Regina King for Vanity Fair - Oscars Edition 2019
With an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win under her belt in 2019, Regina King is looking forward to what’s next.
The “If Beale Street Could Talk” actress chatted with Vanity Fair about her critically acclaimed role and how much fun she’s having with this new experience as an Academy Award nominee.
While she’s a veteran actor with four Emmy wins, King is new to the Oscar scene, “It is very cool to be 47 and [have] this shit be new,” she said. “Having this experience now, I see a whole ‘nother regard for film.”
But despite being a frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actress category, King recalled an awkward moment ahead of the Golden Globes, where a Hollywood Foreign Press Association member made a strange comment.
“He said, ‘So, the other members are telling me I should know who you are,’” King says. “I just let him keep talking, and he said, ‘Yes, and you just were stunning in the movie, just fantastic in the movie. But you’ve been working for a while. You’ve done some Tyler Perry films?’”
She continued, “I said, ‘No, no, I’ve never done a Tyler Perry film.’ And it’s just that moment of, like, man – you could just say that you thought I was great in the movie. You want to be gracious, but then there’s a part of you that wants to say, ‘We’re not all the same person.’”
You can read more at Vanity Fair
NBA All Star Game in Charlotte! Team LeBron Rallies to Beat Team Giannis, 178-164
Charlotte, N.C. (AP) -- LeBron James was trading lob pass with Dwyane Wade again, one last time. Lobs from Kyrie Irving once again, too. And after making a stepback 3-pointer late, he stared down Joel Embiid to send a message without saying a word.
Oh, this mattered.
Team LeBron, down by 20 in the second half, finally got firing and went on to beat Team Giannis 178-164 in the All-Star Game on Sunday night. MVP Kevin Durant scored 31 points for Team LeBron, the one that James drafted and led to victory in the captain's-choice format for a second consecutive season. Klay Thompson scored 20, and James and Kawhi Leonard each scored 19 for the winners.
Giannis Antetokounmpo — the first-time captain — led everybody with 38 points for the club he drafted. Paul George and Khris Middleton each scored 20 points for Team Giannis, which got 17 apiece from Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook.
"We just started making shots," Durant said.
Durant is now a two-time MVP, also winning it back in 2012. He lauded Charlotte for the weekend.
"Thanks for the hospitality," Durant said. "It was an amazing weekend. Glad we capped it off with a 'W.'"
The highlights, as would be expected, were absurdly good, time and again.
Curry slammed the ball off the floor on a first-half fast break and watched it ricochet toward the rim with an apex that flirted with the top of the backboard. Too high for most humans — but Antetokounmpo isn't most humans. The freakishly long Greek star slammed Curry's unconventional alley-oop pass home, with both benches reacting in disbelief.
It was not a defensive showcase, as always.
Team Giannis set an All-Star record with 23 field goals in the first quarter, topping the mark of 22 set on four other occasions — by both the West and the East in the first quarter of the 2017 game, and by the West in both the second and third quarters of the 2016 game.
The 53 points tied a one-quarter All-Star record as well, matching the total by the West in the third quarter of the 2016 games and by the East in the first quarter of the 2017 game. But when it was time to get competitive, things tightened up considerably, at least by All-Star standards.
But when Team LeBron used a flurry of 3s to get back into it, everyone on the bench was standing — sometimes running from the bench and onto the court during play, the celebrations a bit more exuberant than what's usually allowed.
And the All-Star farewells for Miami's Wade and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki— the adds to the game by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in honor of their career bodies of work — were festive, as everyone wanted.
Nowitzki entered the game late in the first quarter and made his first three shots — all of them 3-pointers — before heading back to the bench. Wade checked in not long after Nowitzki took the floor, then started the second half and achieved his primary missions for his last All-Star Game as a player.
He got an alley-oop lob from James.
And he threw an alley-oop lob to James.
Wade dunked, James dunked, and the close friends who entered the NBA together in 2003 and won championships with Miami in 2012 and 2013 got a couple more moments to savor in their final night as on-court teammates.
Wade finished with seven points in 10 minutes, and Nowitzki never returned after his nine-point, four-minute opening stint. When the third quarter ended, every player gathered behind them as Wade and Nowitzki were honored with commemorative jerseys at midcourt.
"Thank you to the commissioner and the NBA for allowing us to both be on this stage again," Nowitzki said.
"Exactly what Dirk said," Wade said as he took the microphone. "We're very thankful for this opportunity. ... The game is in great hands. It's easy to walk away right now."
NO-FIGHT NIGHT
There were no fights, though that didn't stop the league from bringing in reknowned boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer to deliver his famed "Let's get ready to rumble" proclamation just before tip-off.
UP NEXT The next All-Star Game is Feb. 16, 2020, in Chicago.
#RHoA: Kim Zolciak READS The folks over at ‘RHOA’ and Says She’ll Never Film with them Again!
Kim Zolciak didn’t hold back her feelings about not wanting to appear on ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ again when she gave an open interview to ‘OK!’ about her negative experience on the show.
Kim Zolciak, 40, only appeared on a few episodes of the popular series Real Housewives of Atlanta, when she made her highly anticipated return to its 10th season in 2017, but apparently that was enough to convince her to never go back again! The reality star opened up about her negative experience with filming the show, and even admitted to not watching it on TV when she gets a chance. “F**k no,” she told OK! in an interview. “I do not [keep up with the show at all]. No. Last year was enough for me to handle. I will never go back to Housewives again.”
Kim’s shocking statement is a result of her feeling the show has not progressed in the way she thinks it should, and she admitted that when she initially decided to return in season 10, it was because she was “oblivious to the lack of growth.” “I like positive happy fun things, you know? And I feel like [the show and its environment] can be [filled with] a lot of negativity,” she explained. As fans of the show know, Kim first appeared as one of the original housewives on the series when it premiered in 2008, but left during its fifth season in 2012 and started her own spin off show, Don’t Be Tardy.
When it comes to her former RHOA co-stars, Kim said that although she hasn’t kept in touch with them on a regular basis, she does reach out in big life moments, like when Nene Leakes‘ husband, Gregg, was diagnosed with cancer last June. “I reached out to Nene when Gregg was diagnosed [and sent them a care package] and I congratulated Porsha [Williams] on the pregnancy,” Kim said. “I don’t know that there’s a whole lot of animosity [between me and the rest of the cast]. I just [think] we all kind of have our own separate lives…or at least I do.”
That separate life includes her own show. Although Kim has seemed to write RHOA off completely, it hasn’t stopped her from filming her family reality series, Don’t Be Tardy. Season seven of the Bravo show will premiere on Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. and a new episode of RHOA premieres the hour before at 8 p.m.
#Empire: There will be a major character Killed from the show. But Fox insists it isn't Jussie Smollett
The internet went wild Thursday as two Chicago media outlets reported that police believed Jussie Smollett wasn’t the victim of a recent attack, but instead, that he and his two supposed attackers staged the incident because the actor was being written off of Empire. Well Fox and the Empire team strongly denied any possibility that Smollett, who has starred as Jamal Lyon for all five seasons, would be killed off the show. And while producers insist Smollett isn’t going anywhere, someone is being killed on Empire.
The Fox hit series, which returns for its spring run on March 13, has spent all of season 5 teasing a major death after the premiere ended with a flash forward of Lucious (Terrence Howard) standing over a casket. Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney revealed that the mystery death wouldn’t be solved until the end of the season, but it was an “impactful” one.
The flash forward device has continued to be used throughout the season, but hasn’t shed much light on the identity of the victim, until the winter finale provided a possible answer: eldest Lyon son Andre (Trai Byers) was rushed to the ER and the episode ended with him flatlining. And Mahoney wouldn’t confirm that Andre was the person in the coffin, but there have long been rumors that Byers has been looking to leave the show.
Back to Smollett, with the reports about him being written off Empire, co-creator Danny Strong flatly denied those suggestions, writing on social media, “There is 0% truth that @JussieSmollett was going to be written off of Empire. This rumor is totally false. He is the third lead and one of the most beloved characters on the show. Writing him off the show has NEVER even been discussed.”
The sentiment was backed up by the Empire writers’ Twitter account and a statement from 20th Century Fox Television: “The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of Empire is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”
In a recent interview, Smollett was excited about the “new energy” of the show and an upcoming “groundbreaking” story line, which turned out to be Jamal’s fiancé Kai (Toby Onwumere) being HIV-positive. When asked if he thought Empire was hitting the end of its run, he suggested that it was far from it.
“Let’s get this straight, I’m in it with Jamal for the long run,” declared Smollett. “Obviously it would be up to the network, but I still do feel like we have good wattage in us, because it ain’t been that damn long. But I do think that our stories are firm and grounded. And I definitely would say that I want us to dip out while we’re still telling great stories. My whole thing is this: as long as we’re telling great stories and we’re able to entertain the fans and as long as we’re still excited about doing it then we’ll go. But I think all of us are smart and all of us are artists and all of us will know when the time is right to be, ‘Alright y’all, it’s time for the Lyons to sleep.’ But that time is not now, not with season 5 on the horizon.”
In terms of what is to come with Smollett’s character when Empire returns, Mahoney previously said in media interviews that Jamal will be dealing with Kai asking him to choose between him and his family.
“That is sort of Jamal’s challenge in the past, and it still is,” said the showrunner. “Kai is basically asking, ‘What do you want to be, Jamal? Do you want to be Lucious and Cookie’s son, or do you want to be my husband?’ And Jamal is saying, ‘Listen, I can love you and be a Lyon at the same time. I can’t run away from my family responsibilities.’ That’s a challenge for Jamal and how he defines himself, and something he will have to deal with moving forward.”
Empire returns March 13 on Fox
#NewMusic from Tweet – ‘Simply Beautiful’
The Southern Hummingbird Tweet recently released a new song titled “Simply Beautiful.” Backed by a hard-hitting 808 and electric guitar, the Southern Hummingbird delivers her classic and soul-stirring vocals, showing us why she’s unforgettable.
LISTEN HERE
It’s unclear when Tweet will actually release her new single, but these unreleased songs will definitely do the trick for now. Last week, she dropped off a new version of her song “Way to Love,” which originally appeared on her Simply Tweet EP.
#NewHipHop from Blueface Featuring Cardi B “Thotiana (Remix)
Blueface is quickly becoming an artist on the come up. For his latest effort, he puts out another remix of his breakout single "Thotiana." This one features red-hot Cardi B.
The video dropped on Saturday (Feb. 16) and is directed by the always-busy Cole Bennett. The visual finds Blue and Bardi in a warehouse setting repping their affiliation by donning blue and red outfits, respectively. Cardi, fresh off a Best Rap Album win at the 2019 Grammy Awards, goes first with an X-rated verse.
WATCH HERE
This is Cardi's second big assist in a couple of days. She is also featured on Bruno Mars' latest single "Please Me," released on Friday (Feb. 15).
Hey Y’all Shawn Mendes Strips Down To His Underwear For Calvin Klein Ad
Shawn Mendes' new Calvin Klein campaign has the Internet shook!
On Saturday (February 16), the "In My Blood" singer sent shockwaves when he posted the first two photos of his new, upcoming Calvin's campaign, which features him in nothing but his underwear. (Prepare yourselves, these photos are thirst-inducing)
"@CalvinKlein #MyCalvins. Campaign coming this week," Shawn captioned the shots that showed him lounging in a pair of Calvin Klein briefs. In the first photo, the 20-year-old singer is shown leaning on a kitchen counter while smizing into the camera as he shows off his perfectly chiseled six-pack and oh-so-toned arms. Shawn's second shot was also quite intense as Shawn is shown sitting in chair as he looks into the camera with smoldering eyes, and, of course, his hot bod on full display.
Following Shawn's posting of the shots, his fans took to social media to react to the sexy photos, which left many calling them the ultimate thirst trap.
Payless Shoes will Close ALL 2,100 Remaining U.S. Stores
It’s a wrap for Payless ShoeSource! The retailer announced on Friday that they will be closing the remainder of their 2,100 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The company is also shutting down all of its e-commerce operations.
Payless released the following statement to USA Today:
We expect all stores to remain open until at least the end of March and the majority will remain open until May.
This process does not affect the company’s franchise operations or its Latin American stores, which remain open for business as usual. Liquidations sales will begin on Sunday.
Many said the writing was on the wall when Payless started selling $50 “cheap shoes.”
Your thoughts?
#BoxOfficeNews: Alita: Battle Angel tops Presidents' Day box office with $33 million
Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel won the box office but ‘barely’ The sci-fi epic is on track to win the weekend with an estimated $27.8 million in ticket sales at 3,790 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday ($33 million through Monday). The film opened on Thursday bringing its total debut to $36.5 million through Sunday. While the cyberpunk film easily takes the box office crown for the weekend, it’s a dismaying opening for a film that reportedly cost around $200 million to make. The weekend falls far below last year’s Presidents’ Day take where the record-breaking Black Panther scored a $242 million domestic opening in its debut.
Lego Movie 2: The Second Part held strong in its second week at the box office, taking second place with an estimated $27 million across 4,303 theaters for the four-day weekend. It continues to lag far behind the 2014 original, which scored an impressive $130 million in its first two weekends. Its $62.7 cumulative total across two weekends falls short of The Lego Movie’s original opening take of $69 million in its first weekend.
Other buzzy new release meta rom-com Isn’t it Romantic took third place with an estimated $16 million across 3,444 theaters for the long weekend.
Produced by sci-fi icon James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel follows the story of a compassionate doctor (Christoph Waltz) who realizes that the cyborg shell he is nurturing also harbors the heart and soul of a young woman (Rosa Salazar) with a mysterious past. Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, and Mahershala Ali also star. The film has taken a pounding from critics, which could contribute to its lower overall total.
Isn’t It Romantic sought to capitalize on the Valentine’s Day tie-in, even opening on Wednesday to get couples in for the Thursday holiday, bringing its cumulative debut total to an estimated $20.5 million through Sunday for its third-place opening.
The film is a meta-riff on rom-coms, sending up many tropes of the genre in its story about Natalie (Rebel Wilson), a young architect disenchanted with love who suddenly wakes up to find herself trapped in a romantic comedy. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, the film also stars Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine, and Priyanka Chopra.
This weekend’s other new release, Universal’s horror sequel Happy Death Day 2U, is poised to take the fifth place spot with an estimated total $11.5 million total across 3,207 theaters for Friday through Monday. This comedic horror film is a follow up to 2017 hit Happy Death Day, returning to heroine Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) as she encounters new dangers after her dying over and over again in Groundhog Day fashion in the first film. Laura Clifton, Steve Zissis, and Suraj Sharma also star in the Christopher Landon helmed film. The sequel can’t repeat its former glory, taking in less than half of the original film’s $26 million opening.
Comedy gender-bent remake What Men Want rounds out the top five with its fourth place take of an estimated $12.6 million across 2,912 theaters for the long weekend. It’s down approximately 40 percent from its opening weekend.
An NYPD Officer Tells Cops ...Shoot 50 Cent On Sight!
An NYPD officer is under investigation for allegedly telling his fellow cops to shoot 50 Cent on sight ...
Ss per Police sources Commanding Officer Emanuel Gonzalez made the comment last June during roll call at the 72nd Precinct. What apparently triggered his comment ... 50 was scheduled to attend an NYPD boxing match in the Bronx. Gonzalez said, "Shoot him on sight."
Gonzalez has had beef with 50 ... according to the NY Daily News, which broke the story, a month before Gonzalez made his comment he filed an aggravated harassment complaint claiming 50 threatened him on Instagram.
50 had accused Gonzalez of "shaking down" the owner of one of 50's go-to clubs ... this according to the Daily News. 50 wrote on his Instagram, "Get the strap" -- slang for gun. Gonzalez says 50's followers subsequently threatened him with violence.
Now Gonzalez has said it was just a joke, but the matter was reported to higher-ups in the Department and Internal Affairs is now investigating. Gonzalez is a long-timer in the Department -- 30 years -- and he's still on duty.
50's rep tells media sources Mr. Jackson takes this threat very seriously and is consulting with his legal counsel regarding his options going forward. He is concerned that he was not previously advised of this threat by the NYPD and even more concerned that Gonzalez continues to carry a badge and a gun."
Ariana Grande's 'thank u, next' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200!
Ariana Grande is on top of the charts again! The 25-year-old pop superstar debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her latest set, thank u, next, as of Sunday (February 17) according to the official chart company.
The album didn’t just hit No. 1: it’s also the biggest week for a pop album in over a year, and the biggest streaming week ever for a pop album, with 360,000 equivalent album units moved in its first week. 116,000 of those units were traditional album sales.
This is also Ariana‘s fourth No. 1 record, and her second No. 1 in less than two months. (Sweetener topped the charts in September.)
Congratulations, Ariana!
Toni Braxton Intercedes on behalf of her sister Tamar Braxton In the Lindsay Lohan’s Feud
Lindsay Lohan’s comments about Tamar Braxton’s and exposing secrets from Celebrity Big Brother seems to have been taken up a notch. Lohan’s mother, Dina Lohan, was eliminated from the show which she took to social media calling Braxton’s win as, “Bullsh*t.”
The 32-year-old former child star also took her frustrations out on Tamar, calling her a, “Cheapskate.”
Lohan, didn’t stop just there, calling her, “conniving” making sure to respond directly to a year old tweet.
“Congrats. God bless you. But you are not any friend of women. You’re deceptive and conniving and so is this #RR MONEY IS MORE TO YOU than being a strong woman.”
In response, big sister Toni Braxton took notice of Lohan’s online harassment of her little sister. The R&B diva clapped-back, telling the actress to back off.
“Lindsay.. Stay out of it”
Toni’s clappback took fans by surprise.
Do you agree with Toni interjecting?
Disgraced Ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner Is Out of Prison After Serving Fifteen Months Behind Bars
Anthony Weiner is out of prison. The disgraced former U.S. Congressman has been transferred out of a Massachusetts prison and into the custody of a Bureau of Prisons residential re-entry event in New York.
Weiner still has a few months in federal custody before he’s officially freed, but this transfer happened earlier previously expected.
The pre-release status transfer is common for inmates who are approaching the end of their federal sentence. With the purpose being to help prepare them to re-enter into society.
The shamed politician began serving a 21-month prison sentence in November of 2017 after he pleaded guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.
He was slated to be released in August of 2019, but good behavior helped trim his sentence with his release date now moved to May 14.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘THE BIG LOAFER’
I’m glad Shaq dressed up, complete with fancy slippers to showcase his own shoes at Walmart.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Kimo Bear
Meet Kimo! So you know what to do to see more. Just GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
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HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!
EFREM
