“Queen & Slim” Star Jodie Turner-Smith Looks Stunning for Essence Magazine!
“Queen & Slim” star Jodie Turner-Smith covers the November 2019 issue of Essence magazine photographed by JD Barnes and styled by Ade Samuel.
Here are some excerpst from the interview:
ON HEARING ABOUT “QUEEN & SLIM”: “All these powerful women are doing this project, and I was like, How do I get invited?…I fell maddeningly in love with the script…And Melina is a force to be reckoned with…”
ON MAKING THE ROLE OF “QUEEN” HER OWN: “The fact that I was cast in a show to play a female lead and I’m the dark-skinned Black woman with short hair, it’s so incredible…It just gave me a little bit of wind beneath my wings to really go and make this my own…”
ON HOW “QUEEN & SLIM” DISPLAYS BLACK LOVE: “It’s definitely not lost on me how beautiful that is to see, for the world and also for our community…Often, it’s the other way around, and what we see glorified as the standard of beauty is a woman who looks a little bit different than I do. And so to get to be in that position, to get to play Queen, to know that there will be little Black girls who look like me, who will see the film and be like, ‘Oh my God, look, somebody who looks like me’—that makes me feel really awesome…”
LENA WAITHE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FILM: “I just wanted to turn the tables a bit, where we keep breathing and the oppressor doesn’t. I want to give voice to all the nameless, faceless men and women of color whose lives were unjustly taken by police officers, who didn’t make it home…”
Turner-Smith dazzles in the November issue shot by photographer J.D. Barnes rocking designers including Balenciaga, Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Iris Van Herpen and more. For more on this month’s issue hitting newsstands on NOW! Go visit ESSENCE.com.
#RHOA: Oh? NeNe Leakes is discussing the Possibility Of an “Open Marriage” With Gregg Leakes!
Season 11 of Real Housewives of Atlanta was an eventful one for NeNe Leakes. She tore a cameraman’s shirt when he tried to enter her closet. The first rule of RHOA–stay out of NeNe’s closet!
NeNe flipped when her former bestie Cynthia Bailey invited RHOA alum Kenya Moore to an event without getting prior approval from NeNe. That was the end of Cynthia and NeNe’s long-time friendship.
Then, Kenya grabbed her peach and became a full-time Housewife again for Season 12. As you can imagine, NeNe was furious! NeNe did make it her business to cozy up to Kenya’s soon-to-be ex-husband Marc Daly. According to HollywoodLife, Kenya found about NeNe and Marc’s secret friendship during a cast strip to Greece.
Kenya also had some shade for NeNe. Page Six reported that Kenya was asked by TMZ if NeNe is a bully. “Oh, she’s absolutely a bully,” Kenya replied. “She’s bullied everyone on the show. That’s the truth!” The conflict between Kenya and NeNe is going to be epic this season.
Last season, NeNe’s husband Gregg Leakes was diagnosed with colon cancer. Gregg’s illness really tested their marriage. In fact, NeNe thought that Gregg’s cancer was karma for cheating on her. Who says that about their spouse? Apparently, NeNe does.
Mostly, NeNe seemed inconvenienced by having to be a caregiver. It seemed like the couple might be headed for another split. The duo divorced and then remarried in a lavish ceremony in 2013.
But now, it sounds like NeNe and Gregg might be re-defining their relationship again. In an interview with Bravo’s The Daily Dish, NeNe hinted at taking their marriage in a new direction.
“Now listen, I know last season you guys followed me and Gregg’s story. Gregg was diagnosed with cancer. It was the worst time of our lives,” NeNe stated in a video clip. “I struggled as a caregiver. Our relationship struggled so much.”
For Season 12, the couple is in a different place, and Gregg is now cancer-free. “We’re talking about a whole new relationship kind of a situation. You might want to tune in to hear about,” NeNe explained. “It’s going to be quite interesting. You know like open marriage? Now, I’m not sure if we’re gonna have an open marriage, but we’re definitely having a lot of open conversations.”
NeNe also acknowledged that Atlanta Housewives fans want to know all the details about her relationship with Cynthia. “I know that you want to know about me and Cynthia, Honey! I know you want to know because I been listening to you, and I’ve seen all the things you had to say on social media,” NeNe said before inviting fans to tune in to the season premiere on November 3.
Tell Us- Do You Think That Nene And Gregg Will Have An Open Marriage?
#Empire: Warner Robins native Kiandra Richardson shines in new season of Empire on FOX!
Kiandra Richardson is a Warner Robins native and a SCAD graduate. She is also the newest shining star in the hit FOX series Empire. “It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. In it’s sixth season, Kiandra shares the screen with Terrence Howard as his love interest in the show.
“I play Yana, Yana is Damon Cross’ daughter and she and Lucius pretty much have a very, very deep connection,” she said.
Kiandra tells us her path to Hollywood had challenges, but says it was her faith that made her persevere.
“There were definitely times when I was like this is not for me, maybe I should just get a regular job or just teach music somewhere, but I just stuck with it and I had Faith in it and had a vision,” she said.
Kiandra is now back in Savannah and will be performing Saturday night at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
Andra Reeve-Rabb is the Dean of Entertainment Arts at SCAD and was one of Kiandra’s teachers.
“She is incredible on empire she has toured with Beyoncé,” she said.
Honoring her humble beginnings, Kiandra credits her experience at SCAD with propelling her in Hollywood and into prime time TV and is now giving back as a beacon of hope to students.
“You are able to get through the challenges and that pushes you be the person you are meant to be, so SCAD definitely gives you that push and they propel you,” she said.
From performing at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival to mentoring performing arts students, Reeve-Rabb said Kiandra is proof hard work and perseverance can make dreams come true.
“Kiandra is coming back to give back to those students and to say hey guys, look what I did and you can do it too,” she said.
Television may be the first stop in Kiandra’s blooming career, she is also setting her sites on expanding her creative talents.
“I pray that what is next for me is music, whether that's an album or an EP of some sort and maybe a film, I think I want to do a film next,” she says with a big smile.
#NewMusic from Luke James, Ro James & BJ the Chicago Kid “Go Girl”!
Luke James gets together with frequent collaborators and fellow R&B stars Ro James and BJ the Chicago Kid for his new single “Go Girl”. This is expected to be the first single from Luke’s upcoming sophomore album after a few years of putting his music career on the back burner to focus on acting.
The new album is called “To Feel Love/d” which is set to release in early 2020 via Culture Collective.
LISTEN HERE
The trio show off their skills on the track, arranging their vocals in a trendy fashion while keeping it fresh.
Luke James most recently released the single “These Arms” in 2018. He has not released a project since his self titled debut album in 2014.
#HipHopNews: FINALLY, Kanye West Drops "Jesus Is King" Album!
Kanye West’s new album Jesus Is King is finally here. Despite originally setting a September 27 release date for the project, the LP didn’t drop as planned. Instead, the oft-delayed project arrives a month later — although not at midnight Eastern like most releases.
LISTEN AND STREAM HERE
The road to Yeezy’s ninth studio album has been a bumpy one. Kanye’s LP, which was previously titled Yandhi, was supposed to drop in September 2018. That release date came and went before being pushed back to November 2018. Ultimately, the album was delayed until 2019 and still experienced more false starts.
ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in U.S. raid in Syria!
The world’s most wanted terrorist, the Islamic State militant group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a U.S.-led raid in northwestern Syria, President Donald Trump announced Sunday.
Addressing the nation live from the White House, Trump said al-Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children, detonating a suicide vest as U.S. forces closed in after a "dangerous and daring" raid.
Trump said he died "whimpering and crying and screaming all the way."
"He was a sick and depraved man," the president added, "and now he's gone."
Reports of al-Baghdadi's death had swirled on social media, with Trump himself appearing to hint at the news late Saturday.
Trump personally approved the operation, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The mission included helicopters, jets and U.S. drones, the sources said.
The United States fired from the air and then landed and gathered intelligence, the sources said. Several other militants were also killed in a convoy. There were no U.S. casualties.
The news comes amid growing concerns around ISIS' potential resurgence and following the president's decision to pull troops from Syria's border in advance of a Turkish invasion.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — a key ally in the fight against the extremist group who accused Trump of abandoning them to the Turkish advance — claimed a role early Sunday in the operation in which al-Baghdadi was killed.
Turkey also said that it had exchanged information and coordinated with the U.S. prior to the operation.
The death of al-Baghdadi brings an end to years of searching and speculation.
Detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004, al-Baghdadi has led ISIS since 2010. He stood at the pulpit of the great medieval mosque in Mosul in 2014 to declare himself caliph, sovereign over all Muslims.
But with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, he had not been seen for five years.
Until April, when the group released an 18-minute video in which a bearded man resembling al-Baghdadi appeared sitting cross-legged on the ground with an assault-style weapon propped up against a wall and praised terrorists who carried out deadly Easter bombings of churches in Sri Lanka.
For years, reports also circulated questioning whether al-Baghdadi was alive.
Some reports had claimed that he had been killed in U.S. ordered-drone strikes, while others said he was hiding out in remote regions of Syria or Iraq.
Actress Zoe Stuckless caught on camera ripping into Harvey Weinstein at Manhattan event!
An actress was caught on camera ripping Harvey Weinstein to shreds at an event Downtown — and a comic at the same event claims she was kicked out for confronting him and branded a “c–t” by someone in his entourage.
Actress and playwright Zoe Stuckless watched as the pervy producer yukked it up with “young, beautiful women and a posse of men around him” Wednesday during a private event at Downtime Bar in Alphabet City.
“Nobody’s gonna say anything? Nobody’s really going to say anything?!” she yelled, pointing a finger at Weinstein, according to a video posted to her Facebook.
Meanwhile, Weinstein — who is accused of sexual misconduct against some 70 women — sat snugly in a darkly lit booth surrounded by his entourage.
“I’m going to stand four feet from a f–ing rapist? And nobody’s going to say anything?” Stuckless yelled, putting up her hands in defeat.
Stuckless said her act of defiance got her booted from the bar, which was hosting Actors Hour, a ticketed event billed as a “speakeasy for artists.”
One female comic at the event noted Weinstein’s presence, saying: “Can we address the elephant in the room?” but was booed by the bartenders, a large section of the crowd and the event organizers, Stuckless said.
The woman said, “’I have been a survivor of rape’ and that was booed,” Stuckless said.
A male comic even stroked the fallen moviemaker’s ego by asking who produced “Good Will Hunting” and then saying: “Because that movie is f–king amazing.” After his set, Stuckless said, the comic stopped by Weinstein’s table to chat and both were smiling.
“At that point, I can feel shame and anger and fear bubbling in my stomach,” she said. “I was still waiting and hoping someone else would say something, that the organizers would say something, one of the performers, and nobody did.”
So she took it upon herself, walking up to his table and asked what his name was when “his bodyguards started saying, ‘It’s none of your business, you have no right to ask that question.’”
She says she was then escorted out. A rep for the bar confirmed that both Weinstein’s security and event security “asked her to leave” and that she did.
Comic Amber Rollo said she also confronted Weinstein — and was also kicked out.
Uh Oh? Lizzo Is Suing the Raisen Brothers!
This week recording artist Lizzo announced she was officially crediting British rapper Mina Lioness with co-writing her smash hit single 'Truth Hurts' after her one-time writing partners, the Raisen Brothers, accused Lizzo of stealing the opening lyric for 'Truth Hurts' from them, when it actually originated with Mina.
Now Lizzo is suing the Raisens...
This week Lizzo's lawyers confirmed to Page Six
“Today we filed a lawsuit on Lizzo’s behalf to establish, in a court of law, that the Raisens are not writers of ‘Truth Hurts’ and have no right to profit from the song’s success.”
“The Raisens did not collaborate with Lizzo or anyone else to create the song, and they did not help write any of the material that they now seek to profit from, which is why they expressly renounced any claim to the work, in writing, months ago, as the lawsuit makes abundantly clear. Although it is all too commonplace for successful artists to be subjected to these type of opportunistic claims, it is nevertheless disappointing that Lizzo had to take this step to put an end to the Raisens’ false claims and their campaign of harassment.”
Ariana Grande Fans Out After Bernie Sanders Responds To Her Tweet And Says He’s ‘Ready To Fight For Medicare For All’!
Ariana Grande was star-struck after Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used one of her tweets to back his Medicare for all stance.
The singer shared a lyric from her “Good As Hell” remix with Lizzo that was released Friday (Oct. 25), and wrote,“baby how u feelin.”
She also took to Instagram to respond to New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s playlist of Grande’s songs that promote progressive policies.
Grande wrote,
“won’t be getting over this any time ever”
Paris Jackson Dresses In 'Lord of the Rings' Costume at Brother Prince's Charity Costume Party!
Paris Jackson and boyfriend Gabriel Glenn dress as Gandalf and Radagast from Lord of the Rings at The Heal LA Foundation’s 2019 “Thriller Night” Costume Party held at The Jackson Family Home on Friday (October 25) in Los Angeles.
The couple stepped out for the event alongside her brothers Blanket and Prince Michael, who threw the bash for his charity organization Heal LA.
Later that night, Paris took to Instagram to share how proud of her older brother she was for putting on the event.
“i’m sooooo proud of you big brother @princejackson. i know i say it all the f–kin’ time but your way with words, the grace, eloquence, and composure is out of this world and always blows me away. you’ve got such a great head on your shoulders and are doing some really f–king amazing things. you’ve always been my idol and role model and even more so as each day goes on. i love you with all of my heart. happy halloween everyone!! xxo -radagast and gandalf,”
The Stars of AHS Go Glam for 'American Horror Story' 100th Episode Celebration!
Emma Roberts, Sarah Paulson, and Angela Bassett all rocked cool black looks as they arrived at the American Horror Story 100th Episode Celebration on Saturday night (October 26) at Hollywood Forever in Hollywood, Calif.
Fellow AHS cast members at the celebration included Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Billie Lourd, Cody Fern, Cheyenne Jackson, Billy Eichner, Jamie Brewer, Lily Rabe, Leslie Grossman, and Mena Suvari. Show creator Ryan Murphy was also in attendance.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Donate A Year’s Supply of Food To Tennessee School!
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are giving back to those in need. The couple has donated a year’s supply of food to a school in Tennessee, after hearing about how teachers banded together to feed a hungry student.
According to the Daily Mail, the couple stepped up after Jacksboro Elementary school teacher Brooke Goins revealed on Facebook earlier this month that she enlisted the help of her fellow instructors to buy food for a pupil who did not have enough to eat and was relying on the school for sustenance.
The teachers created a food pantry to help students in need and J. Lo and A. Rod were so moved by Goins’ kindness that they decided to donate a year’s supply of food from Tiller & Hatch, which they are both part owners of.
“When we heard about the students and amazing teachers at Jacksboro Elementary in Tennessee, we knew we had to help. We heard teachers were helping students bring home food when they didn’t have enough,” Lopez said.
On Wednesday, Lopez posted a video on her Instagram page, which showed her and Rodriguez Facetiming with Goins and some students to announce their donation.
Lopez told the group her mother was a teacher and talked about how moved she and Rodriguez were.
”When we heard about the students and amazing teachers at Jacksboro Elementary in Tennessee, we knew we had to help,” Lopez wrote in the caption of the video she posted. “We heard teachers were helping students bring home food when they didn’t have enough. When we saw this story, it brought tears not just to my eyes, but Alex’s as well!”
The ‘Joker’ Movie Surpasses ’Deadpool’ To Become The Biggest R-Rated Movie Ever!
Congratulations are in order to the creators of the ‘Joker’ movie, as it has made history becoming the biggest R-Rated Movie Ever, surpassing ’Deadpool.’
’Joker’ is a psychological thriller film based on the DC Comics character, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. The film follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of dysfunction and crime in Gotham City.
According to Forbes, Joker raked in $2.4 million on Thursday, bringing its 21-day total to $258.675 million.
As long as it doesn’t fall off the face of the earth tonight, it is expected to surpass ’Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ which brought $259 million in 2014, and ’The Amazing Spider-Man,’ which brought in $262 million back in 2012.
According to Forbes, the film has now earned $788.3 million worldwide, which means that it has outsold ’Deadpool,’ which brought in $782.6 million in 2016, and ’Deadpool 2,’ which earned $785.05 million in 2018, now making it the biggest R-Rated movie ever.
The success of ’Joker’ goes on to show that there’s something wildly enticing to viewers about R-rated comic book movies, being that the top three biggest-grossing R-rated movies in the last three years (Joker, Deadpool 2, and Deadpool), have been violent comic book films. The R-rated superhero content trend doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon.
’Joker’ is estimated to earn close to $900 million worldwide.
Jane Fonda Accepted a BAFTA Britannia Award While Being Arrested at a Climate Protest!
BAFTA Los Angeles held its annual Britannia Awards dinner on Friday night, where artists including Norman Lear, Steve Coogan, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Jordan Peele accepted awards from the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. But one of the honorees was unable to attend the ceremony, because she was busy getting arrested at a Fire Drill Fridays protest in Washington, D.C. instead. Here’s actress and longtime activist Jane Fonda, giving an instantly legendary acceptance speech for the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film.
The Britannia Awards are black tie—and no “creative black tie” please, we’re British—but Fonda’s decision to stretch the dress code to “zip tie” marks a new chapter in a long lifetime of activism that stretches back to the Vietnam War. Fonda also sent a pre-taped video message explaining why she was not attending the ceremony:
It’s rare for people to get arrested during awards shows—they didn’t even arrest the Soy Bomb guy—and even rarer for an award winner, if you don’t count police stings. But Fonda is not the only actor who’s been arrested at Fire Drill Friday protests recently: Sam Waterson and Ted Danson have joined her, and Fonda’s acceptance speech will surely draw more people to the cause. The Oscars are locked in at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood until 2033, but the Academy should start planning for remote segments at the Capitol Police headquarters now.
Rich Dollaz Says He Wasn’t Arrested For Failing To Pay Child Support!
Rich Dollaz was allegedly arrested on Thursday, October 24, for failing to pay his child support, but he’s telling a different story.
According to TMZ, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office scooped the “Love & Hip Hop” star from his New Jersey home for owing the mother of his child $125,000 in unpaid support.
Richie was processed at the jail and taken to Hudson County Family Court for a hearing. He posted $20,000 bond and agreed to start making his monthly child support payments.
However, Rich Dollaz is telling a different story. He claims he is not a deadbeat father and he has been making his child support payments on time since his last arrest in 2014.
He told Hollywood Unlocked he was actually arrested for failure to appear in court – NOT failure to pay child support.
One thing is for certain – he was arrested. Hopefully, he has all of his ducks in a row now.
Diddy Files To Legally Change His Name To Sean Love Combs!
Diddy is taking measures to change his name…AGAIN!
The 49-year-old Hip Hop mogul has filed paperwork in a Los Angeles County Court on Wednesday to legally change his name to Sean Love Combs.
You may recall, two years ago, Diddy took to social media and proclaimed he was changing his name to “Love” aka “Brother Love.”
Listen, Diddy can change his name to whatever makes him happy or whatever is easiest for his young tenderonis to spell.
Your thoughts?
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘WHACKED’
You fall in love with a weed whacker or something?
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Tony
Meet Tony! You can see more when GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSFW!
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Enjoy!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
