Showing posts with label Apple Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple Music. Show all posts

12/5/18

The Daily Buzz For Dec 6 ☕📰☕


Will Smith for Haute Living - January 2019
Will Smith is covering the latest edition of ‘Haute Living’. Here’s an excerpt from the article.
Will Smith: Renaissance Man. Last year on December 14, Will Smith finally joined the world of social media. From his inspirational and instructional Instagram posts to his YouTube channel, it has become clear that he has found his purpose and the platform to share who he truly is. This unprecedented change in the notoriously private star came after a self-imposed two-year hiatus from filmmaking where he disconnected from the world at large to reconnect with himself.

Since then, Smith has worked on multiple film projects, three of them to be released in 2019, started a water company, JUST Water, with his son Jaden Smith, made music with Nicky Jam, Marc Anthony and Bad Bunny, and celebrated his 50th birthday with an epic leap from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon. Here, the father of three gets personal with Haute Living and gives us some insight into what brings him the most joy, what drives him and what he is committed to.

You recently announced the filming of Bad Boys 3 (aka Bad Boys for Life). What is happening with that?
It’s been a long-ass time. We start in January 2019. We will be a few weeks in Miami, but there are a few other locations―shooting some of it in Atlanta, and there will be some of it in South America somewhere. That was my first time seeing Martin [Lawrence] in a while; we did a table read, and that chemistry is eternal. We are just good together. There is a magic between us that is just beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of. And the story is crazy―I think people will be surprised. One of the benefits of us being so young when we made the first one is we weren’t really seasoned performers and filmmakers, so there was a rough rawness to it that was fun, but this is the best screenplay we have ever had. People have been away for a while, so it’s an opportunity for the third one to be the best of them all.
You have been busy. You have been filming all over the world, and one of the things that has changed this year is the way you have allowed the public into your life. What inspired you to do that?
I think a couple of things happened―one of the major things that happened is that I hit that midlife-crisis point, where I’ve built all of the things I’ve ever dreamed of. And in my family―2012 I secretly call the year of the mutiny. And 2012 was really the year that my family rejected the direction of my leadership. And that was the main thing that happened. My father was in the military, and he ran the house like a military unit. We had to put hospital corners on our bed, my shoes lined up in the closet. He was in the Air Force, so he dealt with the family like a soldier. And he had a family business. I was used to the whole family working the family business and being run like a military unit. You follow orders, you have goals, you achieve things and there’s punishment from the higher ranks if you don’t do what you are told to do. I lightened up on it a little bit, but the things that I brought in from my childhood were, we are in a family business, we all work together and I’m in command; I’m the leader, and the way that we win is by everyone doing what I say. Willow was really the first person during “Whip My Hair” that decided she didn’t want to do what I said. Because she was the baby girl, she really had the most power over me.

As a man―if your daughter says no, there’s really nothing you can do. She really tested me. She was like, no she didn’t want to. She was done with “Whip My Hair.” She was done with performing, and as a protest she shaved her head bald. That was really the first time that I realized that my family wasn’t happy with the direction that I was taking them. I felt like I was winning. We were succeeding. We had Karate Kid [starring Jaden]. We had “Whip My Hair.” Jada had Hawthorne, and we hosted when Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize―we hosted all of that in one year. I felt we were doing well, and my family wasn’t happy. So, I took two years off. I met Michaela Boehm, who studied under David Deida, who is the author of the book The Way of the Superior Man, and I started reading his work, and I was like, “Oh my God, he understands.” I literally worked with Michaela for two years. Trying to figure out what I didn’t know about my family being happy. And I didn’t work―I didn’t make a movie for two years. I knew there was more I needed to know other than conquering in movies, conquering in television, conquering in music and entertainment. I had done all this conquering, but no one around me was happy. So, I shut it down, and in that time I discovered so much new wisdom, so many new ideas.

I traveled, and I met people, I studied. I probably read 50 books in the last four years. The most reading I’ve done in my life. Because I disappeared from the world, I fueled up and I started putting my toes back into it, and everything was different. I felt like Neo in The Matrix. Everything I tried to do was easy. And I was looking for how to share the new ideas, to share the new information in the form of artistry ―how was I going to deliver my message. And then I worked with David Ayer on Bright. And with Bright, I worked with Netflix, and that was my first introduction to the power of digital media and all of the interconnectivity. When they were explaining it and its reach, it sounded just like all the spiritual ideas I had been studying. I couldn’t believe how close the ideas that they were talking about in regards to selling a movie were to the ideas of the Bhagavad Gita. I got wildly inspired about how I would deliver the lessons that I had learned to the world in this new media, and social media became that outlet for me. Het more HERE!


#RHoA: Gregg Leakes Defends ‘Overwhelmed’ Wife Nene After Fans READ her About slamming Him
*Gregg Leakes is not here for online trolls coming for his “overwhelmed” wife, which is why he’s defending NeNe against critics who slammed her after she blasted her cancer-stricken husband on social media for being “Mean, Grouchy,” and “Evil”.
After the public backlash against NeNe for her insensitive comments, Gregg took to social media to praise his wife, saying “She’s given so much of herself.” He added that NeNe always “steps up to the plate. Something a lot of women can’t do or wouldn’t.”

Gregg wrote: “I never even [thought] about someday we might be in this position but here we are in the struggle of life Damn! This woman right here has put a mountain on her back and carried it with grace. She’s given so much of herself. You Nene, steps up to the plate, bats and knock it out the park every time. Something a lot of women can’t do or wouldn’t. So what she hit a wall and her cup run over! Pray for her, encourage her, lift her up. What good is tearing down gonna do? I’m not bed stricken and i’m not dying of cancer! I’m kicking cancers ass”.

As previously reported, Mr. Leakes took to Instagram last week to share an inspirational message about love, forgiveness and not being so quick to react out in anger.
In a since-deleted comment, NeNe slammed her husband for not following his own advice.
“Well u need to do everything you posted! Practice what you preach,” she replied, later adding: “You need to pray for yourself! This mean, grouchy, evil stuff u pulling these days are NOT cool.”

After a user called her a “cool piece of work” and noted the “tables can easily turn,” Leakes clapped back.
“Chileeee shut up!” she wrote in response. “Gregg has done so much s—. It didn’t just start! While u commenting saying s– to me, ask him what has he done! Oh, and by the way, Gregg isn’t bed stricken and needing daily help! You got it twisted.”
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star then noted her frustrations on Twitter, writing “I would just think if I have or had cancer, I would see life so differently! Not be mean, grouchy and evil for no real reason! But that’s me. Pray for me.”

But when a follower replied, “Unfortunately the closest person receives the undeserved lashing out, stay strong Sis… just breathe,” Leakes responded, “Naw I don’t think I can do it.”
She also fired back at another social media user who called her “so evil” and told her to “go to hell.”

“You don’t know S–T about Gregg and NeNe Leakes and you have no idea what he has done!” Leakes replied. “Ask him [a–hole].”


#EMPIRE: When Season 5 Come Back? Even More Secrets Remain For The Lyon Family To Uncover After The Holidays!
It may be the most wonderful time of the year according to holiday traditions, but in television-land, it's actually the most suspenseful time of year. Why? Because so many fan favorite TV shows are taking a winter hiatus, meaning fans must be left to wonder when their beloved programming will return, and what will happen next. Among This Is Us, The Good Doctor, and others, Fox's Empire is going on leave after its mid-season finale premieres on Wednesday, December 5. So when does Empire come back after its winter break? It may be too soon to tell, but an official announcement is surely on the horizon.

Empire producers are currently focused on the release and public perception of their impending fall finale. Once the dust has settled there, they're likely to release a statement regarding the official date for the show's return, but as of right now, one hasn't been enough. But it's coming — when Season 5 was announced in May, the renewal called for 18 new episodes, so fans are guaranteed another eight after the holidays.

It may be frustrating for fans right now to wade into the unknown with the fall finale, especially considering the likelihood that it will end in a major cliffhanger. But at least they know for sure that the Lyon family will return to the small screen in due time. Hopefully, depending on how the mid-season finale shakes out, they'll return in one piece. Then again, Empire is all about a grueling power struggle that attempts to tear the family apart. So you may want to hold your breath there.

Last year, Empire took a similar winter hiatus as it has in previous seasons. The show paused in November to allow writers to catch up on its developing plot before it re-aired again in the spring. On January 24, following its December Season 4 fall finale, Fox finally announced that Season 4 would resume on March 28, according to Deadline. So fans can expect Season 5 follow a similar timeline.

The mid-season finale is titled "Had It From My Father" and it follows Kai as he confronts Jamal, a Lyon son, regarding Empire dirt he uncovered in preparation for a journalistic expose. The two are engaged to be married, and well, Jamal could choose to protect his family instead of his relationship's future.
“My family certainly doesn’t need the noise right now,” Jamal says in a sneak peek clip published by TV Line. “It’s not like you can run it.” Kai doesn't see the choice as an easy one, regardless of how much he loves Jamal — he cares about his journalistic ethics. “So you’re asking me to choose between what’s right and… what’s right for your family?” he replies.

Empire is known for its bounty of unexpected twists and turns, so the imminent tiff between the couple could go one of two ways — it could be resolved in the name of love, or, everything could go awry in the name of Empire Entertainment and the Lyon family legend. The latter tends to take the forefront in most cases, but then again, that seems too predictable.


#NewMusic from Slim and Mike (of 112) Release New Song ‘Tonight’
Slim and Mike of 112 have pulled together to release a new late-night groove for the grown-and-sexy crowd.
On “Tonight,” Slim starts off the collaboration with desires to hit all the right spots in the bedroom with his lady. Mike jumps in on the action and declares to make a love scene with his beauty.

LISTEN HERE

“Tonight” comes three months after 112 called it quits again. In 2017, the Grammy-winning group released Q Mike Slim Daron, their first album in 12 years. It featured their top 10 R&B single “Dangerous.”


#HipHopNews: Is Meek Mill Teasing Another Album This Year?
Does Meek Mill have another album in the works? Although he dropped Championships less than a week ago, the Philly rapper may be plotting a second project before the year is over.
During his #AskMeek Twitter Q&A session on Tuesday (Dec. 4), Meek was asked if he would release another installment in his Real Me mixtape series. But instead of a mixtape, Meek caught fans off guard by teasing another album.
During the Q&A, he also hinted at more collaborations with Fabolous after a fan asked if he and Fab would do a joint project together. “Me and fab got more bangers in the tuck,” tweeted Meek.

It’s unclear if he really intends to release another album this year. Championships, Meek’s first album since 2017’s Wins & Losses, is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 183-190,000 equivalent album units.


#OSCARS Kevin Hart to Host 91st Academy Awards in February
Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves an Oscar host. Actor and comedian Kevin Hart will emcee the 91st Academy Awards telecast on February 24, 2019.
Hart announced the news Tuesday afternoon on his Instagram account.
Hart follows in the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel, who had the hosting gig the past two years. The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star will work with producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss, who will oversee the production for the first time. Weiss will also direct.

The move comes at a time when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is in desperate need of a ratings boost for its annual telecast. Last year, the audience declined to an all-time low of 26.5 million viewers (from a recent high in 2014 of 43 million viewers) and the organization, along with its broadcaster ABC, have suggested radical changes to help improve the show’s viewership, including a promise that it will not run over three hours.

To help manage this change, the Academy intends to present some six to eight of the 24 awards during the commercial breaks and edit the acceptance speeches into the broadcast.
Hart previously co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards along with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his Jumanji and Central Intelligence co-star.
Kevin Hart’s career has been on a tear since he transitioned from his popular stand-up comedy specials to feature films, specializing in buddy comedies with co-stars as disparate as Tiffany Haddish (Night School), Ice Cube (the Ride Along films), and Will Ferrell (Get Hard). Last year’s ensemble Jumanji has been his biggest grosser to date, earning over $400 million domestically (and almost $1 billion globally) and prompting a sequel. The star will be required to walk a tightrope on Oscar night, playing up his frenetic personality and fast-talking humor while staying away from any political topics that could prove too controversial for the worldwide audience.

Hart’s good-natured charm should go a long way to reversing the ratings slide of recent years, but so many other variables will have to be factored in to see if the Academy can right the ship.


Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson Are ‘Actively Trying’ for Baby No. 2
What cheating scandal?! Eight months after Khloé Kardashian welcomed daughter True with Tristan Thompson, she and the 27-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers forward “are trying for another baby,” a source reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “She isn’t pregnant yet, but they are actively trying. Khloé loves being a mom. She wants True to have a sibling.”

Unfortunately, friends and family worry that Kardashian is blinded by love. “In her mind, she and Tristan are fine,” says the source, who adds that “nothing will stop” the Good American designer, 34, from expanding her family with Thompson — not even if he is repeating some old bad behavior.


“Who Said I Just Like Men?” Donna Brazile Opens Up About Her Sexuality With Wendy Williams
With a new look apparently came a new and revelatory attitude. When Donna Brazile appeared on the Wendy Williams Show, to promote her new book, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, she talked about everything from her start in politics, before becoming the first Black woman to lead a political, presidential campaign in 2000, for Al Gore, to her love life.

See what she had to say in the highlights from her interview below.

The makeover
“First of all, the gray is all mine. It’s about 3/4 mine. They clipped this and I felt my inner Patti LaBelle…That girl there, she was before 2016 but I’ve let her go…My niece put some purple streaks in because I’m an LSU graduate. I’m free now. I’m free.

Weight loss
“I’m on the same diet. It’s a liquid diet. I eat a salad every night, a little protein and I gave up my Southern cooking. And I was trying to cook out my blues and handle all of my business in the kitchen and it was handling me.”

Her start in politics
“I was a little girl, 8-years-old, Dr. King died 50 years ago, this year. And I found myself as a little girl, wanting to be a Civil Rights worker. And I kept telling my mom, ‘I’m gonna be a Civil Rights worker.’ And she said, ‘You’re too young.’ Well, I wanted to be a priest and she said, ‘You’re a girl.’ Well, they need some girls in that damn priesthood. That’s a hot topic by the way, the Catholic Church… I was just a little girl who wanted to make things happen. I was this little girl who wanted to make things happen I love politics. My first campaign was to get a playground in my neighborhood. I just wanted to play outside and play with the boys. Got to play with somebody.

Her sex/love life
You what to know about my sex life? Wendy gave me a robe. Girl, when I put that on, Teddy Pendergrass gonna come back from the dead. It’s going to be Luther Vandross… by the way, to have a good love life, you need a song. You need to put the back up, the legs out, the thighs in so you can exercise it, rotate it, move it back.

Wendy: Who is he Donna?
First of all, who said I just like men? Who said I had to tell my whole story, my first time on the show? But I can tell you what I do like, I want to be treated right. I want someone who loves me for who I am.

For years, there have been rumors about Brazile’s sexuality. Publicly, Brazile has been an active LGBT activist, serving on the board for the Millennium March on Washington. In 1999, The New York Times said she was openly ambiguous about her sexuality. She was quoted as saying, “Gay comes in all shapes, sizes, strengths and personalities. Just like straight does. It shouldn’t be news that—guess what— some gay people don’t fit your stereotype.”
The rumors have persisted but Wendy’s show marks the first time she’s acknowledged her bisexuality.


Film Inspied By Prince’s Music In The Works At Universal
Universal Pictures has a film in the works inspired by Prince‘s extensive and timeless music catalog.
Just to be clear, the film will NOT be a biopic like Purple Rain, instead it will be inspired by his classic hits just like Mamma Mia! was inspired by music from ABBA.

Via The Hollywood Reporter: Mike Knobloch, president of global film music and publishing for Universal Pictures, will shepherd the untitled project for the studio, with Universal VP production Sara Scott and creative executive Mika Pryce overseeing the film’s development.

Atom Factory’s Troy Carter, the entertainment advisor of Prince’s estate, will executive produce, alongside Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, the exclusive worldwide publishing administrator for Prince’s catalog.

I’m interested to see what Universal is going to do with this project.


The Trumps And Obamas Share Awkward, Tense Moment At George H.W. Bush Funeral While Hillary and Bill paid them no mind!
The Trumps, Obamas and Clintons sat next to one another at George H.W. Bush’s funeral on Wednesday morning ― and it was as awkward as you’d expect.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump took their seats in the front row next to former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. As Melania Trump moved into the pew, she leaned over and shook former President Bill Clinton’s hand and waved to Hillary Clinton, who was sitting next to her husband. Both Trumps shook hands with the Obamas, but President Trump did not offer his hand to the Clintons.
After Melania Trump waved to Hillary Clinton, the camera panned out and viewers could see the former secretary of state nodding her head, seemingly annoyed.
While it’s customary that all current and former presidents and their spouses attending a funeral service for a former president sit in the front row at the cathedral, it definitely made for some stressful live television.
Viewers hilariously noted the awkward exchange on Twitter, pointing out just how tense the moment was.
Some even pointed out former President Jimmy Carter’s side eye, as Michelle Obama and President Trump shook hands.


Kylie Jenner Shrugs Off Cheating Rumors with Travis Scott!
This week rapper Travis Scott was accused of creeping on his baby mama Kylie Jenner
Kylie has chosen to stand by her man...
After the cheating rumors went viral Kylie posted a picture of her and Travis on her Instagram stories with an engagement ring emoji.

LOL!


Colin Kaepernick Was Considered by Depleted Redskins but Turned Down for Purely Football Reasons, Coach Says
The Washington Redskins were badly in need of a backup quarterback because their starter Alex Smith broke his leg a couple of weeks ago during a game. Then his replacement Colt McCoy broke his leg during a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick has been keeping in football shape since he’s been seemingly ousted by the NFL for taking a knee during the national anthem, so Redskins coach Jay Gruden said they considered him.

In the end, however, the team decided to pass, and they signed 32-year-old Mark Sanchez two weeks ago and 32-year-old Josh Johnson as a backup on Wednesday. But Gruden said the decision had nothing to do with the controversy surrounding Kaepernick, it was purely a football move and the offense being more familiar with style of play of Sanchez, the new starter.

“He’s been discussed for sure,” said Gruden about Kaepernick. “It’s just going to be a matter of which way you want to go. … There’s not a lot of time to get a brand new quarterback and system installed in a couple of days. He’s been talked about, but we’ll probably go in a different direction.”
“[The decision was] just football, strictly football,” he continued. “When you’re talking about a backup quarterback this late in the game you want someone with a similar skill set to the quarterback you have. Not that Colin can’t do some of the things we’ve talked about, but we want someone with a little more familiarity.”

Gruden then explained there would be a “great possibility” of signing Kaepernick if it were the beginning of the season, but at this late stage the transition would be too challenging.
Of course, some will say Gruden is hiding the fact that he doesn’t want the controversy that would come with signing Kap, but the coach insisted the call was strictly about the x’s and o’s of football and nothing else.


Lupita Nyong'o & 'Black Panther' Cast Surprise Student With Scholarship at THR's Power 100 Women In Entertainment!
Lupita Nyong’o happily strikes a pose while attending The Hollywood Reporter’s Power 100 Women In Entertainment held at Milk Studios on Wednesday (December 5) in Los Angeles.
The 35-year-old Oscar-winning actress and her Black Panther co-stars Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira were on hand at the gala to present a new scholarship — The Black Panther Scholarship — created by Walt Disney Studios, which gave one girl from THR‘s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program a scholarship to Loyola Marymount University, worth $250,000.

The program, now in its ninth year, is executed in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. “We know that if we want to live in a world that looks more like Wakanda, the first step is you invest in women and girls,” Danai said (via THR), who received a loud round of applause from the audience.
Also in attendance at the gala was Awkwafina, Lena Dunham, Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby and Loni Love.


Lisa Vanderpump Skipped Filming The ‘RHOBH’ Finale, And Her Co-Stars Sound Off
Bravo just finished filming Season 9 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and although Lisa Vanderpump reportedly missed the finale, she was the center of attention for the rest of the cast.
How did Vanderpump’s co-stars react to her absence?
The finale was supposed to include the Vanderpump Dogs Gala, but Vanderpump refused to invite her co-stars, so cameras filmed another event instead.

According to Tamra Tattles, a new video was released on social media that proves the rest of the cast is unhappy with Vanderpump. This includes a clip showing Vanderpump requesting extra security, and Teddi Jo Mellencamp becoming frustrated with just about everything.

Camille Grammer also revealed that Vanderpump does not enjoy her company. Kyle Richards, meanwhile, looked completely lost about the entire situation.
Based on the video, it is pretty clear that the majority of the RHOBH cast were unhappy with Vanderpump. The biggest question remaining is whether or not Vanderpump will make it to the Season 9 reunion.
The new video comes after Vanderpump admitted that she was disappointed when everyone skipped her dog party. The only problem is that some of her co-stars say they never received an invitation.

Following the interview, inside sources claim that many of the women on RHOBH feel like Vanderpump is lying about the feud.
“They feel like she isn’t being truthful and find it unfair that they have to show up to work every day, and film all while she doesn’t,” a source dished.
Vanderpump reportedly stopped filming back in September. The drama between her and the rest of the cast has only heated up since then.

In fact, Richards recently revealed that she has tried to contact Vanderpump to no avail.
It is not clear why Vanderpump is butting heads with everyone else, but it sounds like they are all sick and tired of her antics. Whatever is going on, we can only hope that Lisa Vanderpump shows up for the reunion to sort things out.

The new season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is expected to premiere in 2019.


Apple Music is coming to Amazon Echo
Alexa and Apple are playing nice. Amazon's Echo smart speakers will work with Apple Music starting December 17,
If you have an Apple Music account and have connected it to your smart speaker in the Alexa app, the speakers will be able to play music on demand. Just say, for instance, "Alexa, play Baby Shark on Apple Music."
Apple's $9.99 a month music subscription service will join Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Amazon's own music service, and other options on Alexa devices. Apple is careful about access to its services outside of its own ecosystem, especially when it's on a device that competes with an Apple product — in this case, the HomePod.

The agreement is the latest sign of good relations between the two companies. It comes two weeks after Amazon announced it was working with Apple to carry the latter's newest products. As part of that deal, Amazon agreed to prohibit unauthorized third-parties from selling Apple goods on its site, a deal that angered some independent sellers and iPhone repair companies.
Apple and Amazon are still competitors, however. Amazon will still not sell the HomePod smart speaker, sticking to its own Echo offerings instead. And you cannot access Amazon Music through Siri on the HomePod at this time.
Spotify will likely be the most impacted by the addition, as it offers a similar service for the same price. Unlike most of the other music options, including Spotify, there is no free tier of Apple Music, but you can get a three month free demo period.
Gartner analyst Werner Goertz says Apple Music coming to Alexa products is another example of digital services being consumed through a variety of products, brands and categories.

Since their launch in 2015, smart speakers have added many new features, like the ability to order a pizza or play games, but the ability to listen to music is still the most popular feature on the devices, according to an Adobe Analytics survey. The company tracked 1000 smart speaker users and found that 70% used the devices for music. The second most popular activity was checking the weather.
Since it was released in February, the $349 HomePod has struggled with middling reviews, a high price, and limited features. It doesn't support as many third-party services as Amazon's Echo.
"Although HomePod, with its current pricing and feature set, is not as prevalent as Amazon Echo devices or Google Home devices, I wouldn't consider the fact that Apple Music can be delivered by Alexa as a sign of surrender," said Goertz.


R. Kelly’s Ex-wife Believes He Was Behind Gun Threat at Lifetime Screening
Lifetime’s Tuesday night New York City screening of its docuseries Surviving R. Kelly came to a halt when the NeueHouse Madison Square Garden theater had to be evacuated due to a gun threat. Kelly’s ex-wife, Drea Kelly, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, and multiple survivors of Kelly’s alleged abuse were in attendance at the screening. One of the anonymous calls to the NYPD alleging the threat on the theater came from Chicago, where Kelly has a residence. His ex-wife now believes the singer was behind the threat.

“The first thing that came to my mind — and I can’t speak for anyone else — was that [R. Kelly] had this shut down. I believe it was somebody connected to him,” she tells Rolling Stone. “This was an outside inside-job to me; someone on the outside does not want what’s going on on the inside to be completed. Whoever it came from, they know that this is not a good thing because there’s power in numbers.” The rapper has not commented on the incident. She added to Variety, “I don’t believe in happenstance, I don’t believe that anything is a coincidence. I do believe that in some shape, form or fashion it is connected to him. Now, whether he orchestrated it or not, that I cannot say. But I just do not believe in coincidences. Of all the theaters, of all the nights, of all the premieres, it happened with us.”

Lifetime said in a statement after the evacuation, “As a precaution we evacuated. Tonight’s all about the safety of everyone, we’re not even thinking of what to do next yet.” NeueHouse Madison Square Garden issued its own statement: “Despite non-credible threats called in during tonight’s screening, we followed appropriate safety protocols in collaboration with the NYPD and elected to postpone the event. We stand by the creative women bringing these heroic stories to light.” Whoever attempted to prevent the doc from being shown, Drea says their plan has backfired: “What people don’t understand is that we are a fire that is burning and it’s never going to go out. They thought they were putting us out; they just put gasoline on a fire and now we’re just gonna burn longer and stronger.”


AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
DIGGING DEEP’
Trying to find even lower prices?


#EGGPLANTNATION Meet Chulo Bear!
Meet Papi Chulo Bear! So you know what to do to see them goods. GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN NOR ALTER any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.

You’re Welcome!


HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM

1/18/16

The Daily Buzz For Jan 19



Apple Music sets date to end free steaming for iTunes Radio users
In a move that can only be viewed as an attempt to solidify its place in the music streaming market, Apple Music is set to move its formerly free iTunes Radio service over to the paid subscription based Apple Music.
Starting January 28, iTunes Radio will only be available to users who pay $9.99/month to subscribe to Apple Music, per a statement released by the company:

We are making Beats 1 the premier free broadcast from Apple and phasing out the ad-supported stations at the end of January. Additionally, with an Apple Music membership, listeners can access dozens of radio stations curated by our team of music experts, covering a range of genres, commercial-free with unlimited skips. The free three-month trial of Apple Music includes radio.
Though the move will surely draw the ire of some users, industry experts say it isn’t at all surprising. Since its launch, the goal was always to sway users in the direction of digital downloads and keep diehard music fans intertwined within the iOS system so that they wouldn’t venture off to other streamers such as Pandora and Spotify. Unfortunately for Apple, their plan didn’t work as well as they’d hoped mostly because iTunes Radio didn’t give users anything unique that they couldn’t find elsewhere.
The gamble now is that with iTunes Radio bundled into the Apple Music fold, the prospect of having commercial free radio like Pandora, as well as a complete on-demand streaming service for only $10 per month will prove irresistible to consumers.

Whether the gamble pays off remains to be seen, but Apple Music is doing just fine regardless.

Last week, the company reported having over ten million paid subscribers in less than seven months of being available. It took Spotify approximately six years to reach that plateau.



#EGGPLANTNATION! Rapper Ca$hout revisits The Nation!
Rapper Ca$hout is originally from Columbus, Georgia, and landed a hit in 2012 with his song “Cashin’ Out.” With lyrics that explored various ways that Ca$h Out was cashing out, “Cashin’ Out” seemed like the perfect way for the then-unknown rapper to quickly live up to his name by, yes, cashing out in the music industry and never being heard from again. Well after he unloaded these pics I’m sure he will be heard from soon enough! Wanna see?


Thank us later!



#RHOA: Apollo Nida Reveals Which RHOA Co-Stars Are Being Supportive, & Even Filling His Commissary While He’s Behind Bars!
Apollo Nida obviously has a lot of free time on his hands, so he decided to call TMZ over the weekend and blab from behind bars.
Apollo confessed most people he’s tried to call haven’t answered the phone, giving him a clear picture of who is really there for him. He also revealed a constant source of support in his life since he turned himself into prison; Kandi and Todd Tucker.
Apollo himself is shocked to be on such great terms with his reality co-stars turned friends, given his wife Phaedra’s falling out with former BFF Kandi. I don’t think it’s shocking however, Todd and Apollo formed a genuine friendship, and Kandi isn’t one to kick you when you’re down.

Even juicier; the Tucker’s have been keeping Apollo’s commissary full, it really does pay to have rich friends! Between Kandi, Todd, and TMZ Apollo is rolling in the prison dough!

Thoughts on Kandi and Todd still supporting Apollo while he’s in prison? Are you surprised they’re giving him money?



New Music: Tank – ‘Relationship Goals’
Those late night calls that’ll have him “coming to break you off,” Tank lets his love interest know “this could be us,” on his new song – “Relationship Goals” – a play on the hashtag floating around social media.
“Girl we all alone, let me hear you moan.. louder,” he sings on the seductive cut. “This could be us, I’m with anything you wanna do.”

LISTEN HERE

“Relationship Goals” appears on the R&B crooner’s upcoming album, Sex, Love & Pain II – due out on Jan. 22nd, and available for pre-order on iTunes now.



R.I.P! Glenn Frey, Eagles founder, dies aged 67
Glenn Frey, Eagles guitarist, has died at the age of 67 in New York.
The founding member of the US rock group had been suffering from intestinal problems for several months and had surgery in November.
The band announced his death on their website.
“Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia,” a statement read.
“The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery.
Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide.”
Frey was born in Detroit and moved to Los Angeles with his then girlfriend in the late 1960s and began writing songs and performing. He briefly shared an apartment with Jackson Browne, with whom he wrote many songs.
After meeting Henley in 1970, the pair formed Eagles and released their self-titled debut two years later.
The band was wildly successful in the 1970s, selling some 100m albums in the US alone, and a further 50m worldwide.

The 1976 release Hotel California is perhaps their best known, although the Greatest Hits album of the same year was, for a time, the best-selling album in US music history, certified platinum 29 times..

Frey had a successful solo career in the 1980s with hits including The Heat Is On, which featured on the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop, and You Belong to the City from the TV show Miami Vice.
His most recent album, After Hours, was released in 2012.



SNEAKER FIENDS! The Air Jordan XXX Revealed [Photos] #AJXXX
The Air Jordan XXX was revealed today at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. 
Tinker Hatfield, and Mark Smith, once again designed the top of the line basketball shoe. The shoe started with the Mr. Cosmos image (see below) that Hatfield created and didn’t move forward until Jordan himself gave him the thumbs up.
See detailed images of the new Air Jordan XXX below.
The shoe is lighter than the Air Jordan 29 and has a woven upper. The FlightSpeed tech was “refined” from the previous model and the smooth toe cap features the Jumpman logo.
The latest signature shoe bearing Michael Jordan’s name, which will be rocking by Russell Westbrook, will be available on February 12—just in time for NBA All-Star Weekend.



Lil Wayne & Birdman Perform Together At LIV
Lil Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against his father figure last January and Birdman was said to have conspired to kill Lil Wayne.
Birdman and Lil Wayne performed together at LIV nightclub in Miami according to TMZ.

"This my motherfucking son and Ima die for him," Birdman says to the crowd in a video captured by the website. "Ima live for him and Ima motherfucking kill for him. Ya hear me? That ain't never gonna change, fucker. It's YMCMB for life."

The two were spotted together at Drake's New Year's Eve party a few weeks ago and Mack Maine says he is trying to get them to resolve their issues with each other.
Birdman, who Lil Wayne often refers to as a father figure, was named in an indictment for conspiring with Young Thug to kill Lil Wayne when Weezy's tour bus was shot in April.

WATCH HERE

In January 2015, Lil Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money Records for delaying the release of Tha Carter V.



Cher Sends Over 181,000 Bottles Of Clean Water To Flint During Lead Poisoning Crisis
Singer Cher is sending thousands of clean water to Flint, Michigan to help with the disastrous lead poisoning crisis caused by the inept local government. According to People Magazine:

The water will arrive at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, according to the release, and the bank “will immediately begin the distribution process to those who need it most for drinking, cooking and washing.”
“The water will go directly to community centers, food banks and fire houses focusing in on low income housing areas,” according to the release.
“This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country,” Cher said in the release, adding, “I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned.”
On Saturday, President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint, sending $5 million in federal aid in support of a solution to the crisis, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The lead poisoing crisis is affecting Flint, Michigan which has a mostly Black and Hispanic community…
The Michigan state government had also asked Obama to declare a disaster, though the administration declined, as federal law does not allow man-made catastrophes to be considered “disasters,” according to the Free Press.
Experts say the tap water in Flint became contaminated after the city, in a cost-cutting move, temporarily switched its water source to the Flint River, according to CNN.
A far more corrosive source, which was not treated properly as it flowed through the city’s service lines, the Flint River leached lead from the pipes that poured it into people’s homes, according to CNN.
A number of children in the city have already suffered lead poisoning, whose effects from exposure are irreversible.

Director Michael Moore added his thoughts on the racist crisis in his hometown…
Cher begged other celebrities to donate as well:
You can help as well!



GOOD NEWS! Sylvester Stallone Confirms ‘Creed’ Sequel Is Happening
*Sylvester Stallone and MGM CEO Gary Barber tell Variety in an exclusive interview that a sequel to “Creed” is definitely a go. However, whether or not Ryan Coogler will be back to direct is unknown, as he’ll most likely be tied up for the next two years working on “Black Panther” for Marvel and Disney.
“There’s no doubt that we’re making a ‘Creed 2,’ Barber said, with Stallone suggesting that Coogler may still serve as a produce on the sequel.

“I know Ryan is probably going to be gone for a couple years,” said Stallone, adding, “So there will be a quandary on: Do we work with another director and have Ryan produce, or do we wait? There’s a diminishing time acceptance of a sequel. Now they are cranking them out in a year.”
As for what the story will entail, Variety says: “One version of the story would take place in the past… bringing back Carl Weathers to play Apollo Creed, who died in 1985’s “Rocky IV.”
Stallone said that he “recently bumped into” Carl Weathers and he was impressed that the actor is still in “good shape.”

“You’ll have him face a different opponent, which I would say is a more ferocious, big Russian… You can start to meld my experiences and then you start to bring different cultures into it. And you can see what’s happening with the Russians today in America. The complication will come with the girl’s ambition, because she’s not Adrian. She has places to go, things to see, the clock is running on her hearing,” Stallone explained,
“The girl” he’s referring to is Tessa Thompson’s Bianca, a singer who ultimately becomes Creed’s love interest.
“Ryan has some ideas of going forward and backward and actually seeing Rocky and Apollo together,” Stallone said, adding, “Think of ‘The Godfather 2.’ That’s what he was thinking of, which was kind of ambitious.”

Read Stallone’s full Variety chat HERE



Did you know that Real Housewives of Potomac's Gizelle Bryant was married to megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant?
Gizelle Bryant, 45, is already the standout star of Bravo's latest entry in the Housewife franchise. And now she’s talking about ending her marriage after she discovered her husband cheated

She is already being billed as the sassy, standout star of new hit show The Real Housewives of Potomac. 
But Gizelle Bryant has already been at the center of a marital drama every bit as salacious and sensational as some of the more memorable episodes in Real Housewives' history. 
In the coming weeks viewers will watch as single mom Gizelle, 45, juggles a makeup business, charity work and a bustling social calendar as she raises three daughters in one of the country's most exclusive suburbs.
But they probably won't be privy to the full story of how her marriage to a prominent megachurch pastor crumbled around her amid lurid allegations of his extramarital affairs and illegitimate children. 
Networker supreme Gizelle is one of six African American women who make up the cast of the latest Real Housewives installment, set in the wealthy Maryland enclave of Potomac, just outside Washington, D.C. 
The glamorous former model is newly single and 'ready to flaunt that independence and make a name for herself,' according to a teaser on the Bravo website. 
Gizelle's fresh start comes after her split from flash televangelist Jamal Bryant, 44, the founder of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, who last year briefly ran for Congress and delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Freddie Gray. 
The pair enjoyed seven years of 'marital bliss' and have three children together - Grace, now aged 11, and twins Angel and Adore, both nine. But in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online, Gizelle says she had no hesitation in pulling the plug on her fairy tale marriage after it emerged her husband was cheating on her. 
'There was infidelity. I found out about it and he told me about it,' she said. 'I decided I was not going to continue to stay in a relationship in which there was not a major commitment. 
'I'm an old-fashioned girl and if you're going to commit, commit. But at this point in time it's so water under the bridge.' 
 'It was absolutely the worst of times. It was lonely and isolating.'
Gizelle grew up in D.C. and her father Curtis Graves served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973 and was a high-ranking official at NASA for three decades.
One of three siblings, she graduated from prestigious Hampton University, a private historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, in 1992 with a marketing degree before joining the NAACP as an events planner.
It was there that she met and began dating her future husband Jamal, a pastor's son, motivational speaker and rising star on the evangelical circuit. The pair were wed in 2002. He acknowledged a second daughter in 2007 after the girl's mother, Michelle Wedderburn, took the sharp-suited pastor to court to argue that he wasn't paying enough in child support. 
Rev. Bryant openly denied a rumor printed in Ebony magazine as well as various online forums and gossip sites that was involved with a third woman, a 17-year-old female from his congregation who he had supposedly impregnated.
He would later insist it was 'categorically and completely untrue' in an open letter to Ebony magazine, who published the accusation in a March 2013 article on African-American scandals. Ebony later conceded that it was nothing more than an 'outrageous rumor'. 
Amid a swirl of negative speculation, both Gizelle and her husband filed for divorce in early 2008, with Gizelle stating that she was an unemployed mother while her husband earned more than $350,000 a year. 
In a January 9 petition she accused him of committing adultery, saying she had 'neither forgiven or condoned' his behavior and demanded a share of their assets and property along with custody of their children. 
The petition was later withdrawn but Gizelle insists the pair did finalize their divorce in 2009 and says she has never reconciled with her philandering husband despite the pair remaining on surprisingly good terms. 
'It was absolutely the worst of times,' added Gizelle. 'It was lonely and isolating, however I do have a strong support network of family and friends. I just leaned on them at that time. 
'I'm not one to dwell on anything because I feel like we only have one shot at this thing called life. Life is too short to just be in a bad or a bitter place. 
'So I moved on. He moved on. He's been doing some great things professionally. We were best friends when we got married and he and I are back at that place. 
'We know that our kids are our number one priority and we make it work for them. We're doing a great job of co-parenting.' 
The ladies are joining a long list of famous residents that has included Sylvester Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, NBA legend Patrick Ewing and news anchor Wolf Blitzer. 
'Myself and the rest of cast, we weren't living in LA wanting to be famous or wanting to be on the screen,' added Gizelle.
'We were literally living our lives, minding our business and then this opportunity came.
'So the authenticity that you see with me and the rest of my castmates is just that, we are strong confident women. We are not hungry for fame - nothing about his show is manufactured.'



‘Ride Along 2’ Cruises To No. 1 At The Box Office
Ride Along 2, starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, opened at No. 1 for the weekend with an estimated $34 million box office – ending Star Wars: The Force Awakens four-week run in the box office top spot.

According to Deadline, early Monday morning estimates project that Ride Along 2 will clear $41.5M through four-days at this point in time – with a FSS of $35.3M – putting its grosses a day behind Ride Along, which opened to $41.5M over three days (and finaled at $134.9M).
The Universal sequel is the sixth No. 1 opener for Kevin, seventh for director Tim Story, and the ninth for both actor Ice Cube and producer Will Packer.

Congrats!


The Celebs came out to The BMI Trailblazers Of Gospel Music Honors
Over the weekend there was a night of praise and worship at the 2016 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Honors held at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta. The ceremony was a harmonious blend of performances and worship featuring the brightest young stars and iconic figures in Gospel music today. And it brought out one of our fave couples, Grant Hill and Tamia Hill.
Gorge. Tamia was tapped to perform during the show.
Gospel singer and former Trailblazer recipient Yolanda Adams looked amazing in this sparkly number as she posed it up all smiles on the carpet. She was tapped to host the event.
The gorgeous Deborah Cox kept it elegant in a black sequin gown with a train. Work!
Former reality star and R&B singer Keke Wyatt was looking snatched in a silver sparkly mini dress. Her post-baby bod -- and she has popped out SEVERAL babies -- is looking amazing. She hit the stage to pay tribute to gospel group Mary Mary.
Black love! Married couple and "Mann & Wife" stars David and Tamela Mann hit the carpet bringing the coupledom fab before hitting the stage. Their show has been renewed for season 2.
The Manns caught up with Keke on the carpet. We can only hope for a Tamela and Keke collab.
"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Fields caught up with gospel singer CeCe Winans where they shared a few laughs on the carpet before Kim introduced her during the ceremony.
Legendary gospel singers and brother-sister duo BeBe and CeCe Winans were amongst the honorees of the evening.
Another sibling group being honored, Gospel singing duo Mary Mary were both slaying on the carpet.
Former reality star and R&B songstress Kelly Price strutted her stuff in a red hot high-low dress. She also took the stage to perform.
Gospel singer Kiki Sheard, who suffered a major wig slip a few months ago, looked fierce in black and white. She rocked out on stage with a lively performance.
  Photos courtesy of @thephotomanlife



AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘PJ PIMPS’
Probably beating the chicks off with sticks…or laser eyes in Superman’s case.


HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!
EFREM

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