Kerry Washington covers InStyle Mag!
How Kerry Washington Is Preparing for Her Second Child and How Shonda Rhimes Has Helped Her
Kerry Washington has vowed to take some time to "be quiet" as she continues to prepare for her second child, stepping away from social media and the spotlight for a little while to do so.
In the September issue of InStyle magazine, the actress explains how her massive success has actually persuaded her to pull back a little.
"I think that's where the need for quiet is coming from. You arrive at a certain place of achieving and suddenly you feel like your goals are being dictated by other people," she said. "Right now, as I get ready for this second baby, it's really about me being in touch with what I want."
She continued, "I didn't get here because I was trying to be what somebody else wanted me to be...I am not interested in playing by other people's rules. So for now, I'm leaving myself open to the adventure."
She also seeks advice from Scandal creator and writer Shonda Rhimes, who has three children of her own.
"I've really leaned heavily on my boss's experience," Washington explained. "I consider myself busy, but Shonda has about four of five shows, three kids...She says, 'If you feel like you have just the right amount of help, then you don't have enough.' My therapist said this too. You need a lot of support. No just logistically but emotionally and spiritually."
Washington's current pregnancy was not written into Scandal's new season, meaning certain adjustments needed to be made. "There's nothing high-end for professional women who are pregnant, so for the show, we wind up just buying the same clothes," she said. "We will cut out the front of Armani trousers and put in a pregnancy panel. That's what we do for everything."
Off-screen, finding fashionable maternity clothes has been much easier, thanks to her famous friend Jessica Alba. "She told me she had this box of maternity clothes that she would ship from girlfriend to girlfriend. I was like, 'Can I have it?' And then I started doing it as well," Washington said. "I'm not getting clothes back that I wore the first time. Everybody adds cute stuff to the box. You're less afraid to spend money because you feel that a lot of people are going to use it."
Parenting aside, the actress often relies on other women for support in all areas of her life, which is why she got involved in Lean In, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's female empowering organization.
"I feel like there is a misconception of this catty, competitiveness between women. That has not been my experience, particularly in Shondaland," Washington revealed. "My mother is one of seven kids…so I have a lot of strong women in my family, and I have supportive, beautiful relationships with all of them. I also went to an all-girls school [N.Y.C.'s Spence School], so I've always believed in the collective power of women."
She continued, "Being the one woman in the room should not be seen as a victory...If there's only one of us in the room, we're still a token; we don't actually have an empowered voice. If there's two of us, we're still a minority. If there's three…then we're allowed to have a multiplicity of opinions."
And speaking of being a woman, especially a black woman, she's faced multiple levels of inequality head-on. However, she refuses to give up on hoping for change.
"I choose to feel optimistic, because I don't think that I could get out of bed if I didn't," she admitted. "The key will be when we stop allowing our otherness to separate us. Whether it's immigrant's rights, women's rights, civil rights, or LGBT rights, we're all under attack, because none of us belongs to that small group who have held power for a very long time."
Read her full cover story in InStyle magazine, on stands August 12.
#R.H.o.A: Kandi Burruss Hosts Annual #KandiCares School Supply Drive at Atlanta’s TAGS Boutique
Kandi Loves the Kids!
Kandi Burruss’ foundation Kandi Cares hosted their annual “Back Pack Drive” at her anchor Tags Boutique in the heart of Atlanta’s posh and exclusive Buckhead community.
The purpose of the event was to collect school supplies for single parent households. Kandi shared with enthusiasm that her Kandi Cares’ foundation will be gifting 100 families with back packs and school supplies at it’s formal event that’s taking place on Saturday August 6, 2016 at Lenox Mall at Macy’s at 2pm.
Fans were able to drop off school supplies and meet Kandi Burruss and see the adorable baby Ace Tucker, R&B singer RL from Next, his fiancé and rumored new house wife of Atlanta Lena Chenier, the lovely Chanita Foster who serves as the Director of Kandi Cares, the homie DonJuan Clark the General Manager of Kandi Koated Entertainment, Kwame Waters the Marketing Director for Kandi Cares), the lovely Peaches who’s Kandi’s business partner in Tags Boutique, Jakeem Smith Media Relations for Kandi Cares, and recording artists Darnell Morgan, and Trae Morris.
Want to help Kandi and her mission to ease the burden on single mothers? Check her out by visiting @KandiCares on Social Media and the website: www.kandicares.org!
'Empire' season 3 spoilers: is Cookie prepping a road to vengeance?
The previous season of "Empire" saw many pitfalls and loopholes in the Lyon clan and it seems that more of the drama will be depicted in season three as Cookie is said to be paving the road to vengeance after Lucious' betrayal.
Though Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) have separated and seemed to have lived their lives without being "genuinely" romantically linked again, season two gave fans a little bit of hope for the couple, only to get those hopes quenched when Lucious married Anika (Grace Gealey).
Christian Today notes that Cookie isn't one who will go down without a fight. Over the past episodes, Cookie has remained strong for the sake of her family and the empire she shares with Lucious. It would really be boring if she doesn't bounce back with some sort of a vengeance that even Lucious may not have imagined.
In an interview with TV Line in May, showrunner Ilene Chaiken weighed in on the shocking marriage vows that happened in the finale of "Empire" season two. She clarified that Lucious actually loves Cookie and though he may have had issues with saying it straight to the face of his children's mother, there was always a connection.
"They love one another, the path was clear, and all of the sudden, yet another thing from Lucious' past and the mistakes he made got in the way. And I'm with Cookie on this one: This is it. She's done. She's finished being hurt by Lucious," Chaiken explained.
A poster for "Empire" season three was recently released on social media showing a Cookie that is tougher and more elegant than ever. While Lucious stands closely behind her and holds her shoulder, it's obvious that Cookie is up to something and she may turn into someone Lucious never met before.
What could be playing in Cookie's mind? And if she is up for revenge, how will she execute her plans without jeopardizing her children? How will Lucious' sham marriage to Anika affect all the Lyons?
"Empire" season three premieres September 21 on FOX.
New Music: Miguel – Cadillac
Miguel is taking fans back to the ’70s.The Wildheart singer takes the wheel on “Cadillac,” a track off the upcoming soundtrack to Netflix’s original series The Get Down.
“Heaven’s in the backseat of my Cadillac / Let me take you there,” sings Miguel.
The soulful record blends various styles, including jazz and funk, which lend themselves to The Get Down, an upcoming series about the Bronx in the late ’70s, right as hip-hop was poised for its birth.
The Get Down, which premieres Aug. 12, stars Shameik Moore, Justice Smith, Jimmy Smits, and Giancarlo Esposito, among others. Jaden Smith is also set to appear on the show for a series of episodes.
Give “Cadillac” a spin HERE!
New Hip Hop: Stream 2 Chainz’ Mixtape ‘Daniel Son; Necklace Don’
Hours before its scheduled Friday release, 2 Chainz decides to give the people what they want. The Atlanta rapper feeds the streets with his new mixtape Daniel Son; Necklace Don, which he announced earlier in the week. The 10 tracks showcase Tity Boi at his best, with production from TM88, Mr 2-17, K Swisher, DJ Spinz, C4, and Dun Deal.
Drake links with his “No Lie” collaborator once again on the Buddha Bless-produced “Big Amount,” while the only other guest is YFN Lucci, who appears on the Bobby Kritical-produced “You in Luv with Her.”
DSND follows the March release of ColleGrove, 2 Chainz’ joint project with Lil Wayne. The partners-in-rhyme will headline the 2nd annual Lil WeezyAna Fest in New Orleans on Aug. 27.
Stream Daniel Son; Necklace Don in its entirety HERE!
2016 OLYMPICS RIO! Top moments from Day 1 in Rio
Day one of the 2016 Rio Olympics is wrapping up, and the day was filled with Olympic firsts, odd moments, crazy plays, injuries, upsets and the chalk-it-up wins from the U.S. women’s soccer and men’s basketball teams.
Here’s a list of some of the biggest moments from the first official day of competition.
Team USA tied for lead in medals after Day 1
From left, Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, Dana Vollmer and Katie Ledecky show off their silver medals
The first medal of the day came from Ginny Thrasher, who won the women’s 10-meter air rifle event early this morning. Following the West Virginia sophomore in the medal collecting was the swim team, accumulating three medals, all silver, in the women’s 400-meter freestyle relay, the women’s 400 individual medley, and the men’s 400 IM. The fifth medal was a silver medal in archery by the men’s team. The U.S. is tied with Japan and China with five each, although the Americans lead in silver medals won.
Two gymnasts’ Olympics journies over following injuries
French gymnast Samir Ait Said broke his leg in a horrific landing while performing on the vault. Said fractured his tibia on his second vault attempt early Saturday morning and was taken off on a stretcher, ending his Olympic competition. Another gymnast, Andreas Toba of Germany, tore his ACL while performing a floor routine, but then came back to compete in the pommel horse event in order to help Germany qualify for the team competition. Toba might be the hero of the Olympics so far. If nothing else, he’s surely among the toughest.
Venus Williams ends singles run with first-round upset
Venus Williams dropped her opening round match to Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, who is the No. 62-ranked player in the world. It was arguably the biggest upset of the day, as the fifth-seeded (and No. 6 in the world) Williams struggled to finish off the Belgian after leading 4-1 and 5-3 in the third set. Williams would ultimately fall in a tiebreak, ending her singles run in Rio in surprising fashion. She still has a chance at a medal with her sister, Serena, in the doubles tournament, which begins next week.
U.S. field hockey team pulls upset of No. 2 Argentina
As has been previously discussed, the dominance by American sports teams doesn’t apply to the women’s field hockey team. It has never won gold at the Olympics, with it’s best ever finish being fifth. But that all might change this year as the American women kicked off the tournament with a shocking 2-1 upset of the second-ranked team in the world, Argentina. If the team keeps this up, it might be able to remove itself from the list of events the U.S. hasn’t won.
So far the medal count is!
GO USA!
Box Office: 'Suicide Squad' Murders August Record with $135 Million Opening!
For the third time this year a superhero movie has broken an opening weekend record and with it a continuing trend that finds the previous week's box office champion suffering a hefty second weekend drop. This time around it's Warner Bros' Suicide Squad decimating the previous August opening weekend record by more than $40 million while Universal's Jason Bourne experiences a 62% drop in its sophomore session. That said, with the top twelve totaling a massive $223.9 million, this weekend's top twelve was up a whopping 87% compared to the same weekend last year. In fact, this is the first time this calendar weekend has ever grossed over $190 million, let alone cracked the $200 million mark.
Finishing in first place with an estimated $135.1 million, Warner Bros. and DC Comics' Suicide Squad now holds the largest August opening weekend, topping Guardians of the Galaxy's $94.3 million from 2014. The film also had the largest August opening day with $65.2 million, which included the largest August Thursday preview total of $20.5 million. Combined with a $132 million international opening from 57 territories, the film's global opening haul ranks 24th all-time with $267.1 million, topping Deadpool's worldwide opening of $264.7 million earlier this year, which opened in 63 international markets.
Budgeted at $175 million, the film's theatrical longevity now comes into question as it holds a mere 26% rating on RottenTomatoes and could be looking at a steep, 65+% drop next weekend. Earlier this year, fellow DC Extended Universe release Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opened with a record-breaking $166 million only to end up dropping 69.1% in its second weekend and ultimately only delivering $330.3 million domestically, a 1.99 multiplier, the worst multiplier for a film opening over $100 million ever.
Suicide Squad did score a "B+" CinemaScore, which is slightly higher than Batman v Superman's "B", but that's hardly enough to make much of a difference. It's current 7.1 rating on IMDb is, however, lower than the 7.5 Batman v Superman had at the same point in its release cycle as audiences seem to be having a similar reaction to the film as they did its DC predecessor. From an audience perspective, the audience was 54% male vs. 46% female with women rating the film an "A-" on the CinemaScore scale versus a "B+" from the men. Interestingly enough, IMDb's user voting currently shows a similar trend with females scoring the film 7.3 vs. males scoring it with a 6.9. Additionally, 54% of the audience was under the age of 25 and 76% of the audience was under the age of 35.
Of the film's opening weekend haul, $11 million came from 382 IMAX screens, $13 million from Premium Large Format (PLF) screens and another $3.2 million from Extreme Digital (XD) theaters.
Looking ahead, in all likelihood it seems safe to expect a drop around 67% or more next weekend with a strong possibility Suicide Squad may finish with a multiplier right around 2.22, pushing hard for a $300 million domestic run, perhaps coming up a bit short.
Finishing in second place, and dropping 61.6% after taking the top spot at last weekend's box office, Universal's Jason Bourne finished second with an estimated $22.7 million. While the latest installment in the Bourne franchise had a strong opening, including an "A-" CinemaScore, it was obviously affected by the release of Suicide Squad.
There just doesn't seem to be enough room on the release schedule as Bourne may have been better off had it waited until the last weekend of August. In fact, had Bourne waited a few weeks to release it may have also helped Star Trek Beyond, which dropped another 59% this weekend after dropping 58% in its second weekend when it faced Bourne's debut. The final month of Summer 2016 has certainly had its share of strong openers and anticipated features, but by sharing a large portion of the audience they are cannibalizing each other.
One holdover from last weekend that wasn't relying heavily on the male demographic was Bad Moms and it certainly helped the film its second weekend as it dropped only 40.4% for an estimated $14.2 million. The cume for the $20 million feature has now climbed to $51 million domestically.
The weekend's other new wide release was EuropaCorp's Nine Lives, which featured Kevin Spacey as a talking cat. The family feature delivered an estimated $6.5 million from 2,264 theaters and may struggle next weekend as Pete's Dragon is likely to steal the majority of any remaining audience next weekend. The film scored a "B+" CinemaScore and currently sports a dismal 4% rating on RottenTomatoes.
Elsewhere in the top ten, Warner Bros. and New Line's Lights Out has now crossed $54.7 million domestically and $85.7 million worldwide on a budget right around $5 million. Additionally, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures' The Secret Life of Pets took in another $11.5 million for a fourth place finish domestically and added another $68.6 million internationally as the film's global cume has now topped $500 million and stands at an impressive $502.2 million. (Box Office Mojo)
So Ben Affleck Had Some Trouble with His Pants at The Suicide Squad Premiere?
Ben Affleck, preacher of all things Batman, rewrote the manual on buttoning pants before attending the London Suicide Squad premiere.
Something happened here. Perhaps it was jet lag, maybe the sky was too gray. But Affleck somehow managed to patent a whole new method of fastening your trousers.
Zip the zipper half-way (maybe). Button your button (optional).Tuck shirt in, but just a little bit.
MANDATORY: Fasten the belt!!!
Prince's Ex Wife Fights to Keep Divorce Sealed
Prince's ex-wife Manuela Testolini is in court fighting to keep the records from her divorce from the late rocker Prince under seal...
According to reports the Minnesota Star Tribune wants the divorce records released to the public on the grounds that the court filings are newsworthy.
Manuela, the rocker's second wife, objects citing her private divorce settlement.
The case is pending.
Adele Reveals Her Credit Card Was Declined at San Jose H&M Store: 'I Was Mortified'
But even she gets her credit card declined sometimes.
The Oscar and 10-time Grammy-winning singer shared a candid conversation with a sold-out audience during her July 31 concert at San Jose's SAP Center.
"I went to H&M and my card got declined. Oh my days, pretty embarrassing. Nobody knew it was me, but I was mortified," Adele said of her shopping trip hours before the performance, according to The Mirror.
During her U.S. tour, the mother of one has been pictured at affordable retail stores such as H&M and Target.
In fact, Adele told the same SAP Center audience that the first thing she does in California is to get an In N Out burger and go shopping at Target.
"They have everything! Literally I spent $100 on stuff I do not need, I never need anything I buy at Target but it's amazing," she told the Bay Area crowd.
Steve Harvey’s “Celebrity Feud”, Michael Strahan’s “$100,000 Pyramid” + Anthony Anderson’s “To Tell The Truth” Renewed
Great news for Steve Harvey, Michael Strahan and Anthony Anderson. ABC has reportedly picked up all four of its retro game shows for another season: “Match Game,” “$100,000 Pyramid,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” and “To Tell the Truth”. The news was announced this week by entertainment president Channing Dungey at the network’s TCA day. He stated,
"We’re thrilled by the performance of each of our game shows and the reception they received from the fans. The success of these shows is due in large part to the strength of our hosts, Steve Harvey, Michael Strahan, Alec Baldwin, and Anthony Anderson."
“Celebrity Family Feud,” hosted by Harvey, is averaging a 1.5 in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demo in live-same-day ratings, and pulling in an average total audience of 7.41 million.
“$100,000 Pyramid,” hosted by Strahan, is averaging a 1.4 in the demo and 7.03 million total viewers. “Match Game,” hosted by Baldwin, is averaging a 1.2 demo and 5.76 million same-day viewers.
“To Tell the Truth,” hosted by “Black-ish” star Anderson, finished its initial six-episode run in July with a 1.0 same-day average in the demo and 4.7 million viewers. The hosts will remain the same for the next seasons.
Mariah Carey Did The Absolute Most For her ‘Mariah’s World’ TCA Promo!
Leave it to Mimi to turn something like the TCA summer tour into whatever you want to call it...
Mariah Carey was tapped to speak at the “Mariah’s World” panel discussion to promote her new E! docu-series at the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this week. But, it wasn’t like anything they’ve seen before.
Before she hit the stage, Mimi had waiters flood the ballroom to serve up a glasses of Veuve Clicquot champagne and Compartes chocolate with her name on it to every table in the room. Guests were also treated to her #1 to Infinity CD before she hit the stage.
Following the "pre-show," it was time for Mimi to make her grand entrance. A velvet chaise was placed on the stage, purple lights lit up the stage and then the Elusive Chanteuse singer appeared with six shirtless men to assist her. Of course. She took a seat on one of the men’s backs, then proceed to the chaise to chop it up (and sip it up) about her new E! docu-series. SO Mariah.
While she and her ex-husband Nick Cannon (who's rumored to be dating singer Chilli) have long called it quits, they’re still good friends and seem to be co-parenting quite well. So much so, that he may make an appearance on the show IF he makes the cut. “We are not together anymore, but he’s cool about being on the show and coming around with the kids and very supportive,” she said during the panel.
Her twins Roc and Roe will make a few appearances, but not too much.
When asked how was it being a judge on “American Idol,” she responded, "It was the most abusive situation of my life." She took a sip of champagne and followed up saying, "By the way, you’ve just driven me to drink.” Ha!
Oh, and while she was answering questions on the panel, her glam squad would periodically come out and touch up her hair and makeup. “Anybody else need a touch up? It’s very expensive," she joked.
Along with the TCA panel, here's another “Mariah’s World” sneak peek. Cameras followed the mom-of-two while she trekked along overseas on her “Sweet Sweet Fantasy” tour to give fans an inside sneak peek at her life and what she’s really like behind-the-scenes.
WATCH HERE
The show will also gives fans a look at how she's planning her super lavish wedding to her billionaire fiance James Packer. Will she have albino elephants and Noah's Ark incorporated in the ceremony? Find out above.
After getting pushed back from a summer premiere, "Mariah's World" will debut December 4th at 9pm EST on E!
Them Kardashian Sisters are being threatened With a Restraining Order and Lawsuit!
Uh Oh? There’s new legal drama brewing for the famous Kardashian sisters. Khloe Kardashian is accused of screaming and cursing at her business partners while on a promotional appearance in Dubai for her makeup line, where she allegedly threw a fit with her ex-partners after being displeased with the booth she would be in during the exhibition – and things got so bad the company cancelled her schedule appearance.
Here’s the latest: On August 1st, Haven Beauty headed back to court filing more documents arguing for the restraining order and detailing a meltdown in Dubai where Khloe cursed and screamed at representatives.
They detail the Kardashians repeated violations of their contract by promoting other makeup brands on their social media, apps, as well as in press and media outlets and in personal appearances — despite their deal granting Haven exclusive rights to their likeness and name for cosmetic products.
Haven points out the sisters have promoted and been paid by such brands as Dior mascara, Tom Ford lipstick, MAC cosmetic, L’Oreal Paris, Maybelline and many more. Kim’s app even announced a partnership with Nars cosmetics to celebrate its 2-year anniversary.
They explain after they bought out Boldface, the sisters have refused to promote or make appearances for the makeup line. The contract breaches include refusal to post on social media and failed to make any appearances “with the exception of Khloe Kardashian’s disastrous appearances at the “Beauty World” event in Dubai in May 2015.
Khloe Kardashian Hosts 1Oak Nightclub for Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas on May 22, 2015
They state that Khloe arrived to the exhibition in Dubai and things went south quickly. They claim that she showed up to meet with representatives who were to show her the booth for her appearance and reveal in court docs:
Ms. Kardashian began screaming and cursing, stating publicly that Haven was selling the Kardashian Beauty products illegally and that she hated everything about the Kardashian Beauty products and appearance. Ms. Kardashian’ appearance was therefore cancelled”
Haven is pleading with the judge to grant them a restraining order to prevent the Kardashians from trashing their own brand in the press.
Here’s the backstory: Back in March, the Kardashian sisters were slapped with a $200 million dollar lawsuit by the company Hillair Capital Management.
The company explained they came to the sister’s rescue by investing over $10 million dollars into their makeup line, “Kardashian Beauty”, after their former business partner went under.
Kim, Kourtney and Khloe partnered with Boldface in 2012 to launch a line of products named “Khroma Beauty”, eventually the sisters had to change the name of the line due to legal reasons and Boldface collapsed leaving their new “Kardashian Beauty” in need of an investor. Hillair Capital bought out Boldface and invested the $10 million dollars to save the sisters line.
However, the company filed suit accusing them of not following the terms of their contract by not posting about “Kardashian Beauty” on their social media accounts. They demanded the Kardashian pay up the $10 million they invested along with $180 million for lost revenue and other damages.
That lawsuit was still pending in Federal Court.
Earlier this month, Haven Beauty – owned by Hillair Capital – launched “Kardashian Beauty” and began selling the products without the sister’s approval.
A rep for the Kardashians released a statement in which the sisters blasted the company and claimed they have no involvement in the makeup line. Their reps wrote:
Over the weekend, new cosmetic products were announced on the Kardashian Beauty cosmetic social media pages with pictures and statements from Kourtney, Kim and Khloe. The three Kardashian sisters are not in business with this cosmetic company.
The reps finished by saying,The people selling the Kardashian Beauty brand and their predatory owners knew this and are attempting to mislead the Kardashians’ fans by stating that the Kardashians are still involved. This outrageous conduct is a legal matter and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Haven Beauty then slapped the sisters with a Federal lawsuit demanding a judge grant them an injunction against the Kardashians from trashing the makeup line in the media.
They claimed that the sisters did have a deal with them to launch “Kardashian Beauty” and they only are claiming otherwise in an attempt to back out of the agreement they made. They sued demanding an injunction along with $10 million from the sisters.
#EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Cubby Kub!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘A Furry Tail’
I don’t know. I just don’t get it. Like why do you need a fake tail and fur boots? If you’re gonna go furry, go the whole way, don’t half ass it….or half tail it. I don’t know, I assume that’s how furries talk.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
