Lupita Nyong'o for The Hollywood Reporter! She speaks on Black Panther: "African People Are in Charge of Their Own Destiny"
Black Panther will premiere in theaters nationwide on Feb. 16, and industry analysts say the Marvel movie is on track to earn between $100 million and $120 million at the U.S. box office. As the first comic book adaptation to feature a largely black cast, Black Panther stars Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker and Letitia Wright. Nyong'o met director Ryan Coogler on the award circuit in 2013, and three years later, as she was starring on Broadway in Eclipsed, "Marvel called and said that Ryan was interested in me for a role in Panther," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I talked to him about it, and obviously everything was hush-hush, but he walked me through his initial ideas, and I thought, 'Wait a minute? This is a Marvel movie?'"
Nyong'o agreed to star in the movie without reading the script—and she didn't receive it until shooting began. "She's an incredibly serious actress. She does a lot of homework, asks a lot of hard questions. At the same time, she's got an incredible sense of humor. She'd poke fun at me a lot," Coogler reveals in the magazine's Jan. 25 issue, out now. "On one of our last days, she and [co-star] Letitia Wright got the crew T-shirts with all the things I said collected on the back."
Nyong'o plays the warrior Nakia, whom she describes as both a "loyalist" and a "rebel."
"She wants to go her own way but also wants to serve her nation." The film centers on "what it means to be from a place and welcome others into it. T'Challa is the leader of an isolated nation that has managed to keep its autonomy and be self-determining because it has shielded itself from colonization," she says, "and how does that nation now relate with the rest of the world?"
Nyong'o was intrigued not only by the film's political themes, but also by what it represents. "We were creating an aspirational world where an African people are in charge of their own destiny. And that really appealed to me and had the little girl inside me jumping for joy," she admits. "To just have African people, black people, at the center of that narrative is so exciting."
The actress, who was raised in Kenya, found it easy to relate to Nakia. "My father raised us to stand up for what we believe in and to fight for what is right. We were always told, 'You need to make a difference in the world,'" the Oscar winner says. "I live with that insistence all the time."
In addition to adopting the same accent Boseman had used in captain America: Civil War ("There's three different clicks, like three different letters," she says), Nyong'o signed up for a six-week boot camp to get into shape. "It started off four hours a day, then it was reduced to two when I started bulking up—I remember coming home for Christmas and I couldn't fit into my clothes," Nyong'o recalls. "We would have warm-ups together, then break off and do our individual techniques. Nakia is a street fighter, so I had jujitsu and capoeira and ring blades."
It was tough, but Nyong'o—similar to her character—makes it sound easy. "I have dabbled in martial arts all my life, since I was 7, maybe—tae kwon do, capoeira, Muay Thai. It's always been an interest because in martial arts there is a mind/body relationship," she says. "You can't do it right if you're angry; how you can exert your power with a clear mind really interests me."
For more on Nyong'o, pick up a copy of The Hollywood Reporter's Jan. 25 issue.
#RHoA: What's The Tea?☕ Does Cynthia’s New Boyfriend Have Another Girlfriend?
The forecast was shady in Atlanta. Cynthia Bailey had her new maybe-boyfriend Will over for dinner at her house. During their romantic meal, she told him that she trusted him, despite what her friends were saying. Will assured her that he was committed to her, and only her, and added that his goal for his next stage of his life was to “have a family and be successful at that.” Cynthia then admitted she was actually still on a dating site, and he didn’t like that so much.
Meanwhile, Kenya went shopping for a birthday gift for her absentee husband. In between picking out workout equipment, she revealed she hoped her husband would relocate from New York to Atlanta soon. “I’m hoping he’ll move because I do want to have a baby in the near future,” she said. She then joked that she should use his credit card to buy his birthday gift.
Cynthia, Will, Kandi, Todd, Kenya, Kim, Porsha, Sheree Whitfield, Nene Leakes and Nene’s friend Eva Marcille (who won the third cycle of America’s Next Top Model) all gathered to celebrate Kandi’s Essence magazine cover. On the way to the event, Eva told Nene that she had met Will at a cigar bar a few months back and he had introduced a woman he was with to her as his girlfriend. Cut to Will telling Cynthia he had been single for over two years.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for Nene to tell Kandi, Kenya, Marlo and anyone else who was in earshot that Eva had seen Will with his girlfriend. Cynthia was already feeling awkward since her ex-husband Peter had also dropped by the event, and things got worse for her after she heard this piece of news. “I know that we’re not exclusive. I know that we’re just dating. But I don’t want to date you if you have a girlfriend,” Cynthia said to Will.
Will got defensive and said he didn’t like being ambushed. Cynthia said that made two of them. They called Eva over, and she and Will got into it pretty quickly. Nene, Kenya, and Kandi were all convinced Will was up to no good, but Cynthia said she was just “confused.”
Tell Us: Do you think Cynthia is being played?
#EMPIRE: Woman Puts 'Empire' Star Bryshere Gray On Full Blast For Greasily Sliding Into Her DMs
Empire's Bryshere Gray recently had a DM failure with the woman on the other end of the exchange airing their conversation out to the world, completed with a little something extra.
The woman in question posted a slew of screenshots showing her numerous exchanges with Empire's resident bad boy, seemingly initiated by the actor himself.
It seems as the two have history as she responds to one of his messages with, "I don't have your number no more."
Their conversation got a bit more heated once numbers were exchanged — again — with the woman labeling him a "psycho" after he asked if she would "hold him down" if she moved in with him. Their convo was seemingly cut short after the actor expressed his disapproval of her lack of interest.
"God bless I made a huge mistake giving u my number take care," he wrote.
This was followed by a proclamation by the woman stating that she is "NO groupie or a h*e," followed her her leaking his number for all her "n****s who wanna get on the show."
Messy.
Take a look, below:
Fameolous posted a photo of the woman in question, but her social media identity remains a mystery, for now.
#RNBFLASHBACK: Teena Marie - "Deja Vu (I've Been Here Before)"
This is a wonderful song from Teena Marie's first album "Wild & Peaceful"
It is a standout track. It has Teena's amazing vocals singing with pride about being a queen of people of many colors and being different people in different lifetimes.
I had first heard this song at a young age not knowing what it was. I finally found it. This song is so beautiful.
LISTEN HERE
So beautiful, the flipside of Tina Marie's first single, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love," was a favorite in its own right on urban stations and bar jukeboxes when released in 1979. Tina sings the enchanting, reflective lyrics about being here before to the sounds of ocean waves, a sweet strumming rhythm guitar, a perky flute, a sterling saxophone run, and ultra soulful female voices.
#HIPHOPNEWS: Why was Jay Z was SHUT OUT at The Grammys?
Jay Z lead the pack of musicians as the most nominated person at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday night.
Centered front row – with his daughter Blue Ivy and superstar wife Beyoncé – black audiences across the globe were assured he’d take home a few trophies or at least one of the eight he was up for. He left with none.
While the Academy‘s voters did recognize the greatness that is Kendrick Lamar by awarding him Best Rap Song, Best Video, and Best Rap Performance, they failed at the opportunity to celebrate Jay-Z’s most honest, culture-moving body of work to-date. How pathetic!
Mr. Carter skipped the Grammys in years prior for its lack of inclusion of Black music during the biggest night in music. Baiting him with an enormous amount of nominations in hindsight seems to be more of a marketing ploy for the royal family to appear: increasing ratings and the award show’s immediate benefit through media and social engagement. It’s an old trick that, unfortunately, still gets the best of powerful musicians of color.
At this point in Jay-Z’s career and with a masterpiece like ‘4:44’ under his belt, it’s not certain if he’ll ever return to the Grammys. But he doesn’t really need to.
#UGH: Omarosa Cast on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ and Julie Chen speaks on it!
Former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault returns to her reality show roots on Celebrity Big Brother…
According to reports Omarosa Maingualt is set to appear on the first Celebrity Big Brother US edition on CBS. And Julie Chen is sounding off on former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault being one of the contestants.
This won’t be Omarosa‘s first time on reality television. She was of course one of the most infamous stars of The Apprentice.
“It’s a good thing the word ‘brother’ is between ‘big’ and ‘house’ so it’s not from the White House to the Big House,” Julie told Page Six TV. “We know Omarosa likes a microphone. She likes a camera. She has something to say.”
“After spending one year in the White House — and if you believe what you read in Page Six — I don’t think it was the most pleasant exit when asked to resign…” she added. “I do think she’s going to speak her truth in the House.”
Other contestants include Real Housewife Brandi Glanville, former Cosby kid Keisha Knight Pulliam, Tony winner Marisa Jaret Winokur, MMA star Chuck Liddell, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, former NBA All-Star Metta World Peace fka Ron Artest, Miss Universe 2015 Ariadna Gutiérrez, actress/poker pro Shannon Elizabeth, E!’s Ross Matthews and actor/singer James Maslow.
Celebrity Big Brother premiers on CBS Feb. 7th.
#SPORTSNEWS: The LA Clippers Traded Blake Griffin To Detroit Pistons!
Blake Griffin will soon have a harder time getting guest appearances on Comedy Central shows, because according to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers have traded Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and a pair of picks.
Griffin has spent the duration of his career in L.A., and he’s made five All-Star teams. Despite losing Chris Paul, the Clippers have remained competitive this season, largely thanks to Griffin’s excellent play. He has struggled with nagging injuries over the past few seasons, and he signed a five-year, $171 million deal with the Clippers this summer. The details of Los Angeles’ free agency pitch are funny in retrospect, since they traded him only a few months after simulating his number being retired:
When Griffin arrived at Staples Center for his free-agency pitch meeting on July 1, he found the Clippers had erected something of a maze for him with temporary walls. Griffin walked his 3-year-old son, Ford, through the art gallery-style corridors, and found photos hanging at each turn: Griffin on his green Huffy bike with his brother, Taylor, when they were kids; Griffin playing in college; Griffin as a Clipper.
The maze spit Griffin out onto a couch overlooking the Staples Center court, above the lower bowl. Crowd noise pumped in. The team’s public address announcer declared the Clippers were retiring Griffin’s number. Team employees raised an actual banner into the rafters — a vision of the future they wanted.
Despite hovering around the playoff periphery and looking like a solid bet to make it now that DeMarcus Cousins is out with a torn Achilles, the Clippers are blowing it all up. Griffin has been the face of the franchise for almost a decade, and he’s been there throughout the Clippers’ rise from total joke owned by Donald Sterling to Western Conference contender. The team seems to be starting a full rebuild, however.
Jennifer Hudson will be portraying Aretha Franklin for her Biopic!
Clive Davis at his Grammy party last weekend announced that Jennifer Hudson will be playing Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic about the life of the Queen of Soul. Hudson was in fact hand picked by Franklin to play the role. It was appropriate that Davis introduce all this, since he has such a long professional relationship with Franklin.
Producing the film will be Straight Outta Compton‘s Scott Bernstein and music producer Harvey Mason Jr., who has worked with Franklin and also produced music for the film Dreamgirls, on which Hudson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, alongside Beyonce. Hudson has gone on to a strong career that included the premiere of Monster, which premiered in Sundance.
Hudson seems one of the few actresses with the vocal range to do justice to Franklin’s soaring classics. MGM will move quickly to set a filmmaker and a screenwriter.
Andrew McCabe, FBI deputy director, quits after Trump criticism
Andrew McCabe was forced to step down ahead of his official retirement date on 18 March, reports CBS News.
Mr McCabe's exit from the top law enforcement agency comes a week after a report that Mr Trump wanted him out. He was also reportedly pressured to quit by FBI Director Christopher Wray ahead of an internal agency report.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Monday's daily press briefing: "This decision was not made by the White House."
"The president wasn't part of this decision making process," she added.
Mr McCabe briefly became acting FBI director last May after Mr Trump fired its previous chief, James Comey. Mr Comey had been overseeing the bureau's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mr Trump eventually nominated Christopher Wray as the new FBI director, and he was confirmed by the Senate in August.
Mr Wray recently threatened to resign after being pressured by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire Mr McCabe, Washington DC news outlet Axios reported last week.
He reportedly had expressed an interest in moving Mr McCabe to another job, which would have been a demotion, ahead of a forthcoming inspector general report about the 2016 election, according to the New York Times. CBS News later reported that an internal communication authored by Mr Wray showed Mr McCabe's early departure was the result of an upcoming inspector general's investigation that concluded the FBI must perform at the highest standards.
Mr McCabe, 49, who was already expected to step down in early 2018 upon becoming eligible for his pension, instead chose to step down now and is on leave ahead of his official retirement date, CBS News reports.
Chrissy Teigen & John Legend Are Expecting A Baby Boy
Looks like Baby Girl Luna Simone is getting a baby brother. Chrissy Teigen revealed she and John Legend are expecting a baby boy on Sunday night.
The expectant mother posted a photo of herself at the Grammys with the caption, “mama and her baby boy.”
Congrats to the happy family.
‘Superfly’ remake Adds Michael K. Williams And More!
DEADLINE is reporting that “Bessie” actor Michael K. Williams is joining the cast of “Superfly.” The versatile TV and film star will portray Scatter in the project that includes “Grown-ish” star Trevor Jackson and “The Chi” actor Jason Mitchell. In addition, veteran actor Esai Morales will also star in the film as Adalberto.
As previously reported, “Superfly” follows Priest, a New York City drug dealer who decides that he wants to get out of his dangerous trade. Working with his reluctant friend, Eddie, Priest devises a scheme that will allow him make a big deal and then retire. Jackson will portray Priest and Mitchell will star as Eddie.
Rounding out the cast is Lex Scott Davis as Georgia, Andrea Londo as Cynthia, Jacob Ming-Trent as Fat Freddy and Allen Maldonado as Litty.
Hip hop stars 21 Savage and KiaShine are also attached to the film + Future and Zaytoven are curator’s of the soundtrack. Director X is on board as the film’s director.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘GAME OF THRONES’
When you have Game of Thrones on your mind 24/7 even though the new season doesn’t come out for another 6 years or something like that.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Mr. BOLO
Meet Mr. BOLO! So you know what to do to see more. Just CLICK 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 ALL!!!
EFREM
