Jane Fonda for Vogue UK - May 2019
Together, British Vogue and L’Oreal are taking a stance against age discrimination. On Wednesday, editor-in-chief Edward Enninful shared a new cover on Instagram introducing the anti-ageism theme. "In celebration of ageless style and beauty, @JaneFonda stars on The Non-Issue cover — a vision shared by @BritishVogue and @LOrealSkin that age should no longer be an issue," he wrote.
As The Fashion Spot pointed out in its bi-annual diversity report, which tallied up all the fall 2019 model appearances across New York, London, Milan, and Paris, age diversity among women over 50 on the runway has declined from previous seasons. British Vogue called attention to that lack of inclusivity with a teaser for the issue on the magazine's website.
“In 2019, women over 50 remain conspicuous by their absence in the beauty and fashion industries, as well as the wider media landscape,” the post reads. “Age discrimination most definitely still exists, both consciously and unconsciously, leaving many women feeling excluded and invisible.”
Enninful, who has not been shy about his desire to make fashion more inclusive, says “promoting diversity in Vogue has never been solely about a person's ethnicity or gender. It's about diversity across the board.” He continued, “seeing the amazing array of women over 50 in this special edition proves that a person's age will always be a more intriguing, nuanced and inspiring factor than a simple number could ever suggest.”
His cover star, Grace & Frankie’s Jane Fonda, agrees: “It’s important to understand that older women are the fastest growing demographic in the whole world. It’s time to recognize our value.”
The special issue will be sold with British Vogue’s May issue, on newsstands April 9.
Jussie Smollett To Be Sued By Chicago After Repayment Deadline Passes
Jussie Smollett may have seen the felony charges against him dropped by state prosecutors last week and Taraji P. Henson is predicting he will return to Empire but the actor’s legal troubles in Chicago are far from over.
With the passing this evening of a deadline set by out-going Mayor Rahm Emanuel for Smollett to repay the Windy City $130,000 for the costs of the investigation into the alleged attack against him, Chicago is going to sue the actor.
“Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019, a spokesperson of the Midwestern metropolis said Thursday as it became EOD in Chicago. “The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Once it is filed, the Law Department will send a courtesy copy of the complaint to Mr. Smollett’s L.A. based legal team.”
Under Chicago by-laws and made clear in the letter Smollett was sent on March 28, the city can seek more than $390,000 from the actor, which is three times the original amount plus court and attorney costs
Representatives for Smollett had no comment on the matter when contacted.
The actor who plays the openly gay Jamal Lyon on the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong created Fox series had the 16 felony charges and potentially years behind bars for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself on January 29 erased on March 26 the whole case sealed.
The decision by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office drew a statement from the Lachlan Murdoch-run network that they were “gratified” with the outcome, but also strong scorn from Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Police. As the angry departing Mayor called the deal for a few hours of community service and the forefitting of a $10,000 bond a “whitewash of justice, prosecutor and First Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Joseph Magats told local media that he believed Smollett was guilty of staging the assault himself. Handling the case after Foxx recused herself, Magats also said the deal the actor received did not exonerate him.
As Chicago prepared to elected Foxx foe Lori Lightfoot its first African-American female mayor, Emanuel decided to hit Smollett in the wallet.
#RHOA: Phaedra Parks says ‘Never Say Never’ She Doesn’t Rule Out Returning to RHOA!
Is Phaedra Parks getting her peach back? The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum is not ruling out a return to the Bravo series two years after her controversial exit.
“I never say never because that is very final and you never know what could happen,” the 45-year-old reality personality recently told friends at the Hustle & Soul season 3 premiere event in Miami Beach. “I am very happy. I am living my best life. I did for eight years.”
Phaedra went on to call the show an “interesting experience.” Phaedra Parks Never Say Never Real Housewives of Atlanta Return “I wouldn’t trade it and I don’t regret it. But I think life is about evolving,” she explained. “That was almost a decade of my life. My children were born on the show. I went on as a newlywed. Got divorced. Now I have a new boyfriend in my life and I am very happy.”
The attorney, who confirmed her relationship with Chicago radio host Tone Kapone in January, shares sons Ayden, 8, and Dylan, 5, with ex-husband Apollo Nida. The personal trainer, 40, is serving 96 months in prison for fraud, but recently had his sentence cut down by a full year. Nida is now set to be released in August 2020.
While Phaedra may be unsure about her return to RHOA, one of her former costars made it clear that she wants her back on the show. “I would love to have Phaedra back,” NeNe Leakes said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in January. A month earlier, a source told Us that the former Glee actress is “gunning for [Phaedra] to be back on the show.”
It’s unclear how Kandi Burruss would feel about Phaedra’s potential return, however. The two women had a falling out after Phaedra admitted during the season 9 reunion that she was the one who told Porsha Williams about Kandi and husband Todd Tucker’s alleged plan to drug Porsha and have sex with her.
After the drug allegations — which Kandi denied — Phaedra was fired from the show.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs on Bravo Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
#Empire: Recap: Lucious’ Trying To Be A Better Person Goes seemed to FAILED!
Last Night’s episode of Empire marks Gabourey Sidibe’s TV directorial debut and she hit the ball out of the park. Gabby’s talent aside, the episode was scandalous! We begin with a reminder that Empire’s Truth Tour is coming up. Stakes are high, so they have to do well. It doesn’t help that Angie Martinez, who is guest starring as herself, grills cookie in an interview. She wants to know why it’s called the “Trust” tour when fans have clearly lost trust due to the data mining scandal. Cookie glosses over the drama, like she usually does, and assures Angie that everything will be okay. We shall see.
In other news, Andre’s girlfriend, Terry, takes him to one of her colleagues, a doctor who does a lot of work in treating lymphoma. The doc says it’s possible to treat and maybe even heal Andre but he has to start some aggressive treatments asap. Andre thinks her treatment plan sounds good but still doesn’t tell his family and is still trying to work like everything is okay. Work is a no-no. Terry tells him he must tell his family. Later on, he tries to run an errand for Lucious and doesn’t even make it because he passes out. Hold that thought though.
Thirsty fills Lucious in on how the feds want to nail Damon Cross and they think Lucious is happy to help take him down. Basically, Thirsty lied to the feds. Then Cookie finds out that Lucious set up a charity in her name to hide money from the feds. That’s just one of a few illegal accounts around the world. There’s some back and forth about this because Cookie is pissed, and then Damon Crosswalks in pissed off because said this is the reason he got a call from Panama saying that someone was meddling in his business. We don’t know how much of the previous conversation he heard but they’re all mixed up with each other and need to do some cleaning up.
Damon Cross tells them that their work with all these offshore accounts has been sloppy so Cookie has to go back to Panama with him to take care of some business in erasing their tracks. Lucious doesn’t like the way Damon Cross is trying to call shots but he seems to know what he’s talking about here so Lucious just eats Damon’s tone. This is definitely foreshadowing about the contention brewing between them. Who knows, we might get an ultimate showdown.
Now we’re in the thick of the Truth tour and there’s drama. Treasure’s old manager comes through trying to get a stake in his old contract with her. Lucious thought he got rid of him but nope, punching him in the face wasn’t enough to get him to go away. A snake gonna snake. Lucious keeps it cute because the feds are watching and offers to pay the man $30k to get rid of him. Deal accepted…for now. And this is where Andre working comes in. Andre was supposed to deliver the money to the man but never made it because he was vomiting and barely conscious.
Then more ish goes wrong. The lighting at the show is terrible and eventually goes out while Treasure and Tiana are performing their song. Treasure can’t see and falls off the stage. It doesn’t help that a dancer tried to grab her to keep her from falling and ends up yanking her wig off. You already know people are filming this and posting online. Treasure shows her rookiness by running off the stage. Then another artist, Carlito, is a no show and on top of all of this, there’s a top vlogger having a field day roasting Empire.
Later on, Lucious talks Treasure off the ledge and convinces her to pick herself up and try again by the next show. The next show goes much better. The lights still flickered out, this time for Jamal’s performance. He gets the crowd to wave their cellphones as the light source and starts a song dedicated to Kai but breaks down. That’s when Winter, his British singer, Wynter, steps out onto the stage and picks up where Jamal left off. Then Jamal gets back in the game and they kill it as a duet. The concert goes over well and that hating vlogger gives it good reviews.
Kai even pays Jamal a visit just to let him know he was at the show. Aaaaaw.
Now it’s time to celebrate. Cookie encounters Damon Cross after the show and he flirts with her again.She blocks his play and makes it clear that she’s going to find her huuuuzzband. Cookie, unfortunately, finds Lucious in a compromising position. Basically, Lucious was minding his business backstage in a dressing room and Treasure’s heaux arse straddles him because she wants to thank him. Lucious resists her but she won’t get off of him. Cookie walks in on this and is pissed because she assumes the worst. Lucious tries to tell her it isn’t what she thinks but she storms off mad as hell and heartbroken with clouded judgment. Lucious chases after her and begs her to listen but she won’t.
Next, we see Lucious standing outside the venue chatting with Terry on the phone. She tells him what’s up with Andre. While that conversation is going on, Cookie is on her way to get payback. You know where she’s going. She ends up with Damon Cross. The last thing we see is her walking into his room and dropping her coat as he watches with a cocky smirk on his face. Let us all assume the worst for now.
Back to Lucious. Now he’s just standing outside in tears, wondering what the heck his life is right now but Treasure’s manager busts up his alone time by being a jerk. The manager says that Dre never came through with the money (and we know why) but now Treasure’s value has gone up since that showcase went so well. He’s demanding $50K to go away but he’s also taunting Lucious as if he doesn’t see the man crying. Lucious snaps, and the inevitable happens.
Lucious beats him to death and there’s no Thirsty to clean this one up. Aaaaaand the feds are definitely still watching.
Stay tuned
#NewMusic: Daron Jones (from 112) ‘Pleasure’
Daron Jones from the legendary group 112 returns with the new single “Pleasure”. The new single is an amazing love song that showcase the beautiful vocals and production skills of the singer. Most importantly, it contains a relatable message about love.
LISTEN HERE
This new song is actually also the title track from Daron’s upcoming album set to release on April 30th. The year is still young and we’re already getting alot of good music from the former 112 member!
In case you missed the news, Daron broke away from his group 112 in the past year and is continuing his career as a solo artist. In the meantime time, Slim and Mike are continuing to release music as 112.
#HipHopNews: Cardi B Receives Over 20 2019 Billboard Music Awards Nominations
Cardi B leads a long list of nominees for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. On Thursday (April 4), Billboard reported that the 26-year-old superstar garnered a whopping 21 nominations in 18 different categories for the awards show. She almost tied the record for the most nominations achieved by Drake, who had 22 in 2017.
Among Cardi’s nominations include Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Female Artist and Top Rap album for Invasion of Privacy. She also received nods in the Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Streaming Songs Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist categories.
Cardi's Billboard nominations come after the rapper won the coveted Best Rap Album honor at the 2019 Grammy Awards in February.
Other Billboard Awards nominees include Post Malone and Drake who each nabbed 17 noms, while Travis Scott received 12 nods and XXXTentacion is up for 10 trophies.
The 2019 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
Beyoncé and Adidas are partnering up for a Creative Partnership!
Adidas and Beyoncé are partnering up.
The German brand and musician announced a new collaboration that will include signature footwear and apparel, as well as the relaunch of Ivy Park, Beyoncé’s athleisure label, under the Adidas brand. Last year, Beyoncé bought out the stake of her previous partner on the line, Arcadia Group, after its chairman, Philip Green, came under investigation for sexual harassment.
The deal adds another pop star to Adidas’ roster alongside rapper Kanye West, and it’s reasonable to believe Beyoncé is more likely to bring the company more of the sort of success it’s had with West than any sports star could.
The sneaker business has changed a good deal since the days when basketball legend Michael Jordan changed the market. As a form of everyday footwear, athletic shoes are more popular than ever, which also means they have less need than ever to be specialized for sports. In the US, for example, sales of performance basketball shoes have been down for years.
What matters to shoppers are qualities such as a shoe’s looks, comfort, and whether it’s in fashion. “I’ve said many, many times that our consumer is driven by cool,” Foot Locker CEO Dick Johnson said on a call with investors last year. Artists such as Beyoncé and West play a key role in helping to dictate what’s cool. It’s one reason Puma teamed up with singer Rihanna on a sneaker line, which also proved successful.
These celebrity collaborations tend to be more effective at creating hype than driving sales, since the products are usually released in limited quantities. Even so, Matt Powell, vice president and sports industry analyst for research firm NPD Group, believes Adidas’ partnership with Beyoncé should prove valuable. It could, for instance, help it make inroads with women, who have been historically underserved by sports brands.
“If you look at fashion apparel versus athletic apparel, or fashion footwear versus athletic footwear, the women’s portion of the fashion businesses are much larger than the men’s portion,” Powell explains. “When we move over to look at athletic, the men’s piece is much bigger than the women’s piece.” Adidas’s new partnership with Beyoncé could boost the women’s side of that equation. “When Puma signed Rihanna, their women’s business turned around, and I’m sure that Beyoncé is going to have a positive impact on Adidas as well, even if it’s not hugely commercial in terms of real dollars sold,” Powell says.
Adidas may have a strategy in mind to tap the commercial potential of the collaboration as well, though. For years Adidas only released small quantities of new styles in the Yeezy line it has with West, maintaining the scarcity that keeps them desirable. But recently it has scaled up the distribution of older styles, allowing it to cash in on those while keeping new releases limited. So far at least, it’s worked. NPD, which tracks sneaker sales for most of the US wholesale market, recently reported that the Yeezy Boost 350 v2 ranked among the top 10 sneakers in sales in 2018. It was the only Adidas shoe to make the list, which didn’t include any performance sneakers or signature shoes from current pro athletes.
Janet Jackson at #RRHF2019 Chilling with Lil Kim & Janelle Monae
It was a girls night out for Janet Jackson! The 52-year-old singer celebrated her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, by spending some quality time with singer Janelle Monae and rapper Lil Kim.
Kim shared images of their funfilled night captioning the post,
JKJ????? My sis @janellemonae you are a true Queen and stunningly gorgeous. ? Can’t wait for another ladies night out! #rockhall2019
Pose stars MJ Rodriguez and Billy Porter were also in attendance.
Janet also shared a social media photo of the evening.
FAB!
Amber Rose Is Pregnant With A Baby Boy
Amber Rose is pregnant…The model excitedly announced she and her boo, A.E., are expecting a baby boy. Amber Rose also noted Bash, her adorable son with Wiz Khalifa, is thrilled about becoming a big brother.
@ae4president and I are SUPER excited to announce that we have a Sweet little Baby Boy on the way! P.S Sebastian is soooooo Happy to be a big brother! 🤰🏼🤮☺👶🏽🙏🏽❤🥰
A.E., the proud papa, added: Even when it’s dark.. my SON will shine. ❤☀✨🙏🏽
Thank u baby 4 my greatest gift. shit wild! I love you 💕 I can’t wait to thug it out w my baby boy. & baby boy, I promise I won’t get mad if ur first words r “where the bitches @?” 🤣💙
Congrats!
Jeff Bezos’ Wife MacKenzie Will Get 4% Of Amazon In Divorce Settlement
A petition for the divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie was filed Thursday, with Amazon saying in a SEC filing that as part of the deal MacKenzie will receive about 4% of the company, or 25% of the couple’s total stock.
The online giant’s current market cap today is about $892 billion, meaning MacKenzie’s shares in the company will be worth around $36 billion as of today’s trading, instantly making her one of the richest women in the world.
As part of the agreement, Bezos will have voting control of the shares, and she will give him her stakes in the Washington Post and their rocket company Blue Origin.
According to the 8-K filing Thursday, the divorce decree is “expected to be issued in approximately 90 days.” Jeff Bezos “will continue to exercise sole voting authority over the Shares (together with any additional shares issued to Ms. Bezos in connection with any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, or the like) pursuant to a voting agreement and proxy between Mr. and Ms. Bezos.”
The filing added that “Shares that Ms. Bezos sells in the open market or that Ms. Bezos contributes to an organization that qualifies under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with the belief that such organization intends to sell such Shares in the open market will cease to be subject to the voting agreement and proxy.”
The Bezoses in January announced plans to divorce after 25 years of marriage ahead of a National Enquirer report that he was having an affair. The news had put the fortune of the world’s richest man and the ownership structure of an era-defining, global powerhouse in a state of flux.
Previous divorces involving high-net-worth figures have ended up having a material impact on companies — think Elaine Wynn and casino magnate Steve Wynn, and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his ex-wife Jamie. And of course Hollywood is rife with tales of studio moguls and top-tier stars brought low by marriage breakups, though all of the above occupied a much lower financial bracket than that of Amazon’s first couple.
As for Amazon, Wall Street hasn’t appeared to be too flummoxed. In trading today, Amazon shares are down fractionally at 1,818, nearer its 52-week high than 52-week low. The company’s stock has climbed nearly 10% since the revelation of the divorce.
The net worth of Jeff Bezos has been estimated at $137 billion, mostly derived from his 16% ownership stake in Amazon. He drafted the company’s original business plan on a laptop while driving cross-country in the early 1990s to Seattle with MacKenzie at the wheel. The couple originally met as colleagues at New York hedge fund D.E. Shaw. She also worked at Amazon in its early days before focusing on raising their four children, who are all now in their teens, and then writing two novels.
In September, the Bezoses launched the Day One Fund, whose initial $2 billion endowment was earmarked to help fund homeless relief programs and early childhood education. They also gave $10 million to a super PAC supporting military veterans trying to get elected to Congress.
Aside from Amazon, Bezos founded rocket company Blue Origin and bought the Washington Post for $250 million earlier this decade. The couple also have several homes, including one in Beverly Hills.
Stars Attend Marvin Gaye’s Commemorative Stamp Ceremony in Los Angeles
Legendary R&B/Soul singer Marvin Gaye was honored with a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service on what would've been his 80th birthday on April 2. The stamp was designed by Kadir Nelson.
The stamp was unveiled during a star-studded ceremony on Tuesday at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Fashion designer and historian Sir Keith Holman posed with Supremes singer Mary Wilson and Shalamar singer Howard Hewitt. Keith designed stage costumes for many Motown stars.
Special guests in attendance included Motown founder Berry Gordy, and legendary singers Smokey Robinson, Freda Payne, Mary Wilson, Howard Hewitt and Kenny Lattimore.
Also, members of Marvin's family were in the house, including Marvin's son Marvin Gaye III, .
Tamar Braxton’s Boyfriend David Adefeso Finally makes an appearance At The ‘Braxton Family Values’ Premiere!
After largely keeping his identity hidden for nearly a year, Tamar Braxton made her first public appearance with the Nigerian boyfriend who makes her giddy.
The singer walked the red carpet at the season six premiere of her family’s reality TV series, “Braxton Family Values” on Tuesday, April 2. Braxton named him on Instagram recently but thanks to their appearance, we now know his full name is David Adefeso.
After the pics came out, Braxton made things official on her Instagram page by sharing one of the photos with the man she’s nicknamed T’Chella on Wednesday.
“Whew chile 👅💦” she captioned the pic.
While he has hidden behind sunglasses here (and during a recent outing where he was compelled to get up and dance upon hearing his woman sing), fans got a full glimpse of Adefeso during a preview for “Braxton Family Values,” which returns to We TV Thursday, April 4.
Although the pair appeared to have briefly split late last month, it’s apparent Braxton and Adefeso — who have been dating for about 10 months now — are definitely a unit.
Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson Have 'A Star Is Born' Reunion
Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson reunited on Wednesday (April 3) and it's clear that the A Star Is Born co-stars are just as comfortable with each other as they were in their 1976 musical.
Streisand took to social media to share the hot shot, which featured the stars wrapped up in a half hug. "It was so wonderful to see my friend Kris who stopped by yesterday. Stay tuned...," the 76-year-old titan captioned the photo, leading us to believe that there might be something else in the works between the duo.
Streisand and Kristofferson played love interests in the 1976 musical and have reunited a handful of times since then. While they co-presented an award at the Grammys in 2011, the pair reunited two years later in New York at the 40th Anniversary Chaplin Award Gala honoring Streisand. The duo's film marked the third iteration of A Star Is Born, which first starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in 1937. The film saw another remake in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason, and you already know that the 2018 version saw the likes of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper hit the big screen together.
In February, Mother Monster appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to clear the air on all the romance rumors before her and Cooper. "Yes, people saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see," she said of the pair's Academy Awards performance. "[Shallow] is a love song. A Star Is Born is a love story. It was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time… When you’re singing love songs, that’s what you want people to feel."
Roc Nation Shuts Down Reports JAY-Z Created A Trust Fund For Nipsey Hussle’s Kids
Word on the streets, Music mogul has quietly put together a $15 million trust fund for late rapper Nipsey Hussle’s family. According to reports, JAY-Z and his Roc Nation team are putting together the fund for Hussle’s kids.
It turns out to be completely false. A rep from Roc Nation quickly shuts down the fake story via social media.
And there you have it!
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘MESH MAN’
The look on that dude’s face pretty much says it all.
#EGGPLANT NATION Meet ORSO URSO!
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ENJOY!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
