Laura Harrier for Wonderland Magazine Summer 2019!
Not many people can say that their summer holiday was interrupted by one of the world’s most revered directors requesting an impromptu audition – and the acclaim surrounding Laura Harrier following Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman shows she’s well worth the hype.
Initially catapulted into our collective consciousness with her breakout role in Spider-Man, she tells Wonderland in Bulgari about the importance of representation, her forthcoming Biffy Clyro-soundtracked tearjerker, and what it’s like to spot Beyoncé on the same dance floor…
To get more you can pre order the issue HERE!
#RHOA: Porsha Williams goes on a For Girls' Trip with Baby Pilar As Cameras Roll For the new Season.
The ring is off! Porsha Williams ditched her baby daddy — and her enormous engagement sparkler — on Father’s Day weekend for a girls’ trip.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star wasn’t wearing her gigantic diamond engagement ring when she took a quick vacation to the Costa Hollywood Beach Resort Opens a New Window. in Hollywood, Florida over the holiday, and Bravo cameras were rolling to capture all the drama.
“They haven’t split, but their dynamic is different,” the source said.
Porsha went on the trip over Father’s Day with her sister, Lauren, and her mother, Diane, all of whom unfollowed Dennis on Instagram after a recent fight.
“Dennis did not go on the trip with Porsha,” about her luxury vacation to Costa Hollywood Beach Resort. Her blingy engagement ring was clearly absent from her hand on the trip.
Looking fabulous three months after giving birth, Porsha and the girls hit up the resort’s rooftop pool lounge Cielo.
RHOA cameras were filming Porsha’s girls’ trip without her fiance on his first Father’s Day. Porsha showed off her baby Pilar in the pool at the resort.
The Bravolebrity got a raise for the upcoming season of RHOA, going from $1.25 million in Season 11 to $1.3 million for the upcoming Season 12 of RHOA.
#Empire: Listen to Serayah’s nee single ‘Love It’
Empire’s Serayah McNeill has a new song titled ‘Love it’. Take a listen HERE.
You can buy it HERE!
#NewMusic from LeToya Luckett ‘Feeling’
LeToya Luckett is back with her first single in three years. Co-written by Tank, “Feeling” finds the singer yearning about the warm sensation her new man has planted in her heart.
LISTEN HERE
“Feeling” is the first taste of music since Luckett’s 2016 album Back 2 Life. The title track peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, becoming her first top 10 entry on that chart.
#HipHopNews: Beastie Boys' Deluxe Version Of "To The 5 Boroughs" Features B-Sides, Rarities & Remixes!
To celebrate the album’s 15th anniversary, the surviving members of the Beastie Boys — Adam “King Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond — have unleashed a deluxe version of 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs.
The new digital edition features a handful of B-sides and rarities, as well as remixes from producer Just Blaze, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and J. Wizzle. The Beasties’ official Twitter account unveiled the news last Friday (June 14).
“Hello everybody – To the 5 Boroughs came out 15 years ago today,” the caption read. “For the occasion, twelve rare tracks have just been released digitally in addition to the original 15 songs on the album.”
Check out the To The 5 Boroughs (Deluxe Version) HERE
The Beasties recently celebrated another anniversary. On May 31, Ill Communication turned 25 and the New York-raised Hip Hop legends dropped a mini-documentary titled Still Ill to celebrate the 1994 album.
Beastie Boys have put out eight studio albums throughout the course of their career, culminating with 2011’s Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. They were essentially forced to retire in 2012 when Adam “MCA” Yauch lost his battle with cancer. He was 47.
Bella Thorne Claps back at Whoopi Goldberg: ‘Shame On You’
Bella Thorne took to social media and blasted Whoopi Goldberg for her commentary on “The View” about her leaked photos.
In case you missed it, someone hacked the actress and threatened to leak her nudie pics. So, she leaked them herself to “take her power back.”
Whoopi stated: If you’re famous, I don’t care how old you are. You don’t take nude pictures of yourself.
Once you take that picture it goes into the cloud and it’s available to any hacker who wants it, and if you don’t know that in 2019 that this is an issue, I’m sorry. You don’t get to do that.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Bella posted a series of posts and videos on her IG story where she blasted Whoopi and told her she was “so displeased and saddened” by her response to the leak.
What are your thoughts?
Janet Mock Signs Historic Netflix Deal, Becomes 1st Transgender Woman To Lead At Major Content Company
Writer/director Janet Mock is kicking doors down for the transgender community with her latest accomplishment! The “Pose” creator is, according to reports.
“The first out transgender woman empowered to call the creative shots at a major content company.”
The three-year, multi-million Netflix deal will allow Janet Mock to create shows and films, giving visibility to both the transgender communities and people of color. One of the products will be a collaboration between she and her “Pose” co-creator, noted TV writer/producer Ryan Murphy on his upcoming Netflix series, “Hollywood.”
Janet Mock celebrated her historic deal, sharing comments from Ryan Murphy and Netflix’s VP of Original Content, Cindy Holland:
“@janetmock I’m excited to announce that I am partnering with @netflix to tell stories on a global platform. So proud to join the ranks of digital content moguls as the first trans woman to call her own creative shots at a major content company. “As a best-selling author, producer and director, Janet Mock has demonstrated she knows how to bring her vision to thrilling, vivid life,” says Cindy Holland, Netflix VP of original content. “She’s a groundbreaker and creative force who we think will fit right in here at Netflix.””
“My mentor, boss and friend @mrrpmurphy told @variety, “Upon my first meeting with Janet, I knew she was a star and had the stuff moguls are made of. Being able to watch her grow, first as a writer, then a producer and now an acclaimed director who’s helmed four episodes for my productions, has been a gift. I am honored to be her mentor and friend, am grateful she’ll be joining me to write and direct on ‘Hollywood,’ and am so excited to see what she creates at Netflix. Janet is a cultural force, and the world needs her stories.””
A few of the projects in development is a drama series about a college-aged trans woman, a post-slavery New Orleans series, and a classic sitcom reboot.
Janet highlighted the importance of representation of all communities in television and film:
“As someone who grew up in front of the TV screen, whether that was watching talk shows or family sitcoms or VHS films, I never thought that I would be embraced. And more than embraced. Given not just a seat at the table but a table of my own making.”
Congratulations, Janet!
Ava DuVernay Slams Donald Trump’s Continued Blame Of Central Park Five: “There’s No Truth To It”
Without any superfluous comment, actress-producer Ava DuVernay made her thoughts crystal clear about Donald Trump and the Central Park Five last night by tweeting a clip from her Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
Within hours of the president reasserting his misleading claim that the so-called Five “admitted their guilt,” DuVernay tweeted a clip from the series in which actual archival footage, used in the Netflix series, shows an ’80s-era Trump proclaiming how he’d “love to be a well-educated black” because of all the advantages society has to offer them. We then see that the 1989 Trump is being watched on TV by the mother of one of the boys wrongly accused of raping the so-called Central Park Jogger.
“They want to kill my son,” says the mother, Linda McCray (played by Marsha Stephanie Blake). “That devil, that devil wants to kill my son….They’re gonna have to come for me first.” (See the tweet below.)
As chronicled in DuVernay’s Netflix series, Trump took a leading role in calling for the deaths of the five falsely accused boys (DNA tests exonerated them in 2002, years after their convictions and imprisonment). Prior to the boys’ trials, Trump took out full-page newspaper ads calling for New York to reinstate the death penalty, in response to the horrendous crime (a serial rapist, unconnected to the boys, later confessed).
The miniseries has brought renewed attention onto the so-called Central Park Five case, including the role that former prosecutor Linda Fairstein played. Yesterday, during a media scrum, Trump was asked about his role in the case and a possible apology to the falsely accused (Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana Jr. and Korey Wise).
“Why do you bring that question up now?,” Trump asked. “It’s an interesting time to bring it up. You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein and if you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should never have settled that case. So, we’ll leave it at that.”
Later that night, DuVernay attended a Women in Entertainment and Writers Guild of America West screening of the Netflix miniseries, and told The Los Angeles Times about Trump, “It’s expected. There’s nothing he says or does in relation to this case or the lives of black people or people of color that has any weight to it. It’s not our reality, there’s no truth to it.”
Drake's $350k Settlement to Alleged Sexual Assault Victim is the Subject of Complaint Filed by Woman Against Attorney
A woman who accused Drake of sexual assault, and was privately paid a settlement of $350,000 after negotiating with the star, has now filed a complaint against her own attorney which lays out graphic details of the incident. However, Drake's team believes she is lying about the incident, and have now contacted law enforcement to investigate.
The complaint was recently filed by Laquana Morris, aka Layla Lace, with the New York Attorney Grievance Committee.
According to the complaint, Morris states:
"I, Laquana Morris signed a retainer agreement with Alexander Cabereiras on January 23, 2018. I explained to him that I was sexually assaulted by the rapper Drake."
Morris then went into great detail and explained, "How Drake forced me to perform oral on him. It wasn't your ordinary oral it was more so a fetish where he measured a cup and demanded that I spit in the cup until he had measured it. Afterward he dumped the spit on my face repeating, 'I wanna see your face messy.'"
Morris also states, "Being that the incident happening in Manchester UK I had to file a police report over there. I called the Manchester Police Department in June 2017."
Drake was investigated by authorities in the UK based on Morris' complaint. The rapper was eventually cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Sources close to Drake says he was cleared by law enforcement because the story "simply isn't true.
Afterwards, the lead investigator sent Laquana an email explaining that the reason he wasn't prosecuted is that they couldn't secure a "100%" conviction.
Tension developing in Aretha Franklin will dispute. Her youngest son has filed for control over the late singer's estate.
A fight is emerging over whether a son of Aretha Franklin could be put in charge of the late singer's estate after a 2014 handwritten will was found under cushions in her suburban Detroit home.
Attorneys for the estate said in a court filing Monday that "there is no basis to support the assumption" that Kecalf Franklin has the "ability, skill (and) knowledge" to become personal representative, even if the will is determined to be valid. Franklin's image, music and other assets could turn out to be worth millions of dollars in the years ahead.
Her sons had agreed to put the estate in the hands of Sabrina Owens, a relative who is a university administrator, when no will was found after Franklin's death last August at age 76. But the handwritten document discovered in May could change everything. It appears to shows Franklin wanted Kecalf Franklin to serve as the representative or executor.
A judge in Oakland County, Michigan, held a hearing Monday, but a proposed land sale was on the agenda, not the will or other documents written by Franklin. It could take weeks or months to resolve the issue.
Kecalf Franklin, a Christian rap singer, attended the hearing but declined to comment outside court.
He hired a handwriting expert, Erich Speckin, to look at the will. But the expert wasn't allowed to bring his equipment into the courthouse to complete the exam on June 10, attorneys Juanita Gavin Hughes and Charlene Glover-Hogan said in a court filing.
They said Kecalf Franklin should at least be appointed co-personal representative with Owens in the short term. Attorneys for another Franklin son, Clarence Franklin, oppose the move, saying he's "totally unsuitable."
"That's not up for today," Judge Jennifer Callaghan said.
The estate's attorney, David Bennett, said Owens "has been doing a marvelous job" managing potential business deals involving Franklin's music, life and likeness.
"She is the only one I believe who's capable of continuing that," Bennett told the judge.
Mathew Knowles Says If Beyonce Had Darker Skin, It Would Have 'Affected Her Success'
Beyonce‘s father, Mathew Knowles, is discussing colorism in the music industry.
The 67-year-old record executive and talent manager sat down for an interview on SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show on Wednesday (June 19).
During the interview, Mathew talked about the perception of lighter and darker skin tone.
“In the music industry there’s still segregation. Programmers, especially at pop radio, [have] this imagery of what beauty looks like. They wanted that imagery to be the same as singing those records,” he explained.
“If you look back, even like Whitney Houston, if you look at those photos, how they lightened her to make her look lighter in complexion…there’s a perception, colorism, the lighter that you are, the smarter, the more economically…there’s a perception all around the world about color, even with black folks.”
When asked whether he thought Beyonce would have been affected if she had darker skin, he said: “I think she would have had – I think it would have affected her success. And I use Kelly Rowland as an example. She’s a great example. But you know, the great thing is Kelly did exceptional outside of America, especially in Australia. Kelly sold over four million records. She just got off script.”
SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show airs weekdays from 12-1 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126.
Listen to his interview…HERE
Rihanna Hits Fenty Pop-Up Shop Rocking a Sexy Pink Slip Dress
Rihanna rocked her glam ensemble on Tuesday evening, posing during the Fenty x Webster Pop-up Cocktail party at The Webster in N.Y.C.'s SoHo district
Rihanna shone bright like a diamond on Tuesday night. On hand for the launch of her new Fenty pop-up shop in New York City, the 31-year-old singer wowed in a magenta mini slip dress, featuring spaghetti straps and ruched sides that tied in a knot at the bottom.
She enhanced the look even further in a pair of hot-pink stiletto heels and lipstick in a shade that matched her dress perfectly, finishing it up with multiple bracelets, chandelier-style drop earrings and various rings, wearing her hair in long braids down her back.
Rihanna rocked her glam ensemble throughout the evening, posing alone and for group photos during the Fenty x Webster Pop-up Cocktail at The Webster in N.Y.C.’s SoHo district.
Manhattan District Attorney Refuses To Review Cases Handled By Linda Fairstein, Declines To Dismiss Central Park Prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer
A Manhattan District Attorney’s office is refusing to review previous cases handled by the Central Park Five prosecutor, Linda Fairstein. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Following the release of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix four-part series #WhenTheySeeUs, there has been a resurgence of outcry for the life and time lost for Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise. The five boys, now men, were wrongly arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned for the raping of a white woman in New York’s Central Park.
Linda Fairstein was the lead figure behind the persecution of the men, and now the world wants justice served to her as well as other cases she may have mishandled.
But Manhattan District Attorney #CryrusVance has turned down the opportunity to review Fairstein’s previous cases. In response to a letter from a city council official, sent in by New York Public Advocate #JumaaneWilliams, Vance says he will not be reopening the thousands of cases that were managed by Fairstein. Fairstein was the chief of his office’s Sex Crimes Unit from 1976 and 2002. In addition, Vance also declined to dismiss Elizabeth Lederer, an attorney who was also directly involved in prosecuting the #ExoneratedFive.
“I do not intend to take either action at this time. Instead, I seek your help in publicizing to New Yorkers the availability of my Office’s Conviction Integrity Program process,” Vance wrote in response Friday.
However, in turn, Williams took to Twitter to condemn the decision. “Justice delayed is justice denied, but here, Cy Vance is even denying justice has been delayed. It shouldn’t take another 30 years for us to find out why DA Vance refuses to correct these injustices of the past.”
Lindsay Lohan losing her MTV show and Mykonos nightclub
Page Six has exclusively learned — and it seems the star’s Mykonos nightclub, which serves as the setting for the show, is also closed.
The club opened in May 2018, and the show — which follows its staff’s daily lives — premiered in January to decent ratings.
But viewership then plummeted amid less-than-stellar reviews. The Hollywood Reporter called the show “vapid and tedious.”
“There was a renewal idea that producers hoped would perk it up for a second season,” said a source close to the production. “It would be turned into a show about Lindsay and [her mother] Dina and [sister] Ali, [but] that wasn’t going to happen.”
The show didn’t have “enough drama,” the source added. “They wanted ‘breakdowns.’ That’s not where [Lohan] is at with her life anymore. Their personal business doesn’t need to be aired on television; it’s already in the papers anyway.”
Another source close to the network said it’s still trying to salvage the show.
Meanwhile, a phone number listed for the Mykonos club on TripAdvisor wasn’t working when Page Six attempted to call.
Another number listed on the club’s website connected to Lohan Nightclub in Athens.
A source told us of the apparently defunct Mykonos club: “A friend had reservations this week, and the club just called and said that they will not be opening this season.”
Another source vacationing in Greece last month told us that the club wasn’t open then, either.
“The locals said it was a waste [of time to go],” said the vacationer.
A social media commenter posted last month of the Mykonos club: “They advertised being open for [the] summer season, specifically late May. We drove past and it’s literally [deserted] . . . The Lohan sign is stripped off.”
A Lohan rep confirmed that “she is not doing another season” of the show. MTV didn’t comment.
Danielle Staub and her new fiancé have been receiving death threats
Danielle Staub and her new fiancé have been receiving death threats, a new restraining order claims.
Staub’s fiancé, Oliver Maier, filed a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend Gina Curko in Englewood, New Jersey, on Tuesday, an insider told Page Six. He claimed that Curko threatened to kill the couple, with the insider noting that Curko has been trying to get back together with Maier.
Staub is included in the temporary order, meaning that Curko cannot communicate with or go near her or Maier.
The trio is due to appear in court on June 25 to determine if the order will be made permanent.
Staub’s rep declined to comment.
The OWN Network Celebrates the Premiere of “Ambitions” with a Atlanta Premiere!
Last Night, June 16th, there was a screening and after-party for OWN’s new series AMBITIONS. And Atlanta’s blogger and photog Freddy O has pics. Check them out.
Created by executive producer/writer Jamey Giddens and produced by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury, “AMBITIONS” is produced for OWN by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and its producer-distributor Debmar-Mercury. Will Packer is executive producer. Kevin Arkadie is executive producer/showrunner. Creator/writer Jamey Giddens and Will Packer Media’s Sheila Ducksworth also serve as executive producers. Benny Boom directed and served as a producer on the pilot episode.
Connect with the series on social media via:
@AmbitionsOWN (Instagram & Twitter)! ‘Ambitions’ is on OWN on Tuesdays at 9PM.
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘SAY SOMETHING’
Oh, thanks for opening it to the floor. – “That tattoo is stupid as hell.”
#EGGPLANTNATION: Meet Mike Pipe
Meet Mike! So you know what to do to see them goods. GO 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 EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
