2/21/24

The Daily Buzz For Feb 22 ☕📰☕

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#MAGFAB: Solange for Harper's Bazaar US
First an André 3000 flute album, and now a Solange Knowles tuba album? The "Don't Touch My Hair" singer, 37, appeared on the March cover of Harper's Bazaar Magazine where she discussed the possibilities for a follow-up to her 2019 album "When I Get Home."

"I’ve started writing music for the tuba, and I am trying to talk myself into releasing it, but I can only imagine the eye rolls from people (waiting on an album)," she said.
Knowles explained her interest in the tuba, telling the outlet, "It sounds like what the gut feels like to me. There’s a way that it takes up space that you can’t deny, and it also just feels very Black to me."

Solange discussed the possibility of doing a tuba album in the future.
Her friend and frequent collaborator Tyler, the Creator, added that whatever Knowles plans to do next, authenticity will be at the forefront.

“I think that’s why I liked her, because (her art) wasn’t based on chasing any zeitgeist," he told the magazine of their creative partnership. "She’s not an undercover cop. She’s just her, and she makes whatever she wants. I feel like 80 percent of artists with these opportunities to put something out don’t do that because they’re chasing numbers."

He added: "She is very important in the landscape, and I don’t think that people are gonna fully give her her due until some time from now, which is okay. Because her music is going to still, 20 years from now, be a thing."
The singer has had her hand dipped in many pots, from a glassware collaboration with Jason McDonald, composing a score for the New York City Ballet, a book on the queer Black woman architect Amaza Lee Meredith, and her continued efforts as a songwriter and supportive mother of son, Daniel "Julez" Smith Jr., in his New York Fashion Week debut.

"There’s not many people who are able to show up in different spaces with such integrity," Knowles' friend and fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner told the outlet.
Following André 3000's instrumental album "New Blue Sun" in November, Knowles' older sister Beyoncé debuting two new country songs during the Super Bowl and a soon-to-come album announcement, it's clear people are open to singers experimenting outside of their genre.


#RHOA: Porsha Williams Guobadia Relaxes In Bathing Suit Before RHOA Return!
It's official! Porsha Williams Guobadia is returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta—and fans are thrilled. Williams, 42, has made sure to get plenty of rest and relaxation before the show starts production, sharing pictures of herself looking serene and happy in a one piece swimsuit by the water. "Serenity R&R," she captioned the post. "Beautiful!" a fan commented. Guobadia is excited to return to the show that made her a household name. "I'm incredibly thankful for the vision and faith NBCUniversal has put in me to be a larger part of their family," she said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to being back on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and showing the world my new world!" Here's how the reality star lives her best life.

Guobadia has a treadmill in her bedroom so she can workout as soon as she wakes up. "Currently, my schedule is so packed I had no choice but to put my treadmill in my bedroom," she told Glamour South Africa. "So now I see it when I wake up, and I get right into doing about forty minutes on an incline at a 4.0 pace. Then in the afternoon, if I have time, I work out with a trainer virtually. No matter what though, I make sure I'm on the treadmill at least four days a week and I get with a trainer once a week. Whether it's directly with a trainer or just at a gym, boxing is such a great way to get into shape. I've done it in the past and absolutely loved it."

Guobadia practices intermittent fasting (limiting her eating window to six hours) and enjoys a balanced diet. "As for my diet, I really am not on anything strict to be honest. I just do what makes sense," she told Glamour South Africa. "If I'm craving a hamburger, I'll have a hamburger. But then the next day I'll make sure that I have a salad, a lot of water, and a good mix of vegetables. Same goes for something like pizza, if I want it I'll have it, but then the next day I'll make sure it is filled with healthy habits."

Guobadia is prepared for the challenges of being on TV again, especially social media trolls who hurt her in the past. "I'm not going to lie, their words cut me deep," she told Women's Health. "The negative comments would stay with me long after I stopped scrolling. They made me realize my insecurities were now being magnified on a TV screen for millions of strangers to judge. At one point, I even contemplated leaving the show. But Nene [Leakes] and Cynthia [Bailey], my other cast mates on the show, talked me out of it after I broke down to them crying. They validated my feelings and reassured me that everyone goes through a similar phase during their first season on the show, and that I was indeed a value to RHOA."

Guobadia makes a point of keeping her skin soft and moisturized—and says her husband Simon does, too. "When I first met him, he would really lather up his body and make sure his skin was nice and glistening," she told BET. "I was like, 'Babe, you're feeling good.' He'd respond, "I'm on alert because I remember you told somebody,' Bye ashy' once. He was scared for me ever to see him ashy. He said, 'I don't want you judging me.' He is very much into his skin. I have gone on Amazon and bought him his own Nivea so he does not have to take mine."

Guobadia knows how stressful filming RHOA can be, and knows how to protect her peace. "Mental health is incredibly important, and I prioritize mine by protecting my space," she told Glamour South Africa. "When I'm not filming, I want no drama at all. Anybody that is upsetting my spirit and peace I separate myself from immediately. I also say 'No' a lot, as a way to put myself first. I probably say 'No' to things more than I say 'Yes.' Yoga is also beneficial and gives me some time to sneak away and be with myself. I really value my reflection and quiet time."
 

#MusicNews: Beyoncé Makes History debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart!

Beyoncé’s new song “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted in the top spot of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on Tuesday, the publication announced. Beyoncé’s other new country song “16 Carriages” ranks No. 9 on the chart.
Marking her first-ever No. 1 single on the country charts, Beyoncé becomes the only other solo woman with no accompanying artists to achieve the feat next to Taylor Swift, whose songs “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” hit No. 1 in 2021, according to Billboard.

She is also the first woman to have topped both the Hot Country and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts since the lists began in 1958. Morgan Wallen, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus and Ray Charles are the only other artists to have reached No. 1 on both charts.

Both “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” were released on Feb. 11 after Beyoncé teased the release of new music in a surprise Super Bowl ad for Verizon, accompanied with eye-popping visualizer videos on YouTube.
The ad spot, titled “Can’t B Broken,” featured “Veep” actor Tony Hale challenging Beyoncé to break the cellular service company’s 5G capabilities, and she accepted the challenge in glorious fashion.

At the very end of the spot, the star is heard saying, “Ok, they ready. Drop the new music,” after she is seen going through various outlandish attempts to “break” Verizon’s network.

Moments later on her official website, the Grammy-winner and Texas-native posted a clip of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and full versions of both songs were then released on music streaming platforms, along with the announcement that her eighth solo studio album “Renaissance Act II” would be released on March 29.
Beyoncé’s illustrative cowgirl-inspired fashion choices at recent appearances had offered clues of the her next sonic phase, the reality of which marks an exciting development in the music industry as a whole.

And while the singer’s country music era may come as a surprise to many who are still dancing and singing along to her 2022 more disco-centric “Renaissance” album, Beyoncé loyalists – known as the Beyhive – have come to expect change and evolution from their Queen Bey.


#HipHopNews: Nicki Minaj Wants Katt Williams To Join Her "Pink Friday 2 World Tour"!
Nicki Minaj is possibly looking to add another supporting act to her upcoming “Pink Friday 2 World Tour,” which kicks off on March 1.
The rapper took to Instagram Live to update fans on the trek. In addition to treating the Barbz to a special moment with her backup dancers, Minaj asked how much it would cost to book Katt Williams.

“I know that this is the busiest man in show business. I know that he’s rich, and I know that he’s the funniest man in show biz,” she began. “Can y’all hit up Katt Williams and ask him what would be his price to be a part of the ‘Pink Friday 2 [World] Tour?’”
In the comment section of The Neighborhood Talk’s repost, social media users questioned the lineup. One wrote, “Why [do] you need a comedian to join you on a musical tour? This is random.” Another stated, “Monica, Katt Williams… Auntie, what’s the direction of the tour?” Elsewhere, some fans argued that former collaborators like Ice Spice or Sexyy Red would be a better fit.

It’s also worth mentioning that Williams is currently on his “The Dark Matter Tour.” It includes upcoming stops in Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, among others. The trek is slated to end in May, when Minaj will concurrently be wrapping up the U.S. leg of her voyage.

Monica announced that she was joining the “Pink Friday 2 World Tour” during a Feb. 8 airing of “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” She explained, “I get a chance to hit all these cities that mean so much to me. Atlanta, of course, New Orleans, [and] Nashville. We’re coming to every city that we possibly can. I’m really grateful for Nicki because she’s one of those people that always said, ‘Monica meant everything to my childhood.’”

Pink Friday 2 came out in December 2023. It boasted guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, J. Cole, Drake, Lil Wayne, and more. The deluxe edition of the LP introduced the 50 Cent-assisted “Beep Beep (Remix)” and “Love Me Enough” featuring Monica and Keyshia Cole.
 

“F**k Them Kids”: Mo’Nique’s Son Reacts To Comic Taking Their Issues To The Stage

Mo’Nique and eldest son Shalon Jackson have been engaged in an online back-and-forth for a week over statements made during the comic’s viral Club Shay Shay interview. The stand-up most recently took their issues to the stage, where she joked about their tension and an elder telling her not to back down.

“I’ve already apologized if I’ve done something wrong, but I ain’t no bi**h that’s gon back up from a motherf**king problem. Imma go straight to that motherf**ker and imma deal with it,” she was filmed telling the Atlantic City crowd before describing running into an elderly woman in the airport who offered her some hilarious advice.

“She said, ‘F**k that ni**a,'” Mo said, to uproarious laughter. “Now when an elderly person tell you f**k that ni**a…she said you been taking care of that ni**a all his motherf**king life. She said, ‘Mo’Nique I’m 80 years old and I got a son 60 years old and every time that ni**a don’t get what he wants, he still tell me how f**ked up I was when he was 10 years old. F**k that n***a.”

She later added a “f**k them kids” for good measure. Shalon has since responded, keeping his retort light.

“Be gone Satan, I rebuke thee in the name of Jesus” he said in an animated voice after a chuckle. He also wrote over the clip, “Dang mama. I still LOVE U THO. Laughter will get me through” and captioned the clip, “Not on stage tho lol. It be like that something I guess.”

@sho_nomadda Not on stage tho lol. It be like that sometimes i guess.??‍♂️#laughing #stillloveyou #foryou #fypシ #fyp #blacktiktok #shalon #monique #shaderoom #dangmama #fthatnword
Shalon took issue with Mo’Nique claiming she wanted to reconcile their relationship on Club Shay Shay, saying, “I would like to free her from having to continue telling that lie. Faith without work is dead, and neither one of us cares to put forth any effort to reconcile with the other. We are separate as she put it because she doesn’t care to be my mother any more than I care to be her son.”

Mo and husband Sidney Hicks responded by mentioning Shalon’s mental health struggles and sharing text messages from 2021 showing the mother and son in a seemingly cordial state, which resulted in Shalon taking to TikTok, once again.

“I guess the intelligent thing to do in assuming your son is having a mental episode is to post personal screenshots that are three years old in an attempt to validate some false narrative as if they are some type of receipt,” detailed Jackson. “You also invaded the privacy of my daughter’s grandparents by posting your receipts. Neither of you should ever speak on mental health if you thought that that idea was a good one.”


Monica Reacts To Plastic Surgery Speculation After Viral Video!

Monica has given her reaction to a speculation suggesting that she underwent plastic surgery. The "Angel of Mine" singer was rumored to have undergone BBL after a video highlighting her figure went viral on social media.
The 43-year-old Grammy-winning songstress opened up about the speculation during an Instagram Live. In a video from the livestream that circulated online on Tuesday, February 20, she could be heard saying, "Let me tell you something, my health is far too bad to be playing like that. And then why I ain't get this part? Why they leave it?" while touching her stomach.

Monica went on to state, "Like I don't understand. Let me tell y'all something. For me, a BBL with me bought by Linda because that's all I got. Let me show y'all what I got. Watch it," before showing off a pair of pants with built-in butt pads on them. She continued, "Mama don't play. I won't even get lash extensions. I still wear stripes. I can rip off and roll on. Like damn. I don't keep it real with y'all so long. y'all forgot? What in the world? And the audacity."

The R&B star explained, "And listen, no shame in what I do. If I do something, I'll be the first to tell you. I mean, look at my love life. It was in shambles that I told y'all. That's why I thank God for where I am now. But yeah, I don't play like that. No judgment to other people that have them because everybody has their reasons. It's just not my thing but people going to say what they wanna say."

Monica further revealed, "I'm bigger all over. That too is also due to a heavy steroid intake after the surgery that was mandatory and part of me getting well," seemingly referring to her sinus surgery in 2023. She additionally stressed, "So you know when you are talking about people you gotta really grant some grace. You don't know what people are going through. You don't know what's really happening."

The revelation came after one TikTok user uploaded a video from Monica's concert. In the clip, it could be seen that her derriere appeared thicker as she donned a skin-tight green bodysuit. The footage featured a note that read, "Wow, Monica got a BBL. Somebody said in the comments the BBL took her voice. She definitely went to tiny doctor. but I still love her. This is my girl, but she should've sang this song better."


Floyd Mayweather Won't 'Speak Bad' About Diddy Because 'He's Still a Black Man' and 'Mistakes Happen'!
Floyd Mayweather made some viewers of The Pivot Podcast cringe during his appearance on the show posted Tuesday afternoon.
The retired professional boxer sat down with hosts and former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder where the hour-long discussion began with the topic of his grandson, Kentrell Gaulden Jr. The one-year-old is the son of Mayweather's daughter, Yaya, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

"Me and NBA YoungBoy speak on a regular. We speak on a daily," Mayweather said around the 5:45-minute mark about the rapper. "Very happy for his career, proud of him, and eventually he's gonna grow like anybody that's young."

On the topic of growth, Diddy came to mind for Mayweather, who randomly went on a tangent about the disgraced hip-hop icon.
"I'm not gonna speak bad about P. Diddy, 'cause he's still a Black man," Mayweather said at the 6:50 mark above. "Mistakes happen. And I can't say if it is or if it's not a mistake, but things happen in life. And P. Diddy business is P. Diddy business. It's not my job or anyone else's job to go on the internet and stomp him and kick a man when he's down. My take on it is it's not my business. I don't think it's right at all and I don't condone it."

The 15-time world champion boxer continued, "Even if that happened to my daughter, I would be hurt, but that's the choice that my daughter made. So, I don't wanna kick nobody while they're down."
Although Mayweather sympathized with Diddy's alleged victims, including Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura, his comments didn't sit well with some on social media who pointed out his own history of domestic abuse accusations.

Last November, Diddy's case with Ventura was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Now the artist and business mogul will be defended by attorney Bobbi Sternheim in a lawsuit from a woman claiming that he raped her in 2003 when she was 17 years old.


Tiffany Haddish Under Fire Over Her Trip To Israel Amid Hamas Conflict!

Tiffany Haddish has angered people with her trip to Israel amid its ongoing conflict with Hamas. The actress has been trending on social media after she revealed that she's traveling to the Middle East country for what she called an "educational trip" amid the country's war with Palestine.

On Tuesday, February 20, the 44-year-old went live on Instagram and showed her sitting in business class in a plane. The comedian, who found out she was Jewish later in life and had her Bar Mitzvah at 40, joked, "I'm gonna go meet my future man out there. I'm out. I'm going to the Holy Land. I suggest you all do it."
"Why go? Why not go?" she said to the camera. Holding a drink in her hand, she claimed, "This is orange juice, it's not a mimosa. Champagne gives me gas. I would never do that to these people."

Tiffany looked excited as she sang her own made-up tune and told viewers her plans, "On my way to Tel Aviv, then to Jerusalem. Then I'm going to the Dead Sea and goin' get me some. Gonna have some fun, yeah. It's gonna be great. Then I'm gonna learn about the politics, ay."

The "Girls Trip" star said she's traveling to Israel "to learn and see with my own eyes" because she doesn't believe what she read on the Internet. "I'm gonna see with my own eyes," she added.

"Who said I wasn't going to Gaza?" she responded to a fan's comment on the Live. "I said I'm going to go see with my own eyes. Gotta go to Israel first." She went on asking, "And isn't Gaza in Israel? Ain't it all on the same continent, the same little piece of land and surrounded by water?"
" She explained, "This is sociology. This is an educational trip for me. I want to go get educated. I want to see what's really going on. I want to learn how it started, why it started."

"I want to see where Jesus walked," the funnywoman, who has been arrested for DUI twice, continued. "I want to see all the stuff everywhere they talked about in the Bible. I want to see all that. So if it's in the Bible, I'm probably gonna be there."

Tiffany, who posted the video on her feed, quickly came under fire for her "insensitive" and "tone deaf" trip. "Gotta be the most insensitive and ignorant a** thing I've seen," one person commented on the video.
A shocked follower wrote, "Really Tiff?! wow, honestly there so much I could say but damn this is heartbreaking, you are not a safe space and your instincts are inherently flawed and dangerous." Fuming, a third added, "What in the actual f**k. Take your a** to Gaza and see and learn over there."

A fourth critic pointed out, "The fact you can fly and 'holiday' in Israel but Gaza is pretty much destroyed gives you all the information you really need. This isn't a war, it's genocide." One other boycotted her as writing, "Yeah I'm out. You're on the wrong side of history," adding the hashtag, #FREEPALESTINE.


2 men charged with murder in Kansas City Chiefs rally shooting
Two men were charged with murder and other felony charges for their roles in the mass shooting after a Kansas City Chiefs championship rally last week, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Tuesday.

Lyndell Mays, of Raytown, and Dominic M. Miller, of Kansas City, were both charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action, the prosecutor’s office said. They are being held on $1 million bond.
According to the investigation, Mays was in a verbal argument with another person that escalated, and Mays then drew a handgun. Almost immediately, Miller and others pulled their firearms, leading to the shootout, Baker said. The two did not know each other before that day, Baker added.

Both defendants have been hospitalized and in custody since the shooting, she said.
Shock and sadness replace Super Bowl euphoria in Kansas City, one week after the big game
Though they were both charged with murder, Miller’s firearm was the one that fatally wounded Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a 43-year-old mother of two and local DJ and radio host.

These defendants are separate from the two teenagers who face gun-related and resisting arrest charges and are in secure detention at the Juvenile Detention Center, according to Baker. Additional arrests are possible, Baker said.
The charges come a week after the deadly shooting that left Lopez-Galvan dead and wounded more than 20 others, including nearly a dozen children. The shooting outside Union Station sparked chaos and put a tragic end to what had been a euphoric day of celebration for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Police initially said Wednesday they detained three people after the shooting, but one was later “determined to not be involved.”
Lopez-Galvan’s family released a statement thanking the prosecutor’s office, police and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

“Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting to know that the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCPD made it a top priority to seek justice for Lisa, the other shooting victims, those who had to witness this tragedy unfold and the Kansas City community,” the family said.
The incident was at least the 48th mass shooting in the United States in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which like CNN counts those in which four or more are shot, not including a perpetrator. It also marked the second shooting in a year at a major US sports title celebration, after two people were wounded in June as Denver fans left a parade for the NBA’s Nuggets.

Charging documents released by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office offer further details of what happened before, during and after the shooting, including alleged confessions from the two men charged with murder.
Citing surveillance video of the shooting, a probable cause statement says the shooting began with a confrontation between two groups.

Mays got into a verbal confrontation with a group of people and approached them in an “aggressive” and “angry” manner, according to the statement. He then allegedly pulled out a handgun, pointed it at one of the individuals and began chasing and shooting at him, according to the statement. Other individuals took out their firearms and appeared to start shooting at Mays, who was struck by gunfire, the statement said.

Kansas City radio DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, mother of two, killed in the shooting following Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration rally
Miller, meanwhile, allegedly positioned himself in a crowd of people, pulled out a firearm and appeared to begin shooting, the statement says. An unidentified person shot Miller in the lower back, causing him to fall to the ground, the statement says.

Mays was found wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment. In a hospital interview two days after the shooting, Mays told detectives he started shooting because the others said “I’m going to get you,” the statement says.

“Stupid, man. Just pulled a gun out and started shooting,” Mays allegedly said, according to the probable cause statement. “I shouldn’t have done that. Just being stupid.”
A Glock 9mm handgun found on the ground near Mays contained six rounds in a 15-round capacity magazine, according to the documents. The firearm had been stolen in Kansas City, Missouri, the documents state.

Miller, who had a gunshot wound, was tackled and disarmed by a witness who saw him carrying a handgun, according to the statement. In a hospital interview two days after the shooting, he said he was armed with a Taurus G3 9mm handgun and said he returned fire after he saw someone shooting at him, according to the statement.
A .38-caliber class bullet was recovered during an autopsy of Lopez-Galvan, and a ballistic comparison of the bullet determined it was fired from the Taurus weapon, according to the statement.

The second-degree murder charge comes with a potential sentence of up to life in prison, while unlawful use of a weapon carries up to 15 years in prison.


Hoda says she has ‘great love’ for Kelly Rowland: ‘She can share my dressing room!’

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager have nothing but love for Kelly Rowland. On Feb. 15, Rowland — who was scheduled to co-host TODAY with Hoda & Jenna alongside Hoda when Jenna took time off — left the studio early, prompting a story from Page Six that her exit was related to a green room issue. On Feb. 20, Hoda clarified on-air that she has “great love and admiration” for Rowland.
Singer Rita Ora jumped in for Rowland at the last minute on Feb. 15 and shared hosting duties for the fourth hour with Hoda.

"Did I miss anything?" Jenna asked Hoda on TODAY on Feb. 20 in her first day back.
"I just want to say this," Hoda said. "I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her, and I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again."

"She's welcome anytime," Jenna said.Hoda then appeared to reference the Page Six report, saying, "She can share my dressing room! We'll be in it together!"
"I just want to say that we love her," she continued. "We've loved her on this show for many, many, many years."
Rowland has been a frequent guest on TODAY.
"Remember the first time she was a guest and we both said, 'Can she please host with us?'" Jenna said. "We adore her."
Ora, who had been a guest on TODAY on Feb. 15, shared on Instagram on Feb. 16 how she quickly hopped into a co-hosting role.

"Well, this happened!" she wrote. "We had two minutes to prepare ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking me to co-host the show... Everyone was so lovely and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!! 💗💗💗 Love to everyone that tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!"
Hoda thanked Ora on the fourth hour for her quick pivot last week.

"On another note, too, we just want to give a shoutout to Rita Ora, who kind of came in at the last second and really did a phenomenal job," Hoda said. "So we have great women on this show. Two great women right there."


Halle Bailey's Boyfriend DDG Admits Pregnancy Wasn't Planned
DDG is making new comments about becoming a father and welcoming his first child with girlfriend Halle Bailey.
The 26-year-old rapper talked about his new family during an episode of The Jason Lee Show, which will debut this week
“We weren’t aiming for a baby, but it just kinda happened,” he said on the show (via People). “What are we going to do?”
Lee made comments to DDG about how both he and Halle, 23, had a lot going on in their careers when the pregnancy happened, including the release of her Disney movie The Little Mermaid.

“You’re on tour, and you’re successful in your own right and have been. She’s successful in her own right, and just came out of the biggest movie, like ever, and all the drama that came with that,” Lee said. “That’s a very big adult conversation in your early 20s.”

DDG responded, “Both of us have the same interest in being parents. And I feel like she always wanted to be a mom. We always kind of just give off that energy, and I always wanted a kid. So, from there we just made the decision to go through with it.”
Halle recently shared before & after photos showing her during the pregnancy and after she gave birth.


Nominee Da'Vine Joy Randolph Explains Why She Wants 5 Extra Tickets for Oscars 2024

Da’Vine Joy Randolph is nominated for her first Oscar this year and she’s also expected to take home the gold!
The 37-year-old actress is up for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the movie The Holdovers and she hopes to have lots of friends there to cheer her on.

“If anyone would like to contribute to giving me an additional ticket that you may not need,” Da’Vine said on Watch What Happens Live. “I need five tickets.”
So, why does she want more tickets? She further explained in another interview.
“They’re telling me I may only have one extra ticket, so that’s my mission. Can you imagine the people in your life that are, like, ‘I want to come!’ And you’re, like, ‘And you should come because you’ve helped me significantly in my life,’” Da’Vine told Vanity Fair.

“If I can get five — I don’t care if my people are back there [on the balcony], I don’t need five people in my row,” she added. “Get Oscar tickets, or buy Oscar tickets, whatever we’ve got to do — I have some family members that would be very upset, so I’ve got to figure that out.”


Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts will be Honored at 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in LA on March 14
GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced that global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author Oprah Winfrey will receive GLAAD’sVanguard Award and Emmy Award®-winning actress and producer Niecy Nash-Betts will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which goes to members of the LGBTQ community, at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

Hosted by Wayne Brady, special guests include: Alexandra Shipp (Anyone But You), Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking), Heather Dubrow (The Real Housewives of Orange County), Jason Sudeikis, and the cast from “Ted Lasso,” Jonathan Bailey (Fellow Travelers), Matt Bomer (Fellow Travelers), Meredith Marks (The RealHousewives of Salt Lake City), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Loot), Michelle Visage (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Victoria Monét (3x Grammy-Winning Artist), the cast from “RuPaul’sDrag Race,” and Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist nominee David Archuleta will perform at the official GLAAD Media Awards After-Party.

GLAAD’s Vanguard Award is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. Previous honorees include Bad Bunny, Beyoncé and JAY-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Kerry Washington, Cher, Janet Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Kacey Musgraves, and Antonio Banderas.

GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. It is named in honor of the Los Angeles casting director who devoted the last part of his life to fighting homophobia and HIV stigma within the entertainment industry. Previous recipients of the Stephen F. Kolzak Award include: Jeremy Pope, Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes, Jim Parsons, Ruby Rose, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Ellen DeGeneres, MichaelaJae Rodriguez and more.

The 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles is presented by Gilead Sciences, Google Pixel and Hyundai Motor America, with Major Sponsor, Hornitos Tequila, Official Sponsors Delta Air Lines and Sony Music Group. The 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles official after-party musical performance by David Archuleta is presented by Hyundai Motor America.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.
Since its inception in 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show and fundraiser in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally.


The Search for Sanai Singh is Canceled – She’s Been Found!

*Due to the critical nature of the situation, today’s canvas and press conference for Sanai Makayla Singh has been canceled.
However, there is relieving news to share: the Ebony alert – issued by the LAPD & CHP yesterday – on behalf of Sanai Singh was successful, and she has been found safe.

“Adrienne Hutchinson, the mother of Sanai Singh, and her family members want to express their heartfelt gratitude to the community members, media outlets, and law enforcement agencies whose concerted efforts led to Sanai’s safe return,” stated family spokesperson Najee Ali.

While details regarding Sanai’s situation remain undisclosed, the primary relief stems from knowing that she is now out of harm’s way.
For those who may have missed the original story, below is a recap of the events leading up to Sanai’s safe return.
*The family of Sanai Singh, a 19-year-old African American woman grappling with mental health challenges, is dealing with the anguish of her disappearance since last Thursday morning.

Sanai vanished from her residence in South Los Angeles, leaving her parents and relatives deeply distressed.
In their desperate search for answers, Sanai’s parents have diligently filed a missing person’s report with the LAPD, fervently seeking assistance from the community to help locate their beloved daughter.

Despite their fervent efforts, the family’s plea for an Ebony alert—an urgent notification system designed to aid in the swift recovery of missing individuals from minority communities—has not yet been heeded by the LAPD. They were disheartened to learn that LAPD detectives handling missing person cases do not operate during weekends, leaving them in an agonizing limbo.

In response to the perceived lack of urgency and resources devoted to cases involving missing Black women, the family, joined by community leaders, is demanding increased attention from the LAPD. They are advocating for a more robust allocation of resources and personnel to address the disproportionately high number of cases like Sanai’s within the community.


A$AP Rocky Gives Fans An Update On Rihanna's Next Album
Rihanna has been trending on social media since ASAP Rocky gave a few fans an exciting yet vague update on the “Sex With Me” singer’s forthcoming ninth album. The project would be the first album that she has released since her instant classic ANTI.

Many supporters believed the “Work” songstress would share a new album during her highly anticipated performance at Super Bowl LVII. While she did not share a project or any new music, she did showcase a baby bump. This left members of Rihanna’s fan base, “The Navy,” excited for her personally but bummed because of the lack of announcements for new music.
When asked by fans for an update on the forthcoming LP, ASAP Rocky suggested, “She’s working on it,” while wearing a bright smile. One fan commented on the video, saying, “Thank goodness. We need something original and tangible because the music game out here is questionable!” Another user said, “love [how] he lies for her ’cause she ain’t working on no d**n music, and I’m fine with that.”


Capital One To Acquire Discover In $35B Deal By Early 2025

Capital One Financial has recently announced its plan to acquire Discover Financial Services by early 2025. The acquisition will bring together two of the nation’s biggest lenders and credit card issuers in a $35 billion deal.
The deal merges two of the largest credit card companies that aren’t banks, similar to JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup,  as well as American Express. It also brings together two companies whose customers are largely similar: often Americans who are looking for cash back or modest travel rewards.

“This marketplace that’s dominated by the big players is going to shrink a little bit more now,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit card analyst at LendingTree.
The deal also will give Discover’s payment network a major credit card partner that could make the payment network a major competitor once again. Currently, the U.S. credit card industry is dominated by the Visa-Mastercard. AmEx ranks third place, and Discover comes in at an even more distant fourth place.

As for now, it remains unclear whether Capitol One will adopt the Discover payment system or set up a payment network that allows parallel use of Discover and a second payment network like Visa, ABC reported.
“Our acquisition of Discover is a singular opportunity to bring together two very successful companies with complementary capabilities and franchises, and to build a payments network that can compete with the largest payments networks and payments companies,” said Richard Fairbank, the chairman and CEO of Capital One, in a statement.

With its purchase of Discover, Capital One expects Americans will continue to increasingly use their credit cards and keep balances on those accounts to collect interest.  Capital One has long had a business model looking for customers who will keep a balance on their cards, aiming for customers with lower credit scores than American Express or even Discover.

Discover’s customers are carrying $102 billion in balances on their credit cards, up 13% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the charge-off rates and 30-day delinquency rates have climbed.
Analysts at Citigroup say the regulatory issues may have prompted the sale.

“We are surprised that DFS would sell, but suppose that its regulatory challenges such as its recent October FDIC consent order and the card product misclassification issue may have opened the door for the board to consider strategic alternatives that it may not have in the past,” wrote analysts Arren Cyganovich and Kaili Wang in a note to clients.

Whether the deal will pass regulatory scrutiny is up in the air. According to ABC News, nearly every bank issues a credit card to its customers, but there are few companies that are credit card companies first and banks second. Both Discover — formally the Sears Card — and Capital One started off as credit card companies that expanded into other financial offerings like checking and savings accounts.

Consumer groups are expected to put heavy pressure on the Biden Administration to ensure the deal is good for consumers and shareholders.
“The deal also poses massive anti-trust concerns, given the vertical integration of Capital One’s credit card lending with Discover’s credit card network,” said Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition..


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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