman Announces Resignation After Being Convicted Of Taking Illegal Campaign Contributions
A Republican Congressman of Nebraska announced he would resign after being convicted in an investigation into illegal campaign contributions.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, 61, announced in a letter to his supporters on Saturday. He will step down effective March 31.
In October, Fortenberry was charged with three felony counts, including scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and making false statements to federal investigators. US Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison alleges that the congressman chose to cover up illegal contributions once he learned of them.
“Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer effectively serve,” Fortenberry’s letter read. Fortenberry faced pressure from his peers to step down.
His departure will leave a vacancy in the state’s 1st Congressional District. Republican Governor Pete Ricketts will call a special election to fill the seat.
Fortenberry is set to be sentenced on June 28. He is facing a maximum of five years in federal prison on each count.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
NO HE WON’T
I see NOPES everywhere
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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