See Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez gorgeous Photo shoot for Vanita Fair!
Jennifer Lopez describes herself as shy, which is why it was a big deal that she decided to go up to Alex Rodriguez one day and tap him on the shoulder last winter. "It was just one of those things where you feel compelled to do something you wouldn't normally do," Lopez told Vanity Fair writer Bethany McLean.
"I could literally have just walked away," Lopez continued, explaining that she had just finished a promotional shoot for her NBC series Shades of Blue when she saw Rodriguez walking by. She decided to go up and introduce herself, and the first thing A-Rod said back was, "You look so beautiful."
And now, the two cover the December issue of Vanity Fair
Below are five more takeaways from their revealing "J-Rod" profile.
Rodriguez didn't know if their first date was actually a date
A few days after their initial meeting, Lopez and Rodriguez met at Hotel Bel Air for dinner. Rodriguez wasn't sure at first if it was actually a date, or if they were just meeting later at night because of Lopez's busy schedule.
"He was sitting there in his white shirt, very confident and manly, but then he was just so talkative," Lopez recalled. "I think he thought I was going to be this loud person, but I'm not. I just listen. So he’s talking, talking about his plans, about how he had just retired from baseball, about how he saw himself getting married again, all these things you wouldn’t normally talk about on a first date. I don’t know if he thought it was a date. I thought it was a date. Then I knew he was nervous because he asked me if I wanted a drink. I said, ‘No, I don’t drink,’ and he asked if I minded if he had one. He was nervous, and it was really cute.”
Once Lopez let it slip that she was single, Rodriguez recalibrated his approach and while walking back from the bathroom decided to text Lopez, "You look sexy AF." That spiced up the chemistry, but then the fire alarm went off and the two had to leave.
They feel like they are "very much twins"
Rodriguez said that he shares an exceptional amount in common with Lopez -- "we're both Leos; we're both from New York; we're both Latino and about 20 other things."
Lopez echoed his sentiment by saying that, "I understand him in a way that I don’t think anyone else could, and he understands me in a way that no one else could ever. In his 20s, he came into big success with the biggest baseball contract [at the time]. I had a No. 1 movie and a No. 1 album and made history. We both had ups and downs and challenges in our 30s, and by our 40s we’d both been through so much. And more importantly than anything, we had both done a lot of work on ourselves.”
They each experienced insane success at a young age and struggled to cope
Rodriguez debuted in the MLB with the Seattle Mariners at age 18 in July 1994, the youngest player in the league at the time. Lopez became the first Latin actress to ever earn $1 million for a role (Maid in Manhattan) in 2002. But both of them also share humble beginnings -- Jenny from the Block sharing a bedroom with two sisters in the Bronx, and Rodriguez born to Dominican Republic emigrants, born in New York before growing up in Miami.
Both experienced extreme self-doubt and pressure from all of the success.
"I was eviscerated,” Lopez said, speaking the fallout from her 2003 film Gigli. “I lost my sense of self, questioned if I belonged in this business, thought maybe I did suck at everything. And my relationship [with co-star Ben Affleck] self-destructed in front of the entire world. It was a two-year thing for me until I picked myself up again.”
Rodriguez said that his $252 million contract made him question whether he was worth it, with his main goal being "to give R.O.I. [return of investment] to owners who believed in me."
“We’re both like this,” Lopez admitted. “We put so much pressure on ourselves to be great, to be the best all the time. We understood that about each other. When we came together it was ‘Oh my God, I was the same way.’ ”
Rodriguez's MLB career almost ended in scandal -- a steroid scandal -- when he was suspended for an entire season in 2014. Of the suspension and public shame, Rodriguez said he didn't leave the house for seven days. "It was a knife to my ribs," he explained. "I thought I’d played my last game. I grew a beard -- as much as I can grow it -- and didn’t want to see anyone, including my kids."
But he was able to come back one more season, and play his last games completely clean. He now works as an analyst for MLB coverage on FOX.
Rodriguez noted that Lopez is "happiest at home, in PJ's, eating chocolate chip cookies with friends" -- chocolate chip cookies being a rare indulgence, as Rodriguez says that his girlfriend is "the role model for health and wellness. She rarely drinks. She tries to get at least eight hours of sleep. That helps explain why she's so beautiful."
They believe they had to meet later in life in order to fall in love
McLean writes: "Each believes that if they had been single when they met, 12 years ago, the relationship wouldn't have worked. 'We had to grow and discover ourselves first,' [Lopez] says. But it also works for another reason. As Goldsmith-Thomas [Lopez's longtime co-worker and friend] says, 'They weren’t afraid to dream, and they are still dreaming, both of them.'
Lopez also said: “The most impressive thing to me was how he did pick himself up and take that opportunity to make himself a better person... The hardest times prove who you are. That’s what I love and admire the most about Alex. He doesn’t let anything beat him. He just comes back stronger.”
#RHoA: Kenya Moore Tells Her RHOA Costars She Wants a New Life and Wants to Move Out of Moore Manor!
Kenya Moore left her Real Housewives of Atlanta costars shocked when news broke that she had gotten married to businessman Marc Daly in a tropical private elopement in St. Lucia. But that’s not the only surprise she has in store for them this season.
In an exclusive sneak peek of Sunday’s season 10 premiere, the 46-year-old former Miss U.S.A. tells fellow Housewives NeNe Leakes and Cynthia Bailey that she’s planning on moving out of her Moore Manor — the 7,200-square-foot home she demoed down to the studs, rebuilt, and moved into last season.
“Ghosts have been walking around in there. I want a new life,” Moore tells Leakes and Bailey when asked if she and Daly would be moving in together, adding that they are looking for a new house.
The “ghosts” Moore is referring to is ex-boyfriend Matt Jordan, who was with her throughout Moore Manor’s renovation. She and Jordan had an on-and-off, tumultuous relationship filled with bitter arguments and explosive battles.
There was also violence from Jordan, who broke the windows multiple times on her garage door, smashed in the glass on the side door to her house, spray-painted her security cameras and busted the back window of her car during his many angry outbursts.
But that’s all in the past for Moore now, who is happy as can be with Daly.
“My husband and I met months ago when I visited one of his restaurants in New York. And I didn’t have any idea, 7 months later, that I’d be walking down the aisle with the man of my dreams,” Moore confesses to viewers in the premiere. “I have a fairytale ending and that’s all I ever wanted.”
NeNe Leakes, Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore
Leakes and Bailey are there to toast her, though they are still using code names for Daly’s name — calling him “baby.”
“Kenya, I just want to say, congratulations!” Bailey says. “I’m so friggin happy for you. Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Baby!”
“For a life of happiness and no drama, thank you very much,” Moore responds, going on to explain why she didn’t invite any of her costars to her wedding. “We eloped! I didn’t invite anybody. I wanted to have my dad there, but I knew that if he said the wrong thing — and I know my husband — [it would mess up everything].”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
#EMPIRE: Will Cookie ever sing a song or direct on EMPIRE
We have been without Cookie & Co for 2 weeks die to the World Series Congrats to The Houston Astros. But Taraji in an interview with Variety Magazine was asked about her Directing over producing and possibly singing a song in a future episode. Here’s what she said.
Since Jussie Smollett will be directing an episode, do you want to do one as well?
I’m not interested, no. Directors don’t sleep. I love sleep too much, so no thank you. As a producer, I know what talent works, what’s good and what’s not, and that’s why I’ve chosen the scripts I have in my career. A lot of them are classics because I know how to choose scripts, so I think I’m a better producer than director.
With Cookie’s kids constantly pushing out new music and trying to remind Lucious of his own magic, do you see her ever stepping in on a song?
She might, I don’t know. They’ve tried, but I just see how much work the boys have to do when they perform. They’re young, and that’s what they do. I like to perform, but my thing is more theater. It’s not the same. If I was playing a character who was a singer and would go out and command the stage, that could be fun.
HA At least she knows her place in all of this! (H/T Varierty)
New episodes of “Empire” are on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m
#NewMusic from K. Michelle – Make This Song Cry!
K. Michelle reveals yet another layer off of her upcoming album, with the release of the new single “Make This Song Cry”.
Astute hip hop heads will surely note that the song takes from Jay Z’s classic hit “Song Cry”, which included a sample of Bobby Glenn’s “Sounds Like A Love Song.”
LISTEN HERE
The singer is preparing for the release of her upcoming album “The People I Used To Know” which is slated to come out this Fall. It will be the singer’s fourth album overall, and the follow up to “More Issues Than Vogue” from last year.
#NEWHIPHOP from N.E.R.D feat. Rihanna – ‘Lemon'
N.E.R.D is back. Seven years since their last album, the trio of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley have unleashed a brand new single, “Lemon,” featuring a rapping Rihanna.
“The truth will set you free,” Skateboard P says before N.E.R.D’s futuristic bounce begins to bang. “But first it’ll piss you off.”
Over hypnotic production reminiscent of The Neptunes’ golden years, Pharrell makes a call to action. “If not now, then when,” he raps. “If not me, then who / Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, my friends / I tried to tell y’all about this dude!”
Bad Gal RiRi adds some bounce to the confident banger. “This ain’t a scrimmage,” she raps. “Ma’fucka, we ain’t finished / I tell you, we won’t stop … It’s Rihanna, ni**a, my constellation is space.”
To go along with the single, N.E.R.D also unleashed a video, which they are calling a “tutorial.” It finds Rihanna shaving a woman’s head before an energetic dance sequence breaks out.
Listen to LEMON HERE
#SURPRISE Star Jones’ Ex-Husband Al Reynolds ‘I AM BISEXUAL’
Living his most authentic life. Star Jones’ ex-husband, Al Reynolds, has come out as bisexual.
“Today, I accept myself as a bisexual man,” the Chicago-based attorney told Radar in a new interview published on Thursday, November 2. “Ever since I have been in the public eye, people have been speculating on my sexuality. And ‘speculating’ is a kind word for how it actually played out. With anger and disdain, people have ben calling me out as gay, closeted, a sham and even nastier; much nastier.”
The Wall Street executive, who split from 55-year-old Jones in 2008 after four years of marriage, explained that he is finally comfortable opening up about his sexuality “I have come to a point in my life where I am ready to discuss my truth,” he continued. “I wasn’t ready to do this then — I wasn’t even ready to think about it, let alone process it. To understand my journey and how I got to this point, you need to understand a little about me.”
Reynolds, the youngest of six children, revealed that he was born into a “deeply religious” Southern Baptist family and attended church regularly. “My life was filled with vacation bible school, missionary meetings, Sunday school, choir practice and youth ministry,” he noted. “Life was not nuanced or frivolous, nor did it allow any time for introspection. It was clear and proscribed, black and white, angels or sinners. And people who were intimate with others of their own gender were the worst of all within chance of redemption, or the glorious afterlife that I was taught awaited us all.”
“As a black man, that message and hate and homophobia were multiplied to the nth degree. I saw no path out that would resolve my personal feelings with my deeply held and ingrained religious beliefs,” he continued. “This internal dissonance was a powerful thing, like a cancer eating at one’s soul. This resulted in some tough times — homelessness, unemployment, dependence on drugs and alcohol, public assistance, and, at the center of it all, a deep, deep shame and a feeling of unworthiness of the love of God. I didn’t believe I deserved to live a good life, and I clearly didn’t.”
Reynolds then went on to say that his involvement in the business world helped him come to a realization that he would be more happy and fulfilled if he came out and lived as his most genuine self.
“I have learned that sexual orientation is not binary, at least for me,” he concluded. “I am capable of loving both sexes, and I have done both. My relationships, all of them, have been honest and based on my attraction to the other person. When I am in love I don’t equivocate, nor do I waver. I tell this story to both encourage my personal path, as well as give some small measure of hope to others that no matter your beginnings, no matter the obstacles, there is nothing so fulfilling and Godlike as living the life that was destined.”
We wish him all the best!
Beyonce heads a star studded cast for Disney’s The Lion King remake.
Walt Disney Studios announced the full cast of it’s highly anticipated CGI live-action remake of The Lion King.
Reports have been confirmed to have Beyoncé cast in the role of Nala, Simba’s mate and childhood friend. Simba is played by Childish Gambino himself, Donald Glover.
Reprising his role as Simba’s father Mufasa, James Earl Jones returns to familiar territory. Other actors include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Simba’s uncle and main villain, Scar. Simba’s mother Sarabi will be played by Alfre Woodard. Simba’s pals Pumbaa and Timon will be played by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen.
In a released statement, Favreau said “It is a director’s dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life,” Favreau’s experience with rebooting Disney’s The Jungle Book made him a natural fit to reboot The Lion King.
The original Lion King’s music featured songs from award-winning composers Sir Elton John and Tim Rice. The 1994 film itself garnered an Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Best Original Song for John and Rice’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”
The Lion King remake is scheduled to release in theaters July 19, 2019.
VH1 Cancels ‘Daytime Divas’ After One Season
The series, based on Star Jones‘ book, “Satan’s Sister,” and starred Vanessa Williams, Tichina Arnold, Chloe Bridges, Camille Guaty, and Fiona Gubelmann, and McKinley Freeman.
Via Deadline:With the cancellation of Daytime Divas, and The Breaks and Hit the Floor moving to BET, VH1 is becoming an unscripted-only network.
The series wrapped with a two-hour finale on July 31, during which Maxine (Vanessa Williams) was arrested for her husband’s murder. But she actually was covering for the real culprit, her son Shawn (McKinley Freeman).
The cancellation was reported first by Deadline’s sister pub TVLine.
The series was set behind the scenes of a long-running daytime television show, chronicling the fireworks that erupt daily between the five female co-hosts. Onscreen, they are best friends with five very different points of view, but behind the scenes, they inhabit a world of power struggles, cat fights and cocktails.
Kevin Spacey Seeking Treatment Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
“Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” according to US Weekly “No other information is available at this time.”
The news comes days after Rent star Anthony Rapp, 46, claimed in a Buzzfeed interview that Spacey, 58, made inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances toward him during a party in NYC in 1986. Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14 at the time and they were starring in separate Broadway plays.
Spacey took to Twitter amid the allegations, but was later slammed for his statement. Many believe that he tried to deflect the issue by coming out as gay in his apology.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear this story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years,” the House of Cards actor wrote on October 30.
“This story has encouraged me to address other things in my life,” he continued. “I know there are are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.”
Since then, actor Roberto Cavazos has come forward with his own experience of Spacey’s alleged inappropriate behavior. Production on Netflix’s House of Cards, which will end after season 6, has also been suspended. “MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season 6, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew,” Netflix and Media Rights Capital told Us in a joint statement on Tuesday, October 31.
Papa John’s blames NFL for poor sales, And the fool may spark pizza boycott against him!
National pizza chain Papa John’s is facing a financial hardship and the CEO blames the NFL’s national anthem issue, dismissing social injustice. Papa John’s founder and CEO John Schnatter stated during a national conference call to investors that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is the chief culprit and stated, “Leadership starts at the top and this is an example of poor leadership. The NFL has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”
Papa John’s is the official pizza of the NFL and Schnatter is a well known Trump supporter and donor. During his call, Schnatter went on to say that the continued protests by NFL players and failure of NFL leadership to manage the situation that “The controversy is polarizing the customer, polarizing the country.”
Papa John’s stock is down 12 percent since the protest started by Colin Kaepernick has been repeated across the nation by athletes, music artists, and average citizen’s that even include kids at sporting events. But Schnatter is missing the issue entirely by stating that is a national anthem issue. The national anthem protests are a social justice issue. It is about the treatment of Black Americans at the hands of police and lack of action by officials from the local to the federal level. It shows that wealthy White businessmen like Schnatter do not understand the plight that has affected persons of color across America. The fact that Schnatter has stated his business is suffering because of protests is a good thing, it means the protests are working. In fact, by making his statements about the NFL protests he may spark a boycott by people of color ordering a Papa John’s pizza until he wakes up and recognizes that social justice is the issue not the national anthem.
Mariah Carey Hand & Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theater
Mariah Carey attended her Hand And Footprint Ceremony held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood on Wednesday, Nov. 1. This makes the 5th or 6th handprint ceremony for the aging Diva this decade.
Director Lee Daniels showed up to help her celebrate the moment!
Keyshia Cole is #1 On Billboard Charts
Keyshia Cole has returned to the top of the Billboard charts for the first time since her 2014 album Point of No Return.
Keyshia’s seventh studio album 11:11 Reset is #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.
11:11 Reset, which dropped on Nov. 20, is deeply personal for the 36-year-old singer. It is her first album since she filed for divorce from estranged husband Daniel “Booby” Gibson.
The album features a track for every mood; something to dance to and something to cry to.
And Keyshia’s not done. The Diva is preparing for her upcoming tour to support her #1 album.
Oh? The Weeknd ‘Really Didn’t Trust’ Selena Gomez’s Ex Justin Bieber
After girlfriend Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant in June, she reconnected with ex boyfriend, Justin Bieber. “He was concerned and, as a friend, checked in,” a Bieber source.“They started hanging out again. They just care about each other.”
And while their revived relationship began as platonic, old feelings soon resurfaced. Though a Gomez pal says the “Starboy” originally “didn’t care” about the friendship, a second source says he soon became wary: “He trusted Selena, but he really didn’t trust Justin.”
The former Disney star, 25, followed her heart. As Us Weekly previously reported, she and the 27-year-old (born Abel Tesfaye) split after nearly 10 months together. “Justin is her soul mate,” explains the Gomez pal. “He always had her heart and her attention.”
Now, Bieber, 23, is using it to his advantage. “Justin really wants Selena back,” reveals a Bieber source. “He’s been texting her nonstop and hangs out with her whenever he can.”
A reconciliation may be next. “There won’t be any decisions soon,” explains the Gomez pal. “But ultimately, their friends think it will end up in that direction.”
And though the Bieber source insists he’s a changed, “more mature” man, Gomez knows what she may be getting herself into. (In August 2016, she claimed he “cheated multiple times.”) Adds the source, “Justin has his moments, he’s still the same and Selena knows that.”
Still, the heart wants what it wants. Says the insider, “You can’t forget your first love. Justin will always have the biggest piece of her heart.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘Furry Friend’
Got my wife a new fur shawl for her birthday. Y’all like it?
#EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Bearrington!
Meet Bearrington! And you can see all of him when you CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS!! And remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
