#MAGFAB: Simone Ashley Covers ELLE’s May 2022 ‘Rising Star’ Issue
On playing Kate on Bridgerton with a sharp edge—she’s serious to the point of stoicism—and how she relates to her character: “I think she and Anthony mirror each other in that sense, because he’s always in charge, and then they kind of meet their match. I think a lot of people can relate to that type of relationship, where there’s a feeling so strong with someone, and maybe it initiates as, ‘Oh my God, I hate you,’” she says—adding that she “100 percent” pulled from her personal life to connect with her character.
From the start, she felt aligned with Kate, an independent woman with a foot on two continents. “All I’ve ever really known is moving around and being on my own, but in the most positive way. I enjoy it. And I think that this character, in particular, has a life where she’s had to be on her own quite a bit.”
Between the pandemic and the prospect of joining a wildly popular streaming series, the past two years have been a time of significant growth for Ashley: “When you get thrown into this industry, especially as a young woman, you’ve got to learn quickly how to take care of yourself—how to use your voice, how to set boundaries, how to speak up for yourself.” Kate has those qualities in spades, I offer, and Ashley agrees, adding, “Sometimes she has a bit of an imbalance of it. Sometimes she can be a bit too hard-core—not that I judge her.”
On working on Bridgerton, where the mood is more “romantic and steamy,” alongside her costar Jonathan Bailey: “We didn’t have body doubles. We knew what we were getting into, but the scenes were beautifully shot, and we tried to portray female pleasure, seeing it from that point of view, which was really interesting.” It also helped that she and Bailey got along like gangbusters. “We encouraged each other to just take it all in, and [accept that] it’s never going to be the same ever again,” she says. “Having anonymity, and then filming a show this big.” Seeing the first few episodes affected her in a way she didn’t expect. “God, it just really captures your imagination, and it is a fairy tale,” she says softly. “As I watched the first dance with Jonny and me, I was just so emotional, I find it hard to admit.”
For Bailey, the scene marked the moment when he and Ashley stepped into the main love story and “existed in the space that I’d seen Phoebe [Dynevor] and Regé [-Jean Page] do so beautifully in season one,” he says: “We have this amazing team, but ultimately it comes down to just me and Simone. It was one of the purest moments between us—completely overwhelming at the time, and really moving to watch.”
Shonda Rhimes, an executive producer on the show, on how she knew Ashley would make a perfect Kate almost immediately: “We have incredible casting directors who search far and wide and listen to us about the way we see the roles. It was wonderful for Simone to be placed in front of us, as she was exactly what we were looking for.”
Jonathan Bailey, who plays Kate’s love interest, on the actress, after falling in love with the character of Kate while reading The Viscount Who Loved Me, the second book in the Bridgerton series, upon which the season is based: “And then meeting Simone, she made more sense as Kate than I even knew was possible. She holds moments in such a composed way. And my gosh, her eyes can tell a hundred thousand stories.”
WRITTEN BY: A.N. Devers
PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Christina Ebenezer
STYLED BY: Anna Trevelyan
#RHOA: Drew Sidora Left in Tears After Tensions Rise Between Her and Husband Ralph Over Marriage Woes
Drew Sidora is continuing to navigate the ups and downs of her marriage.
On Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the Step Up actress, 37, got emotional with husband Ralph Pittman after a romantic date night gone wrong.
During last week's episode, Drew found a suspicious text message on Ralph's phone, in which she claimed he had gotten "close" with his assistant (The situation led her to "pack up the kids" and go to Chicago).
"I fired her," said Ralph, referring to his assistant. "So you all don't talk anymore?" asked Drew.
"I never said we don't talk anymore, I said we're not doing business," he clarified. "I said I was no longer going to work with her. If you want me to never talk to her again, you say it out of your mouth."
"I will never do that," said Drew. "I want you to respect the relationship in order for you to make the decision because then down the road if you feel like it wasn't the right decision, you're blaming me and now you're resenting me for it."
"There's a lot of things I've resented you for though," said Ralph.
Last week, Drew opened up about the couple's marriage troubles.
"Finding out my husband was getting close with his assistant was really hard for me," she said during last week's episode. "I packed up my kids and we went to Chicago. I literally ran away from home."
Drew is mom to son Josiah, 10, from a previous relationship, and shares son Machai David, 6, and daughter Aniya, 4, with Ralph.
Later on Sunday, Ralph set up a special date night in hopes to show Drew that he's putting forth an effort.
"Sometimes I can be an asshole, but the thing about is, I love you," Ralph told Drew. "I want to be the best husband, the best provider."
"This is what I live for," she said. "Because you do go out of your way to make me feel like the most important thing in the world. I just want to make sure that we don't have these really, really high highs and we go through those lows and we deal with those problems on a deeper levels so that we can be healthy for each other."
At that point, the mood changed immediately.
"I feel like for me I would stop vocalizing how I felt for the sake of keeping peace, because I was scared to say how I felt because I was afraid of that wrath," she told Ralph. "Even now, I feel myself even walking on eggshells because I don't want to ruin the night."
"I would prefer to use this night to enjoy each other's company and we can save everything else for marriage counseling," he said.
But tensions continued to rise after Ralph suggested: "I'm going to schedule a session for you to go and speak with Dr. Kin on how to speak to men appropriately to get whatever you're trying to do across effectively."
After bickering back and forth, Drew got emotional and walked away from the dinner in tears.
"I don't know why communication is so hard and why it triggers Ralph," she told cameras. "But this is what we go through and I'm tired."
"Tonight was not the night to try and fix anything," Ralph told Drew after she returned to the table.
"Let's just have a conversation," she said. "That's all I'm asking for."
"Sometimes I probably do too much," said Ralph. "I probably should not do this. Doing stuff for you is not the move. I regret doing this."
Last week, Drew told cameras that she was determined to make things "better" between her and Ralph.
"Ralph and I have been through a lot," Drew told cameras. "We're still trying to work through Tampa. And there's new problems. But as long as he continues to show up in marriage counseling and want to make it better, I'm willing to stay committed."
Last season, the pair had their first session with their new couple's counselor, Love McPherson, which came after Ralph told Drew on the Dec. 20 episode that he was "definitely down with counseling."
"Ralph and I have tried couple's counseling a time or two or three or a dozen, I've lost track. But after our huge blowup on our anniversary, which was probably the biggest argument we've ever had in our marriage, we know we have serious problems that we really need to commit to working out and fixing — quickly," she said to cameras at the time, noting that their six-year anniversary dinner two weeks prior ended with Drew in tears.
Since the current season of RHOA premiered, Drew has been open about the state of her marriage, previously admitting: "We've got to get our act together for the sake of our kids and for our marriage if we want this thing to last."
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
#MusicNews: Chris Brown Readies ‘Breezy’ Album For June
Breezy season is upon us. Chris Brown’s new album is finally nearing a release. The R&B singer took to Instagram to announce that the long-awaited Breezy is set to arrive sometime next month.
“BREEZY ALBUM JUNE,” he wrote in an Instagram Story, while reiterating the June date in a post.
It’s been over two years in the making. Back in July 2020, Chris announced his 10th studio album Breezy, which has spawned a pair of singles, “WE (Warm Embrace)” and “Iffy.”
Chris, who celebrated his 33rd birthday last week, previously revealed that the follow-up to 2019’s Indigo will contain 16 tracks, like his 2005 self-titled debut. “The amount of songs on this one will be the same amount of songs as my first album. KEEP IT CLASSIC… Chris Brown to BREEZY!” he told fans.
After the album drops, Chris will hit the road with Lil Baby on their “One of Them Ones” joint tour, starting July 15 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 27-date North American trek includes stops in New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles, wrapping Aug. 27 in Las Vegas.
#HipHopNews: Jack Harlow Announces ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You Tour’ With City Girls
Are you ready? Hot on the heels of his new album, Jack Harlow is hitting the road on his “Come Home the Kids Miss You Tour” with support from City Girls.
Presented by Live Nation, the 22-date arena trek kicks off Sept. 6 and runs through the fall, with stops in Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, and more, wrapping Oct. 16 in Atlanta.
Tickets will be available Friday, May 13 at 10 a.m. local time, but fans can access a pre-sale starting Wednesday, May 11 at 10 a.m.
The tour comes in support of Harlow’s sophomore album Come Home the Kids Miss You. Released on Friday, the project features the No. 1 hit “First Class,” plus appearances from Drake, Lil Wayne, Pharrell, and Justin Timberlake.
COME HOME THE KIDS MISS YOU TOUR DATES
Sept. 6 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium *
Sept. 8 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *
Sept. 10 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall *
Sept. 11 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *
Sept. 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre *
Sept. 17 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena *
Sept. 20 – Inglewood, CA – The KIA Forum *
Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater *
Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena *
Sept. 25- Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum *
Sept. 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center *
Sept. 28 – Denver, CO – 1STBANK Center *
Sept. 30 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory *
Oct. 1 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Arena *
Oct. 2 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre *
Oct. 5 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum *
Oct. 8 – Philadelphia, PA – The Liacouras Center *
Oct. 9 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Oct. 11 – Washington DC – The Anthem *
Oct. 14 – Miami, FL – PFL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park *
Oct. 15 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Center *
Oct. 16 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena *
* Dates with support from City Girls
The Same Security Company For Dave Chappelle’s Show Also Oversaw The Deadly Astroworld Festival
Dave Chappelle attends the opening night party presented by the Netflix Is a Joke Fest in Hollywood on April 28.
A minute after an armed man tackled Dave Chappelle onstage Tuesday night in front of a sold-out Hollywood Bowl crowd, the comedian dusted himself off and then asked, “Where did that motherfucker come from?”
The attack at the Netflix Is a Joke festival has drawn questions about how the 23-year-old suspect sneaked in a folding knife and jumped onstage with ease, evading security guards who were supposed to protect the performer and control the crowd. Those guards were employed by Contemporary Services Corp., one of North America’s largest event-security companies, which has provided crowd protection at thousands of concerts, performances, and sporting events across the US, including Coachella and the Super Bowl.
But over the past decade, hundreds of people have been injured and dozens have died at events where CSC was among the vendors who provided security, including 2017’s Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas, where a shooter killed 60 people, and the November 2021 Astroworld tragedy, where a surging crowd trampled 10 people to death.
The company, which bills itself as the “world leader in crowd management and event security for the entertainment and sporting event industries,” has also been sued dozens of times by attendees, employees, and victims’ families for claims including negligence, personal injury, battery, and assault, as well as labor law violations. Some cases are ongoing, and in others, CSC has denied allegations of wrongdoing and settled.
Still, popular concert promoters like Live Nation as well as major venues like the Hollywood Bowl have continued to work with CSC to provide security for some of the country’s biggest and most well-attended events.
“[CSC] is everywhere. They just did Coachella. They are set to do EDC in Las Vegas in two weeks. They already have a contract for the next Super Bowl,” said Tommie Sunshine, an electronic music artist who has performed at Live Nation’s Electronic Daisy Carnival and other festivals overseen by CSC. “How do you give the security of the Super Bowl to the company that ran security for the event that had the biggest mass shooting in modern US history?”
A review of CSC’s online job postings, employee reviews, and court documents, as well as interviews with two people familiar with CSC operations, show that the company hires inexperienced people to staff its events. Most of those people are hired as independent contractors, absolving CSC of liability in some cases. Two people familiar with the hiring process also said CSC has sometimes failed to adequately train staff on how to handle potentially dangerous situations.
At Chappelle’s Hollywood Bowl show, a security staffer told BuzzFeed News that guards barely checked bags and were instructed to get people quickly into the venue so that they wouldn’t miss the performance.
“We were told there was going to be a big crowd and to get them in as fast as possible,” said the worker, who declined to be named for fear of retribution. “There were no details on what that meant and how to do it — just get them in as fast as possible.”
Security people and guards outside the gate labeled "VIP Entrance Ticket Scan"
Jennifer Lake / Sipa USA via Reuters
The VIP entrance to Astroworld Festival is seen guarded by security and police after fans stormed the gates and destroyed the VIP entry three hours before the festival was supposed to start in Houston on Nov. 5, 2021.
Isaiah Lee, the man accused of attacking Chappelle, was allegedly able to bring in a replica handgun containing a knife in his bag before making his way to the front row and leaping onstage. Minutes before he was tackled, Chappelle told the packed audience that he had brought his own security onstage due to increased threats against comedians. And it was members of his detail who caught the attacker onstage, witnesses said.
Tehran Von Ghasri, a comedian who performed at the Netflix festival, told BuzzFeed News that one security guard at Chappelle’s show dismissed his warning about Lee’s suspicious behavior moments before the attack.
Tehran, a friend of Chappelle’s, said he was sitting in the VIP section at the front of the stage when he saw the suspect slide over the barrier with his black hoodie up while carrying a backpack. Concerned, Tehran said he turned to the young security guard right behind him and flagged the suspicious behavior.
"She shrugged me off,” he said. “And within a minute, [the suspect] had hoisted himself onstage and knocked Chappelle down.” He added that two other CSC guards stood by as the attacker worked to climb another barrier and then rushed the stage.
Chappelle was uninjured in the attack. On Thursday, the Los Angeles city attorney's office charged Lee with four misdemeanors, including battery. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A spokesperson for Chappelle did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A spokesperson for the Hollywood Bowl, which has worked with CSC for years, said the venue is reviewing its “existing procedures both internally and with the assistance of outside experts.” It has also “implemented additional security measures, including an increased number of security personnel on-site to assist with bag checks and other security procedures,” the spokesperson said.
CSC, its founder, and its attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.
CSC is still run by its founder, Damon Zumwalt, who started the company after his first year of college in 1967. Based in Northridge, California, CSC is now one of the nation’s largest security companies, with about 50 branch locations across the US and Canada and 60,000 workers, according to its LinkedIn. For over five decades, CSC has provided security services for five presidential inaugurations, two FIFA World Cups, 31 Super Bowls, and nine Olympic Games.
“The future of CSC has never been brighter,” Zumwalt says in a letter to employees on the company’s website.
CSC has worked with Live Nation for at least a decade, and one of CSC’s Facebook pages states that it “provides crowd management services” for the promotion giant. Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Live Nation Worldwide have also been linked to at least 750 injuries and around 200 deaths in seven countries since 2006, according to the Houston Chronicle and a letter from congressional lawmakers.
Live Nation and their attorney have not responded to questions from BuzzFeed News about these injuries and deaths.
In October 2017, 450 survivors of the Route 91 shooting in Las Vegas sued Live Nation and CSC for failing to “properly train and supervise employees in an appropriate plan of action in case of a foreseeable event, such as a terrorist attack or other emergency."
Following the shooting, in which a CSC employee was also killed, Zumwalt told CNBC that there was “nothing” his company could have done to prepare for that kind of situation.
“We plan for practically everything, but you don’t plan for something you can’t control, like a guy off-property,” he said. “That’s pretty devastating, and there’s just no real reason for that kind of insanity.”
In September 2020, MGM, Live Nation, and CSC settled with 4,400 people impacted by the mass shooting for $800 million.
Since Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival tragedy in November, 2,800 people have filed hundreds of lawsuits, naming Live Nation and CSC as codefendants, as well as Scott and other security vendors, claiming all were negligent in crowd control planning after a crowd surge led to the deadly stampede. Those lawsuits have since been consolidated into one large civil case that is ongoing.
“Many individuals were seen lifting up the unconscious bodies of friends and strangers and surfed them over the top of the crowd, hoping to send them to safety,” a lawsuit filed by the family of a 9-year-old who died from his injuries says. “Further, several individuals were shouting for help with CPR and pleading with Defendants to stop the concert.”
Live Nation and CSC have denied wrongdoing in the Astroworld case. Due to ongoing litigation, Live Nation said, they could not answer questions about the incident.
In a letter to Live Nation last December, members of Congress raised concerns about whether the company “took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival,” citing reports that the security was “inexperienced or ill-equipped.” The letter also noted that “the tragedy at Astroworld Festival follows a long line of other tragic events and safety violations involving Live Nation.” An investigation by the House Oversight Committee is ongoing, and a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that lawmakers are working on a bipartisan basis to "obtain answers."
Live Nation declined to respond to BuzzFeed News’ list of questions about its safety protocols and CSC, citing a publicity order from the judge overseeing Astroworld’s civil lawsuits.
Last year, a woman who was sexually assaulted at the 2019 BottleRock festival in Napa sued CSC and other organizers for being negligent and causing her “devastating emotional distress as a result of the assault.” She said in court documents that when she flagged the incident to CSC guards, she was “dismissed.”
The parties proposed a settlement in the case last month, which is awaiting a judge's approval, court records show.
Third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston
CSC’s success is largely due to its ability to constantly staff massive events across North America, often back-to-back. According to a staffer, job reviews, and lawsuits, the company does not properly train workers.
Over the past 30 years, the company has been sued dozens of times by patrons and the people it hires. In 2016, Deadspin reported that CSC had been sued at least 21 times in federal court since 1991 on claims of assault, battery, personal injury, and civil rights violations. Many cases resulted in out-of-court settlements between the parties, with CSC denying the accusations.
In multiple lawsuits, including a massive class action suit spanning 13 years, CSC workers have accused the company of creating unsafe environments by failing to train workers and violating labor laws. Some of their lawsuits alleged that CSC cut corners by hiring inexperienced people at low wages to fill positions shortly before events were set to begin. Several CSC workers have been trampled at festivals and sporting events, court records show.
At Miami’s Ultra Music Festival in 2014, a CSC security guard named Erica Mack suffered two skull fractures, severe brain hemorrhaging, and a broken leg after gate-crashers trampled her, according to a $10 million gross negligence lawsuit she filed against Ultra, CSC, and others responsible for the event.
In her lawsuit, Mack, then 29, alleged that CSC knowingly put her in an area vulnerable to gate-crashers, given past incidents, and took down stronger fencing at the request of a beverage company vendor, leaving her helpless. The complaint stated that there were “insufficient CSC security guards and police” and that they failed to “provide adequately trained personnel in the area where she was injured,” ultimately failing “to maintain a safe workplace.”
“CSC placed Mack in direct contact with violent individuals without warning her of the danger and without putting reasonable, minimum safeguards in place to protect her from foreseeable, serious bodily harm,” the lawsuit stated.
The defendants argued that there was not enough evidence to prove gross negligence and that they were not liable for her injuries because Mack was not an employee but a contractor. The case was eventually dismissed.
In 2020, hundreds of CSC workers settled with the company for $1.22 million after accusing them of failing to pay their minimum wages, not giving them rest or meal breaks, and not reimbursing them for expenses, among other alleged labor law violations. As part of the settlement agreement, CSC denied all liability and asserted that the workers’ claims had no merit and the company had acted lawfully.
Some CSC workers have also raised concerns on Glassdoor, a jobs site where employees can leave anonymous reviews for companies. CSC has 3.8 stars and many reviewers praise the flexibility, the ability to see concerts, and “easy-going staff.” But others have complained about the low pay, lack of breaks, and lack of training.
In one review for CSC from April 2 of this year, a person wrote that the company is prone to changing rules and policies on a whim and that “the pay sucks considering the type of work we do and sometimes the job can be dangerous.” Another, from Sept. 12, 2021, said, “There's no training for the job. You get yelled at by customers because you're not doing a job that you were never trained for correctly.”
In a 2011 review, a person who said they were an independent contractor for CSC wrote that “advanced training for event staff is ‘call the police when u see someone dying.’"
Several online job postings from CSC show that the company requires no previous security experience and pegs the job as “something fun and exciting” and an opportunity to “experience some of the greatest in entertainment.”
“No experience necessary We Will Train You and we offer paid training for all Nevada PILB Security Guard positions,” one Las Vegas job posting by CSC reads.
On March 18, CSC posted part-time positions for event staff and security jobs for the Hollywood Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and other LA venues for $15 to $17 an hour.
The staffer who worked security at Chappelle’s show the night of the attack told BuzzFeed News that there wasn’t “a real hiring process” and that he easily got the CSC job through a friend because the company was looking to staff up quickly. He claimed that other CSC contractors there had not worked security before and did not have experience using metal detectors or thoroughly checking bags.
CSC also barely provided any training, he alleged, adding that two days before the show, the company hosted a security briefing and then gave everyone a blue-and-yellow T-shirt.
On the day of the event, CSC security leaders held a meeting for their sections, the worker told BuzzFeed News, warning that there was going to be a big crowd and to get people in as fast as possible so there would not be a buildup outside when the show began at 7 p.m.
“The crowd started getting bigger, and I was thinking the whole time there is no way people were being thoroughly checked at the rate people were walking in,” said the security employee, who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation. “I feel anyone could have brought anything in.”
Gil Fried, an expert in crowd management who wrote a textbook called Academy for Venue Safety and Security, said it is not a safe business practice to hire inexperienced workers for major events.
“Hiring, training, and supervising people that are working on the front lines is the most critical element of any crowd management plan,” he said. “The more time you spend investing in people, the better. That will help create the safest environment possible.”
Los Angeles authorities are now investigating how the assailant breached security and accessed the Hollywood Bowl stage during Tuesday's Chappelle show.
Brushing off the seriousness of the attack that night, Chappelle acknowledged that he was lucky while addressing the crowd:
“Thank god that nigga was clumsy.”
Steve Harvey Weighs In On Will Smith’s Oscars Slap: I Lost A Lot Of Respect For Him
Steve Harvey is not a fan of the slap seen around the world that took place at this year’s 94th Academy Awards.
The infamous incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock still has people talking two months later, including entertainment mogul Steve Harvey, 65. As previously reported, on March 27, Will Smith, 53, walked on stage during the live Academy Awards and slapped Chris Rock, 57, after the comedian made a controversial joke about his wife’s, Jada Pinkett Smith, bald head.
According to reports, Steve Harvey recently weighed in on the confrontation between Chris Rock and Will Smith while speaking at a graduation ceremony at Georgia State University in Atlanta. During his speech, Harvey spoke for two hours on various topics, including his new show and journey in the entertainment business. The entertainer also included his distaste for the way Oscar-Award-winning actor Will Smith handled himself during the prestigious film event.
Harvey vocalized in front of several law students that although he practices religious beliefs, his Christianity would not have saved Smith had it been him that was slapped. He said,
“I’m a Christian, but I’m really undeveloped. I don’t have high-level Christianity. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m like a 2. That’s the level of Christianity I can work on. You slap T.D. Jakes, he’ll turn the other cheek. You slap me? If you sit back in your seat, Jada [Will’s wife] would have to move out of the way. That’s the type of Christian I am.”
Reportedly, Harvey said Smith knew that he could get away with violence due to Rock being on stage. Harvey deemed the slap a “punk move” and added,
“I lost a lot of respect for him.”
Harvey’s comments come after he previously warned Kanye “Ye” West, 44, against a fight with D.L. Hughley, 59. As previously reported, Harvey addressed the ongoing beef between rapper Kanye West and fellow comedian friend D.L. Hughley, where he seemingly claimed D.L. Hughley would whoop Kanye West. During an episode of his radio morning show, he said,
“It ain’t what you want.”
He added,
“We from an a**-whoopin’ era. D.L. ain’t ya problem.”
D.L. Hughley, Kanye West, Steve Harvey
What are your thoughts on Steve Harvey’s comments?
Queen Latifah Is a CoverGirl for the Second Time: 'Here We Go Again!'
Queen Latifah is back at it! On Monday, the multi-hyphenate star and makeup brand CoverGirl announced that they are partnering yet again.
The newest CoverGirl first became a face of the brand in 2001. Over 15 years, Latifah famously fronted now cult-classic launches for the brand. Most notably, they collaborated to launch the game-changing Queen Collection that helped make makeup for deeper skin tones accessible.
"Here we go again," Latifah told People exclusively of her multi-year partnership. "I'm excited to be back and to hit the ground running!"
The Equalizer star will first appear in a "yet-to-be-announced" collection for CoverGirl.
The opportunity to work with the brand again "excited" Latifah, who shared in a release that she looks forward to bringing "inclusivity to the forefront every step of the way, from product creation to ad development to product dissemination."
Latifah furthered that in a quote to People, "Growing up, I didn't see anyone who looked like me in beauty ads, so I am grateful for this continued partnership with COVERGIRL to inspire the next generation of young black girls who will be raised seeing someone like them as the face of a major beauty brand."
In fact, Latifah is inspiring females of all ages. Last week the Emmy and Grammy winner was honored at Variety's Power of Women Ceremony presented by Lifetime, where she celebrated the power of women.
"I know what it looks like when women don't get along. When we fight against each other. But I also know what it looks like when we do," she said on stage. "When we stand together, there's nothing more potent."
Viola Davis Set to Receive Kering Women in Motion Award During Cannes Film Festival
Davis currently stars as Michelle Obama in Showtime's 'The First Lady' and she recently released the memoir 'Finding Me,' a New York Times best-seller.
Viola Davis will be in motion in Cannes on May 22, making her way to the stage to pick up Kering’s Women in Motion Award.
In announcing Davis as this year’s recipient, Kering and Cannes praised her “activism and achievements” while noting that she has been a passionate advocate for the rights of women and minorities and has “regularly called for greater inclusion in the film industry and campaigned for gender equality.”
The black-tie event — a partnership between Kering and the Cannes Film Festival — has been singling out top female stars since it launched in 2015. Previous winners include Jane Fonda, Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li and Salma Hayek. Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault, Cannes Film Festival president Pierre Lescure and fest executive director Thierry Frémaux are confirmed to present the award during the starry dinner.
The honor comes after Davis has already picked up just about every trophy Hollywood has to offer, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, four SAG Awards, two Tony Awards, an Oscar and an Emmy. Davis also runs the film and television production company, JuVee Prods., alongside her husband Julius Tennon.
Davis currently stars as Michelle Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady and she recently released the memoir Finding Me, a New York Times best-seller.
Jesse Williams Is Trending After Eggplants in his Broadway Show Leaks Online
Jesse Williams is trending across the internet after an illegally recorded video of him appearing in the Broadway play Take Me Out has surfaced online.
The 40-year-old actor just received a Tony nomination for his work in the revival and the leaked footage showed up online on the same day.
Jesse‘s name popped up at number three on Google Trends on Monday night (May 9) and his misspelled name was trending at number 24 on Twitter at the time of publishing.
Here is the play’s synopsis: “When Darren Lemming (Williams), the star center fielder for the Empires, comes out of the closet, the reception off the field reveals a barrage of long-held unspoken prejudices. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to contend with the challenges of being a gay person of color within the confines of a classic American institution. As the Empires struggle to rally toward a championship season, the players and their fans begin to question tradition, their loyalties, and the price of victory.”
Jesse and most of the male cast, including Patrick J. Adams, go full frontal during a shower scene and footage from that scene has leaked online. The video appears to have been recorded by an audience member in the front row.
Recording videos at Broadway shows is strictly prohibited and producers of Take Me Out tried to prevent this by requiring all audience members lock their phones in Yondr pouches while attending the play.
Halle Berry To Lead Thriller Movie 'Mother Land' - Here's What It's About
Halle Berry has lined up another new movie to star in and it sounds so interesting!
According to Deadline, the 55-year-old actress and director will lead Mother Land, which will be helmed by Alexandre Aja.
The outlet adds that the movie “will chart the story of a mother and her twin sons who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years. When one of the boys questions whether the evil is real, the family’s sacred bond is broken, and it becomes a fight for survival.”
Lionsgate’s Production President Erin Westerman shared a statement, saying, “We’re so thrilled to be working again with Halle and Alex. Halle is a force on screen – she’s the perfect person to convey the psychological terror of this mother trying to protect her family. And who better than Alex to ratchet up the tension. Powerhouse producers 21 Laps are going to deliver an elevated thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat.”
Both Alexandre and Halle will be producing the pic, which was written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby.
Right now, Halle is filming with Mark Wahlberg on Our Man From Jersey.
Travis Scott To Perform At 2022 Billboard Music Awards, First Award Show Performance Since Astroworld Tragedy
On Monday (May 9), Billboard announced that Houston rapper Travis Scott is set to perform at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 15 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. This will mark the first award show performance from the rapper after the Astroworld tragedy, which left 10 people dead.
In addition to Travis, the award show will see performances byMary J. Blige, Burna Boy, Latto, Maxwell, Megan Thee Stallion, Silk Sonic, Ed Sheeran, Becky G, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Rauw Alejandro, and more.
Over the weekend, the rapper made his first appearance on stage since the catastrophe at Astroworld. He took to the stage and performed a few tracks in Miami at the E11even Nightclub. The Miami performance marked the first time in six months that he had touched any stage publicly.
In addition to belting out a few songs – like “Highest in the Room,” “Pick Up The Phone,” “Goosebumps” and “SICKOMODE” – the rapper was seen in clips at the club’s Grand Prix celebration throwing wads of cash into the crowd and clutching onto a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila.
In one clip, he told the crowd, “Everybody owes me a shot. We need every stripper to report to the f**king stage right now. We need every bottle reported to this motherf**king floor.”
While Travis’ E11even performance marked his first public set since stepping out of the spotlight amid backlash over his Astroworld tragedy – in addition to backlash on how he handled the catastrophe – Travis’ 2022 Billboard Music Awards appearance will mark the first award show performance since the tragedy – which occurred back in November 2021.
At the time, Travis was performing on stage at his festival and he claims he was unaware that people in the crowd were being hurt/killed as he continued to perform, despite the crowd yelling, screaming and begging for him to stop.
From the tragedy, at least 10 people have died and their ages ranged from 9 to 27 years old. Since, Travis has only done one interview and told radio host Charlamagne Tha God that he “1,000 percent” did everything he could in his power to help injured and dying concertgoers, further repeating that he did not hear their cries for help from the stage.
While several lawsuit came rushing his way, Travis continued to launch a what he called a safety initiative called “Project Heal.” Its’ mission is said “to take much-needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be.”
DJ Drama Says He & Drake Squashed Their Beef After Rumors Of Drizzy Smashing His Girl & Drama Giving Meek Mill His Reference Tracks
DJ Drama wants the internet to stop digging up old dirt and let him and Drake move on. After being spotted with his artist Jack Harlow and Drake at the recent Kentucky Derby events, Drama tells fans that the beef is dead and gone. So stop bringing up past rumors of Drizzy smashing his girl and him leaking Drake’s reference tracks to Meek Mill.
DJ Drama Tells Fans Drake Beef Is Squashed
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, a fan said, “Surprised Drake gave Jack that feature, know he don’t f**k with DJ Drama.” Now the fan was referencing Drama’s artist Jack Harlow, who just released a new album ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You.’ On the new feat, Jack has a track with Drake called “Churchill Downs.”
Responding to the fan’s message, Drama cleared up the rumors and shut everything down. The DJ replied, “We gotta stop this narrative lol. Me & Drake been put that to rest. Grown men sh*t, and beyond that Jack & Drake cultivated they own relationship. Now erybody go steam that “Churchill Downs”!!”
Drama On Rumors Of Drizzy Smashing His Girl
Now Back in March 2021, Drama also tried to dead the narrative during his interview with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, on an episode of ‘Drink Champs.’ N.O.R.E. directly brought up the rumors of Drizzy sleeping with his girl and Drama seemingly admitted that Drake did mess with his girl once.
Drama Addresses Claim He Gave Meek Mill Drake’s Reference Tracks
However, regarding the 2015 claim that he attempted to get revenge on the Toronto rapper by leaking his reference tracks and giving them to his sworn enemy at the time —Meek Mill — the DJ says he never did that.
Now, for those that need a lil’ refresher, during the heat of the Meek Mill and Drake beef back in 2015-2016, Drama’s ex-wife Summer P. Walker alleged that Drama sent Drake’s reference tracks to fellow Philly native Meek Mill. Summer said Drama was the source of the Quentin Miller reference tracks — the songwriter/musician that Meek claimed to be Drake’s ghostwriter.
Again, it was rumored that Drama allegedly leaked the tracks to get back at Drake, who had allegedly slept with Drama’s ex-wife, Summer. Apparently on a track called “I’m the Plug” from his 2015 ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ joint album with Atlanta rapper Future, Drake rapped: “And it really ain’t no thing, I got Summer P in this thing.”
Drake also mentioned his relations with Drama’s ex on his DJ Khaled track “For Free.” On the song, the Certified Lover Boy raps, “Last year I had Drama girl, not right now.”
#BOXOFFICE: ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ Delivers $185m Domestic Debut
The Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster train is still chugging along. The latest edition in the massive franchise, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, pulled in $185 million becoming one of the biggest domestic openings of all time. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the global opening number was $450 million.
The film is the 11th biggest launch in box office history and the seventh biggest of the Marvel films, following Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191.3 million), Black Panther ($202 million), The Avengers ($207.3 million), Avengers: Infinity War ($257.7 million), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($260.1 million) and Avengers: Endgame ($357.1 million).
Doctor Stange and the Multiverse of Madness only follow The Batman for 2022 domestic releases. The Batman has pulled in $369.1 million to date. Strange was available in 4,545 theaters.
The next blockbuster for Hollywood is Top Gun: Maverick set for the end of the month. Marvel returns to theaters with Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8.
Nikola Jokic Named 2021-22 NBA MVP
The Joker has gone back to back. Nikola Jokic has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news and added a special announcement that would be made later in the week.
In becoming the back-to-back champ, Jokic joined names like LeBron James, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird as the names to do so. Jokic would beat out names like Giannis Antentokounmpo and Joel Embiid to win this year.
Kevin Samuels Police Report Reveals He Was With 32-Year-Old Nurse Before He Died
Self-described “relationship guru” and image consultant, Kevin Samuels has passed away at the age of 57-years-old. The popular YouTuber was known for his polarizing relationship advice, appearance ranking system and comments about Black women.
“If you have made it to 35 and you are unmarried, you are a leftover woman. You are what is left. Men know that there is likely something wrong with you. Whether you want to hear it or not, I’m going to go there with you. I’m telling you the truth that you don’t want to hear.”
According to the Atlanta Police Department Incident Report, on Thursday morning emergency medical teams found Kelvin Samuels unresponsive on the floor of his apartment, where they performed C.P.R. on him.
32-year-old Ms. A (name withheld for privacy), identified herself and said she’d met Samuels the prior night, “came to his apartment, and spent the night with him.”
Ms. A told police that early in the morning Samuels, began to complain of chest pain, “she attempted to help him but he fell on top of her and she proceeded to notify 9-1-1.”
She also revealed that she asked the 9-1-1 operator to contact the front desk of Samuels’ apartment building for a defibrillator to keep him “responsive until Grady arrives because she is a nurse.” Samuels was taken to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
His mother Beverly Samuels-Burch confirmed her son’s death this morning to NBC News, sharing that she learned the shocking news from social media. “That was a terrible thing for social media to put that out,” she said. “I didn’t even know. I hadn’t even been notified. All I’m doing is requesting that people pray for us.”
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet revealed a cause of death. Our condolences to Kevin Samuels‘ loved ones at this difficult time.
Vicky White: Corrections Officer who Escaped with Inmate is Dead from Gunshot Wounds
*(CNN) — Alabama corrections officer Vicky White has died due to her injuries, Sheriff Dave Wedding of Vanderburgh County told CNN. She was hospitalized earlier on Monday with “very serious” self-inflicted gunshot wounds after being taken into custody following a chase in Indiana, Wedding previously said.
Earlier it was reported that escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and corrections officer Vicky White were in custody following a chase in Indiana, and she was hospitalized after shooting herself, authorities said late Monday afternoon.
The fugitives were taken into custody after a US Marshals task force member drove a vehicle into the Cadillac that Vicky White was driving in Evansville, ending the pair’s week and a half on the run, officials said.
US Marshals told CNN that Vicky White’s injury was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her wounds are “very serious,” said Sheriff Dave Wedding of Vanderburgh County, home to Evansville. She is in “pretty serious shape,” he told reporters.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton says surveillance video footage of missing former Alabama corrections officer Vicky White taken before her getaway with an inmate facing murder charges shows the level of preparation that went into the escape. (US Marshals Dept)
No law enforcement officers fired any shots, according to Sheriff Rick Singleton of Lauderdale County, Alabama, where the pair fled on April 29.
The pair’s capture brings to a close an 11-day manhunt that gained widespread national attention and saw hundreds of tips flood in from all corners of the country, including one that ultimately lead to the location and arrest of the fugitives.
That tip came Sunday night, Singleton said.
The pair was located at a hotel and a vehicle chase followed, he said.
Wedding said the duo were believed to have been in Evansville since May 3. “It’s hard to believe they’ve been here that many days, but we’re lucky that we stumbled upon them today,” he said.
Singleton said the Whites, who are not related but believed to be in a romantic relationship, will be brought back to Alabama. Casey White, 38, faces previous murder charges. Vicky White, 56, was first charged with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree and now also faces forgery and identity theft charges.
“He will be in a cell by himself,” Singleton said. “He will stay in handcuffs and shackles while he’s in that cell and if he wants to sue me for violating his civil rights, so be it. He’s not getting out of this jail again. I’ll assure you that.”
Singleton said, “I’ve always expected this outcome. I knew we would catch them. It was just a matter of time.”
Most escapes from a county jail are spontaneous, he said.
“This escape was obviously well planned and calculated,” Singleton said. “A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, had everything they needed to pull this off, and that’s what made this last week and a half so challenging. We were starting from ground zero, and not only that, we started — they got a six-hour head start on us.”
New Book Reveals How Diddy Caused Dr. Dre to Lose $200M In Apple-Beats Deal
*In a new book from New York Times reporter Tripp Mickle about the late Steve Jobs and the history of Apple, the author claims Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ is responsible for Dr. Dre losing $200 million in his Apple-Beats deal.
Beats Electronics is a joint venture with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, and was purchased by Apple in 2014. As reported by Vibe, Mickle claims in his new book titled “After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul,” that Apple cut $200 million from the initial $3.2 billion agreement after Dr dropped a video in which he declared to be “the first billionaire in Hip-Hop.”
“It was a sum that Iovine and Dre could barely fathom. As the lawyers worked through final details, Iovine summoned the leadership team of Beats to his home near Beverly Hills. He told everyone that they were on the cusp of finalizing a massive deal. The only thing that could spoil it would be for word of the deal to leak,” an excerpt from the reads.
Per the report, Mickle claims Iovine warned his team, “Whatever you do, don’t talk about this,” and he told Dre, “Remember that scene in Goodfellas where Jimmy tells the guys, ‘Don’t buy any furs. Don’t buy any cars. Don’t get showy’? Don’t move.”
Dre apparently refused to take his advice and instead celebrated the deal in a video shared online.
Per a book excerpt, via iMore: “At 2:00 a.m., Iovine got a call from Puff Daddy, who was screaming that Dre and Tyrese, a rapper, were talking about the deal in a Facebook video. Iovine pulled up the video and cringed as he saw Tyrese bragging about being drunk on Heineken in a recording studio. When word of the video reached [Tim] Cook, he summoned Iovine and Dre to [Apple’s headquarters in] Cupertino.”
The excerpt continued to explain, “He invited them into a conference room for a private conversation. Iovine was anxious and afraid that Cook was going to kill the deal […] He told the music executives that he was disappointed and wished that Dre’s social media outburst hadn’t happened but said that the video hadn’t shaken his conviction that buying Beats was right for Apple.”
Dre was unable to attain billionaire status once the $200 million was cut.
Anonymous Donor Pays Around $300K to Cover More Than 100 Graduates at Texas’ Wiley College: ‘You Are Debt-Free’
Graduates from a historically Black college in Texas were treated to quite a surprise on Saturday, as over 100 students in Wiley College’s class of 2022 were told an anonymous donor had paid off their combined remaining balances of about $300,000.
“You are debt-free. You do not owe the college a penny. If you have a balance, you had a balance,” Wiley’s president and CEO Herman Felton Jr. announced in a video that has since gone viral
Felton. Jr. detailed the news in a press release this weekend.
“Our commitment to our students goes beyond their time while they are enrolled. We are constantly communicating with donors to assist students in these ways so that they can begin their after-college experience with less debt,” he wrote. “We are grateful for this anonymous donor who will assist the students in paying off their balances to Wiley College and help us achieve institutional goals of graduating our students with little to no debt.”
The school added that the anonymous donor “sets graduates on a continued path to success and allows Wiley College to strengthen its commitment to providing an affordable exceptional education.”
Many people will recognize Wiley College from the Denzel Washington-starring 2007 movie The Great Debaters, which was based on the school’s 1935 debate team that defeated the reigning national champions at the University of Southern California.
Ari Fletcher Responds to Criticism Over Allegedly Bringing Son to Club
Influencer Ari Fletcher is seeing backlash on social media after a video emerged of her four-year-old son Yosohn Santana Wright, whom she shares with G Herbo, inside what appears to be a club.
After a petition was launched on Change.org to give Herbo full custody of the young boy, Fletcher took to Instagram Live to clap back at those who are questioning her parenting.
“They said, ‘You had that baby in that club.’ OK. Whatever y’all say, boo. Sign that petition. Do what you need to do,” she said. “How you gonna start a petition to give my baby to somebody who ain’t even ask [for him]? Y’all crazy. Whoever made that petition, I wish nothing but greatness for you.”
The petition, which calls for Herbo to have full parental custody, claims Fletcher is “unfit to be [Yosohn’s] primary caretaker” since he was exposed to twerking at the venue. But the influencer is now clarifying just what went down and why her child was there, telling haters that “if you ever thought in your life I gave a fuck, I’m here to let you know, I do not.”
“Who would even let a 4-year-old in the club,” she asked in a later IG Live. “Come on now. Stop. Cause if I would offer you $20,000 to rent your crib out, you would let me do it. No questions asked. And I would have [children] in your crib and you would do nothing. It’s private, no one can come in. And it’s not the fucking club. Stop being weird. That’s not tasteful. In the end, don’t say you saw somebody twerking in front of they kid.”
Trophy Room Air Jordan 1 Backdooring, Nike Kobe Release, & Peter Moore | The Complex Sneakers Podcast
She then wondered, “What has your mother done in front of you? … It’s almost 24,000 people on this Live, I’m pretty sure your mother has done way worse than a fucking one-two twerk in front of you.” She added she was “at home laughing” about the whole controversy.
This isn’t the first time Fletcher and Herbo made headlines over their son. In March, Fletcher accused Herbo’s fiancée Taina Williams of hurting Yosohn, and Herbo responded by writing “if y’all believe I’ll let anybody on earth mistreat my son y’all ass stupid.”
Young Thug and Gunna Facing RICO Charges, Young Thug Taken into Custody
Young Thug, Gunna and 26 other members of YSL were charged in a 56-count indictment on Monday, according to WSBTV reporter Michael Seiden.
Prosecutors allege YSL is a “criminal street gang that started in late 2012 in the Cleveland Avenue area of ATL. YSL claims affiliation with the national Bloods gang,” reports Seiden.
Arrest records show Jeffery Lamar Williams, 30, better known by the stage name Young Thug, was booked into jail Monday. He has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participation in street gang activity. Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, better known as Gunna, has reportedly been charged with one count of conspiring to violate RICO.
Thugga is accused of renting a 2014 Infiniti Q50 used in the 2015 murder of a rival gang member.
Tesla to Cover Travel Costs for Out-of-State Health Care Including Abortions
Tesla will cover travel and lodging costs for employees to receive health care in states that don’t offer it. The policy was issued in 2021, and though it doesn’t say “abortions,” the wording suggests it.
Tesla’s impact report says, since 2021, “An expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering that includes travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.” The report was released Friday at the height of the Supreme Court leak regarding the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Though Tesla is based in Texas, a state where abortion rights are already highly restricted, banning abortion after six weeks, the company plans to support its employees. The New York Times reported that the guidelines included abortions; however, Tesla has yet to confirm.
Tesla isn’t the only company supporting women. Amazon and Apple promised to offer travel reimbursement for employees forced to seek out-of-state abortions.
Yelp and Citigroup offer travel expenses for employees that have to look out of state. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it will leave the states to make individual decisions regarding abortion access. Some states that are likely to enforce restrictive abortion access are Texas, Florida, Ohio, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Georgia, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, and more.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
Cute Doggo
I need some booze and cold pizzas please?
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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