#EMPIRE: The Beautiful Taraji P Henson For Rhapsody Magazine!
Taraji P. Henson admitted that she isn't afraid to use her voice publicly or through her powerful characters as she discussed the issue of labels in Hollywood in the October edition of Rhapsody magazine for United Airlines.
After critics were surprised that 'black movie' Hidden Figures could do well among vast audiences, the actress, 47, explained the need for new conversations and representation for people of color on and off screen.
Taraji starred as NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson in the 2016 film alongside Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, which grossed $230.5 million worldwide and earned three Academy Award nominations.
Born to a department store manager and a janitor in Washington, D.C., the Golden Globe-winning starlet got her first big break opposite musician Tyrese in the 2001 film Baby Boy.
From there, her career propelled into various roles on television and in films, leading her to currently star as ex-con Cookie Lyon on the hit show Empire.
Taraji P Henson was dressed in a full-on Cookie Lyon get-up on the cover of Rhapsody magazine. From the plunging metallic gown to the dark vampy lips, we would not want to get on this boss's bad side.
There's a hint of Studio 54 in this look, from the plunging neckline, to the gathered fabric, to the metallic finish, proving that disco never really goes out of style; it just keeps on coming back. If you're keen to copy Cookie's look, unfortunately her exact dress isn't available online.
But purple is a very flattering color and perfectly appropriate for the coming fall temps. Scroll down to shop some purple-hued options to bring out your inner Cookie.
'Cookie scared the life out of me,' Taraji said. 'I was like, 'Do we need this character on TV representing black women? How is this going to help us?
'But fear is a sure sign I need to do the role. If it doesn’t scare me, I don’t do it - that’s too easy.'
The way she portrays larger-than-life characters on screen is important to the mother-of-one.
'There’s a fine line you have to walk with a character that’s so big,' Henson said. 'You have to play the truth, because if you play the bigness, then it’s a sassy black woman. We don’t need that. That’s empty. That’s not going to touch anybody.'
#RHoA: Eva Marcille will MAKE WHAT as a part time Cast Member?
Real Housewives of Atlanta is coming back hard for its 10th season. Judging from the ratchet trailer and drama already stirring with Kenya Moore, it's going to be an epic year. In addition, last week it was reported that America's Next Top Model's alum Eva Marcille is joining the cast.
While Eva will only be a "part-time Housewife," theJasmineBrand.com reports she will rake it nearly $100,000 per episode. That is some serious coins, but why isn't she a full-time cast member? Well, her husband, Michael Sterling, is running for mayor of Atlanta and they don't want the show to be a distraction.
No shade, if your man is running for mayor, being on reality television might be risky. RHOA is legendary for weave-pulling, divorce, cheating, sex dungeon rumors and much more. This may not mesh well with being the first lady of Atlanta. Then again, we do have Trump in office!
Allegedly, the producers are hoping Eva will be a full-time peach holder in season eleven.
#NEWMUSIC: STREAM IT! Tank’s Brand New Album ‘Savage’!
It’s finally HERE, Tank has unleashed Savage, his eighth studio album.
The 11-track set has been preceded by such provocative tunes as the lead single “When We” along with “F It Up,” and “Sexy.”
The aggressively passionate album includes production by Tank himself, Da Internz, Harmony Samuels, and Cardiak. The R&B General is joined by the likes of Trey Songz & Ludacris on “Everything,” Candice Boyd (“Good Thing”), and J. Valentine (“Stay Where You Are”).
Earlier this month, Tank embarked on his “SAVAGE Tour,” in support of the album. The tour kicked off on September 5 in Nashville and wrapped up last week in Delaware. Fans can look forward to Tank hitting the road again very soon.
Stream Savage HERE
#HIPHOPNEWS: Cardi B Says She Will Take Any Top Rapper’s Flow And Make It Better
Cardi B is nothing if not confident, and she expressed some of that boldness over the weekend during the second annual Fall Ball concert in Columbia, South Carolina. The Bronx rapper went full Cardi while onstage and hit back at critics who say she mimicked Kodak Black’s flow by essentially saying she’s going to copy the style of all the top rappers in the game and “body it.”
Cardi B went into her rant during a pause in her set at Fall Ball that was captured and posted via social media, addressing the chatter as only she can.
“For anybody that telling me ‘oh bitch you copied Kodak flow, you copied this and that flow,’ So what, b*tch? So what? I’m a sound like all your favorite rappers. I’m a take all they flows and I’m a body it, b*tch,” Cardi said to loud applause.
She then added she’d take on Meek Mill and Migos’ rhyme styles as well. We’re pretty sure Cardi was just clowning as it’s no biting allowed in the game. The “Bodak Yellow” artist also mentioned that she’s dropping a freestyle verse for her birthday on Oct. 11. All ears will be on that one, we’re sure.
Check out Cardi B telling the Fall Ball crowd she’ll body your faves’ flow in the clip HERE
#RIP Legendary Rock Star Tom Petty Dead At 66!😢
Rock star Tom Petty has died, his manager Tony Dimitriades announced Monday. He was found in critical condition at his home in Malibu, Calif., Sunday night after suffering full cardiac arrest, as first reported by the website TMZ. Petty was taken to UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, where he died on Monday at 11:40 p.m. ET. Petty was a widely lauded songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was 66 years old.
Petty had just concluded his 40th anniversary tour with his band, The Heartbreakers, on Sept. 25 in Los Angeles.
Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, Fla.; as he told Terry Gross on WHYY's Fresh Air in 2006, he was from what he called the "redneck, hillbilly" part of town. "It's an interesting place," he remarked, "because you can meet almost any kind of person from many walks of life because of the university. But it's really surrounded by this kind of very rural kind of people that are — you know, they're farmers or, you know, tractor drivers or, you know, just all kinds of — game wardens, you name it, you know. So it's an interesting blend. My family wasn't involved in the college, you know. They were more of just your white trash kind of ... family. And so I have that kind of background, but I always kind of aspired to be something else, and I made a lot of different friends over the years that were — you know, passing through."
After being part of an early band called Mudcrutch, he first came to fame with his own band. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers recorded its eponymous debut in 1976, an album that included two songs that became core songs in the rock 'n' roll canon: "Breakdown" and "American Girl." The band released two more albums in quick succession: 1978's You're Gonna Get It! which went gold, and 1979's Damn The Torpedoes, which included the group's first Top 10 single, "Don't Do Me Like That," and "Refugee." The title of that 1979 album was an indication of its difficult birth: When Petty's former record label, Shelter, was sold to MCA, Petty was infuriated and declared that he rejected being "bought and sold like a piece of meat." Petty took on the costs of recording Damn The Torpedoes himself — to the point of declaring bankruptcy. After the legal case was settled, Petty and his band released the album on a specially created imprint called Backstreet Records, and the album went to No. 2 on the charts.
After being part of an early band called Mudcrutch, he first came to fame with his own band. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers recorded its eponymous debut in 1976, an album that included two songs that became core songs in the rock 'n' roll canon: "Breakdown" and "American Girl." The band released two more albums in quick succession: 1978's You're Gonna Get It! which went gold, and 1979's Damn The Torpedoes, which included the group's first Top 10 single, "Don't Do Me Like That," and "Refugee." The title of that 1979 album was an indication of its difficult birth: When Petty's former record label, Shelter, was sold to MCA, Petty was infuriated and declared that he rejected being "bought and sold like a piece of meat." Petty took on the costs of recording Damn The Torpedoes himself — to the point of declaring bankruptcy. After the legal case was settled, Petty and his band released the album on a specially created imprint called Backstreet Records, and the album went to No. 2 on the charts.
After a string of further albums with the Heartbreakers, Petty teamed up with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison to record as The Traveling Wilburys; the supergroup's first album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, was released in 1988 and resulted in Petty's first Grammy Award. (Petty earned his first solo Grammy in 1995 for the song "You Don't Know How It Feels"; he won best long form video in 2008 for Peter Bogdanovich's documentary Runnin' Down A Dream.) After Orbison's death in December 1988, the remaining members of The Traveling Wilburys recorded one more album together: the intentionally misleadingly named Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, which was released in 1990.
In 1989, Petty released his first solo title, Full Moon Fever, which went to No. 3 and included one of his most instantly recognizable singles: "Free Fallin'." As Petty told Billboard last year, "Free Fallin'" came fast. "Jeff Lynne and I were sitting around with the idea of writing a song," he recounted, "and I was playing the keyboard and I just happened to hit on that main riff, the intro of the song, and I think Jeff said something like, 'That's a really good riff but there's one chord too many,' so I think I cut it back a chord and then, really just to amuse Jeff, honestly, I just sang that first verse. Then he starts laughing. Honestly, I thought I was just amusing Jeff but then I got to the chorus of the song and he leaned over to me and said the word, 'freefalling.' And I went to sing that and he said, 'No, take your voice up and see how that feels.' So I took my voice up an octave or two, but I couldn't get the whole word in. So I sang 'freeee,' then 'free falling.' And we both knew at that moment that I'd hit on something pretty good. It was that fast." The next day, they recorded the song.
Petty and his Heartbreaker bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"Music," Petty told host Melissa Block on All Things Considered in 2014, "is a real magic: It affects human beings, it can heal, it can do wonderful things. I've had two people contact me in my life about coming out of comas to their family playing a song to them of mine, that they had liked before they were injured. They credited the song having something to do with that. I find that fascinating. A lot of people have told me, 'This music got me through a really hard time,' and I can relate to that."
R.I.P
#OH? Pussycat Dolls Reunion Including Nicole Scherzinger?
Pussycat Dolls have reportedly put their differences aside and are now in early talks for a reunion tour next year, the first since their split back in 2010.
Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Kimberly Wyatt and Melody Thornton are reportedly involved, according to The Sun, though it’s unclear whether member Carmit Bachar is on board.
#GOSPEL The Choir Master Ricky Dillard SCORES # 1 CD with his project ‘10’!
Ricky Dillard & New G's 10 roars in at No. 1, earning 5,000 equivalent album units. Aptly, 10 is Dillard and his choir's 10th studio full-length, as well as their second Top Gospel Albums No. 1, among nine top 10s. The act debuted at No. 1 with prior LP Amazing in 2014.
Ricky Dillard is the inimitable choir master with an extraordinary flair that is surpassed only by his one-of-a-kind gift. For 27 years he has electrified church congregations and taken the choir performance presentation to new heights. “I remember how excited we were when Dr. Dillard joined the family with Keep Living (2011). He worked, made history and we celebrated the success Amazing (2014) brought him & New G, with him. To be standing here again, as we anticipate the impact “10” will make, we know the music embodies hope and encouragement, which is needed at this time more than ever before. It’s an honor to be on this journey with Ricky, as he preserves and presents this new body of work for choirs, churches and worshippers around the world.”, says Gina Miller – VP and General Manager, eOne Nashville.
Dillard, who serves as minister of music at Ebenezer A.M.E. church in Washington, D.C., first appeared on Top Gospel Albums in 1991 with the No. 15-peaking The Promise….CONGRATS!
#FASHION: The Smith Men & More Attend Louis Vuitton's Store Opening
Will Smith and Sons Trey and Jaden pose for photos while attending the Maison Louis Vuitton Vendome opening cocktail party on Tuesday (October 2) in Paris, France.
The event was held during Paris Fashion Week and the Oscar-winning actresses were joined by fellow winner Jennifer Connelly and her husband Paul Bettany.
The star-studded event was also attended by Michelle Williams, Ruth Negga, Riley Keough, Fan Bingbing, Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Laura Harrier, and Tomorrowland‘s Raffey Cassidy.
FYI: All of the stars are wearing Vuitton!
PICS: Eniko & Kevin Hart’s ‘Lion King’ Themed Baby Shower
Eniko and Kevin Hart‘s $118,000 Lion King themed baby shower went down this weekend in Los Angeles.
Despite his unfortunate circumstances, the actor and comedian, his “rib,” and the kids were on big happy family as they celebrated the forthcoming arrival of baby Kenzo.
The couple shared a few photos from their special day via social media.
See them below.
Congrats!
#SADNEWS: NBA Commentator Mark Jackson And Desiree Coleman Are Divorcing After 27 Years of Marriage!
Another celebrity marriage has just bit the dust.
Former NBA player turned NBA announcer, NBA coach (Golden State Warriors), Mark Jackson and Desiree Coleman are divorcing.
It was Coleman, a gospel singer/actress, who filed the papers on Wednesday. She and Jackson, who’s also a minister at the True Love Worship Center International in Reseda, California, have been married for 27 years.
Desiree and Mark – who have four children together – have been living a part for some time.
“Unfortunately, the relationship just ran its course,” she told The Blast. “We are both God-loving people and will co-parent our children.”
She added that Jackson is “an amazing man and is one of the best people you can ever meet in life.”
Like most marriages, the Jacksons had some rough patches to deal with. In 2012, Jackson was the target of an extortion plot over an extramarital affair he had in 2006. He initially paid a small sum of money, but when the extortionists asked for more, he reported the incident to the FBI.
Jackson played his high school and college ball in New York City and was a sensation for the New York Knicks during the early part of his career. He also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets in an NBA career that spanned from 1987 to 2004.
After retiring from playing basketball, Jackson became a broadcast commentator for ESPN and ABC alongside his former coach Jeff Van Gundy and play-by-play man Mike Breen. He also worked as an analyst for The YES Network’s New Jersey Nets games. In 2011, the Golden State Warriors hired Jackson as head coach. He coached the team for three seasons, but was fired in 2014 despite leading the Warriors to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in over 20 years. On May 17, 2014, Jackson reached a multiyear agreement to return to ESPN as a game analyst.
Now, Mark’s patented expression, “Mama, there goes that man!” has a whole new meaning.
#PRAYFORVEGAS: Over 50 Dead, Hundreds Wounded In Shooting At Las Vegas Country Music Festival
LAS VEGAS ― At least 59 people were killed and 527 wounded after a gunman unleashed a storm of bullets on an outdoor country music concert in Las Vegas late Sunday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Singer Jason Aldean was performing in the final act of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a massive three-day country music event, when his set was interrupted by rapid gunfire around 10 p.m. Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, was shooting at the approximately 22,000 concertgoers from a room on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel, police later said.
Hordes of panicked fans rushed to flee the scene, hiding under cars and bleachers to escape the bombardment. SWAT team members stormed the hotel and found Paddock in his room, dead of apparent self-inflicted wound and surrounded by at least 20 firearms, including “long rifles,” police said. The windows of his room were smashed open.
Police later found 18 additional firearms, “some” explosives and several thousand rounds of ammunition at Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nevada.
Victims, including some in critical condition, were taken to five nearby hospitals. Police said they expected the death count to rise in the coming hours and days.
The Mandalay Bay casino was largely empty Monday afternoon with a heavy security presence throughout the casino floor. Guards blocked exists to the famed Las Vegas Strip. The tense feeling hovering over the main casino floor was offset by friendly staff ready for gamblers to resume their usual activities. The main casino floor bars, still at low capacity but busier than all other areas of the casino floor, were serving the guests who remained. Occasional applause and cheering trickled out of the casino floor, celebrations of those still gambling.
Some staff said the lack of guests in the casino was normal for a Monday afternoon, but others said they saw an unusual number of guests with luggage checking out. Some nearby shops were closed; others remained open for business as usual.
Officials are still investigating the motive behind the attack. Paddock, a white male who was described as the “sole aggressor,” had no serious criminal record, police said. He lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada, with a female companion, Marilou Danley, but he had been staying in the Mandalay hotel room since Sept 28. Authorities said that Danley, 62, was not a suspect.
Eric Paddock, the suspect’s brother, said Stephen Paddock was a retired accountant with “no religious affiliation, no political affiliation,” and no history of mental illness. Family and friends described the suspect an an avid gambler.
“We are completely dumbfounded,” Eric Paddock told the Orlando Sentinel. “We can’t understand what happened.”
The owner of the gun shop that recently sold Paddock a shotgun offered a similar assessment.
“He didn’t set off any of my alarms, anything than I felt like there’s a problem in any way shape or form with him,” he told an ABC affiliate. “He was a normal, everyday guy.”
ISIS on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq News site, but an FBI spokesman said that authorities had found “no connection to an international terrorist group.”
“We don’t understand what’s happened... but as we move on we’ll learn more” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) said Monday at a press conference. “It was a cowardly despicable act that I am very angry about. There is not much we can do but learn.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘SPONSORED BY LA-Z-BOY’
Live look in at the SNES Classic video game release party. Gamers getting amped up as usual.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Bo Cub
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