#MAGFAB: Jude Bellingham for Vogue UK
Nice!
#RHOA: Gizelle Bryant Says 'RHOA' Cast Goes Harder Than 'RHOP'
Bryant says Potomac has returned to “funny light shade” after intense middle seasons, and she appreciates her castmates’ direct approach to confrontation.
During Season 11, Bryant celebrates Karen Huger’s return and Robyn Dixon’s reduced role while saying her friendship with Wendy Osefo has improved considerably.
Gizelle Bryant knows a thing or two about throwing shade, but even she admits the women of The Real Housewives of Atlanta operate on another level. During a recent appearance on Cocoa Butter, the Real Housewives of Potomac veteran compared the two Bravo franchises and made it clear that Atlanta's reputation for delivering brutal reads is well-earned.
"First of all, and I love myself some Atlanta ladies, but their reads are down to the white meat," Bryant said. "Like, they go in. I tell Porsha that all the time."
Bryant pushed back on the suggestion that Potomac's cast is meaner than Atlanta's, explaining that the two groups have very different approaches to confrontation.
"I don't want to call any of us mean," she said. "I want to say that their reads are to hell. Our reads are to purgatory. Ours are not as bad as Atlanta. Thank God."
That's saying something coming from Bryant, whose willingness to confront her castmates has made her one of Potomac's most recognizable personalities since the show's 2016 debut. She previously told The Breakfast Club that she knows when she's playing the villain in someone else's storyline, but understands that conflict comes with making reality television.
"Now I think they appreciate my messiness," she said during that interview. "They're looking forward to my mess. So I like that."
Still, Bryant insists that Potomac's brand of drama has changed over the years. She acknowledged that the series became particularly intense during its middle seasons, when arguments sometimes overshadowed the friendships that originally defined the cast.
"I think now we're back to the funny light shade, no big deal, and we're able to really communicate with each other," she told Cocoa Butter.
Bryant also contrasted her experience filming The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip with returning to Potomac. While she enjoyed the crossover experience, she said the other Housewives were more comfortable discussing one another behind their backs.
"We are straightforward in your face," Bryant said of the Potomac cast. "I actually appreciate my Potomac ladies."
That familiarity has become especially important as the franchise moves through its 11th season. Bryant celebrated Karen Huger’s return, describing their complicated friendship as stronger despite years of televised arguments.
"We're the best frenemies," she said. "Karen is somebody I love to yell at, and I love to laugh with her."
She's equally enthusiastic about Robyn Dixon returning in a reduced role, saying the change has allowed her longtime friend to enjoy filming without the same pressure to expose her personal life.
Bryant also addressed her evolving relationships with Wendy Osefo and Tia Glover. Despite previous disagreements with Osefo, she said their friendship has improved considerably.
As for Glover, Bryant maintained that the controversy involving her husband's alleged dating-app activity remains Glover's story to tell.
#NewMusic from DAY26 Starts the Holiday Season With Romantic New Single “All Year”
R&B quintet DAY26 has officially brought their unmistakable vocal chemistry into the holiday season with the release of a brand-new single, “ALL YEAR.” The romantic track is available now across all major digital streaming platforms via Illustrate New Ideas and Jive Records.
To craft the new single, the group connected with a powerhouse production duo: Grammy-winning hitmaker Bryan-Michael Cox and acclaimed songwriter-producer j.Que Smith. Blending DAY26’s signature five-part harmonies with a warm, romantic spirit, the track serves up the timeless appeal of classic R&B while offering a message that resonates far beyond the winter months.
To craft the new single, the group connected with a powerhouse production duo: Grammy-winning hitmaker Bryan-Michael Cox and acclaimed songwriter-producer j.Que Smith. Blending DAY26’s signature five-part harmonies with a warm, romantic spirit, the track serves up the timeless appeal of classic R&B while offering a message that resonates far beyond the winter months.
LISTEN HERE:
Thematically, “ALL YEAR” celebrates deep connection, closeness, and a lasting romantic bond that extends past any single season. The record successfully bridges a familiar sonic connection for longtime supporters while remaining highly accessible to a new generation of listeners stepping into the DAY26 experience for the first time.
As DAY26 actively approaches its massive 20th anniversary in 2027, “ALL YEAR” represents a meaningful new chapter in the group’s ongoing musical journey.
Nearly two decades after initially capturing the hearts of global R&B audiences, the five members continue to champion the undeniable musical chemistry and authentic brotherhood that has always remained central to their identity. The new release serves as both a reminder of the group’s enduring cultural footprint and an exciting glimpse into their next era, proving they can still deliver the same passion and vocal authenticity that first made fans fall in love
Thematically, “ALL YEAR” celebrates deep connection, closeness, and a lasting romantic bond that extends past any single season. The record successfully bridges a familiar sonic connection for longtime supporters while remaining highly accessible to a new generation of listeners stepping into the DAY26 experience for the first time.
As DAY26 actively approaches its massive 20th anniversary in 2027, “ALL YEAR” represents a meaningful new chapter in the group’s ongoing musical journey.
Nearly two decades after initially capturing the hearts of global R&B audiences, the five members continue to champion the undeniable musical chemistry and authentic brotherhood that has always remained central to their identity. The new release serves as both a reminder of the group’s enduring cultural footprint and an exciting glimpse into their next era, proving they can still deliver the same passion and vocal authenticity that first made fans fall in love
#HipHopNews: Eminem’s Publisher Sues AI Platform Suno for Over $40 Million, Alleging 269 Songs Used for AI Training
Generative AI’s clash with the music industry has reached a high-stakes turning point. Eight Mile Style, the longtime music publisher controlling rights to a massive chunk of Eminem’s iconic catalog, has filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music generator Suno.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Suno illegally scraped and ingested 269 copyrighted Eminem compositions—including classics like “Lose Yourself,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “Stan,” “Without Me,” and “Till I Collapse”—to train its commercial AI models without permission or payment.
Seeking up to $150,000 in statutory damages per work alongside claims over altered copyright management data, the publisher is pursuing over $40.35 million in total relief.
According to court filings, Eight Mile Style accuses Suno of using pirated data pipelines to extract copyrighted tracks and lyrics from digital platforms such as YouTube Music, Deezer, and Genius.
The complaint asserts that Suno’s AI models do not merely analyze musical patterns, but actively allow users to recreate sound-alike recordings and verbatim lyrics. To demonstrate the claim, the filing cites an example where a prompt on Suno’s platform generated a track reproducing the lyrics of Eminem’s Oscar-winning anthem “Lose Yourself” word-for-word.
The lawsuit also points out that while Suno blocks direct artist name prompts, users can easily bypass those guardrails by inputting descriptive style cues to output tracks mirroring Slim Shady’s signature flow, cadence, and production style.
“Suno made illicit copies of millions of copyrighted musical works, including Eight Mile Style’s, then created a platform where users pay to create songs based on those unauthorized copies.”
In a statement addressing the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Suno defended the platform’s technology and strict user guidelines:
“Suno exists to help people create new, original music, not to trade on anyone’s name or likeness, and we prohibit any unauthorized use of an artist’s work. To protect against this, we do not allow prompts for specific artists’ names and songs and work with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse.”
Eminem himself is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, as the legal battle focuses strictly on publishing rights held by Eight Mile Style.
The action from Eight Mile Style arrives amid a broader, industry-wide crackdown on unauthorized AI training. The legal action coincides with a separate $202 million lawsuit brought against Suno by Elvis Presley’s rights holders over voice cloning and catalog infringement.
While major record labels previously engaged in ongoing litigation—and Warner Music Group reached a licensing settlement with Suno in late 2025—Eight Mile Style’s suit signals that independent music publishers are fully prepared to take AI developers to court over intellectual property rights.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Suno illegally scraped and ingested 269 copyrighted Eminem compositions—including classics like “Lose Yourself,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “Stan,” “Without Me,” and “Till I Collapse”—to train its commercial AI models without permission or payment.
Seeking up to $150,000 in statutory damages per work alongside claims over altered copyright management data, the publisher is pursuing over $40.35 million in total relief.
According to court filings, Eight Mile Style accuses Suno of using pirated data pipelines to extract copyrighted tracks and lyrics from digital platforms such as YouTube Music, Deezer, and Genius.
The complaint asserts that Suno’s AI models do not merely analyze musical patterns, but actively allow users to recreate sound-alike recordings and verbatim lyrics. To demonstrate the claim, the filing cites an example where a prompt on Suno’s platform generated a track reproducing the lyrics of Eminem’s Oscar-winning anthem “Lose Yourself” word-for-word.
The lawsuit also points out that while Suno blocks direct artist name prompts, users can easily bypass those guardrails by inputting descriptive style cues to output tracks mirroring Slim Shady’s signature flow, cadence, and production style.
“Suno made illicit copies of millions of copyrighted musical works, including Eight Mile Style’s, then created a platform where users pay to create songs based on those unauthorized copies.”
In a statement addressing the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Suno defended the platform’s technology and strict user guidelines:
“Suno exists to help people create new, original music, not to trade on anyone’s name or likeness, and we prohibit any unauthorized use of an artist’s work. To protect against this, we do not allow prompts for specific artists’ names and songs and work with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse.”
Eminem himself is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, as the legal battle focuses strictly on publishing rights held by Eight Mile Style.
The action from Eight Mile Style arrives amid a broader, industry-wide crackdown on unauthorized AI training. The legal action coincides with a separate $202 million lawsuit brought against Suno by Elvis Presley’s rights holders over voice cloning and catalog infringement.
While major record labels previously engaged in ongoing litigation—and Warner Music Group reached a licensing settlement with Suno in late 2025—Eight Mile Style’s suit signals that independent music publishers are fully prepared to take AI developers to court over intellectual property rights.
#RIPStacyKeach, Legendary star of stage and ‘Mike Hammer’ series, dies at 85
Stacy Keach, one of America’s finest stage actors who became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on TV and whose career was nearly derailed after he was imprisoned in 1984 for trying to smuggle cocaine into Britain, died Tuesday. He was 85.
Keach died at home in Magdalenka, Poland, “after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure,” his wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach, said in a statement. Keach had previously suffered a heart attack onstage in Chicago in June 2017.
Though he was considered a preeminent interpreter of Shakespeare and a favorite of such legendary directors as John Huston, Keach was indelibly linked with his take on the hard-boiled Hammer, the fictitious TV private detective created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane.
Unwilling to do the same thing over and over, Keach left behind a crazy quilt of roles, playing a stoner cop on film, King Lear onstage and also narrating “World’s Most Amazing Videos” on TV. He played a deranged colonel in “The Ninth Configuration” (also known as “Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane”), led the TV show “Titus” and had a role in Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated drama “Nebraska.” Last year, he had an excellent turn as George Clooney’s bitter father in “Jay Kelly.”
“My objective was to have as varied a selection of roles as possible. It probably did hurt my career,” he told New York magazine in 2012. “My choices have had a cost attached to it. But I’ve gotten to play Hamlet, and Richard III, and King Lear, and I would not give that up for anything.”
He played French painter Julien Mistral in the CBS miniseries “Mistral’s Daughter,” a Russian prince in the miniseries version of Judith Krantz’s novel “Princess Daisy,” Barabbas in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” and Maj. Jonas Steele in “The Blue and the Gray.” He won a Golden Globe playing Ernest Hemingway in a six-hour miniseries, for which he gained 35 pounds.
Keach earned a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Buffalo Bill in the Broadway play “Indians,” played Edmund opposite Lee J. Cobb in “King Lear” on Broadway and had other onstage roles there in “The Kentucky Cycle” in 1993, “The Country Wife” in 1965 and “Other Desert Cities” in 2011.
He also headed the national touring company cast of “Frost/Nixon,” portraying the fallen president, and went on tour with “Sleuth” with Maxwell Caulfield as his co-star. He starred in a 2006 production of “King Lear” at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and returned in 2017 for “Pamplona,” a one-man show about Hemingway, where he collapsed onstage, leading to the run’s cancellation.
While he was still doing “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (later titled “The New Mike Hammer”), Keach was arrested in 1984 at London’s Heathrow Airport after trying to smuggle 1.3 ounces of cocaine concealed in an aerosol shaving cream can and elsewhere in his luggage. Also arrested was his secretary.
“As my sentence was read — nine months in prison — I felt like someone had kicked me in the groin with lead cleats,” he wrote in his 2013 book, “All in All: An Actor’s Life On and Off the Stage.” He added: “It was the lowest moment of my life.”
He was handcuffed and taken to prison, a cell the size of a closet and where an orange plastic bucket would serve as his toilet. Before he went inside, an officer asked him to autograph a copy of the book “The Blue and the Gray.”
The then-44-year-old actor was sent to Reading Prison, a medium-security lockup, because authorities felt a minimum-security jail would have provided too easy access for reporters. He was released after six months.
In his book, Keach wrote that while in prison he got warm letters from Gregory Peck, Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore and Al Pacino. He was put in charge of showing a movie one Sunday per month and recalls once picking his own, “The Long Riders.” He said the experience was “very lonely, very depressing, very sad. I spent a lot of my time trying to re-evaluate my own stupidity.”
After prison, he narrated the TV documentary “High on the Job,” and testified before Congress, telling a House panel how he first became hooked on cocaine in the mid-1970s. “There is no greater imprisonment than that of being dependent on a chemical substance for one’s existence,” he testified.
Keach took his warnings to college campuses and rehab centers. He also married Polish actor Malgosia Tomassi, whom he met when she appeared in the “Hammer” series. He said he treasured her photos and letters behind bars.
Keach, who was married four times, is survived by Malgosia, and his children, Shannon and Karolina.
His first role after his release was in the CBS movie, “Intimate Strangers” with Teri Garr, and it became the third-highest rated TV movie of the 1985-86 season. His next film, “The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer,” also played well, and then the “Mike Hammer” series, which had been on the production shelf since his arrest, was given a slot on CBS’ 1986-87 schedule.
Many years later, in the TV series “Prison Break” that aired from 2005-2007, Keach played a prison warden and said he tried to model his character after his real-life warden in England, whom he said had great compassion and wanted to help inmates rehabilitate themselves.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Keach was the son of actors who met at Northwestern University. Keach attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned degrees in English and dramatic art.
In the summer of 1963, he worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and played Henry V, Mercutio and Lord Berowne. He attended the Yale School of Drama and, in the summer of 1964, played several roles at New York’s Public Theater in “Hamlet” with Julie Harris. He went to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as a Fulbright scholar and returned to New York to do various stage roles.
Keach made his film debut in 1968 in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and played stoner cop Sergeant Stedenko from the Cheech and Chong movies. He worked for director John Huston twice, in “Fat City” and “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” and had roles in “American History X” with Edward Norton and “The Bourne Legacy.” He played a tough trucker in “Roadgames,” was electrocuted in “Children of the Corn” and a robot removed his heart in “Class of 1999.”
His biggest break, though, came with the role of Hammer, whom he played as a modern-day knight, a champion of the underdog.
“Keach makes a dashing, dapper Hammer. He looks almost jaunty in his tilted gray fedora,” said Fred Rothenberg, a TV writer for The Associated Press, in 1983. “He knows how to speak lust with his eyes, and talk dirty with his fists.”
Stacy Keach, one of America’s finest stage actors who became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on TV and whose career was nearly derailed after he was imprisoned in 1984 for trying to smuggle cocaine into Britain, died Tuesday. He was 85.
Keach died at home in Magdalenka, Poland, “after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure,” his wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach, said in a statement. Keach had previously suffered a heart attack onstage in Chicago in June 2017.
Though he was considered a preeminent interpreter of Shakespeare and a favorite of such legendary directors as John Huston, Keach was indelibly linked with his take on the hard-boiled Hammer, the fictitious TV private detective created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane.
Unwilling to do the same thing over and over, Keach left behind a crazy quilt of roles, playing a stoner cop on film, King Lear onstage and also narrating “World’s Most Amazing Videos” on TV. He played a deranged colonel in “The Ninth Configuration” (also known as “Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane”), led the TV show “Titus” and had a role in Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated drama “Nebraska.” Last year, he had an excellent turn as George Clooney’s bitter father in “Jay Kelly.”
“My objective was to have as varied a selection of roles as possible. It probably did hurt my career,” he told New York magazine in 2012. “My choices have had a cost attached to it. But I’ve gotten to play Hamlet, and Richard III, and King Lear, and I would not give that up for anything.”
He played French painter Julien Mistral in the CBS miniseries “Mistral’s Daughter,” a Russian prince in the miniseries version of Judith Krantz’s novel “Princess Daisy,” Barabbas in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” and Maj. Jonas Steele in “The Blue and the Gray.” He won a Golden Globe playing Ernest Hemingway in a six-hour miniseries, for which he gained 35 pounds.
Keach earned a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Buffalo Bill in the Broadway play “Indians,” played Edmund opposite Lee J. Cobb in “King Lear” on Broadway and had other onstage roles there in “The Kentucky Cycle” in 1993, “The Country Wife” in 1965 and “Other Desert Cities” in 2011.
He also headed the national touring company cast of “Frost/Nixon,” portraying the fallen president, and went on tour with “Sleuth” with Maxwell Caulfield as his co-star. He starred in a 2006 production of “King Lear” at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and returned in 2017 for “Pamplona,” a one-man show about Hemingway, where he collapsed onstage, leading to the run’s cancellation.
While he was still doing “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (later titled “The New Mike Hammer”), Keach was arrested in 1984 at London’s Heathrow Airport after trying to smuggle 1.3 ounces of cocaine concealed in an aerosol shaving cream can and elsewhere in his luggage. Also arrested was his secretary.
“As my sentence was read — nine months in prison — I felt like someone had kicked me in the groin with lead cleats,” he wrote in his 2013 book, “All in All: An Actor’s Life On and Off the Stage.” He added: “It was the lowest moment of my life.”
He was handcuffed and taken to prison, a cell the size of a closet and where an orange plastic bucket would serve as his toilet. Before he went inside, an officer asked him to autograph a copy of the book “The Blue and the Gray.”
The then-44-year-old actor was sent to Reading Prison, a medium-security lockup, because authorities felt a minimum-security jail would have provided too easy access for reporters. He was released after six months.
In his book, Keach wrote that while in prison he got warm letters from Gregory Peck, Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore and Al Pacino. He was put in charge of showing a movie one Sunday per month and recalls once picking his own, “The Long Riders.” He said the experience was “very lonely, very depressing, very sad. I spent a lot of my time trying to re-evaluate my own stupidity.”
After prison, he narrated the TV documentary “High on the Job,” and testified before Congress, telling a House panel how he first became hooked on cocaine in the mid-1970s. “There is no greater imprisonment than that of being dependent on a chemical substance for one’s existence,” he testified.
Keach took his warnings to college campuses and rehab centers. He also married Polish actor Malgosia Tomassi, whom he met when she appeared in the “Hammer” series. He said he treasured her photos and letters behind bars.
Keach, who was married four times, is survived by Malgosia, and his children, Shannon and Karolina.
His first role after his release was in the CBS movie, “Intimate Strangers” with Teri Garr, and it became the third-highest rated TV movie of the 1985-86 season. His next film, “The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer,” also played well, and then the “Mike Hammer” series, which had been on the production shelf since his arrest, was given a slot on CBS’ 1986-87 schedule.
Many years later, in the TV series “Prison Break” that aired from 2005-2007, Keach played a prison warden and said he tried to model his character after his real-life warden in England, whom he said had great compassion and wanted to help inmates rehabilitate themselves.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Keach was the son of actors who met at Northwestern University. Keach attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned degrees in English and dramatic art.
In the summer of 1963, he worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and played Henry V, Mercutio and Lord Berowne. He attended the Yale School of Drama and, in the summer of 1964, played several roles at New York’s Public Theater in “Hamlet” with Julie Harris. He went to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as a Fulbright scholar and returned to New York to do various stage roles.
Keach made his film debut in 1968 in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and played stoner cop Sergeant Stedenko from the Cheech and Chong movies. He worked for director John Huston twice, in “Fat City” and “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” and had roles in “American History X” with Edward Norton and “The Bourne Legacy.” He played a tough trucker in “Roadgames,” was electrocuted in “Children of the Corn” and a robot removed his heart in “Class of 1999.”
His biggest break, though, came with the role of Hammer, whom he played as a modern-day knight, a champion of the underdog.
“Keach makes a dashing, dapper Hammer. He looks almost jaunty in his tilted gray fedora,” said Fred Rothenberg, a TV writer for The Associated Press, in 1983. “He knows how to speak lust with his eyes, and talk dirty with his fists.”
#RIPIrmaPHall, Legendary Actress of ‘Soul Food’ Star and Matriarch, Dies at 91
Irma P. Hall, the venerable actress whose portrayal of the matriarch “Big Mama” in the 1997 film “Soul Food” cemented her status as a cornerstone of Black cinema, died Tuesday.
She was 91. Her family confirmed her passing in a statement issued from Dallas, though a specific cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Hall, who spent two decades as a schoolteacher before transitioning to a full-time acting career, died on Nov. 10. Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Hall was raised in Chicago and initially pursued a career in education.
She taught foreign languages, specifically French and Spanish, in the Dallas Independent School District for 27 years. Her entry into the world of professional acting occurred by chance when actor and director Raymond St. Jacques discovered her during a poetry reading, leading to her debut in the 1973 film “Book of Numbers.” Hall’s most enduring legacy remains her role as Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph in “Soul Food.”
Her performance as the glue holding a fractured family together earned her an NAACP Image Award for Supporting Actress and spawned a successful television series. “She made that character feel so real that it was easy to forget we were watching an actress and not somebody’s actual grandmother,” said representatives in a tribute to her career.
Beyond the Sunday dinner table, Hall earned critical acclaim for her versatility. She received a Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her comedic performance opposite Tom Hanks in “The Ladykillers.”
Notably, she accepted the prestigious award while recovering from a serious car accident that occurred earlier that year. Her extensive filmography included roles in “A Family Thing,” “Beloved,” “Collateral” and “Patch Adams.” On television, she appeared in popular series such as “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Chicago Fire” and “Hap and Leonard.”
Hall remained dedicated to the arts in Texas, helping to establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and later the African American Repertory Theatre in DeSoto. She was eventually inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, honoring a career that proved artistic success has no expiration date.
She is survived by a community of actors she mentored and a family who remembered her this week for her compassion and dedication to the craft of storytelling.
She was 91. Her family confirmed her passing in a statement issued from Dallas, though a specific cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Hall, who spent two decades as a schoolteacher before transitioning to a full-time acting career, died on Nov. 10. Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Hall was raised in Chicago and initially pursued a career in education.
She taught foreign languages, specifically French and Spanish, in the Dallas Independent School District for 27 years. Her entry into the world of professional acting occurred by chance when actor and director Raymond St. Jacques discovered her during a poetry reading, leading to her debut in the 1973 film “Book of Numbers.” Hall’s most enduring legacy remains her role as Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph in “Soul Food.”
Her performance as the glue holding a fractured family together earned her an NAACP Image Award for Supporting Actress and spawned a successful television series. “She made that character feel so real that it was easy to forget we were watching an actress and not somebody’s actual grandmother,” said representatives in a tribute to her career.
Beyond the Sunday dinner table, Hall earned critical acclaim for her versatility. She received a Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her comedic performance opposite Tom Hanks in “The Ladykillers.”
Notably, she accepted the prestigious award while recovering from a serious car accident that occurred earlier that year. Her extensive filmography included roles in “A Family Thing,” “Beloved,” “Collateral” and “Patch Adams.” On television, she appeared in popular series such as “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Chicago Fire” and “Hap and Leonard.”
Hall remained dedicated to the arts in Texas, helping to establish the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre and later the African American Repertory Theatre in DeSoto. She was eventually inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, honoring a career that proved artistic success has no expiration date.
She is survived by a community of actors she mentored and a family who remembered her this week for her compassion and dedication to the craft of storytelling.
Sade Will Skip Rock Hall Induction, Dedicates Honor to Late Member Mike Pela
Sade will be amiss from their own Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction but has shared a statement on how much they appreciate the honor.
In a statement released Tuesday (Nov. 10), the British soul outfit apologized for missing the Saturday (Nov. 14) ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater. "Sorry we can't be there in person to celebrate with the other artists," the band wrote.
"Please know that our absence takes nothing away from how much this recognition means to us," the statement continued.
The group’s members, vocalist Sade Adu, bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, and keyboardist Andrew Hale, also described what the induction means to them:
"Both a gift and a timely reminder to give thanks, not only to those who voted for us, but also every single person who lets our music into their lives… we are indebted to the ones who've been with us on this road to get here,” they stated.
The band also thanked their longtime manager, Roger Davis, and concluded with a tribute to Mike Pela, the late producer the band calls its "fifth Sade," who died of a sudden illness in 2022. "This is as much yours as ours Mike forever our soul mate," the band wrote.
The news comes one day after Rolling Stone reported that British rock band Oasis will also be absent from the ceremony. Previous inductees have skipped their Rock Hall ceremonies before, including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and more.
Sade will be inducted under the Performer category after first being nominated in 2024. The band formed in London in 1982 and released six studio albums, the latest being 2010’s Soldier of Love, and have moved more than 81.5 million equivalent copies globally.
Rock Hall’s 2026 class was announced in April, and the lineup includes legendary musicians Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
The broadcast airs in December 8 on ABC, and will be available to stream next-day on Hulu and Disney+.
Sade will be amiss from their own Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction but has shared a statement on how much they appreciate the honor.
In a statement released Tuesday (Nov. 10), the British soul outfit apologized for missing the Saturday (Nov. 14) ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater. "Sorry we can't be there in person to celebrate with the other artists," the band wrote.
"Please know that our absence takes nothing away from how much this recognition means to us," the statement continued.
The group’s members, vocalist Sade Adu, bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, and keyboardist Andrew Hale, also described what the induction means to them:
"Both a gift and a timely reminder to give thanks, not only to those who voted for us, but also every single person who lets our music into their lives… we are indebted to the ones who've been with us on this road to get here,” they stated.
The band also thanked their longtime manager, Roger Davis, and concluded with a tribute to Mike Pela, the late producer the band calls its "fifth Sade," who died of a sudden illness in 2022. "This is as much yours as ours Mike forever our soul mate," the band wrote.
The news comes one day after Rolling Stone reported that British rock band Oasis will also be absent from the ceremony. Previous inductees have skipped their Rock Hall ceremonies before, including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and more.
Sade will be inducted under the Performer category after first being nominated in 2024. The band formed in London in 1982 and released six studio albums, the latest being 2010’s Soldier of Love, and have moved more than 81.5 million equivalent copies globally.
Rock Hall’s 2026 class was announced in April, and the lineup includes legendary musicians Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
The broadcast airs in December 8 on ABC, and will be available to stream next-day on Hulu and Disney+.
Usher, Chris Brown cancel Miami and L.A tour stops on ‘R&B Tour’ amid alleged feud
The cancellations come after a tense Atlanta performance where the singers reportedly blamed each other for delays and stopped sharing the stage.
Fans of Usher and Chris Brown who were gearing up to see the R&B singers for their tour on November 16 will have to make new plans. According to TMZ, their concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been canceled.
Another show, planned for December 6 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, has also been canceled. No reason was given for either cancellation, and those who purchased tickets are subject to a refund.
While the duo's November 15 show at SoFi Stadium is still set to take place as scheduled, the cancellation comes days after the two engaged in a bit of a cold war while their "R&B Tour" held residency in Atlanta.
Tensions between the two boiled over during the first night of their shows in Usher's hometown, with both sides blaming the other for a lengthy delay. Unlike in previous shows, neither performed with the other, leaving fans puzzled as to why they were being treated to what felt like two different concerts.
Fans demanded refunds after waiting three hours and have launched a Change.org petition calling for a makeup show.
Things seemed smooth during subsequent shows. On Sunday, Usher and Jeezy paid tribute to Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was in attendance.
"We've been here before, right? But never have we ever seen what we've seen here happen in Atlanta, GA," Usher said. "The newly appointed governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, ladies and gentlemen."
Usher and Brown are set to conclude their five-night residency at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday, though it remains unclear what will happen to subsequent tour dates. The two are set to perform for two nights at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, followed by shows in Houston, Miami and Tampa, Florida.
Fans of Usher and Chris Brown who were gearing up to see the R&B singers for their tour on November 16 will have to make new plans. According to TMZ, their concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been canceled.
Another show, planned for December 6 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, has also been canceled. No reason was given for either cancellation, and those who purchased tickets are subject to a refund.
While the duo's November 15 show at SoFi Stadium is still set to take place as scheduled, the cancellation comes days after the two engaged in a bit of a cold war while their "R&B Tour" held residency in Atlanta.
Tensions between the two boiled over during the first night of their shows in Usher's hometown, with both sides blaming the other for a lengthy delay. Unlike in previous shows, neither performed with the other, leaving fans puzzled as to why they were being treated to what felt like two different concerts.
Fans demanded refunds after waiting three hours and have launched a Change.org petition calling for a makeup show.
Things seemed smooth during subsequent shows. On Sunday, Usher and Jeezy paid tribute to Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was in attendance.
"We've been here before, right? But never have we ever seen what we've seen here happen in Atlanta, GA," Usher said. "The newly appointed governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, ladies and gentlemen."
Usher and Brown are set to conclude their five-night residency at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday, though it remains unclear what will happen to subsequent tour dates. The two are set to perform for two nights at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, followed by shows in Houston, Miami and Tampa, Florida.
Vicki Lawrence Says CBS Wanted to Replace Her on ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’ But Carol Refused
Vicki Lawrence is looking back at how Carol Burnett defended her when CBS executives wanted her off The Carol Burnett Show.
The 77-year-old comedian opened up to People about her time on the beloved variety series as she prepares to bring her one-woman show to New Jersey for her final performances of 2026.
Vicki is best known for playing Thelma “Mama” Harper on The Carol Burnett Show, a role she later reprised in the television movie Eunice and the spinoff sitcom Mama’s Family.
For those who didn’t know, Vicki landed her role on The Carol Burnett Show in an unusual way.
As a teenager, she won a beauty contest in Inglewood, California, which caught the attention of a local newspaper. The paper pointed out her resemblance to Carol and published photos of the two side by side.
Vicki sent the clipping to Carol with a letter, which eventually led to her being hired for The Carol Burnett Show at just 18 years old. The series premiered in 1967 and ran for 11 seasons.
“I think nowadays what happened to me would never happen,” Vicki told People.
However, Vicki recently learned that her early days on the series weren’t entirely smooth sailing.
According to the comedian, CBS executives thought she was “really rough” and wanted her removed from the cast. Carol, however, refused to let her go.
“And Carol said, ‘She’s a diamond in the rough and we’re keeping her,’ ” Vicki revealed. “And she’s recounted that story a couple of times for me now, that I was a diamond, and I just go, ‘Really?’ ”
She continued, “I don’t know what she saw. And she has said to me, ‘I think it would’ve happened regardless, Vicki. It would’ve happened.”
Vicki continues to entertain audiences with her stage production, Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show.
During the first act, she shares “all the stories of everything that has happened to me.” In the second act, she returns as Mama to offer the character’s opinions on current events and other hot topics.
Vicki will perform at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on November 13 and 14, marking her final shows of 2026.
She already has additional performances scheduled for 2027, including stops in Mississippi, Washington, Illinois, Missouri and California.
Tickets for Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show at the George Street Playhouse are on sale now.
Vicki Lawrence is looking back at how Carol Burnett defended her when CBS executives wanted her off The Carol Burnett Show.
The 77-year-old comedian opened up to People about her time on the beloved variety series as she prepares to bring her one-woman show to New Jersey for her final performances of 2026.
Vicki is best known for playing Thelma “Mama” Harper on The Carol Burnett Show, a role she later reprised in the television movie Eunice and the spinoff sitcom Mama’s Family.
For those who didn’t know, Vicki landed her role on The Carol Burnett Show in an unusual way.
As a teenager, she won a beauty contest in Inglewood, California, which caught the attention of a local newspaper. The paper pointed out her resemblance to Carol and published photos of the two side by side.
Vicki sent the clipping to Carol with a letter, which eventually led to her being hired for The Carol Burnett Show at just 18 years old. The series premiered in 1967 and ran for 11 seasons.
“I think nowadays what happened to me would never happen,” Vicki told People.
However, Vicki recently learned that her early days on the series weren’t entirely smooth sailing.
According to the comedian, CBS executives thought she was “really rough” and wanted her removed from the cast. Carol, however, refused to let her go.
“And Carol said, ‘She’s a diamond in the rough and we’re keeping her,’ ” Vicki revealed. “And she’s recounted that story a couple of times for me now, that I was a diamond, and I just go, ‘Really?’ ”
She continued, “I don’t know what she saw. And she has said to me, ‘I think it would’ve happened regardless, Vicki. It would’ve happened.”
Vicki continues to entertain audiences with her stage production, Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show.
During the first act, she shares “all the stories of everything that has happened to me.” In the second act, she returns as Mama to offer the character’s opinions on current events and other hot topics.
Vicki will perform at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on November 13 and 14, marking her final shows of 2026.
She already has additional performances scheduled for 2027, including stops in Mississippi, Washington, Illinois, Missouri and California.
Tickets for Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show at the George Street Playhouse are on sale now.
Brandy and Monica Announce Las Vegas Residency on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Brandy and Monica used a network TV appearance to share the next phase of their renewed partnership: a Las Vegas residency.
On Tuesday (Nov. 10), the R&B titans appeared as guest performers on Dancing With the Stars for its Grammy-themed episode, doing their 1998 duet “The Boy Is Mine.” They used that spotlight to announce something even bigger: an upcoming series of shows at Resorts World Las Vegas.
The Boy Is Mine Las Vegas Residency will be a series of nine shows between May and July, 2027. It comes on the heels of the singers’ joint tour in late 2025.
Tickets will go on sale Friday, Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. PT here, but there are various presales that begin as early as Monday, Nov. 16.
Monica told Billboard that it was a Gladys Knight show that opened her eyes to the possibility of playing on the Strip.
“I absolutely adore her. She is a fellow alto, and one of the most genuine human beings I’ve ever crossed paths with in 30 years that I’ve been in the music business,” Monica said of Knight. “She’s always had open arms and always been so kind and genuine towards me. I enjoyed her show so much. And at the time, her brother was also there. It really was one of the greatest shows, and probably the first time that I said to myself, ‘I could totally see myself being in Vegas eventually,’ because I love being in one place.”
The residency will be produced by the Black Promoters Collective.
“BPC is proud to be working with Brandy and Monica again,” Shelby Joyner, President of Black Promoters Collective, said in a statement. “We saw on The Boy Is Mine tour how much it meant to fans to see them share a stage, and I’m excited to build on what we created together. Bringing The Boy Is Mine to Las Vegas as Black Promoters Collective’s first residency is a big moment for us. We’ve built BPC by betting on artists we believe in and listening to their fans. This residency takes that work into a new arena for our company, and I can’t think of two artists I’d rather take that step with.”
On Tuesday (Nov. 10), the R&B titans appeared as guest performers on Dancing With the Stars for its Grammy-themed episode, doing their 1998 duet “The Boy Is Mine.” They used that spotlight to announce something even bigger: an upcoming series of shows at Resorts World Las Vegas.
The Boy Is Mine Las Vegas Residency will be a series of nine shows between May and July, 2027. It comes on the heels of the singers’ joint tour in late 2025.
Tickets will go on sale Friday, Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. PT here, but there are various presales that begin as early as Monday, Nov. 16.
Monica told Billboard that it was a Gladys Knight show that opened her eyes to the possibility of playing on the Strip.
“I absolutely adore her. She is a fellow alto, and one of the most genuine human beings I’ve ever crossed paths with in 30 years that I’ve been in the music business,” Monica said of Knight. “She’s always had open arms and always been so kind and genuine towards me. I enjoyed her show so much. And at the time, her brother was also there. It really was one of the greatest shows, and probably the first time that I said to myself, ‘I could totally see myself being in Vegas eventually,’ because I love being in one place.”
The residency will be produced by the Black Promoters Collective.
“BPC is proud to be working with Brandy and Monica again,” Shelby Joyner, President of Black Promoters Collective, said in a statement. “We saw on The Boy Is Mine tour how much it meant to fans to see them share a stage, and I’m excited to build on what we created together. Bringing The Boy Is Mine to Las Vegas as Black Promoters Collective’s first residency is a big moment for us. We’ve built BPC by betting on artists we believe in and listening to their fans. This residency takes that work into a new arena for our company, and I can’t think of two artists I’d rather take that step with.”
Dustin Hoffman denies sexual misconduct allegations
Dustin Hoffman is responding to sexual misconduct allegations that were leveled against him in 2017.
The 89-year-old actor wrote a new book, “Look at Me,” where he referenced the allegations against him.
Dustin Hoffman Wrote About His Behavior, #MeToo, and Allegations Against Him
Hoffman wrote (via People), “I’m sure it’s true that in my life, especially forty years ago, I made some women uncomfortable. But ‘uncomfortable’ is a subjective emotional state. What is crass and offensive to one person, another individual might find hilarious, or enlivening, or even sort of cozy.”
About his sense of humor, he added, “I love a so-called dirty joke. I am ‘a Borscht Belt flirt,’ as Bill Murray once put it. That’s not the same thing as pressuring someone to do something they didn’t want to do.”
He then seemingly referred to the 2017 #MeToo movement.
“When a reckoning started making its way around the internet, and tearing through Hollywood, I thought it was a very good thing. I knew by then that plenty of women had put up with way too much for way too long in my industry. Not for a second did I worry that anything negative would be said about me, because the idea of taking something from someone sexually that they didn’t want to give… it’s just not something I’ve ever done,” he wrote.
Hoffman publicly faced accusations from several women in 2017, including someone who claimed he exposed himself to her when she was a teen.
He wrote, “The whole thing was so crazy, I was sort of bewildered by how to defend myself… or if I should even try. I didn’t want to be fighting against something that I thought was important. I didn’t want to be on the wrong side of my own values. The only problem was that things were being said about me that just weren’t true.”
He added it did take him “an embarrassingly long time to grasp that if I was flirting or my jokes were too dirty, people who were not my wife might think I was being inappropriate. I know I’m harmless, she knows I’m harmless, but if you’d never met me before, would you know? … I’m not looking to humiliate or offend anybody. I’m not a person who gets off on having power, or pressuring people to do things. To be perfectly honest, I never thought of myself as a person with power in the first place.”
“Is it possible that I’ve been guilty of insufficient empathy? That I was too self-involved to correctly perceive what the people around me were feeling all the time? Sure. Of course,” he wrote, later adding, “If you don’t feel the same way, then you are different from every other human being I’ve met in this life. Male or female.”
The 89-year-old actor wrote a new book, “Look at Me,” where he referenced the allegations against him.
Dustin Hoffman Wrote About His Behavior, #MeToo, and Allegations Against Him
Hoffman wrote (via People), “I’m sure it’s true that in my life, especially forty years ago, I made some women uncomfortable. But ‘uncomfortable’ is a subjective emotional state. What is crass and offensive to one person, another individual might find hilarious, or enlivening, or even sort of cozy.”
About his sense of humor, he added, “I love a so-called dirty joke. I am ‘a Borscht Belt flirt,’ as Bill Murray once put it. That’s not the same thing as pressuring someone to do something they didn’t want to do.”
He then seemingly referred to the 2017 #MeToo movement.
“When a reckoning started making its way around the internet, and tearing through Hollywood, I thought it was a very good thing. I knew by then that plenty of women had put up with way too much for way too long in my industry. Not for a second did I worry that anything negative would be said about me, because the idea of taking something from someone sexually that they didn’t want to give… it’s just not something I’ve ever done,” he wrote.
Hoffman publicly faced accusations from several women in 2017, including someone who claimed he exposed himself to her when she was a teen.
He wrote, “The whole thing was so crazy, I was sort of bewildered by how to defend myself… or if I should even try. I didn’t want to be fighting against something that I thought was important. I didn’t want to be on the wrong side of my own values. The only problem was that things were being said about me that just weren’t true.”
He added it did take him “an embarrassingly long time to grasp that if I was flirting or my jokes were too dirty, people who were not my wife might think I was being inappropriate. I know I’m harmless, she knows I’m harmless, but if you’d never met me before, would you know? … I’m not looking to humiliate or offend anybody. I’m not a person who gets off on having power, or pressuring people to do things. To be perfectly honest, I never thought of myself as a person with power in the first place.”
“Is it possible that I’ve been guilty of insufficient empathy? That I was too self-involved to correctly perceive what the people around me were feeling all the time? Sure. Of course,” he wrote, later adding, “If you don’t feel the same way, then you are different from every other human being I’ve met in this life. Male or female.”
Texas man accused of cruise ship murder says argument made him ‘snap,' strangle woman
The FBI says they’re investigating the death of a female passenger aboard the MSC Seascape as a homicide. It comes as authorities have taken a man into custody in connection with the alleged incident. NBC’s Liz Kreutz reports for “TODAY.”
A cruise ship passenger was charged Tuesday with killing a woman after the vessel departed from Texas this weekend, telling FBI agents that he beat and choked her in their cabin after an argument caused him to “snap,” court documents showed.
The woman, who was not immediately identified, was found dead Sunday after 48-year-old Jason Watford opened their room’s door for a ship housekeeper with blood on his hands and clothes, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. The housekeeper spotted the victim lying on the floor with facial injuries, and an investigator on the cruise ship contacted authorities.
Watford was taken into custody the next morning after the vessel returned to Galveston, Texas. A video posted on social media shows him being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
Watford, of Tyler, Texas, made an initial federal court appearance on a murder charge Tuesday in Galveston, and was being held in a county jail. His public defender, Javier Martinez, did not respond to requests for comment. His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16.
A man who said he is Watford’s son declined to comment Tuesday when reached at a phone listing in public records for relatives.
The death happened aboard the MSC Seascape, a towering white vessel that has 2,270 cabins and can host nearly 5,900 guests on five- and seven-night trips to the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
According to the criminal complaint, Watford told FBI investigators he and the woman began arguing at a restaurant aboard the ship and then returned to their cabin where they continued to fight, causing him to "snap." Watford allegedly told authorities he struck the woman multiple times and choked her for "four to five minutes" before releasing his hold because he was "exhausted."
Watford told investigators the woman remained motionless on the floor for "approximately 10 minutes" before a housekeeper knocked on the door to deliver towels, the complaint states. Investigators said Watford did not contact ship security or medical personnel while the woman was lying motionless.
According to the complaint, Watford opened the room door for the housekeeper, who "observed what she believed to be blood" on his hands and pants and also saw the woman lying face down, motionless on the floor. The housekeeper called ship security who then contacted authorities.
Surveillance video showed that Watford entered the room at 7:46 p.m. and the victim went in about 25 minutes later, authorities said. At 9:15 p.m., he was seen on the video leaving the room wearing a different shirt and pants from when he answered the door for the housekeeper, according to the complaint, and sat on the hallway floor looking at his phone.
Investigators did not provide details on Watson’s relationship to the woman.
MSC Cruises said authorities told the ship to return to Galveston. It added that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those impacted.
The Galveston Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
Becsei György, a passenger on the Seascape, told NBC News that a shipwide announcement was made around 10 p.m. Sunday that said, “Mike Echo at level 10.”
György awoke Monday morning and was surprised to find that the ship had returned to Galveston. Outside, he said, he saw law enforcement and Border Patrol vehicles, as well as a person being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
The company said the vessel has resumed its voyage and left Galveston as of Monday afternoon.
MSC Seascape currently runs from Galveston to the Caribbean for five- and seven-night stays, according to the company’s website. The ship switched from Miami to Galveston last November, according to a statement.
Homicide investigations on cruise ships are uncommon. Earlier this year, a teenager was charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship out of Florida.
A cruise ship passenger was charged Tuesday with killing a woman after the vessel departed from Texas this weekend, telling FBI agents that he beat and choked her in their cabin after an argument caused him to “snap,” court documents showed.
The woman, who was not immediately identified, was found dead Sunday after 48-year-old Jason Watford opened their room’s door for a ship housekeeper with blood on his hands and clothes, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. The housekeeper spotted the victim lying on the floor with facial injuries, and an investigator on the cruise ship contacted authorities.
Watford was taken into custody the next morning after the vessel returned to Galveston, Texas. A video posted on social media shows him being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
Watford, of Tyler, Texas, made an initial federal court appearance on a murder charge Tuesday in Galveston, and was being held in a county jail. His public defender, Javier Martinez, did not respond to requests for comment. His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16.
A man who said he is Watford’s son declined to comment Tuesday when reached at a phone listing in public records for relatives.
The death happened aboard the MSC Seascape, a towering white vessel that has 2,270 cabins and can host nearly 5,900 guests on five- and seven-night trips to the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
According to the criminal complaint, Watford told FBI investigators he and the woman began arguing at a restaurant aboard the ship and then returned to their cabin where they continued to fight, causing him to "snap." Watford allegedly told authorities he struck the woman multiple times and choked her for "four to five minutes" before releasing his hold because he was "exhausted."
Watford told investigators the woman remained motionless on the floor for "approximately 10 minutes" before a housekeeper knocked on the door to deliver towels, the complaint states. Investigators said Watford did not contact ship security or medical personnel while the woman was lying motionless.
According to the complaint, Watford opened the room door for the housekeeper, who "observed what she believed to be blood" on his hands and pants and also saw the woman lying face down, motionless on the floor. The housekeeper called ship security who then contacted authorities.
Surveillance video showed that Watford entered the room at 7:46 p.m. and the victim went in about 25 minutes later, authorities said. At 9:15 p.m., he was seen on the video leaving the room wearing a different shirt and pants from when he answered the door for the housekeeper, according to the complaint, and sat on the hallway floor looking at his phone.
Investigators did not provide details on Watson’s relationship to the woman.
MSC Cruises said authorities told the ship to return to Galveston. It added that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those impacted.
The Galveston Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
Becsei György, a passenger on the Seascape, told NBC News that a shipwide announcement was made around 10 p.m. Sunday that said, “Mike Echo at level 10.”
György awoke Monday morning and was surprised to find that the ship had returned to Galveston. Outside, he said, he saw law enforcement and Border Patrol vehicles, as well as a person being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
The company said the vessel has resumed its voyage and left Galveston as of Monday afternoon.
MSC Seascape currently runs from Galveston to the Caribbean for five- and seven-night stays, according to the company’s website. The ship switched from Miami to Galveston last November, according to a statement.
Homicide investigations on cruise ships are uncommon. Earlier this year, a teenager was charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship out of Florida.
Black Ole Miss students break their silence after viral video of women making monkey noises
The Ring camera footage has amassed over 13 million views on TikTok, with one woman reportedly continuing to make racist gestures while another apologized.
Alaina Kunes has since withdrawn from the university, although the three Black roommates said her apology doesn't change what happened.
During their interview, Victoria Johnson encouraged others who experience similar treatment to speak out rather than let it be swept under the rug.
The three Black Ole Miss students who captured a group of fellow students making monkey noises and racist gestures outside their apartment on Ring camera are speaking out for the first time since the footage went viral. On Wednesday (Nov. 11), Jakiyra Metcalf, Kaiyden Caldwell, and Victoria Johnson sat down with Jericka Duncan for “CBS Mornings,” where they described the incident as “hurtful" and "devastating.”
When asked how she felt after seeing the footage for the first time, Metcalf, whose TikTok post has amassed over 13 million views, responded, “Hurt.” She recalled being inside the apartment when it happened, then heading outside with her roommate Johnson to confront the women about their behavior. “One girl was apologizing. She was like, ‘I’m sorry. [We] did that to four doors,’” Johnson explained. “And mind you, we didn’t see anyone else’s door. It was just ours that was targeted.”
Duncan noted that Alaina Kunes, the first student shown in the Ring camera footage, apologized, although the second woman apparently doubled down off camera. Johnson went on to explain, “She continued to make the gestures after the girl was apologizing. It was like a slap in the face.” Watch their interview below, then keep scrolling to see what the Ole Miss freshmen had to say about Kunes’ apology.
University of Mississippi students react to Alaina Kunes’ apology and decision to withdraw from school
“No matter who we are or if she knew our race or not, but the gestures and the noises, I feel like it still was very disrespectful. I just have mixed feelings about it,” Metcalf said when asked about forgiving Kunes. Caldwell added, “I appreciate the apology, but I feel like it still doesn’t change what has happened on that Friday, 'cause it’s still hurtful and it's still devastating that someone would come to our door and do that.”
For anyone who missed it, Kunes claimed that she “never met the women involved and was unaware of their race” before the incident last Friday (Nov. 6). “I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them, and it was never my intention,” she continued. “These girls deserve to feel seen and understood, and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become.” Amid the growing backlash, the freshman also withdrew from the University of Mississippi.
“As a human being, I hate to hear that [she withdrew] because the children are the future, but I feel like everybody needs to be held accountable,” Johnson’s mother, Chiquita Laó, shared.
Black Ole Miss students plan to continue their education despite racist incident
Looking ahead, Metcalf, Caldwell, and Johnson all plan to continue pursuing their psychology, nursing, and radiology majors at Ole Miss, which announced over the weekend that it was investigating the incident. When asked what they hope others take away from their devastating experience, Johnson emphasized, “I want people to be mindful of their actions, but I also want people who would potentially experience the same situations to speak out and don’t let things be swept under the rug because this is a reality for us, and I feel like voices need to be heard.”
Alaina Kunes has since withdrawn from the university, although the three Black roommates said her apology doesn't change what happened.
During their interview, Victoria Johnson encouraged others who experience similar treatment to speak out rather than let it be swept under the rug.
The three Black Ole Miss students who captured a group of fellow students making monkey noises and racist gestures outside their apartment on Ring camera are speaking out for the first time since the footage went viral. On Wednesday (Nov. 11), Jakiyra Metcalf, Kaiyden Caldwell, and Victoria Johnson sat down with Jericka Duncan for “CBS Mornings,” where they described the incident as “hurtful" and "devastating.”
When asked how she felt after seeing the footage for the first time, Metcalf, whose TikTok post has amassed over 13 million views, responded, “Hurt.” She recalled being inside the apartment when it happened, then heading outside with her roommate Johnson to confront the women about their behavior. “One girl was apologizing. She was like, ‘I’m sorry. [We] did that to four doors,’” Johnson explained. “And mind you, we didn’t see anyone else’s door. It was just ours that was targeted.”
Duncan noted that Alaina Kunes, the first student shown in the Ring camera footage, apologized, although the second woman apparently doubled down off camera. Johnson went on to explain, “She continued to make the gestures after the girl was apologizing. It was like a slap in the face.” Watch their interview below, then keep scrolling to see what the Ole Miss freshmen had to say about Kunes’ apology.
University of Mississippi students react to Alaina Kunes’ apology and decision to withdraw from school
“No matter who we are or if she knew our race or not, but the gestures and the noises, I feel like it still was very disrespectful. I just have mixed feelings about it,” Metcalf said when asked about forgiving Kunes. Caldwell added, “I appreciate the apology, but I feel like it still doesn’t change what has happened on that Friday, 'cause it’s still hurtful and it's still devastating that someone would come to our door and do that.”
For anyone who missed it, Kunes claimed that she “never met the women involved and was unaware of their race” before the incident last Friday (Nov. 6). “I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them, and it was never my intention,” she continued. “These girls deserve to feel seen and understood, and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become.” Amid the growing backlash, the freshman also withdrew from the University of Mississippi.
“As a human being, I hate to hear that [she withdrew] because the children are the future, but I feel like everybody needs to be held accountable,” Johnson’s mother, Chiquita Laó, shared.
Black Ole Miss students plan to continue their education despite racist incident
Looking ahead, Metcalf, Caldwell, and Johnson all plan to continue pursuing their psychology, nursing, and radiology majors at Ole Miss, which announced over the weekend that it was investigating the incident. When asked what they hope others take away from their devastating experience, Johnson emphasized, “I want people to be mindful of their actions, but I also want people who would potentially experience the same situations to speak out and don’t let things be swept under the rug because this is a reality for us, and I feel like voices need to be heard.”
ESPN analyst Rex Ryan arrested after allegedly striking 2 pedestrians with his truck
Former New York Jets coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan surrendered for booking Wednesday after being accused of striking two pedestrians with his truck, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed.
The incident reportedly took place Thursday night in Nashville around midnight. Ryan was accused of turning at an intersection while two pedestrians had a walk sign. As Ryan turned his truck, he allegedly ran over two of the victims' feet. His truck also reportedly made contact with one of the victims' legs, per the police statement.
Ryan reportedly continued driving, though later stopped at a red light. He was flagged down by the victims and allegedly argued with them before getting back in his car and leaving the scene. The victims took photos of Ryan's license plate.
Ryan faces six charges in the incident. He was charged with two counts of "leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failure to give information/render aid, and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal," per police.
His bond was set at $6,000.
Ryan rose to prominence in the NFL as a defensive coordinator, following in his father Buddy Ryan's footsteps. Rex was then thrust into the spotlight when he took over as the Jets' head coach. His immediate success with the team, in addition to his personality, made Ryan a popular figure among fans.
After six seasons with the team, Ryan was fired in 2014. He quickly caught on with the Buffalo Bills, where he lasted two seasons before being dismissed.
Following his dismissal by the Bills, Ryan joined ESPN. He's been an NFL analyst at the network since 2016.
ESPN has yet to comment on Ryan's arrest.
The incident reportedly took place Thursday night in Nashville around midnight. Ryan was accused of turning at an intersection while two pedestrians had a walk sign. As Ryan turned his truck, he allegedly ran over two of the victims' feet. His truck also reportedly made contact with one of the victims' legs, per the police statement.
Ryan reportedly continued driving, though later stopped at a red light. He was flagged down by the victims and allegedly argued with them before getting back in his car and leaving the scene. The victims took photos of Ryan's license plate.
Ryan faces six charges in the incident. He was charged with two counts of "leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failure to give information/render aid, and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal," per police.
His bond was set at $6,000.
Ryan rose to prominence in the NFL as a defensive coordinator, following in his father Buddy Ryan's footsteps. Rex was then thrust into the spotlight when he took over as the Jets' head coach. His immediate success with the team, in addition to his personality, made Ryan a popular figure among fans.
After six seasons with the team, Ryan was fired in 2014. He quickly caught on with the Buffalo Bills, where he lasted two seasons before being dismissed.
Following his dismissal by the Bills, Ryan joined ESPN. He's been an NFL analyst at the network since 2016.
ESPN has yet to comment on Ryan's arrest.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
What the hect is a difronger?
This is what happens when the company relies on AI for all their work
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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