#MAGFAB: Jason Momoa for GQ Hype
Jason Momoa doesn’t exactly love that he keeps dying, if you really want to get into it. “My kids are always like, ‘Are you gonna die again? You always die,” he says, a little forlornly. “I obviously made a name for myself dying so if you see me it’s like, ‘Momoa’s gonna jump on the bomb, I know it!’”
Thus far he has been shot in the head, blown up, smothered, died by suicide, had his throat slashed, and been stabbed in both the stomach and the chest. It was watching his most recent death, in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi spectacular Dune with his 12-year-old son, that really got to him. “It was pretty heart wrenching, cause I was like, ‘I’m right here buddy!’ But he was like, ‘Papa nooooooooo,’ he recalls, howling like a dog at the moon. “I said: ‘Listen dude: if you’re gonna go out, go out big.’”
Which might make it sound as though the Aquaman actor is a mere mortal, but if you saw Jason Momoa walking down the street (and not, say, emerging from the ocean with a trident in his hand, and the promise of avenging his sea queen mother glinting in his eye) you might still wonder if this towering man didn’t arrive on dry land using a branch of coral as a surfboard, having caught a wave from a kingdom far more exciting than anywhere on planet earth. Some actors inhabit characters nothing like themselves; others play those that seem forged in their own image. Jason Momoa, built like a Land Cruiser, with a tangled mane of dark hair, and wide, open face topped with arched eyebrows, belongs to the latter camp. The army of otherworldly alphas the 42-year-old has played include a barbarian combatant hellbent on revenge (Conan the Barbarian), a Dothraki warlord (Game of Thrones), the warrior leader of the Alkenny tribe (See), a tribesman from planet Sateda in the Pegasus Galaxy (Stargate Atlantis), and, most famously, a majestic sea king (Aquaman).
In the comic books and DC mega movies, Aquaman rules over the kingdom of Atlantis, protecting the planet and all the lands that lurk beneath the surface of the ocean. But lately, Momoa just wants to walk through a shop without seeing a plastic bottle that will end up floating in the sea for the next thousand years.
“Every day there’s a dumpster fire,” he says. “Yes we’re trying to go green but what are the batteries doing? What are we doing to indigenous cultures and what does that mean? I’m not just going to blindly do this, there's got to be proper laws written around these things. I don’t like bitching, I want to do something. But I feel like I don't have much time,” he says over Zoom, his voice filled with the mixture of theatrical urgency and wide-eyed sincerity that you’d expect from a superhero at a moment of crisis, the ticking clock of an action movie hurrying him along almost audible in the background.
And to be fair, he’s not wrong. We are speaking in early July when Momoa is in London to shoot Fast and Furious 10. Two weeks from now the UK will witness the hottest temperature on record as motorways bend from the force of the sun and train tracks spontaneously burst into flames.
So he’s doing something. In June of this year Momoa was designated the UN Environment Programme’s Advocate for Life Below Water, working alongside charities and scientists to raise awareness and funding for the triple threat of crises we are facing of climate change, biodiversity loss and extreme pollution. Celebrity activism is often regarded at best as naive do-gooding and at worst as cynical branding. Momoa, though, is genuinely passionate about being Aquaman on screen and off. His advocacy has seen him campaign for reducing single-use plastic pollution, in part by setting up aluminium-bottled water company Mananalu, who remove plastic headed toward the ocean. He’s also collaborated on a range of plastic-free clothing and sporting apparel, from trainers to T-shirts.
Jason Momoa Aquaman and real life superhero is on a quest to save the ocean
Mainei Kinimaka, On The Roam
So far his quest has seen him make an impassioned speech in front of the UN, and issue a desperate plea to Coca-Cola’s packaging company to start using aluminium to bottle water. This cause is personal to Momoa, because as it happens his origin story is about water, too.
Growing up in the landlocked Midwest, Momoa would stick posters of surfers inside his locker even though the other kids, all of whom looked totally different to him, would make fun of him for being a surfer dude. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii; his mother a photographer with Irish, German and Pawnee tribe ancestry, his father a painter with Native Hawaiian roots. When he was six months old he moved with his mother to Norwalk, Iowa, but growing up still felt the pull of the island he first landed on 4,000 miles away. One summer, Momoa remembers taking a yellow bus that wound its way all the way down to the Florida Keys to study at a marine biology camp and marvel at the creatures that lived beneath waves. “My dad was always in the water, you couldn’t get him out,” Momoa says. “He was a steersman and when I was younger I idolised him and my uncles and my cousins because they’re all surfers.” In the summers when he returned to Honolulu he took part in the Junior Lifeguard Program, which would end up being Method acting-level training for his first big break on Baywatch: Hawaii in the ‘90s, and after finishing high school he returned home to enroll in the University of Hawaii's marine biology program.
For Momoa’s whole life, water has been where he feels safe and the place he always seems to come back to. But when he was approached by director Zack Synder about starring in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, he couldn’t envisage someone who looked like him being given the chance to play DC comics' resident king of the sea. “When Zack told me he wanted me to play Aquaman, I was like, ‘What? that’s like the farthest thing [from what I thought] I would ever be’. Then he laid it out and I thought, ‘Why can’t it be someone of Polynesian descent?’”
He took to the role like a 6”4, 200 lb man to water, landing a standalone eponymous movie alongside Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson and Amber Heard two years later. In the Justice League films, Aquaman is part of a gang of heroes tackling intergalactic threats, but his own film franchise has taken on a new life as a thinly-veiled metaphor for the destruction of the planet. Aquaman lays the blame for polluting the world on the behaviour of humankind, lamenting as the skies burn and the oceans boil. “These superhero movies dominate our market, which I have my own thoughts on because I love cinema, but we try to put out a positive message and go on an adventure,” he says. “Aquaman is the most made-fun-of superhero in the world. But it’s amazing to be able to bring awareness of what is happening to our planet. It’s not some story that’s been told over and over, [it’s a] movie about what’s happening right now but in a fantasy world.”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which will be released next year, leans further into climate change allegory. Surprisingly, then, it’s also “a lot funnier” than its predecessor, Momoa says. “I have a great time with… there’s a lot of…. It’s a throwback to…” he says, buffering as his brain calculates what he’s actually allowed to reveal. “I don’t want to give too much away. But we really get to speed up what is going to happen to this earth, and it’s not because of aliens.”
The sequel features a scene in which Aquaman’s alter-ego Arthur Curry gives a grand speech to the UN warning them of the disaster looming on the horizon. Things came full circle for the actor earlier this year when he addressed the real United Nations himself. Momoa was at the UN’s Ocean Conference in June in Lisbon; his daughter Lola, 15, and son Nakoa-Wolf, 13, who he shares with his ex-wife Lisa Bonet, were both seated in the front row. At the end of the talk they were called on in the audience to answer the final question – “What do you think we can do right now to change the world?” – which they took on as though they’d been asked where the toilet was. “It made me feel extremely proud seeing them speak for themselves and take this heavy moment in,” Momoa says. “I’m not as young as I used to be. It’s scary having kids and knowing what is going to happen to our planet if we don’t change shit now.”
When it comes to his movie career, Momoa hopes he is witnessing a shift from cinema always having “a white guy that saves the day” toward telling stories from different perspectives, a trend he’s keen to continue now as a screenwriter. Take, for example, The Last Manhunt, which Momoa just sold the rights for alongside his writing partner Thomas Pa'a Sibbett. A double murder story set in the desert, the film will reimagine the western story of outlaw Willie Boy from an Indigenous perspective, with a broadly Native American ensemble cast. He’s hopeful this prevents things going terribly wrong after the cameras have stopped rolling and he no longer has a say. “I’ve been a part of a lot of things that really sucked, and movies where it’s out of your hands,” he says. “Conan [the Barbarian] was one of them. It’s one of the best experiences I had and it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of shit.”
Was he pleased to get out of Game of Thrones before the much-derided 2019 finale rolled around? “It would have been great to stay on it across the seasons, but it’s just the way Drogo had to go,” he says, seemingly at peace with dying from a battle wound, being brought back to life in a vegetative state, and finally burned alive before the end of season two.
Khal Drogo was a certain type of brutish barbarian that Momoa is now hopeful he can leave behind, and play a wider range of men as cinema starts to meaningfully challenge ideas about masculinity. “It’s been hard because people always think I’m just this dude who plays [macho characters],” he says. “But I want to be moved, I want something new. Things are changing, and even the villain roles I’m playing now are eccentric.” In the tenth Fast and Furious film, Momoa plays a villain whose toenails are painted purple and pink, with a lavender car to match, and who enjoys laughing maniacally as he blows up co-star Ludacris’s car. “I’m a peacock at the highest level and I’m having the time of my life,” he grins. He’ll also star in an Apple TV series, Chief of War, set in 18th-century Hawaii (“when the white men showed up”) which he describes as being “Braveheart-style”, as well as action-comedy comic book adaptation Slumberland later this year.
One film he won’t be returning for is Dune 2, on account of the fact that everyone (not to mention his son) quite clearly saw his character Duncan Idaho die. Still, don’t count him out for good just yet, as Villeneuve has recently made clear his wishes to adapt Frank Herbert’s book Dune: Messiah into a third movie, and in that book Duncan Idaho is reborn as the clone Hayt.
“Have you read the books?” Momoa asks slyly when pressed about a potential return. “Well, I mean the books are proof… so I’m not the one spoiling it here. So, you should continue reading,” his smile spreads, “I love that world and I’m very happy to be a part of it.”
Back on earth, Momoa’s personal mission to rid the world of plastic reached its dramatic climax in an unexpected place. When Momoa went to the packaging giant Ball about the need to put water into aluminium bottles rather than plastic packaging (you imagine, again with that countdown clock tick-tocking as he spoke) he found himself facing resistance. Sorry, they told him, they didn’t bottle water in aluminium. And so Momoa pulled out the big guns: “Well you fucking do now, because I'm Aquaman!”
And guess what? They do now.
#RHOA: Kandi Burruss On Why She Dreads Reunions & Why ‘Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip’ Is Not For Her
Kandi Burruss keeps booked and busy and ahead of filming The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 14 reunion, she revealed in an interview she was dreading it. The Bravo star also shared why she wouldn’t want to appear on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and what she’s up to next.
Andy Cohen recently posted on Instagram all the note cards he used during the RHOA reunion filming and it seemed like they covered a lot of topics. However, for Burruss, coming back with her co-stars to relive problems from the past is a process she doesn’t enjoy.
“I never look forward to hashing it out with any of them, to be clear, I always hate reunions,” she said during an interview with Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap before the reunion was filmed. “For years, it makes my stomach turn whenever I go into a reunion because I hate arguing with people and I always know that it’s going to be just complete back and forth.”
Burruss explained that this year she hadn’t realized “there [were] a lot of people that were just coming for [her] neck” and only gained knowledge of it while watching the season play out on TV.
“They had a lot of things to say that I didn’t know that was happening when I was standing around,” she added. “They weren’t really saying some of those things, so obviously, that’s got to be addressed.”
Stars of The Real Housewives franchise have been coming together to shoot the Ultimate Girls Trip series for Peacock, but Burruss said she was not interested in partaking in that.
“I don’t really think that’s for me and it’s not that I think is anything wrong with it, I just feel like the people who I would have probably seen myself being on [RHUGT] with, have already done it,” she explained.
Burruss was referring to her RHOA co-stars Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore who appeared on the first season of the spinoff.
The singer also mentioned she is working on a new reality show with Bravo with her group Xscape and SWV, but as of now doesn’t know what the title of the series will be. Burruss is also excited about The Piano Lesson premiering on Broadway soon which stars Samuel L. Jackson.
Watch Kandi Burruss’ complete interview HERE
#MusicNews: Alicia Keys Releases Deluxe Edition Of Latest Album “Keys II”
Alicia Keys has just dropped the deluxe edition of her latest album “Keys” called “Keys II”.
The updated version of the album includes two new songs featuring Brent Faiyaz and Lucky Daye respectively. The deluxe edition also feature two remixes of the superstar’s hit song “In Common” which has never appeared on an album previously.
The new guest appearance from Lucky Daye is on the song “Stay” (Originals) while Brent Faiyaz will appears “Trillions” (Unlocked). “In Common Black Coffee Remix” and “In Common Kaskade Radio Mix” give fresh new spins on a fan favorite hits to round out the extended track list.
As with the previously released version KEYS listeners will be treated to a dual, one-of-a-kind sonic experience – the originals side contains songs that are quintessentially Alicia, reminiscent of the ground-breaking soundscape that everyone has come to know and love since her debut.
Also check out the tour dates for Alicia Keys’ tour “ALICIA + KEYS”:
08.14.2022 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
08.16.2022 Detroit, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
08.18.2022 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
08.19.2022 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
08.21.2022 St. Louis, MO Saint Louis Music Park
08.23.2022 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
08.24.2022 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
08.25.2022 Denver, CO Bellco Theatre
08.28.2022 Seattle, WA WAMU Theatre
08.29.2022 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
08.31.2022 Portland, OR Theatre of the Clouds at Moda Center
09.02.2022 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
09.03.2022 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
09.05.2022 Inglewood, CA YouTube Theater
09.06.2022 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
09.07.2022 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
09.09.2022 San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
09.10.2022 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Federal Theatre
09.13.2022 Houston, TX Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
09.14.2022 Dallas, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
09.16.2022 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live Arena
09.17.2022 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts
09.18.2022 Tampa, FL Hard Rock Event Center
09.23.2022 Atlanta, GA Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
09.24.2022 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheater
#HipHopNews: Megan Thee Stallion Returns With New Album 'Traumazine'
Just hours after her surprise announcement, Megan Thee Stallion is back with something for the Hotties, her sophomore album Traumazine.
The 18-track set, her most personal project yet, boasts appearances from Jhené Aiko, Lucky Daye, Latto, Pooh Shiesty, Key Glock, and Rico Nasty, plus a collaboration with Houston’s own Sauce Walka, Big Pokey, and Lil Keke.
The album previously spawned a trio of singles including “Plan B,” “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa, and “Pressurelicious” featuring Future.
The music was inspired by her experiences over the past two years, which Megan said was a therapeutic process. “I wrote this album for myself,” Megan said of the follow-up to to her 2020 debut Good News. “I wanted to start writing in a journal but I said f**k it I’ll put it in a song.”
Traumazine marks Megan’s final album for 1501 Certified Entertainment. Earlier today, she called out the label and its CEO Carl Crawford for allegedly leaking her music amid their ongoing legal dispute.
Stream Traumazine HERE
OH? Sheree Zampino wouldn’t film ‘RHOBH’ if Jada Pinkett Smith joined the show
Sheree Zampino would never let a diamond get in the way of her relationship with ex-husband Will Smith and his current wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 54, exclusively tells Page Six that she would bow out the reality series if Pinkett Smith, 50, ever signed on as a cast member.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t do the show with Jada,” Zampino reveals. “I would never want to jeopardize what we’ve built. I wouldn’t even take that chance.”
Since divorcing Smith, 53, in 1995, the “Hollywood Exes” alum has maintained a healthy co-parenting dynamic with the Oscar-winning actor. The former couple shares 29-year-old son Trey.
Arguably more impressive, though, is Zampino’s enduring friendship with Pinkett Smith.
The women have seamlessly blended their families — including Smith’s younger kids, Jaden, 24, and Willow, 21, with the “Red Table Talk” host — and frequently gather for holidays and special occasions.
But Zampino — who joined “RHOBH” this season as a “friend of” — says she makes a concerted effort to never “blur lines” with Pinkett Smith.
“You have to keep the main thing the main thing and those are our children. It’s about making it work for their well-being,” the Sheree Elizabeth Boutique founder says of the trio’s partnership that is full of “grace, love and respect.”
Zampino continues, “We’re family and we’re at functions. But Jada and I, we don’t go to happy hour and hang out.”
And they certainly wouldn’t grab cocktails in front of Bravo cameras. However, Zampino tells us that she is open to the idea of Pinkett Smith and Smith making future “Beverly Hills” cameos should her role expand to full-time status.
“You can never say never,” she says of potential appearances made by the A-list pair.
In the meantime, Zampino isn’t sure Smith and Pinkett Smith have even watched her “Housewives” debut.
“I think for me, it seems like I’m bragging,” she says, explaining why she can’t even bring herself to ask if they’ve tuned in.
“My son will say, ‘Mom, that’s a construct. That’s just a construct.’ … The reality is, is people that care about me and love me want to know what I’m doing,” Zampino elaborates. “They don’t want to have to hear about it from somebody else, so I have to work on that.”
Still, the Whoop Ash creator — who entered the fray via pal Garcelle Beauvais — admits that she does worry what her loved ones may think about her on-camera confessions.
“The first episode I’m talking about my vagina!” she points out with a laugh. “So, it’s like, my dad’s watching. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ You know, it is what it is.”
For more from Zampino, watch this week’s episode of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-tea.”
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
#RIP: Actor and comedian Teddy Ray dies in Southern California
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Teddy Ray, a comedian and actor who appeared on the HBO Max series “PAUSE with Sam Jay,” has died, authorities confirmed on Saturday. He was 32.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the county's coroner's office confirmed that the death of the comedian, whose legal name was Theadore Brown, was reported Friday morning in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, the Los Angeles Times reported. Sheriff's Sgt. Brandi Swan, who said deputies responded to a call about the death at a private residence, said that the cause of death was unknown.
Entertainment companies and some of Ray's fellow comedians reacted with sadness to the news of Ray's death.
“Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer,” TV network Comedy Central said in a Twitter statement. “He'll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community.”
All Def Digital, a multi-platform media company that Ray had collaborated with, tweeted that it was “heartbroken” about the news of Ray's death. “We will miss him every day but we know he will have Heaven laughing,” the tweet read.
Ray appeared as the bailiff on “PAUSE with Sam Jay,” appeared in the digital series Cancel Court, and was a stand-up comedian.
Mattel Sues Rap Snacks Over Use of ‘Barbie-Que’ in Nicki Minaj Barbecue Chips
According to Reuters, Mattel Inc. filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court last week, alleging the popular snack brand infringed on its long-standing Barbie trademark. The toy-maker took issue with the company’s “Barbie-Que Honey Truffle” chips, which were introduced earlier this summer.
“The association is so evident that upon seeing the packaging, representatives for Defendant’s celebrity partner queried whether Rap Snacks had obtained permission from Mattel,” the complaint reads. “Indeed, Rap Snacks never requested or received any such permission.”
Mattel argues the snack creates confusion among consumers, as it falsely associates the product with the Barbie brand. The company has reportedly sought an order to block Rap Snacks from using the Barbie name; it’s also looking to receive unspecified damages as well as profits from the chip sales.
Mattel and Rap Snacks declined the outlet’s request for comment.
Nicki, who announced the collaboration back in June, is not listed as a co-defendant.
“Nicki Minaj is unquestionably one of the most disruptive forces in the history of rap,” Rap Snacks CEO James Lindsay told People magazine earlier this year. “You’re talking about a woman who rewrote the rules of hip-hop culture and happens to be a phenomenal entrepreneur, as well. It just makes sense that as a brand disrupting the snack industry, we align to push the bar even further. This is the beginning of a legendary partnership.”
Founded in 1994, Rap Snacks specializes in packaged food and beverages that pay homage to hip-hop culture. The brand has previously collaborated with artists like Snoop Dogg, Migos, Lil Baby, Master P, Rick Ross, and more.
Jennifer Lopez Sends Britney Spears a Message of Support Amid Singer's Feud With Kevin Federline
Jennifer Lopez has got Britney Spears' back. On Aug 13, the "Let's Get Loud" singer reposted on her Instagram Story a now-deleted post shared by the fellow pop star, while including a photo of the two posing together at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.
In Britney's original post, which featured a home video of the pop star, she had shared some words of wisdom she once heard from J.Lo. "As Jennifer Lopez once said 'You look right down that camera and tell every little girl in the world to get loud and never ever back down to giving light to injustice'," Britney wrote on Instagram, along with the video. "I'm here to share that freedom is a state of mind!"
Britney also wrote, "In a world where you have the right to use your feet…heart… mouth… eyes…and body…to express yourself however you may !!! Declaration of INDEPENDENCE … for equality and to be equal !!!"
In her repost, Jennifer, 53, wrote, "Stay strong," in support of Britney, 40.
The supportive social media exchange comes amid Britney's ongoing feud with ex-husband Kevin Federline—who was married to Britney from 2004 to 2007.
In a recent interview with ITV News the 44-year-old made the bombshell allegation that the former couple's sons Sean Preston Federline, 16, and Jayden James Federline, 15 "have decided they are not seeing" their mother right now," according to the Mail on Sunday, which published excerpts.
According to the newspaper, the former backup dancer also signaled that the boys were negatively affected by Britney's Instagram activity. The singer often posted censored naked photos of herself on the platform.
After Kevin's comments were made public, Britney—whose near 13-year conservatorship was terminated in November—fired back on her Instagram Stories, calling the situation "hurtful."
"It saddens me to hear that my ex husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children," she wrote on Aug. 6. "As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone."
She continued, "It concerns me the fact that the reason is based on my Instagram ... it was LONG before Instagram ... I gave them everything."
That same day, Britney's husband Sam Asghari came to his wife's defense, denying the rift between the pop star and her kids and insulted Kevin as a father.
"There is no validity to his statement regarding the kids distancing themselves and it is irresponsible to make that statement publicly," the 28-year-old wrote on his Instagram Story on Aug. 6. "The boys are very smart and will be 18 soon to make their own decisions and may eventually realize the 'tough' part was having a father who hasn't worked much in over 15 years."
He also seemingly threw shade at the fact that Kevin receives child support from Britney, adding that his "gravy train will end soon [which] probably explains the timing of these hurtful statements."
Days later Kevin punched back and appeared to post videos from nearly four years ago on Instagram of who appeared to Sean and Jayden arguing with their mother.
"I can not sit back and let my sons be accused in this way after what they've been through. As much as it hurts us, we decided as a family to post these videos," Kevin captioned the since-deleted clips on Aug, 10. "I hope our kids grow up to be better than this."
After the footage was shared, Britney's lawyer Mathew Rosengart called Kevin's action "cruel"
"Britney has faithfully supported her children and she loves them dearly," Rosengart said in a statement to E! News on Aug 11. "Whether he realizes it or not, Mr. Federline has not only violated the privacy and dignity of the mother of his children, he has undermined his own children, whose privacy he should protect. Putting aside his ITV interview, Mr. Federline's ill-advised decision to post an old video of his 11 and 12 year old children was cruel, bottom of the barrel stuff."
R. Kelly's lawyer addresses Joycelyn Savages' claim that she is pregnant by the singer
child in her new book, and already the claim has been refuted. Jennifer Bonjean, R. Kelly’s attorney, told TMZ that while she may be pregnant, she “certainly is not pregnant with R. Kelly’s child.”
Savage, 26, made the claim in her tell-all, “Love and Joy of Robert.” The short read is only 24-pages in length and was published Friday (Aug. 12). The supposed mother-to-be said she wrote the book to reveal her experiences of living in the disgraced singer’s shadow as his lover. “I went from living in a place where no one cared about my mental health to being able to live the best life I could. Taking part in this book was the first part of my experience of something I cannot ever get over, and I was able to share something Robert did not want to be known to the public,” she wrote about the book on Amazon.
In it, she details how she initially thought she had contracted COVID-19 when she began experiencing strange symptoms. She had in fact tested positive, just not for the novel virus. “It was a happy day but an incomplete time in my life,” wrote Savage. “Today I am grateful to God for giving me the most precious gift. Robert is extremely excited about the news that I am having a baby and feels sad that Robert will not be able to be here with us,” she continued. As it pertains to the details in the book, Bonjean said, “People are just insane.”
Kelly has three children with his ex-wife Andrea Danyell Kelly. For the past year, Kelly has been behind bars since being hit with a slew of charges including racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child and kidnapping. Savage has long been perceived as one of Kelly’s victims; the young lady, however, has never viewed herself as such.
Tank defends Beyoncé after Bishop Wooten condemns her "thotty" record "Church Girl"
Singer-songwriter Tank issued a reminder that when it comes to judgement, it is best to “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” The R&B crooner doled out the biblical lesson, which is anchored on the scripture John 8:7, in defense of Beyoncé on Friday (Aug. 12). Heading into the weekend, the Renaissance singer found herself the target of a speech by Bishop Patrick L. Wooden Sr. that condemned her for her song “Church Girl.”
The Upper Room Church of God in Christ leader accused the Grammy-award winning artist of releasing “sacrilege” and having lyrics that were nothing short of a “desecration.” On the record, Beyoncé sings, “Nobody can judge me but me, I was born free…Church girls actin’ loose, bad girls actin’ snotty,” along with a host of other flirty and “thotty” lyrics. The song is reminiscent of a church song as well as hip hop and uptempo dance vibes. It also samples “Center Of Thy Will.” A song that was made famous by gospel singing duo The Clark Sisters in the 80s.
Bishop Wooden held nothing back when noting how offended he was by the sample and un-church-like record as a whole. “To sample the song of a real church lady, Twinkie Clark…I don’t know whether she knew what she was going to do with the song or not. But she knows she not saved. I pray to God that a stiff denunciation of what she did with that song is put out. It shows that we’re not speaking up. Nobody respects the church,” Wooden declared.
Tank, who has openly shared that he grew up in a church environment, jumped to the “Alien Superstar” singer’s defense by reminding Wooden that his own salvation should be of greater concern than that of Beyoncé’s. “Who are you pastor to question the salvation of Beyoncé?” he asked. He continued, “Who gives you the authority and that right to question what she believes in her heart because of a song on top of a Clark Sisters record?”
The “When We” vocalist further added that “the judgement that you have cast. Assuming that this woman has sold her soul to the devil. Immediately, condemning her to hell. Where did you find this position? Who gave you God’s position?”
One of XXXTentacion's murder suspects accepts plea deal
One of the four suspects involved in XXXTentacion’s murder case pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a testimony against his three other co-defendants. On Friday (Aug. 12), attorney Jim Lewis said, “Robert Allen… entered a guilty plea. He pled to a lesser included offense of second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.”
In June 2018, Allen, Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, and Trayvon Newsome were accused of shooting and killing the rapper born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy. XXXTentacion withdrew $50,000 from a bank before going to the RIVA Motorsports shop at 3671 N. Dixie Highway. The four are accused of killing the “SAD!” rapper for the cash, and the last moment lives forever on the internet. Allen was arrested days later at his sister’s home in Atlanta. All the culprits were indicted by a grand jury one month later, and Allen is facing life in prison.
Lewis continued, “Mr. Allen’s role in this, it was much less than the other three. More of an accessory after the fact than really part of the planning. Certainly, he never got out of the car, never had a gun, never shot anybody.” He added, “Obviously, we’re hoping for a lot better than a life sentence.” Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan is scheduled to sentence Allen on Feb. 23.
Hulu released a documentary in May called Look At Me: XXXTENTACION. The project analyzed the life of the Florida-born rapper. His career began at the tender age of 15, and he successfully built a solid fan base after uploading his music to SoundCloud. After XXXTentacion’s debut, his career was overshadowed by controversy and the documentary paints a vivid picture of the influential artist. The streaming giant’s description reads, “Director Sabaah Folayan offers a sensitive portrayal of an artist whose acts of violence, raw musical talent and open struggles with mental health left an indelible mark on his generation before his death at the age of 20.”
#RIP: 'Insecure' & 'Beverly Hills, 90210' Actress Denise Dowse Passes Away at 64 After Battle with Meningitis
Denise Dowse has sadly passed away. The actress, known best for her role on Insecure as Dr. Rhonda Pyne and Beverly Hills, 90210 as Mrs. Yvonne Teasley, died on Saturday (August 13) at the age of 64 after a battle with severe meningitis, her family confirmed in a statement.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life,” Tracey Dowse wrote on her sister’s Instagram. “Denise Yvonne Dowse was the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actress, mentor and director. She was my very best friend and final family member. Denise loved all of you. I know that she is watching over us with all the love she has. I ask for privacy and your continued prayers.”
A few days earlier, it was revealed that Denise had slipped into a coma amid being hospitalized.
Our thoughts are with Denise‘s loved ones during this difficult time.
Salman Rushdie Stabbing Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder Charge
The man suspected in stabbing author Salman Rushdie has been arrested.
On Friday (August 12), the 75-year-old renowned author was attacked on stage moments before giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.
Salman was rushed then rushed to the hospital with an apparent stab wound to the neck.
The day after the stabbing, 24-year-old Hadi Matar from Fairview, New Jersey was arrested for attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree.
During a court appearance later that day, Matar pleaded not guilty, according to his public defender Nathanial Barone, CNN reports.
The defender went on to say that Matar has been “very cooperative” and communicating openly, but did not discuss the content of their conversations.
Matar was refused bail and remains in the Chautauqua County Jail. His next court appearance is on Friday, August 19.
While Salman remains in the hospital, his agent provided a distressing update on his condition.
Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Jeremy Lin, Naomi Osaka Shorts Have Qualified for Oscar Consideration
The three Oscar categories that recognize films which run 40 minutes or shorter — best live action short, best documentary short and best animated short — are often regarded as “minor,” but this year’s contenders for them will include some major names.
On the heels of recent Academy Awards ceremonies at which Oscars for short films were taken home by the likes of retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant, former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry and Hollywood A-lister Riz Ahmed, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Taylor Swift’s filmmaking debut All Too Well: The Short Film — which the pop star has described as “a film about an effervescent, curious young woman who ends up completely out of her depth” — received an Oscar-qualifying run, making it eligible for the best live action short Oscar, and is working with a top consulting firm to guide its awards campaign.
The 14-minute production (watch it here), which Swift wrote and directed a decade after the release of her massively acclaimed power ballad “All Too Well,” screened at the AMC Lincoln Square for one week last fall, from Nov. 12 (the day of its premiere there) through Nov. 18. And while that timing would have precluded it from this season’s best picture race, which requires a release within the calendar year preceding the Oscars ceremony, it works just fine for the best live action short race. The eligibility window of which began on Oct. 1, 2021 and runs through Sept. 30.
Swift, who has never been Oscar-nominated, but is also generating buzz this year for her original song “Carolina” featured in Where the Crawdads Sing, injected some new mojo behind All Too Well: The Short Film during the Tribeca Film Festival over the summer. On June 11, accompanied by her leading lady Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) and leading man Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), she attended a screening of the film at a jam-packed Beacon Theatre and then spoke about it with filmmaker/fan Mike Mills — citing Barbara Stanwyck’s films, especially 1937’s Stella Dallas, as major influences, and emphasizing, “This is not a music video” — before performing “All Too Well” live for besotted fans.
Swift is not the only music star with a film that will be in the running for the best live action short Oscar. Kendrick Lamar’s We Cry Together, a six-minute film starring himself and Zola’s Taylour Paige as a quarreling couple, which Lamar made to supplement his song of the same name that was featured on the album he released in May, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, quietly played at the Laemmle Royal Theater in West. L.A. from June 3 through June 9, qualifying it for the race.
I’m told that pgLang, a company recently created by Lamar and Dave Free, four-walled Laemmle’s 180-seat main theater for one screening per day, each of which occured under the oversight of a special outside security detail that collected the phones of all attendees. Attendees were mostly family and friends of those associated with the project, although roughly 20 members of the public were also able to buy tickets to each showing.
Another short with familiar names attached to it — this one a short of the documentary variety — is 38 at the Garden, which revisits the story of former New York Knicks basketball star Jeremy Lin, who came out of nowhere a decade ago to dominate the NBA during a period known as “Linsanity.” Produced by 2021 best live action short Oscar winner Travon Free (who, for Two Distant Strangers, became that award’s first Black winner) and EP’d by CNN host Lisa Ling, the film — for which Lin granted a rare interview — marks the directorial debut of Frank Chi, an Asian-American who runs a DC-area political creative agency, and has had audiences cheering and crying since beginning its film festival run at Tribeca in June.
38 at the Garden — a reference to a particularly remarkable Lin performance at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 10, 2012 — most recently screened at the HollyShorts festival in Hollywood on Thursday, and will hit HBO in October. At a time of rising hate crimes against Asian-Americans, the story of a person who brought such great pride to that community, and whose popularity extended far beyond it, is especially moving. And given the fact that Bryant’s Dear Basketball won best animated short in 2018 and Ben Proudfoot’s The Queen of Basketball won best documentary short earlier this year, we can safely assume that today’s Oscar voters are not averse to stories about life on the hardwood as were those who a generation ago declined to even nominate one of the greatest documentary features ever made, Steve James’s 1994 masterpiece Hoop Dreams.
31-year-old Proudfoot has another doc short in the mix this year: Mink! (which you can watch here), the story of the late Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color ever elected to the U.S. House of Represenatives and a co-author of the landmark legislation known as Title IX. If Mink! — which The New York Times Op-Docs series dropped on June 23, the 50th anniversary of the signing of Title IX — is nominated, that would make Proudfoot the only person to ever land best documentary short noms in three consecutive years (his run started with A Concerto Is a Conversation) other than Dick Young (who was nominated in 1980, 1981 and 1982, and, unlike Proudfoot, never won).
One of Proudfoot’s executive producers on the project? Professional tennis star Naomi Osaka.
Michelle Branch arrested for domestic assault after accusing her husband of affair
Michelle Branch was arrested for domestic violence Thursday, the same day that the singer told People that she was separating from her husband, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, after three years. The breakup news came hours after she had posted a social media message, which she later deleted, about Carney having cheated on her.
"To say that I am totally devastated doesn't even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family," Branch said in her statement to the magazine on Thursday. "The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness."
The "Goodbye to You" singer and Carney share a son, Rhys, who turns 4 this month, and a 6-month-old daughter, Willie. (Branch and her ex-husband, Teddy Landau, are the parents of a 17-year-old daughter.)
TMZ reported that police had been called to Branch and Carney's residence for possible domestic disturbance at 2 a.m., and Branch confirmed that she had slapped her husband "one or two times" in the face. Carney did not appear to be injured.
According to the website of the Davidson County Sheriff's Office near Branch's Nashville residence, an inmate Michelle J. Branch, with the singer's birthday, was admitted at 4:30 a.m. Thursday and released at 11:38 a.m. the same day.
Meanwhile, Branch, who won a Grammy for "Game of Love" in 2003, was charged with a misdemeanor domestic assault. She posted a $1,000 bond and was assigned to appear in court Nov. 7.
Anne Heche Dead At 53, Family Takes Her Off Life Support One Week After LA Car Wreck
Anne Heche has died after being taken off life support by her family, it has been announced. The actress had been in a coma since last week Friday when she crashed her blue Mini Cooper while driving down a street in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles. Upon colliding with an oncoming building, the vehicle burst into flames as Heche was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors had been monitoring her health.
But on Thursday, sources said things weren’t looking good for the 53-year-old, who had suffered from severe brain damage, with her blood test revealing she had cocaine in her system at the time of the car wreck.
Nancy Davis, a close friend of the late actress, was one of the first to announce her pal’s death in a heartfelt statement. She wrote, “Heaven has a new Angel. My loving, kind, fun, endearing, and beautiful friend @anneheche went to heaven. I will miss her terribly and cherish all the beautiful memories we have shared. Anne was always the kindest, most thoughtful person who always brought out the best in me.”
Davis continued, “She was so supportive with anything she could do to help @racetoerasems and would always say yes when she knew she could contribute something with her time, talent, and creative genius to help find a cure for MS . My heart is broken. Heche leaves behind 20-year-old Homer Laffoon and 13-year-old Atlas Heche Tupper.
In a statement made on Thursday, it seemed evident by the words of Heche’s representative that the “Spread” star’s progress in the hospital had not been looking good. “We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital,” they wrote.
“Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive.”
Spirit Airlines Agent Suspended For Physical Altercation With Female Passenger At Dallas Airport
A Texas Sprit Airlines agent was suspended Friday after a viral video showed the moment he was in a physical altercation with a female passenger.
The video made its rounds on social media after the unidentified male agent was involved in an argument with a woman who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. During the fight at Fort Worth International Airport, he tells her, “You have lost your mind! Don’t touch me ever in your life!” They continue to argue as the agent tells the woman to stop touching him and to get out of his face as she backs away, as reported by the New York Post.
Spirit Airlines said in a statement that the employee was suspended after reviewing the video. “Our vendor at DFW has suspended the agent,” the company wrote.
“Spirit Airlines does not tolerate violence of any kind, and we are working with local law enforcement to investigate this matter,”
It was unclear whether the female passenger would also be charged with assault at the airport, but authorities didn’t disclose other details.
The situation left people taking the side of the Spirit Airlines agent
Based on the video’s content, the internet had its own opinions regarding the fight between the male agent and female passenger, and some understood why the agent fought back.
FBI Finds Alec Baldwin Must’ve Pulled Trigger in Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting
New FBI documents have shed more light on the on-set shooting involving Alec Baldwin.
According to a forensic report obtained by ABC News, investigators found that Baldwin must’ve pulled the trigger of the gun that ultimately killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The incident took place Oct. 21, 2021 in Bonanza City, New Mexico, where Baldwin was shooting a Western feature called Rust.
Authorities say Baldwin was handling a prop gun while rehearsing a fight scene inside a church at the Bonanza Creek Ranch. The 64-year-old actor said he was told the gun was safe to use, as it was not loaded with live ammunition. However, the gun went off in Baldwin’s hand, wounding director Joel Souza and killing Hutchins.
The actor later admitted to pulling the hammer back just moments before the tragedy, but insisted he “didn’t pull the trigger.”
“[Hutchins is] guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle,” Baldwin told ABC News last year. “… I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun—the gun goes off.”
After conducting a series of accidental discharge tests, investigators concluded the gun—a .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta revolver—couldn’t have fired without its trigger being pulled.
Per ABC News:
With the hammer fully cocked, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and functional,” the report stated.
With the hammer de-cocked on a loaded chamber, the gun was able to detonate a primer “without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly,” which is normal for this type of revolver, the report stated.
It’s unclear if the original gun was used during the test runs. The forensic report is part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the shooting, for which no one has been charged.
Former Louisville Police Officer Will Plead Guilty in Breonna Taylor Case
Kelly Goodlett, a former Louisville Police Department Detective charged for her alleged role in the March 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor, plans to plead guilty.
The New York Times reports Goodlett, 35, confirmed the plea with her attorney during an online court hearing Friday, and is scheduled to appear Aug. 22 before U.S. District Judge David Hall to enter her plea. Goodlett has since been released on a $10,000 bond, with Judge Regina S. Edwards in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Kentucky ordering her to give up her passport and remove all firearms from her home.
Goodlett is charged with one count of conspiracy for her alleged role in falsifying an affidavit to search Taylor’s apartment, which ultimately led to the 26-year-old’s death.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced federal charges against Goodlett, as well as three other former and current Louisville police officers in connection with Taylor’s death. The charges allege Goodlett, alongside former detective Joshua Jaynes and former sergeant Kyle Meany, violated Taylor’s Fourth Amendment rights by searching her home.
“The federal charges announce today allege that members of the Place Based Investigations unit falsified the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant of Taylor’s home, that this act violated federal civil rights laws, and that those violations resulted in Ms. Taylor’s death,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time.
Asspizza Is Willing to Go Broke for His Sneaker, Says Sneaker Brands Are Done | The Complex Sneakers Podcast
Garland added, “When those officers executed the search warrant, Ms. Taylor was at home with another person who was in lawful possession of a handgun. When officers broke down the door to Ms. Taylor’s apartment, that person, believing that intruders were breaking in, immediately fired one shot, hitting the first officer at the door. Two officers immediately fired a total of 22 shots into the apartment. One of those shots hit Ms. Taylor in the chest and killed her.”
Goodlett’s next court appearance will be on Aug. 22.
#BABYLOVE: Singer Kenny Lattimore and Judge Faith Jenkins Are Expecting
*Well, it looks like Kenny Lattimore and his wife Judge Faith Jenkins are going to have to make room for an addition to the household.
On August 11, singer/songwriter Kenny Lattimore, 52, and his wife Faith Jenkins, 44, announced they are having a baby.
The couple debuted the news via their official Instagram accounts with a photo of them together all smiles while the attorney sported her growing baby bump.
This will be Kenny Lattimore and Faith Jenkins’ first child together.
The R&B singer penned a sweet message celebrating his wife and their bundle of joy. In an Instagram caption, Lattimore wrote,
“Faith and I are so happy to share that we are expecting a little baby Lattimore!! We are so excited for this next chapter of our lives — Faith: it is a dream to do life with you every day and you are going to be the best mother and biggest blessing to our baby’s life in every way. I love you! @judgefaithjenkins.”
Soon-to-be first-time mother, Jenkins, also shared the announcement with a sweet message to her husband in honor of their next milestone together.
She wrote …“Season two of my crime show isn’t the only thing I’ve been producing this summer! My husband, @kennylattimore, and I are SO excited to share that we are expecting our greatest blessing yet!
Kenny as I’ve told you countless times over the last three years I simply could not ask for a better husband and life partner and – now – father to our soon-to-be little human!! We cannot begin to express how thrilled we are for this next chapter in our lives…”
Quinta Brunson Inks Overall, Multiyear Deal with Warner Bros. TV
*Warner Bros. Television Group has inked an overall deal with “Abbott Elementary” creator/executive producer/star Quinta Brunson.
Per press release, under the terms of the deal, Brunson will continue to serve as executive producer, writer, and star of “Abbott Elementary.” She will also create, develop, and produce original programming for all platforms, including but not limited to Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max, external streaming platforms, cable channels, and the U.S. broadcast networks.
Brunson is currently nominated for three Emmy Awards for her work on the first season of “Abbott Elementary’.”
“I’m excited to expand my long-running creative partnership with Warner Bros. With Abbott as our anchor, I look forward to what we’ll create next,” she said in a statement, per the news release.
Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey said: “Quinta Brunson is a tour de force and a powerhouse talent, and we are beyond thrilled to be continuing our partnership with her through this new overall deal. What Quinta and her Abbott Elementary team have achieved in the first season is just extraordinary. We cannot wait for season two, and to explore many future projects with her in the coming years. I’m so grateful that Quinta is part of our WBTV family, and I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.”
This multiyear agreement marks Brunson’s first overall pact with Warner Bros. or any studio.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann’s Daughter Ariana Arrested On Alcohol-Related Charges, Reality Star Denies Drinking
Reality star and social media influencer Ariana Biermann, daughter of Kim Zolciak-Biermann, was arrested for DUI Saturday in Forsyth County, Georgia.
Ariana, 20, was charged with the misdemeanors of DUI driving under the influence of alcohol, underage alcohol possession/purchase of alcohol, and improper/erratic lane change, according to TMZ.
“Ariana was involved in a minor fender bender. When police arrived on scene, the investigating officer immediately initiated an investigation for DUI,” her attorney, Justin Spizman, told the outlet. “Despite Ariana’s constant invocation that she was upset and anxious from the minor accident, the officer incorrectly concluded she was impaired by alcohol. That was not the case. She wholly denies these allegations and intends to fight these charges because she is not guilty of them.”
No other details about the car accident were released other than that her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Hudson McLeroy, was also in the car. He is facing charges of DUI, furnishing/purchasing alcohol under 21, and violating his driving permit.
Ariana was processed under her mother’s maiden name, Zolciak, and not her adopted father’s name. Kroy Biermann adopted Ariana and her sister Brielle back in 2013.
Both Ariana and Hudson were released on bond that same day.
MLB Superstar Fernando Tatis, Jr. Test Positive For PED, Suspended For 80 Games
Fernando Tatis, Jr., known as one of the best MLB players of all time has been suspended for 80 games.
Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the news on Friday afternoon after he and the league say the San Diego Padres’ all-world shortstop had tested positive for Clostebol, which is a performance-enhancing substance.
The MLB said that Tatis’ suspension will begin immediately.
The Padres released a statement saying they were both “surprised and extremely disappointed” to learn of the positive test, TMZ reported.
The team added that they “fully support” MLB’s joint drug prevention and treatment program and “are hopeful that Fernando will learn from this experience.”
Tatis Jr. sat out this season due to a wrist injury and was set to return to the Padres within the next few days.
A lot of people were anticipating his return because the team had just added stars Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the trade deadline and figured the new additions, Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and the rest of the roster, would push for a World Series run.
Tatis Jr. is also ineligible to compete in the postseason this year and because of the length of the ban, he’ll have to serve part of the suspension in the 2023 season as well.
Students Who Attend Public Schools In California Will No Longer Have To Pay For Lunch Or Breakfast Under New Program
The state of California has just become the first state to provide free meals to students who attend public schools and charter schools.
Now, on a statewide level, children who attend charter or public schools will no longer have to purchase breakfast or lunch at their schools no matter how much their parents make in income, KIRO 7 reports.
The new program is called the Universal Meals Program, a byproduct of the federal National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The free meals will officially go into effect during the 2022 to 2023 school year.
“Building on the historic budget investments for our California students and schools, Universal Meals is one of seven key pillars for transforming schools designed to help students heal, recover, and thrive while maximizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to break the cycle of educational inequity, including nutrition insecurity,” said a spokesperson for the California Department of Education in a statement.
Students with outstanding meal debt will have their accounts completely wiped clean and forgiven.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘NICE BACK’
Would it still be called ‘backless’?
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
No comments:
Post a Comment