#MAGFAB: Keke Palmer for Porter Magazine - 17th October 2022
FAB! And the article is HERE!
#RHOA: Shereé Whitfield Wants Kim Zolciak-Biermann to Return to Real Housewives of Atlanta
There's one Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Shereé Whitfield would love to see reclaim her Georgia peach.
Chatting exclusively with E! News at BravoCon 2022 on Oct. 16, the reality star revealed that she not only keeps in touch with former co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, but that she would love to see her rejoin the cast of the Bravo series.
"That's one of the people I would love to bring back to the show," Shereé said on the BravoCon red carpet. Her fellow original RHOA co-star left the series after season 5 in 2012 but later returned as a "friend of" for season 10 in 2017.
Kim isn't the only cast member Shereé would like to see make her Bravo comeback, adding that former O.G. RHOA star Lisa Wu "didn't get a fair chance" during her three-season run on the series.
"She left before we really got to see the whole Lisa Wu," Shereé continued. "She's funny, too. She speaks her mind, she's strong, and they just didn't get a chance to capture that because she was gone too soon."
Before reminiscing on old RHOA faces, Shereé teased some new ones joining the show's upcoming 15th season. Bravo has not officially announced this season's official lineup but it is rumored that newcomer Janell Stephens is set to join the cast.
"There are a couple new faces," the 52-year-old shared. "I think you're gonna like both, but one, I think you're gonna love. So much personality. Absolutely love her."
And although she noted that the drama this season "has already started," Shereé revealed that she is in a good place with her co-stars at the moment.
"Drew [Sidora] and I, we're cordial," she said. "Kenya [Moore] and I, we haven't started. I think we're at an okay place, but I believe we can get to a better place one day."
Catch up on past seasons of The Real Housewives of Atlanta streaming now on Peacock.
#MusicNews: Rihanna Has Reportedly Recorded Music For 'Black Panther' Sequel
After announcing that she would headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the singer is reportedly readying new music for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
According to HITS Daily Double, the pop icon has recorded two songs for the Marvel movie sequel.
The original soundtrack to the Ryan Coogler-directed film, Black Panther: The Album, was curated by Kendrick Lamar and featured original music from Lamar, along with SZA, The Weeknd, Future, Khalid, Swae Lee, and more. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum.
Insiders say the sequel will also be accompanied by an “inspired by” album to be released via Marvel/Disney and Rihanna’s label Westbury Road via Roc Nation/Def Jam.
There were previous reports that RiRi would be cast in the sequel to the 2018 superhero blockbuster, but that rumor was later debunked.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starring Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and Winston Duke, hits theaters on Nov. 11.
The Black Panther news comes as Rihanna gears up for her long-awaited return to music. She will headline the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show in February amid the impending release of her ninth studio album, her first since’s 2016’s Anti.
Additionally, it was announced that her Savage x Fenty fashion show will return to Amazon Prime Video for a fourth installment on Nov. 9.
#HipHopNews: N.O.R.E. Apologizes For Kanye West’s Drink Champs Comments, Says Ye Threatened To Walk Out
N.O.R.E. is apologizing for not holding Kanye West more accountable during his latest interview on Drink Champs.
This morning (Oct. 17), N.O.R.E. called into Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning show and spoke with cohosts Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stylez. He touched on numerous aspects regarding Ye's newest Drink Champs episode, including apologizing for not checking West until near the end of the interview. He also revealed that Ye had threatened to walk out of the recording, and that he didn't even realize what West had said until he rewatched the episode.
"I didn't think he was gonna spread this ideology, I didn't think he was gonna go there," N.O.R.E. said at the 9:13-mark of the interview below. "I thought that he was gonna have a couple of drinks. He smoked blunts with us, I thought it was gonna be lighthearted."
N.O.R.E. continued: "He threatened my producer, that if he couldn't film he would walk out. We was trying to...That's how our interviews go. We try to lighten you up, and then we get you drunk and then we get you to turn to our side. We tried to do that. We did, but it's Ye. I learned my lesson, ’cause at the end of the day, as a journalist, I did my job. I let a person talk. As a journalist, you supposed to have no opinion, no options, none of that. But, I kinda, I'm Black. I am George Floyd. I am Virgil [Abloh]. I am that. And I didn't know ’til I saw it. I don't watch my own interviews, I just think I'm that dope. So, when I watched myself, I was embarrassed. I was like, 'Wait a minute, what did you let him just say?'"
Rosenberg then checked N.O.R.E. on the fact that journalists have the responsibility to question their subject over blatantly false statements. In the end, N.O.R.E. is taking blame for the embarrassing moment.
"When I look back at the interview, I was like, 'Damn, N.O.R.E., why did you wait two hours to address that,'" he added. "Even though I did feel like I addressed it. I addressed it way too late. The interview way too long. And I'm embarrassed...I can blame this all on Kanye West, I'm not. I want to sit back and say I was irresponsible for letting it go."
N.O.R.E. also doubled down on his apology during an interview on The Breakfast Club this morning.
"I apologize to the George Floyd family. I apologize to anyone who was hurt by Kanye West's comments," he said.
N.O.R.E. and Kanye West have gotten backlash for Ye's new interview, most notably for Kanye claiming George Floyd died from fentanyl and not the nine minutes former police officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck, because that's what Ye heard on Candace Owens' new documentary,The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM, where she bashed the Black Lives Matter movement. The family of George Floyd is considering a lawsuit against Kanye for making the false claims.
Janet Jackson Set To Launch Worldwide Tour!
GET READY! Janet Jackson will be touring worldwide! According to reports, singing mogul Janet Jackson will be making her comeback as she is set to launch a world tour and will be performing in London for the first time in over 10 years. In a recent interview a music source shared:
“Janet has been preparing for her music comeback for a while and is gearing up for a performance that packs a punch. She is so grateful to her fans for sticking by her while she has had a few years out to start a family and wants to thank them with an amazing production. It will focus on the reissue of her 1997 album ‘The Velvet Rope’ as well as some brand new material. It’s a massive deal.”
The five-time Grammy winner last performed in London back in 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall. Janet Jackson has been working on staging shows after she canceled her “Black Diamond” shows back in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 56-year-old said:
“It’s so funny because I see the fans asking, ‘When are we going to get Black Diamond? Will you please release?nSometimes things happen that you don’t expect to happen, and you have to figure things out, or you’re in a space in your life when you have to take a step back and take a break for a minute. Even though it’s something that I absolutely love, it still is my work, my job. ‘There will be music at some point. Exactly when? I can’t say just yet, but there will be. I love it too much not to do it.”
The sister of the late Michael Jackson has produced 11 albums and sold 100 million records during her 30-year career. The mother of one shared:
“I would say out of all the albums that I created, and especially with Jimmy [Jam] and Terry [Lewis – the record’s producers], it [‘The Velvet Rope’] was the most difficult album for me. I was going through so much in my life and it was so deep, trying to figure out who I am and where I stand. I didn’t know if my fans would like it but one of the best moments in my life connected to this album?The day that it was released, I was in traffic coming from Malibu and someone honked their horn, and I happened to look over and there was a girl in the car and she held up ‘The Velvet Rope’ CD and she smiled at me. It made me feel so good. That was the first person to acknowledge to me that, ‘Yeah, you did something that I really do appreciate’, and 25 years later it being No1 again today. Thank you so, so much for this. Thank you Jimmy and Terry for always being my two dads. You were always there for me through thick, thin and the worst.”
“The Velvet Rope” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, yielding No1 hits “Together Again,” “I Get Lonely,” and “Every Time.”
#BABYLOVE: Skylar Diggins-Smith announces she's pregnant with 2nd child
We may know why Phoenix Mercury star Skylar Diggins-Smith missed the final two regular season games of the 2022 WNBA season as well as the playoffs.
SDS announced on Monday that she's expecting her second child, and showed off her baby bump with a few pics on Instagram.
Diggins-Smith had a great season. She scored an average of 19.7 points per game, which was third overall in the league. She had 5.5 assists, which was seventh overall. She also played an average of 34 minutes a game. Considering that the three month mark is when most pregnancies are announced to friends and family, it's safe to assume she did at least some of that outstanding work while she was pregnant.
Diggins-Smith and her husband, Daniel, had their first child in April 2019. SDS actually played the entire 2018 season while pregnant (the season ended at week 14 of her pregnancy), and returned to the team nine weeks after giving birth. At the time, she said that not everyone in the organization was supportive of her pregnancy decisions. She also revealed she had dealt with more than two months of postpartum depression.
Things have changed since then, though. Pregnancy has become more normalized in the WNBA, at least to some extent. Napheesa Collier gave birth in May 2022, then made her WNBA debut with the Minnesota Lynx 74 days later. Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby revealed she played in the WNBA finals while pregnant.
And beyond that, this will be the first time Diggins-Smith will be pregnant and giving birth with the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement in place. The new CBA was passed in 2020, a year after Diggins-Smith had her first child, and she played an important role in shaping the section on mothers and maternity leave. Now, WNBA players are guaranteed full paid maternity leave as well as appropriate housing and a $5,000 stipend for child care.
Spike Lee To Tell Colin Kaepernick’s “Real Story” With New Documentary
Spike Lee was first revealed to be directing a Colin Kaepernick documentary for ESPN in February. After months of silence, the Oscar winner, 65, has provided a long-awaited update on the project.
“It’s his story, not the false narratives,” Lee told Entertainment Tonight on Saturday (Oct. 15) while attending the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala.
He continued, “Six years the National Football League has stopped him from playing, [but] he still gets up at 4 or 4:30 every morning to train, five to six days a week. So when that next phone call comes, he’ll be ready. He’ll be ready.”
The untitled project is confirmed to be a multi-part series as part of Kaepernick’s first-look deal with Disney. When asked about an anticipated release date, Lee teased, “Well, it’ll probably be out before he plays [again].”
Back in May, the former quarterback took part in his first NFL workout in five years with the Las Vegas Raiders. A month prior, the new father of one revealed his interest in getting back to playing professionally.
“I know I have to find my way back in,” Kaepernick, 34, told the I Am Athlete podcast. “So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine. But that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door…More than anything, we’re just looking for a chance to walk through a door. I’ll handle the rest from there.”
James Corden Banned From NYC Restaurant After Alleged 'Abusive' And 'Nasty' Behavior
Keith McNally, the provocative restaurateur behind Manhattan restaurants Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and Balthazar, appears to have banned British comedian James Corden from the latter restaurant for mistreating its workers over multiple visits. The alleged incidents, which surfaced in an Instagram post shared by McNally on Monday, involve Corden yelling at servers and demanding free drinks from the French bistro’s staff.
In the post, McNally claims that Corden has been “86’d,” a term used to indicate that a dish is no longer available or a customer is being denied service. “James Corden is a Hugely [sic] gifted comedian, but a tiny Cretin [sic] of a man,” McNally shared in the post. “And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.”
McNally recounted an incident in June, when Corden allegedly found a hair in his meal and demanded, “another round of drinks this second,” threatening to write “nasty reviews” of the restaurant online. During a separate incident at Balthazar in October, the comedian began “yelling like crazy” after finding traces of egg white in his wife Julia Carey’s “egg yolk omelette with gruyere cheese,” McNally claims.
“You can’t do your job,” Corden allegedly yelled at staff during the October incident. “Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!’” McNally claims the comedian “behaved similarly” at Cafe Luxembourg, the Upper West Side restaurant he opened in 1983 and has since stepped away from.
Eater has contacted Corden’s publicist and representative for more information.
Since joining Instagram roughly two years ago, McNally has become known for his unconventional and at times problematic social media presence.
MGM has released the first official character posters for the upcoming 'Creed' sequel.
On Monday (Oct. 17), MGM released the first two official posters for the upcoming Creed sequel, which also serves as the ninth installment of the Rocky franchise.
The new promotional images of the characters Adonis Creed (Jordan) and Anderson Dame (Majors) show the two boxers angled in a boxing ring, flexing their muscles and game faces. Majors joins the franchise as a new character and Jordan will serve as the film’s director for the first time.
With the film’s plot details still kept under wraps, Creed III is expected to follow up the last film’s storyline. Creed II focused on Adonis beating Viktor Drago, the son of Rocky IV antagonist Ivan Drago, with guidance and training from a retired Rocky Balboa. The second installment of the franchise served as Stallone’s final performance.
The upcoming sports drama sequel will star Jordan, Majors, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, and Florian Munteanu. Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Mila Davis-Kent, and Canelo Alvarez have also been cast in the film for undisclosed roles, Gold Derby reports.
MBJ’s latest films include 2021’s A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington, Amazon Prime’s Without Remorse, as well as the forthcoming Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, set to premiere on Nov. 11 in theaters.
Creed III is set to premiere in theaters on March 3, 2023.
Brittney Griner's Release From Jail Is Not Priority For Russia, Vladimir Putin Says.
The 31-year-old basketball star - who normally lives in Houston, Texas with wife Cherelle Griner - was sentenced to nine years behind bars in August after she was apprehended on suspicion of drug smuggling in Russia just days before the country launched the ongoing invasion on Ukraine in February.
Yury Ushakov - one of the Russian leader's top advisors and the country's ambassador to America from 1998 to 2008 - responded to US President Joe Biden's vow to ensure the sportswoman's freedom, claiming it was nothing more than a bid to bolster support ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Ushakov said on state-run TV show "Moscow.Kremlin.Putin", "In this tense situation, I think that he is thinking first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections so he keeps emphasising the need to bring back home the basketball player who was detained for drug smuggling. However, it's not the main issue that we are concerned about."
Cherelle admitted last week she is worried her wife will never come home from Russia. She said, "In no world would I have ever thought our president and a foreign nation president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife. It feels to me as if she is a hostage. … It terrifies me. My brain can't even fathom it. I feel like everyday I hear something new, and it's terrifying."
Ezra Miller Pleads Not Guilty To Stealing From Neighbor
Ezra Miller has entered a not-guilty plea to stealing three bottles of alcohol from their neighbour's home. Facing 26 years in prison if they are found guilty of the charges as well as more than $2,000 in fines, the troubled 30-year-old actor - who appeared remotely at a hearing at Vermont Superior Court - was told to stay away from neighbour Isaac Winokur.
Miller - who allegedly took a bottle of gin, vodka and rum from Winokur's pantry on May 1 at around 5 P.M. - spoke only to confirm that they understood the conditions of their bail, including a ban on contacting Winokur and another Vermont resident Aiden Early.
The star, who goes by they/them pronouns, was also charged with petty larceny over the three bottles, it was reported on Monday, October 17. Vermont Police charged Miller with felony burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, with the actor claiming they were in the house to look for ingredients for a recipe for their mother.
Miller's lawyer Lisa Shelkrot said, "Ezra Miller this morning pled not guilty to one count of burglary and one count of petit larceny in Vermont Superior Court and accepted the court-imposed conditions of not contacting or entering the home of the inhabitants."
"Ezra would like to acknowledge the love and support they have received from their family and friends, who continue to be a vital presence in their ongoing mental health."
Miller has been hit with allegations of grooming after the parents of Native American activist Tokota Iron Eyes, 18, filed a protection order against the actor. Her parents accused Miller of grooming their child and other inappropriate behaviour with her as a minor from the age of 12, which has been disputed by Tokota.
Sheryl Lee Ralph receives Order of Jamaica award
Sheryl Lee Ralph continues to have a stellar year. The Emmy award-winning actress was among 143 Jamaicans who were honored at Jamaica’s National Honours and Awards ceremony, which was held on the lawn of King’s House in Kingston earlier today (Oct. 17). Ralph received the nation’s fifth highest honour, the Order of Jamaica (OJ), which is awarded to citizens of outstanding distinction.
The OJ award was given to 10 total recipients this year, including Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander, five-time track and field world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and many other distinguished individuals.
“Well, it is now official! I am The Honourable Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ (Order of Jamaica) Warrior Woman! #ThisisWhatBelievingLooksLike,” the veteran actress wrote on Instagram in her celeboratory post.
The hashtag used in her caption is a reference to what she said in her powerful acceptance speech at this year’s Emmy Awards ceremony, where she was victorious in the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.”
In a recent interview, Ralph delved into what she’s looking forward to doing next in her career. “I am looking forward to producing some wonderful material, whether it’s on stage or on the screen, I want to bring forward some of those stories that have not been told before,” she said. “There was a time when there was no interest in stories that had to do with people of color, Black people … and I would love to give life to some of those stories because I truly believe in the Holy Impossible. And I’m just ready to bring the impossible to light.”
Jhené Aiko and Big Sean hosted baby shower for their unborn son
Big Sean and Jhené Aiko are nearing the day they meet their son as the couple hosted a NASA-theme baby shower over the weekend.
On Sunday (Oct. 16), Aiko and Sean shared numerous photos from the celebration on their social media accounts. The rapper arrived in the laughable cliché “baby shower” shirt from Burberry before changing into a matching beige suit with Aiko’s beige tulle dress.
In one of Sean’s Instagram posts, he shared several photos from the event, including the prayer hands, black heart, and earth emojis with the caption, “Nothing more creative than creating a creation.” In the second post, the Detroit rapper posted a photo and video collage with one of Aiko’s brothers sending love to his unborn nephew. “The family is growing. We ready for you, baby boy,” Sean wrote.
As previously reported by REVOLT, the couple, who has been together since 2016, announced the sex of their child during a concert on Friday (Oct. 14). As part of the announcement, they sang Aiko’s popular track “Moments” from 2017’s Trip, before revealing they would welcome a son. Sean held onto Aiko’s pregnant belly and shouted into the microphone: “Make some noise for my baby boy!”
In July, the parents-to-be announced their pregnancy with an intimate maternity shoot, baring only skin; a sepia vignette showed them glistening and glowing.
Big Sean has been actively preparing for the arrival of his first child, including taking Aiko and her family back to his roots in Detroit. In August, he uploaded a series of photos of them in front of his childhood home, his grandmother’s house, and his old high school. “I got a chance to show Jhené [and] our family my roots (my old house, grandma’s house, high school, etc., in Detroit) and connect the past with the future in a sense,” he wrote. “Can’t wait for our Lil one to get here n see this.”
Patti LuPone Has Reportedly Given Up Her Equity Card, Likely Ending Broadway Career
Three-time Tony winner Patti LuPone has given up her membership in theatrical union Actors' Equity Association, according to a tweet the Company star posted October 17.
"Quite a week on Broadway, seeing my name being bandied about. Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus. Figure it out," writes LuPone, likely referencing a recent incident that saw a cast member of Broadway's Hadestown reprimanding an audience member from the stage for filming the performance when she was actually using a captioning device due to hearing loss. LuPone has infamously reprimanded audience members from the stage on at least two occasions, stopping a performance of the 2008 revival of Gypsy because of flash photography and physically taking an audience member's in-use cell phone during a performance of Off-Broadway's Shows for Days.
Membership in Equity is, in nearly all cases, required to perform on Broadway and at many professional theatres across the United States. Dropping her membership in the union likely signals the end of LuPone's professional stage career in the U.S., though it would not hinder her ability to appear in concert and cabaret performances nor non-union productions. The move would not prevent LuPone re-joining the union in the future should she choose to, and she could also perform in union productions via a seldom-used provision that allows non-members to pay nominal dues to cover the union's contract administration without becoming a full member.
Contacted for a further comment, LuPone shared the following: "When the run of Company ended this past July, I knew I wouldn’t be on stage for a very long time. And at that point I made the decision to resign from Equity." LuPone's representatives shared that the Tony winner will not have any further statement and will not be speaking about this further. Requests for comment from Actors' Equity were not returned at the time of publication.
LuPone's long Broadway career includes Tony wins in 1980 for Evita, 2008 for Gypsy, and 2022 for Company. Known for her high-flying belting and Juilliard-trained acting prowess, she has also appeared on Broadway in Working, Oliver!, Anything Goes, Noises Off, Sweeney Todd, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and War Paint, among others.
A Teary Eyed Kevin Spacey testifies of sex abuse claims: 'Not true'
NEW YORK (AP) — An emotional Kevin Spacey testified in a New York courtroom Monday that he never made a sexual pass at the actor Anthony Rapp, who has sued for millions of dollars in damages, claiming the Academy Award-winning actor tried to take him to bed when he was 14.
Repeatedly, Spacey denied Rapp's claims that a then-26-year-old Spacey picked him up like a groom does a bride after a 1986 party at his Manhattan apartment and put him on his bed before lying on top of him.
Rapp testified earlier in a civil trial in which he accuses Spacey of assault and battery that he squirmed out from underneath an inebriated Spacey in the fully clothed encounter before fleeing, only to have Spacey follow him to the door and ask if he was sure he wanted to leave.
“They are not true,” Spacey said of the allegations, first made in 2017 in an interview with Buzzfeed. The accusations, along with more made by others, brought to an end Spacey's popular role on the Netflix series “House of Cards” and abruptly derailed his career.
Spacey, 63, dabbed tears from his eyes with a tissue and sniffled as he described immediate intense pressure from publicists and lawyers to respond with compassion and empathy and an apology to Rapp's claims.
“They told me I couldn't push back on the story,” Spacey recalled. “I knew I wouldn't have any sexual interest in Anthony Rapp or any child. That I knew."
At the time, with the #MeToo movement gaining momentum, “The industry was very nervous. There was a lot of fear in the air about who was going to be next,” he said.
He added: “I was shocked. I was frightened and I was confused. ... I knew I had never been alone with Anthony Rapp.”
After the article, the two-time Oscar winner said on Twitter that he didn't recall the encounter with Rapp, adding: "“But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”
His managers said “it was the best way to contain “a crisis that was going to get worse” and to avoid being accused of “being a victim shamer,” he said.
Spacey told jurors he now regrets “my entire statement.”
“I've learned a lesson, which is never apologize for something you didn't do," he said.
Spacey said he had met Rapp and another aspiring actor, John Barrowman, backstage following Spacey’s Broadway performance in “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” He said he took them to dinner, to a nightclub and finally to his studio apartment, where he flirted with Barrowman — who was 19 at the time — but showed no interest in Rapp before the two visitors left.
“Anthony Rapp seemed like a kid and John Barrowman seemed like a man,” Spacey said in an account that was backed up by a deposition by Barrowman. At the time, Rapp was performing in “Precious Sons” on Broadway.
Rapp, a 50-year-old regular on “Star Trek: Discovery” on television who was part of the original Broadway cast of “Rent,” has testified that he and Barrowman went home immediately after the nightclub outing and days later Spacey invited him to his apartment party, waiting until other guests left to make a move on him.
The Associated Press does not usually name people alleging sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Rapp has done.
Spacey, testifying on a day when Judge Lewis A. Kaplan tossed out Rapp's claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress on the grounds that it duplicated aspects of the assault and battery allegation, also was asked if he has been private about his personal life over his career.
“I grew up in a very complicated family dynamic,” he said, explaining that rants by his father when he was a youngster led him to hate bigotry and intolerance.
“My father was a white supremacist and neo-Nazi,” Spacey said. “It meant that my siblings and I were forced to listen to hours and hours of my father lecturing us about his beliefs.”
As Spacey became interested in theater, he said, he endured the screams of his father who “used to yell at me at the idea that I might be gay.”
Prior to Monday's testimony, Spacey said he had "never talked about these things publicly, ever.”
He said he had been considering revealing that he was gay publicly for about 18 months before deciding to announce it after Rapp's allegations came out.
Spacey cried as he described immediately regretting the timing of the revelation as he faced backlash in the gay community, including from friends, and others who thought he was using the announcement to change the subject, to deflect.
“It was really wrong and it was really bad and I'm deeply sorry,” he said as his voice cracked.
Kanye West to Acquire Parler, a Right-Wing Twitter Clone
Kanye “Ye” West has inked a deal with Parlement Technologies to buy Parler, a copycat of Twitter that was started to “fight against Big Tech, Big Government, censorship and cancel culture.”
West’s move to acquire Parler comes after Twitter and Instagram restricted the music artist and entrepreneur’s accounts earlier this month because he posted anti-Semitic comments.
Kanye West's Accounts Restricted on Twitter, Instagram Following Backlash Over Antisemitic Posts
Terms of West’s proposed deal for Parler were not disclosed. In a statement, West and Parlement said, “Ye has become the richest Black man in history through music and apparel and is taking a bold stance against his recent censorship from Big Tech, using his far-reaching talents to further lead the fight to create a truly non-cancelable environment.”
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West said in a statement.
Founded in 2018, Parler boasts that it’s an “uncancelable free speech platform.” But two years ago, the pro-Trump app’s hands-off approach to content moderation resulted in Apple and Google banning Parler from their app stores — in the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — over what they said were Parler’s violations of their prohibitions on content that incites violence. Amazon also cut off its AWS hosting deal with Parler.
Apple’s App Store restored Parler in April 2021, after finding the app was better able to remove hate speech and violent content. Google Play Store finally agreed to re-list Parler in September.
Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer claimed West’s acquisition of Parler “will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech. Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again.”
In the Twitter post that led to his account’s suspension, West said “I’m going death [sic] con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” and claimed that he couldn’t be anti-Semitic because Black people “are Jew also.” He also said he had been “toyed with” by the Jewish people.
Under the terms of West and Parlement’s agreement in principle, the parties intend to enter into a definitive purchase agreement and expect to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. The terms of the proposed transaction would include ongoing technical support from Nashville, Tenn.-based Parlement and the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure.
West also faced controversy this month after wearing a shirt reading “White Lives Matter” during his surprise Yeezy Season 9 fashion show in Paris. Less than a week later Adidas, which produces his Yeezy collection of sneakers, said it was putting its partnership with West under review. And last month, Gap said it was ending its partnership with West because the retailer and West were “not aligned.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump — who was kicked off Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other services in the wake of Jan. 6 — started his own company, Trump Media & Technology Group, which this year launched its own Twitter-like service called Truth Social. Last week, Google added Truth Social to the Play Store after previously rejecting it for hosting policy-violating content like physical threats and incitement to violence.
Anthony Anderson Gives Estranged Wife List of His Finances As Part of Ongoing Divorce
*Anthony Anderson has reportedly turned over all of his finances to his estranged wife as part of their ongoing divorce proceedings.
We reported back in March that Anderson’s wife of 22 years, Alvina Stewart Anderson, decided to pull the plug on their marriage (again), and the move comes after the couple previously separated but reconciled. In her divorce filing, Alvina cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split, PEOPLE reports. She is seeking spousal support and wants Anderson to pay for her attorney fees.
Alvina initially filed for divorce in 2015 but dismissed the petition, E! News reported. However, the marriage remained rocky. When she first filed for divorce, she listed April 1, 2014, as the separation date. In the latest filing, she claims the date of separation is “TBD”.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Anthony listed their date of separation as Feb. 25 and also indicated irreconcilable differences as the cause of their split.
Anthony Anderson (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moët & Chandon)
The actor wants spousal support to be reserved for “future determination” and that both parties to cover their own legal fees.
In his initial response to her divorce petition, PEOPLE reported that the “black-ish” star said he is uncertain about “the exact nature and extent of separate property assets and obligations,” and that he “reserves the right to amend this response when same is ascertained.”
Anthony is also reportedly unclear on his and Alvina’s “community and quasi-community assets and obligations.”
According to RadarOnline.com, via MSN, last month, Anthony gave Alvina and her legal team documents about his income and expenses as part of the final step before a divorce settlement is rendered.
Anthony and Alvina married in September 1999 and share two adult kids, Nathan, 22, and Kyra, 26. There are reportedly no issues related to child support and custody, as reported by Radar.
K-Pop Group BTS to Serve Mandatory Military Duty in South Korea
Popular K-pop group BTS will serve their mandatory military duties in South Korea, a rep for the group announced Monday.
The announcement follows years of debate on whether the group would be exempt from serving in their country’s military, which is at war with North Korea.
The group’s management team, Big Hit Music, said Jin, the group’s oldest member, would be the first to enlist.
“Jin will revoke his request to delay his conscription at the end of this month and will follow conscription procedures required by the Military Manpower Administration,” Big Hit Music said.
The six other members of the group “will fulfill their military duty in turn according to their individual plans,” the company confirmed. Regarding releasing new music and returning to the stage, the “Dynamite” singers are expected to reconvene around 2025 following their service commitment.
Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to perform 18 to 21 months of military service, with limited exemptions for athletes, musicians and others who “enhance national prestige.”
Steve Bannon Faces Six Months in Prison and $200K in Fines as a Result of His Contempt Conviction By the DOJ
In response to Steve Bannon’s conviction on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, the Justice Department requests that a federal judge sentence him to six months in jail and impose a $200,000 fine.
“From the moment that the Defendant, Stephen K. Bannon, accepted service of a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, he has pursued a bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt,” prosecutors said Monday. “The Committee sought documents and testimony from the Defendant relevant to a matter of national importance: the circumstances that led to a violent attack on the Capitol and disruption of the peaceful transfer of power. In response, the Defendant flouted the Committee’s authority and ignored the subpoena’s demands.”
The statement continued, “For his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress, the Defendant should be sentenced to six months imprisonment—the top end of the Sentencing Guidelines range—and fined $200,000—based on his insistence on paying the maximum fine rather than cooperate with the Probation Office’s routine pre-sentencing financial investigation.”
The House Select Committee looking into the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 issued a subpoena to Bannon, who was later discovered to have disobeyed it.
The January 6 panel summoned him in September 2021 for testimony and records.
Federal judge Carl Nichols is scheduled to sentence Bannon on Friday at 9 a.m. in the D.C. courthouse. The sentencing memo that his attorneys will provide is due Monday before noon.
As part of their sentencing recommendation, prosecutors cover in detail the months-long campaign that Bannon and his attorneys waged to resist cooperating in the January 6 Capitol attack investigation.
“From the time he was initially subpoenaed, the Defendant has shown that his true reasons for total noncompliance have nothing to do with his purported respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, or executive privilege, and everything to do with his personal disdain for the members of Congress sitting on the Committee and their effort to investigate the attack on our country’s peaceful transfer of power,” they say. “[Bannon’s] abject refusal to heed the Committee’s subpoena, under the circumstances with which this country is confronted, could not be more serious.”
According to prosecutors, Bannon’s last-minute declaration that he was willing to work with the Committee on the night of his trial was simply an effort “to leverage the information he had unlawfully withheld from the Committee to engineer dismissal of his criminal prosecution.”
“When his quid pro quo attempt failed, the Defendant made no further attempt at cooperation with the Committee — speaking volumes about his bad faith,” prosecutors said.
According to the department’s filing, Bannon’s lawyer Evan Corcoran contacted the January 6 committee in July and repeatedly stated that Bannon would only cooperate with the Committee if they pressured DOJ to drop its charges. Corcoran also represented Donald Trump and is a critical figure in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation.
Tim Heaphy, a member of the Committee, declined, and according to the prosecution, Corcoran “never contacted the Government—perhaps because the Government had made clear through its pleadings and at the argument that it understood the Defendant’s actions to be a stunt and would not consider dismissing the case.” Prosecutors claim that Heaphy described his interaction with Corcoran as problematic during a recent interview with the FBI.
They also argue Bannon “exploited his notoriety — through courthouse press conferences and his War Room podcast — to display to the public the source of his bad-faith refusal to comply with the Committee’s subpoena: a total disregard for government processes and the law” and used “hyperbolic and sometimes violent rhetoric to disparage the Committee’s investigation, personally attack the Committee’s members, and ridicule the criminal justice system.”
“[Bannon’s] statements prove that his contempt was not aimed at protecting executive privilege or the Constitution, rather it was aimed at undermining the Committee’s efforts to investigate a historic attack on the government,” the filing says.
Prosecutors claim that during an interview conducted as part of the court’s presentence investigation, Bannon gave a few details about his family, personal life, and health but withheld all information pertaining to his wealth. As opposed to that, they claim Bannon claimed: “that he is willing and able to pay any fine imposed, including the maximum fine on each count of conviction.”
Bannon again criticized the January 6 committee’s members for failing to attend as witnesses during his trial as he left the courthouse after being found guilty in July.
“I only have one disappointment, and that is the gutless members of that show-trial committee, that [January 6] committee, didn’t have the guts to come down here and testify,” Bannon said.
“We may have lost a battle here today, but we’re not going to lose this war,” he said. “[The jury] came to their conclusion about what was put on in that courtroom. But listen, in the closing argument, the prosecutor missed one very important phrase, right? ‘I stand with Trump and the Constitution, and I will never back off that, ever.'”
When asked if Bannon would appeal the decision, Bannon’s attorney David Schoen responded, “This is just Round One.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
You don’t know what she’s capable of.
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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