#MAGFAB: Helen Mirren Covers PEOPLE’s ‘The Beautiful Issue’
Helen Mirren covers PEOPLE‘S ‘The Beautiful Issue’ photographed by Andrew Eccles.
“I get very nervous about the day-to-day process. And meeting and dealing with new people. And not knowing whether I am going to remember my lines or not,” she tells PEOPLE. “I just get very frightened until I get into the swing of things and then I kind of relax.” She sleeps easier when a film wraps. “Once it’s done I’m not nervous, because it’s done, you can’t pull it back,” she says. “It’s the doing of it that I get nervous about.”
While she admits “you have to continue working on yourself to a certain extent,” the best salve for her fears has been time. “Simple really: Getting older. It happens. Other people call it growing older, but I call it growing up,” she says. “And one of the advantages is that you literally get to be wiser. Life is a constant process of learning.”
#RHOA: Kandi Burruss Promises Fans 'a Different Vibe' for Season 14 After Casting Shake-Up
Kandi Burruss has seen many wives come and go during her 13 seasons on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but season 14 has a different feel for her after a casting shake-up.
"It's fresh," Burruss,. "Now, we got new blood on the show. Everybody is just different."
After the departures of Porsha Williams and Cynthia Bailey, the show will welcome Sanya Richards-Ross. But Richards-Ross won't be the only new face holding a peach.
Marlo Hampton, a friend of the show since season 4, has been upgraded to full-time cast member. On-again, off-again housewife Shereé Whitfield will also return to the series. Drew Sidora and Kenya Moore will help round out the RHOA cast.
"Even though Shereé has been there before, it's like she came back with a whole new vibe," explains Burruss. "With Sanya, she just is just fresh energy."
"Marlo and I have gone through our thing for years, but for a long time, I kept saying, 'Yo, why does she not have a peach? I don't understand,'" The Masked Singer champ continues of her costars. "Kenya came on [with] new energy. Normally, people always have her pegged as the villain... I just feel like she just came in with new energy and it's like she just didn't want to be put in that box."
Though Burruss is the longest running cast member on the show — starring on the series since season two in 2009 — she doesn't let any type of pressure get to her.
"It's always weird," Burruss explains. "I feel like people always want to put a lot of responsibility or something on the person who's been there the longest but at the end of the day, I just look at it like this: we're an ensemble cast."
"Everybody has to bring it. It doesn't matter if you've been there a long time or a short time. Everybody has to be open to sharing and keeping it 100 at all times and not trying to hide your life, not trying to change and save face to protect your brand," she continues. "You just have to be who you are and hopefully the people will love it, that's just how it is. I'm not going to let anybody put any extra pressure on me."
As mom to daughters Riley, 19, and Blaze, 2, and son Ace, 6, Burruss knows she has a large fan base cheering her on because she's just like them.
"I feel like people just find me to be relatable," she explains. "I feel like it just works in a sense because in a world full of crazy, sometimes you need that one person that you can feel connected to that represents what you're you're what you're thinking, how you feel."
"I'm surrounded by a bunch of crazy people," she adds. "Whether it be in my personal life, it doesn't matter if I'm with the Housewives, or if I'm on Kandi and the Gang, or whatever, I always have like a crazy circle around me."
#MusicNews: Its HERE….STREAM IT! PJ Morton Releases New Album “Watch the Sun”
P
J Morton has just released his latest album “Watch The Sun”. The project is released via his own Morton Records, and all 11 songs were written and produced by the multi talented artist himself.
“Watch The Sun” features appearances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, El DeBerge, Wale, Nas, Jill Scott, Alex Isley and more. Morton simply adds about the album:
“I’m being more honest, more authentic, more open than I’ve been in the past.”
STREAM HERE
Later this year, Morton will kick off his “Watch The Sun” tour in support of the new album.
#HipHopNews: Hot 97 reveals impressive 2022 Summer Jam lineup
NYC Radio station Hot 97 has officially announced their lineup for this year’s Summer Jam festival, which will take place in MetLife Stadium in June. Amongst the list of talent, Fivio Foreign, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Gunna, Pusha T, Roddy Ricch, Burna Boy, and Benny The Butcher will be taking to the Stadium Stage. In addition, notable artists like B-Lovee, Lady London, Saucy Santana, NLE Choppa, Yung Bleu, and Cordae will be performing on the Festival Stage. Summer Jam will also be paying tribute for DJ Kay Slay, who tragically passed away earlier this month due to complications related to COVID-19. The hip hop legend previously hosted his “Drama Hour” show on Hot 97.
Via the radio station‘s press release, on-air personality and VP of Artist and Label Relations TT Torrez further spoke on this year’s event:
“HOT 97’s Summer Jam, the biggest hip-hop concert, is a day of music celebrating US… with two stages and an endless list of super-stars, this is a moment you won’t want to miss We understand the assignment and can’t wait to experience, with the fans, an extremely exciting line up of performances from artists who are defining our culture.”
In terms of hip hop overall, Hot 97‘s Summer Jam has been responsible for some of the biggest moments of the culture alone. As previously reported by REVOLT, YouTube account HipHopVCR recently unearthed JAY-Z‘s full performance at the festival back in 2001, where he delivering his now-iconic disses with fellow hometown heroes Nas and Mobb Deep — he even posted at-the-time unflattering images of the late Prodigy on the screen behind him, which led to a war of words on wax from all parties in subsequent years (Prodigy later put this photos into context in his autobiography My Infamous Life).
Check out the line-up for Hot 97’s 2022 Summer Jam below.
More information — including how to get tickets — can be found here.
#RIP: Naomi Judd, Matriarch of the Judds, Dies at 76
Singer and television star Naomi Judd, famous for nearly four decades as the matriarch of the country music duo the Judds, died Saturday at 76. No cause of death was immediately given, although in a statement daughters Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd attributed their mother’s death to “the disease of mental illness.”
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” the statement said, according to the Associated Press. “We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”
A statement from Naomi Judd’s publicist said that her husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, “will not be making any further statements. Naomi Judd’s family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time.”
The announcement came the day before the Judds were set to be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame at a medallion ceremony in Nashville. The ceremony will go ahead, with Wynonna expected to attend, according to a statement sent to Variety by a rep for the Hall.
“The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum joins family and fans in grieving the sudden loss of Naomi Judd,” the statement reads. “Following the wishes of the Judd family, the museum will move forward with the Medallion Ceremony on Sunday, May 1, with Wynonna planning on being in attendance. In addition to The Judds, Eddie Bayers, Ray Charles and Pete Drake will be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Public red carpet arrivals are cancelled.”
The Judds had also recently announced a farewell tour, the first by Naomi and Wynonna in more than a decade. The short, 10-date tour, which was being produced by Sandbox Live and Live Nation, was to commence Sept. 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and wrap up Oct. 28 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. “What I’m looking forward to most is celebrating Judd music with the fans,” said Wynonna in a statement when the tour was announced. “Mom and I have had quite the journey over the last 38 years, and the fans have been with us through it all. This tour is a celebration for them.” Three of the arena shows, including the Nashville finale, had sold out, according to the Judds’ social media.
The Judds sang on the CMT Music Awards telecast and walked the red carpet just this month (see photo, below). The show aired live on CBS April 11, the same day the duo announced the reunion/goodbye tour.
As a duo, the Judds had remained mostly dormant in recent decades, with periodic reunions. They parted for the first time after doing what was billed as a final show in 1991, at a time when Naomi Judd had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Following that, Wynonna embarked on a successful career as a solo artist while her mother raised awareness about the disease. They reunited for the Power to Change Tour at the turn of the millennium.
Naomi Judd published nine books, the most recent of which was the memoir “River of Time: My Descent Into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope,” released in 2016. Other titles included “Naomi’s Guide to Aging Gratefully: Being Your Best for the Rest of Your Life” (2007), “Naomi’s Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to Transform Your Life” (2004) and several children’s books.
In the 1980s, the Judds had an unbroken string of eight straight No. 1 country singles, including “Why Not Me” and “Mama He’s Crazy” as their breakout smashes in 1983, followed by such hits as “Girls’ Night Out,” “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)” and “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain.” Their last charting single was “Stuck in Love” in 2000. They had not released an album of original material as a duo since “Love Can Build a Bridge” in 1990, but their streak of ’80s singles continued to be popular on country radio to the present day.
The duo won the CMA Awards’ best duo/group category from 1985-91, winning nine CMAs altogether. Their eight Academy of Country Music Awards included being named top vocal duo from 1984 through 1990. They won five Grammys during that period as well, including best country song for “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
Judd became a popular television personality outside of the singing limelight, as a 2003-2004 stint as a judge on “Star Search” led to her own talk show, “Naomi’s New Morning,” which lasted for two seasons on the Hallmark Channel. Other series appearances included “Can You Duet?” on CMT and “My Cooking Rules” on Fox, and acting gigs in the TV movies “The Killing Game” and “A Holiday Romance” and the theatrical feature “More American Graffiti.”
Diana Ellen Judd was born January 11, 1946 in Ashland, Kentucky. She often spoke of raising Wynonna and Ashley as a single parent following her divorce from their father, Michael Ciminella. She attended nursing school at the College of Marin, in California, with the intention of eventually becoming an MD. “I was going to use my RN degree to support myself and put myself through med school,” she said in a 1995 interview. “I had this romantic notion of working with people in Appalachia, my people.” But then “when Wynonna and I started singing together — she so desperately need to have a new direction in life — it quickly became obvious that that was what we were meant to do.”
In a 2016 interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” to promote her memoir, she said that childhood sexual abuse had factored into depression she characterized as “extreme” and “so deep and so completely debilitating and life-threatening.” Judd told Roberts, “I had to realize that, in a way, I had to parent myself. We all have this inner child, and I needed, for the first time in my life, to realize that I got a raw deal, OK, now I’m a big girl. Put on your big girl pants and deal with it.”
She spoke about being “a little estranged” at that time from Wynonna, whom she said “bore the brunt of all of the mistakes I made … We’ve been through a lot of therapy together… From the day I knew she existed, it was the two of us against the world and then through the decades we kind of grew up together, ’cause it was really just the two of us. And I’m always tellin’ her, ‘If I’d known better, I would have done better.’”
#PRAYERSUP: Ms. Juicy of 'Little Women: Atlanta' in ICU
Ms Juicy. — A star on Lifetime's 'Little Women: Atlanta' is in the hospital Friday.
According to a statement from her team that was posted to her Instagram account, Shirlene 'Ms. Juicy' Pearson is in stable condition.
"The family is thankful for all the prayers and are asking for your to respect their privacy at this time," the post reads.
Ms. Juicy's team did not not specify why she is being hospitalized, but they stated they are planning to keep the pubic updated if anything changes regarding her condition.
Lifetime debuted its sixth season of 'Little Women: Atlanta' in 2021, chronicling the cast members' journey as they came together with the common goal of making their mark on the Atlanta hip hop industry.
The cast lost one member back in 2020, after 34-year-old Ashley 'Ms. Minnie' Ross was killed in an April car crash. Ms. Juicy and Ms. Minnie were known to be close friends
ESPN Anchor Sage Steele Sues Network For Allegedly Violating Her Free-Speech Rights
SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele is suing the ESPN network and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., for allegedly retaliating against her over controversial comments made in a podcast interview.
As previously reported, during a 2021 interview on the “Uncut with Jay Cutler” podcast, Sage Steele, 49, questioned COVID-19 vaccine mandates and made comments about former President Barack Obama identifying as Black instead of biracial. Speaking on Obama and the biracial community, Steele–who is also biracial said,
“If they make you choose a race, what are you gonna put? Well, both. She’s like ‘Well, you can’t. Barack Obama chose Black and he’s biracial.’ I’m like ‘Congratulations to the President, that’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him, but okay. You do you. I’m gonna do me.’”
Before catching Covid-19 herself, Sage Steele said the vaccine mandate policy was “sick” and that she “didn’t want to” get vaccinated– but ultimately ended up doing so.
Now, the sports anchor is suing her employer, ESPN and Walt Disney Co., for allegedly violating her free-speech rights. The lawsuit alleges that ESPN retaliated against Sage Steele by taking away ‘prime assignments’ and failing to put and end to alleged bullying and harassment from her colleagues amid her issuing a public apology. The SportsCenter host also accused ESPN of taking actions against her based on,
“inaccurate third-party accounts of Steele’s comments, and that the network did not immediately review the actual comments or the context in which they were made.”
According to reports, in 2017, ESPN established a rule requiring employees to refrain from commenting on political matters without a direct tie to sports. Steele claims her case was “selective enforcement” of this rule. The lawsuit states that ESPN,
“violated Connecticut law and Steele’s rights to free speech based upon a faulty understanding of her comments and a nonexistent, unenforced workplace policy that serves as nothing more than pretext.”
According to the complaint, Connecticut law prohibits companies from disciplining employees for exercising their constitutional right to free speech as long as their statements do not
“materially interfere with their performance or working relationship with the company.”
Sage Steele argues that because her comments were made on a third-party podcast, she should be considered a private citizen in this situation.
In addition, Steele cites other examples in which ESPN colleagues allegedly made political comments on-air and online, but were not penalized by the network. Sage Steele is seeking unspecified damages for this case.
In response to the lawsuit, ESPN issued a statement stating,
“Sage remains a valued contributor on some of ESPN’s highest profile content, including the recent Masters telecasts and anchoring our noon SportsCenter. As a point of fact, she was never suspended.”
What are your thoughts?
Black student can't attend Texas high school because of his hair
Black people continue to face hair discrimination in the year that is 2022. One high school student can’t even enroll into a school due to the style of his hair.
Dyree Williams has been proud of his hair for his entire life, but now that the 17-year old has moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to East Bernard, Texas, a new school dress code policy wants to strip him of a heritage that he is so proud of.
Per the East Bernard High School student handbook, “Boy’s hair may not extend below the eyebrows, below the tops of the ears or below a conventional standup shirt collar, and must not be more than one-inch difference in the length of the hair on the side to the length of the hair on top.”
Furthermore it specifically states that “braided hair or corn rows will not be allowed,” something that Williams’ mother, Desiree Bullock, says is “not an option.”
“Once you cut that hair off, you cut off your line to your ancestors, you cut off your lineage, you cut off everything,” said Bullock. “And just it’s not an option … We don’t consider them dreadlocks because we don’t dread them we love them.”
Since changing his hair is not an option for Williams, his mother made the decision to file for a religious exemption. It was denied by the district superintendent.
“The exemption request you filed has not been granted at this time. Assuming the children can meet the dress code requirements, as well as all necessary paperwork for enrollment, they are welcome to enroll with our district registrar,” said East Bernard Independent School District’s Superintendent Courtney Hudgins via email. “Please contact the registrar to make an appointment for enrollment. If you have any specific questions regarding the dress code, please contact the campus principal.”
When asked how the district came to their decision to deny the request, Bullock was met with no response.
With college right around the corner for the rising junior, Williams’ mother is saddened by the fact that her child is “missing opportunities to run track and get noticed by scouts for college scholarships.”
DaBaby Charged With Battery Over Alleged Music Video Attack
DaBaby is facing criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a man who tried to stop him from shooting a music video on his property.
The “Rockstar” rapper has been charged with felony battery by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office over the December 2020 incident. Gary Pagar claims that DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, rented his Runyon Canyon home on condition that no more than 12 people would be on site.
However, Pagar alleges that DaBaby violated the terms of the rental agreement when he showed up with over 40 people, including a film crew, to shoot a music video for his artist Stunna 4 Vegas’ “Play U Lay.”
On Dec. 2, Pagar paid a visit to the home and tried to shut down the production by talking to DaBaby before he was allegedly attacked by someone in the rapper’s crew. TMZ has obtained footage that shows a man pummeling Pagar to the ground before Stunna 4 Vegas breaks up the fight.
Kim Kardashian & Pete Davidson Make Their Red Carpet Debut at White House Correspondents' Dinner 2022
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have officially made their red carpet debut!
The cute couple hit the carpet together for the 2022 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner held at Washington Hilton on Saturday (April 30) in Washington, DC.
The event, which marks the return of a President at it this year, will be headlined Trevor Noah, with comedians Billy Eichner and James Corden appearing in pre-taped skits.
While this is Kim and Pete‘s official red carpet debut, the couple have been spotted at a few events together earlier this month.
Pete first attended the premiere of The Kardashians in Los Angeles, but skipped the red carpet. He was seen later heading to an after party with Kim and her family.
Kim also joined Pete at the Mark Twain Prize Ceremony just last week.
Oprah Winfrey Didn't Leave Her Home for 322 Days During the Pandemic, Talks About Being in Isolation
Oprah Winfrey is opening up about the amount of time that she spent inside her home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 68-year-old talk show icon revealed in a new interview that she didn’t leave her house for nearly a year and explained why she didn’t mind being in isolation.
“I didn’t leave home for 322 days — literally did not leave the house,” Oprah told the Los Angeles Times.
Oprah noted how some of her friends would “make fun of” her because she was so careful. She said that she was surprised by “how well I was able to adjust to the isolation and not being around other people.”
“I remember one point [close friend Gayle King] said, ‘Don’t you just miss being around other people?’ I go, ‘Eh, not really.’ And I think it’s because every day, I was in an audience of 350 people twice a day [on The Oprah Winfrey Show], so I’ve had shaking hands and autographs and selfies, and lots of attention, and exposure to being around a lot of people,” Oprah told the outlet.
“I was able to be with myself in a way that I haven’t been able to for years, because usually, even if I take time off for myself, I’m thinking about what is the next thing to come,” she said. “Overall, I was able to adjust because I have the ability [and] really strong sense of being in this present moment and living this moment without having to worry about the next.”
Oprah noted her privilege in the situation.
“You can do that when you don’t have to worry about where your next paycheck is coming from. I didn’t have to worry about, ‘Am I going to have rent? Am I going to be able to get food? Am I going to be able to keep the lights on and am I going to be able to take care of my children?’ ” she said.
Read the full interview at LATimes.com.
Andre Leon Talley Of Vogue Has Star-Studded Funeral
Vogue legend Andre Leon Talley had the stars coming out to honor his life and to celebrate his final home-going.
The funeral was held on a Thursday and was very exclusive—those in attendance were admitted by invite only. Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Naomi Campbell, Gayle King, Karlie Kloss, Marc Jacobs, Kimora Lee Simmons, and many others attended, TMZ reported.
The 73-year-old former creative director and one-time editor-at-large passed away in January at a hospital located in White Plains, NY. His cause of death has not been released.
Talley was a big name in Vogue’s vision and direction during the ’80s and ’90s. He was the magazine’s news director between ’83 – and ’87, which was just before he became Vogue’s creative director in ’88.
He is also credited for his work in getting more people of color recognized on the runway, which specifically includes Black models.
Petition To Remove Amber Heard From ‘Aquaman 2’ Surpasses 2.4 Million Signatures Amid Trial Against Johnny Depp
A peition to get Amber Heard removed from the upcoming Aquaman 2 flick has reached over 2.4 million signatures as the actress battles it out in court against her ex-husband Johnny Depp. The latter filed a $50 million lawsuit against his former flame, claiming that the abuse allegations she made against him were vehemently not true — an argument which Amber has countersued.
Since the trial commenced just under two weeks ago, fans have been able to watch the case in its entirety. But by the look of things, many people seem to think that the showdown in court has shown Amber is a rather negative light with employees and other witnesses all having taken to the stand saying they didn’t witness Johnny ever being violent towards his then-wife.
The father-of-two told the jury in court earlier this week that he had lost out on several movie roles due to the abuse claims, such as playing Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean and being ousted from portraying Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts, a role which Warner Bros. later recast. Fans have now started a petition to call for Amber to receive the same treatment as her ex, by having her removed from Aquaman 2, where she plays the protagonist’s love interest, Mera.
So far, over 2.4 million signatures have been recorded, with the petition’s next goal to reach 3 million in May. DC Comics and Warner Bros will undoubtedly be pressured to respond to the reaction from fans wanting Amber ousted from her role, but the film already finished filming back in January, with a release date set for March 2023.
Furthermore, it’s unclear whether Warner Bros would want to reshoot the entire movie with a new actress playing Amber’s role. After all, producing the follow-up motion picture would have cost the Hollywood studios tens of millions of dollars. A reshoot could skyrocket those numbers to go well over the intended budgeting costs.
The petition’s lengthy statement read, “As Amber Heard is a known and proven domestic abuser, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should remove Heard from their Aquaman 2 film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard’s victims and must not glamorize a domestic abuser.”
“Men are victims of domestic abuse, just like women. This must be recognized, and action must be taken to prevent a known abuser from being celebrated within the entertainment industry.
Amber is expected to take to the stand on Monday, when she gets to share her testimony in the ongoing trial against Johnny, which is expected to conclude on May 9. Depending on how things continue to play out in court, it’s somewhat likely that DC Comics and Warner Bros will have to address the petition to some extent and decide whether Amber stays in Aquaman 2 or whether the film is reshot.
‘Raising Dion’ Canceled by Netflix After 2 Seasons
*Fans of the Michael B. Jordan-produced superhero drama series “Raising Dion” will be gutted to know that Netflix has canceled the series.
The news comes less than three months after the series’ second season premiered, EW reports.
“Sad to say that Raising Dion is CANCELED,” series star Sammi Haney announced on Instagram Tuesday. “Thank you for all of the amazing support we got from all of our wonderful fans! Season 2 was a success, equal to Season 1, even if just looking at how many people watched all of it and wanted a season 3!”
Based on the comic book by Dennis Liu, season one of “Raising Dion” follows a woman named Nicole Reese, who raises her son Dion after the death of her husband Mark (Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son’s gifts secret from antagonists out to exploit him.
The series starred Alisha Wainwright as the single mother raising her son played by Ja’Siah Young. The second season saw Dion working with his mother to save the city of Atlanta.
According to Netflix’s weekly top 10 lists the second season of “Raising Dion” was among the streamer’s10 most-watched shows.
“You come across so many superhero stories that usually are from the perspective of the person inflicted with the powers,” Wainwright told EW ahead of the show’s launch in 2019. “It was so refreshing to hear the story from the person whose life is so dramatically affected by that: the caregiver of that young person.”
Back in 2018, prior to the debut of the series, Netflix said in a statement: “We haven’t seen this type of superhero story before — an origin myth full of imagination, wonder and adventure, all grounded in the experiences of a modern single mother. Michael B. Jordan is an exciting and dynamic talent, and I’m excited to see him, MACRO, Carol and the team translate Dennis’ unique vision to television.”
All-Pro Reciever AJ Brown Traded To The Philadelphia Eagles
AJ Brown shocked the NFL and NFL Draft by getting traded from the Tennessee Titians to the Philadelphia Eagles. After the Eagles moved up in the draft to select Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis with the 13th pick, the Eagles shocked the NFL by landing the All-Pro Brown via a trade with the Titans.
Not only that, but the Eagles have already signed the Pro Bowl wideout to a four-year, $100 million extension with $57 million guaranteed, per NFL Media, as they secured a new top target for the long term.
In exchange for Brown, the Titans received the No. 18 overall pick, which they used on potential Brown successor Treylon Burks from Arkansas, and the Eagles’ No. 101 pick, a third-rounder.
The Titians were the number 1 seed in the AFC last season with the help of Brown. Ultimately, the Titians didn’t want to give Brown a huge payday, so they traded him and, for all-purpose, drafted his replacement in a draft loaded with wide receivers.
The Eagles now have a go-to receiver that quarterback Jalen Hurst can rely on. Both Hurts and Brown are close friends who work out together regularly, so the Eagles stuck gold here, especially if they plan on building around Hurts long term. Brown is that big receiver the Eagles’ offense needed, and alongside DeVonta Smith, it will pose a big problem for defenses this season.
Menthol Cigarettes Ban Could Save a Lot of Black American Lives, FDA Says
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its proposed product standards to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and prohibit all characterizing flavors (other than tobacco) in cigars.
The government agency stated that the move could significantly reduce disease and death and lower youth experimentation and addiction, while increasing the number of smokers who quit.
In an article published by NPR on Friday (April 29), Keith Wailoo, author of the book “Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the Menthol Cigarette,” called the FDA’s proposed ban a “long time coming.”
The author said that when federal regulations barred tobacco companies from advertising to the youth in the mid 60s, tobacco companies had to find other ways to sell cigarettes.
“It’s then that the industry began to pivot aggressively towards targeted marketing in Black communities,” Wailoo said. “A lot of Black periodicals, like Ebony, became so dependent on tobacco advertising, that they were silent of the devastating impact of smoking in the Black community.”
Wailoo went on to explain that tobacco industries would find influencers in Black communities such as barbers or bellhops and give them free samples. The companies also sponsored events Black people frequented like the Kool Jazz Festival.
A 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 85% of Black smokers preferred menthol cigarettes. In 2019, the FDA said there were more than 18.5 million menthol cigarette smokers ages 12 and older in the U.S., with particularly high rates of use by youth, young adults, and African Americans.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available in the U.S., the FDA states that studies have estimated a 15% reduction in smoking within 40 years and an estimated 92,000 to 238,000 African Americans would avoid smoking-related deaths.
The NAACP, which admit to receiving funding from tobacco companies up until two decades ago, sent a letter to the FDA urging the agency to make significant changes.
“This pattern of activity continues today with expanded marketing strategies like supporting and providing sponsorship funding for events, supporting various Black leaders with financial support, discounting menthol products in Black neighborhoods, and abundant advertising in stores frequented by Black communities,” the statement reads.
Beginning May 4, the FDA is asking for the public to provide comments on these proposed rules, which the FDA will review as it considers future action. Once all the comments have been reviewed and considered, the FDA will decide whether to issue final product standards.
Elon Musk Reportedly Contemplating Monetizing Twitter With Embedded and Quote Tweets
Elon Musk is trying to figure out how to make Twitter more money — and his proposed solutions include charging users for ‘viral’ tweets as well as charging to embed tweets on websites.
via Complex:
Reuters reports that sources say the billionaire might try to make money from tweets and slash executives’ salaries. He reportedly notified the banks—which helped him purchase Twitter for $44 billion on Monday—about his tentative plans earlier this month. To pay for the purchase, he secured $13 billion in loans and another $12.5 billion margin loan fixed to his Tesla stock; he recently sold $8.5 billion of his Tesla shares. He paid for the balance in cash.
In addition to potentially cutting salaries—which he’s said could amount to $3 million in savings—he’s considering monetizing tweets “that contain important information or go viral,” the report writes. He’s also contemplating having websites pay a fee to quote or embed tweets from verified accounts, but will keep “moderation policies on the social media platform…as free as possible.”
He might also alter the Twitter Blue program, by decreasing the pricing, which currently costs $2.99 a month; prohibiting ads, and allowing users to pay in Dogecoin.
Musk issued a statement upon his purchase of Twitter on Monday.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” he said. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential—I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”
Twitter as we know it is likely over.
OK! Magazine Ends Weekly Publication
Page Six has learned that OK! Magazine will stop publishing its weekly print edition after 17 years.
It’s the first of the major titles in the troubled celebrity weekly market to succumb.
We’re told that it will continue to publish occasional special issues and its website — which is owned by a different company from the print edition — will stay online.
British businessman and erstwhile pornographer Richard Desmond launched the magazine in the United States in 2005 after his British version became a runaway success.
Desmond’s Northern & Shell publishing house planned to take on People Magazine as the country’s top celebrity weekly, and spent a fortune buying up splashy exclusive celebrity stories and staging slick photoshoots.
It scored some early hits, breaking the news that 16-year-old Disney star Jamie Lynn Spears was expecting a baby and winning the exclusive rights to Khloe Kardashian’s whirlwind wedding to Lamar Odom.
But when it became clear that People couldn’t be shaken from its spot as the premiere weekly, investment in OK! dwindled, leaving it to fight it out with Star and Life & Style at the lower end of the starry market.
Northern & Shell sold it to American Media Inc. — then publisher of the National Enquirer and Star — in 2011. AMI later scooped up Us Weekly, Life & Style, In Touch and Closer, leaving People as the only celebrity title that the company didn’t own. Then it sold the entire group to a360 in 2020.
Readership of OK! — along with many of the other celebrity titles — has continued to drop. The ailing market took another hit during the COVID lockdown, because it relies on sales to commuters and travelers at airports and train stations.
Doug Olsen, a former executive a rival publisher Meredith, took the reins at a360 in 2020.
OK!’s website was purchased by Empire Media, which also owns Radar Online and the US edition of Grazia Magazine, in 2020.
OK! shares most of its editorial staff with other a360 titles and there aren’t expect to be heavy layoffs.
A rep for OK! didn’t get back to us.
Caitlyn Jenner Says Lia Thomas Is “One Of The Worst Things To Happen To The Trans Community”
Caitlyn Jenner isn’t a fan of transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas, in fact, she feels Thomas is “one of the worst things to happen to the trans community.”
During her interview on Piers Morgan’s new show “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Jenner said that the swimmer was bad PR for trans people.
“Lia Thomas is one of the worst things that happened to the trans community because it’s such bad publicity,” she said.
“I’ve met so many wonderful trans people, doing so many wonderful things, living their life authentically.”
Thomas, 23, set records swimming for the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team and has been a controversial topic due to the issue of biological males who compete against other biological females in the NCAA.
Thomas is scheduled to graduate later this year and has her eyes on participating in the Olympics, the New York Post reported.
“I hope Lia Thomas — it’s over for her now because she’s out of college — and I just hope she has a wonderful life,” Jenner, who is a former Olympic gold medalist, continued.
“Being trans is not easy. I hope she enjoys the rest of her life and has a good life.”
Jenner isn’t in favor of trans-female athletes who compete in women’s college sports and has spoken against it publicly.
“We must protect women’s sports at all costs. What Lia has done, beating biological women to win a Division I national championship, is anathema to what sports represents and the spirit of competition,” she said in an editorial earlier this month.
Thomas’ winnings this year were met with outrage among the women’s athletic community, who claimed she destroyed the fair-play rights of the women she beat.
She won the 500-yard NCAA women’s championship in March, which then resulted in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calling second place winner Emma Wyant as the real first-place winner.
“@GovRonDeSantis agreed! She is the rightful winner!” Jenner tweeted in freelance. “It’s not transphobic or anti-trans, it’s COMMON SENSE!”
Last week, Jenner posted another tweet saying she was canceling her appearance on Morgan’s show because of his sit-down with Trump. Trump stormed out of the sit-down after the journalist grilled him on his statements that the 2020 election was rigged.
During her appearance on “Uncensored,” Jenner claimed she wanted to “clear the air.”
“I was asked to do this show like a month ago, and I wound up canceling about two weeks ago,” Jenner started.
“Why? Because I saw what you did to President Donald Trump, our president who I have a lot of respect for like he was walking out, you sensationalized the promo to build up ratings and all this, and I thought to myself I don’t want to be part of that and so I canceled.”
“But since then, and I stand by what I did, but since then we’ve had a chance to talk, I’ve talked to your producers, I feel pretty confident you won’t do that to me.”
Piers claimed the promotion of the Trump interview was because of Trump’s gig at hosting NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” which he won in 2008.
“He did those kind of promos on me every night to get people watching, so all is fair in love and promo war,” Morgan responded.
Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Allegedly Leaving Nooses and Racist Notes for BLM Supporters
A Michigan man has been hit with federal hate crime charges after he allegedly harassed Black Lives Matter supporters with racist messages and nooses.
According the United States Department of Justice, 61-year-old Kenneth Pilon began terrorizing his community members in June 2020, just weeks after the police killing of George Floyd. Investigators say Pilon had called nine Michigan Starbucks stores and ordered the person who answered the phone to “tell all the employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts that the only good n****r is a dead n****r.” He is also accused of telling one of the workers he was “gonna go out and lynch me a n*****.”
Authorities say Pilon spent the next month leaving multiple nooses around town—four in parking lots and one inside a 7-Eleven. Each of the nooses was accompanied by a handwritten note that read: “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!”
Pilon is also accused of leaving a noose and note inside a car owned by Regina Simon and Donald Simon.
“When he got into his truck, [Donald] noticed in the side of the door was this noose with a note attached to it,” Regina told NBC News earlier this week. “At first I’m thinking it’s a joke, somebody trying to be funny, but then I’m like this isn’t funny.”
“I can’t understand that this racism is still alive,” Donald added
Pilon is charged with six counts of interfering with federally protected activities, which is a misdemeanor hate crime. Each count could result in a fine and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
Bill Murray Admits He Caused Film Shoot Shutdown: 'I Did Something I Thought Was Funny'
Bill Murray on Saturday acknowledged that his behavior on set led to a complaint from a woman and the suspension of filming on his latest movie.
The actor and comedian, in his first comments about the shutdown of “Being Mortal,” described the incident as a “difference of opinion” but declined to provide specifics on what transpired, or who it involved.
“I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way,” he told CNBC during an interview at the annual shareholders meeting for Berkshire Hathaway. “The movie studio wanted to do the right thing so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it and so they stopped the production.”
Murray said he and the unnamed woman are talking it through and “trying to make peace with each other.” He didn’t say when or if production would resume and whether he’d continue to take part in the film.
“We’re both professionals,” Murray said of the woman. “We like each other’s work. We like each other I think and if you can’t really get along and trust each other, there’s no point in going further working together or making a movie as well.”
The 71-year-old “Ghostbusters” and “Caddyshack” comedian suggested the changing nature of what’s considered appropriate humor was a factor.
“It’s been quite an education for me,” he said. “The world is different than it was when I was a little kid. What I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change so it’s important for me to figure it out.”
Murray added: “I think it’s a sad dog that can’t learn anymore. I don’t want to be that sad dog and I have no intention of it.”
Searchlight Pictures has confirmed production was suspended but has so far declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing inquiry. The entertainment website Deadline reports the complaint against Murray was filed earlier this month and production was halted last week.
“Being Mortal” stars Murray, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer and Aziz Ansari, who is writing, directing and producing the movie.
Production started in Los Angeles in March and the film was slated to be released in theaters next year. The film is based on surgeon and author Dr. Atul Gawande’s 2014 non-fiction book on end-of-life care, “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
THE DIAPER TUTU
WOW he has on a Kids ballerina tutu and a diaper.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
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