Alicia Keys for Harper's Bazaar US - September 2019
Alicia opens up in a candid interview about love, motherhood and why we could all use a little crystal healing in our lives.
On why she created her nonprofit She Is the Music: “I think women are held to higher standards because we are that much more important to the human race. Women are always going to have to navigate a more difficult space because we occupy so many different levels within it, and that’s how powerful we are.”
On her female-empowering anthems: “A majority of those songs—‘A Woman’s Worth,’ ‘Superwoman,’ and ‘Girl on Fire’—were written when I was not feeling worthy. They were always songs that I needed to hear because I was going through a time when I was feeling down and needed to be reminded that this is who I am and this is what I deserve!”
On her upcoming album: “It reflects where I am today—the deeper acceptance I have of who I am as a full human being, the flaws, the pieces that I used to push aside because I wasn’t ready to embrace the anger or the fear or the crazy.”
On how motherhood changed her perspective: “Motherhood gave me a stronger sense of clarity. I used to be less aware of how I wanted to spend my time and more influenced by other people. After I had my kids, I felt like I had found my North Star. I was less wasteful; I worked more effectively.”
On receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: “Though I’ve always been grateful, I’ve never put too much weight on awards. But now I’m trying to be better about cherishing the big, wonderful things. It’s great to be humble, but all of us deserve to celebrate the win.”
#RHOA: #TWIRL Kenya Moore Rocks a Gorgeous Multi Colored Print and a Fab White Dress!
Kenya Moore posted a photo of herself in a beautiful ensemble on Instagram Friday, August 2. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star showed a lot of leg and confidence in the sexy yet sophisticated snap.
Kenya, 48, wore a multi colored dress with a super high slit on the right side of it.
She accessorized the revealing look with a pair of stunning earrings.
She also sizzled in an all-white dress on a date night on Tuesday, July 30.
She posted a pic with costars Kandi Burruss and Cynthia Bailey. So what do you think of Kenya’s fashion wardrobe?
#Empire: Jussie Smollett: Judge dismisses motions by 'Empire' actor's attorneys
CHICAGO -- A Cook County judge Wednesday dismissed motions filed by Jussie Smollett's attorneys.
Attorney Tina Glandian appeared in front of Judge Michael Toomin on behalf of Smollett to overturn the judge's own decision to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate how the actor's case was handled, but it didn't work. That special prosecutor who hasn't been selected by the judge yet could recharge Smollett.
Wednesday's hearing to overturn that decision was crucial to his case and Smollett's attorneys lost. The judge dismissed the motion for a new judge and also denied a motion by Smollett's attorneys to intervene in the case.
"It's become abundantly clear that no one wants to actually deal with the merits of this case," Glandian said. "Nobody really wants the truth here....We are disappointed with the court's ruling and we're going to explore our options."
Last month, Judge Toomin said he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate why Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx dropped charges against Smollett, which could bring the case back to square one and lead to new charges for Smollett.
There is no timeline for a decision on who will be appointed as special prosecutor.
Retired Appellate Court Judge Sheila O'Brien appeared Wednesday as well. O'Brien successfully petitioned for a special prosecutor because she said she felt that the prosecution wasn't handled right and needed more transparency.
"This case is about, did the state's attorney of Cook County follow the law in her duty to prosecute?" O'Brien said. "It is not the prosecution itself. It's about what she did to prosecute Mr. Smollett."
Smollett was accused of staging an attack on himself in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood in January. Police and prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the attack with the help of two brothers. One brother was an extra on "Empire" and the other was Smollett's personal trainer.
All charges against Smollett were dropped in late February in exchange for community service and forfeiture of his $10,000 bond payment.
#NewMusic from Keke Palmer – Twerk & Flirt
Keke Palmer adds her flare to summer ’20 with the party pleaser, “Twerk & Flirt,” a fun, free, and exhilarating new single that sees her reveal her moves in the club.
Produced by Tasha Catour and written by Keke along with Alicia Renee, and Alexander “A-Lex” Lloyd, the infectious single is sure to turn the heat up extra high. “Bottles in my section, getting litty, getting turnt / Dance two songs witcha cause I’m friendly and a flirt / Twerking on your body twerking on your body werk,” Keke fluidly delivers on summer anthem.
LISTEN HERE
Keke first gave followers a sneak peek of the song two weeks ago on her Snap Chat Show, “Keeping It Real.” She will perform the record on spot dates around the country.
#HipHopNews: Stream Drake's "Care Package" Compilation
Drake has injected new life into some of his old tracks by dropping the Care Package compilation. The project collects stray singles he’s released over the years such as “4pm In Calabasas” and “Draft Day.”
The compilation features 17 tracks, allowing fans to finally hear these songs on their streaming service of choice. Guests include J. Cole, Rick Ross, Beyoncé and James Fauntleroy.
Check out Drake’s Care Package stream and tracklist below.
LISTEN HERE
El Paso Shooter Identified Online As Patrick Crusius A Trump Supporter Who Didn’t Like ‘Race Mixing’
The suspect in a deadly mass shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday was widely identified on the internet as a young white man whose social media activity showed support and sympathy for the president’s apparent white nationalist agenda. The name and photos of a man purported to be Patrick Crusius quickly circulated across Twitter in the hours after the shooting that first began outside a Walmart store at Cielo Vista Mall was first reported. If those reports were accurate, Crusius, allegedly a Texas native, just turned 21 last week.
Washington Examiner reporter Anna Giaritelli tweeted a photo of the suspect she said law enforcement identified as being Patrick Crusius.
While officials did not immediately announce the identity of the shooter, the Washington Examiner reported that “A law enforcement source in El Paso told the Washington Examiner that 21-year-old suspect Patrick Crusius from Dallas, Texas, has been taken into custody.”
A manifesto purportedly written by Crusius, perhaps even in the hours before the shooting attack that according to one report killed at least 15 people, was left behind. Pages of the manifesto included anti-immigrant rhetoric with the author going into depth on why he is “against race mixing,” supports the idea to “send them back” and offering a prediction of “genocide.”
Social media accounts allegedly belonging to Crusius were reportedly scrubbed in the hours before the attack at a mall.
The El Paso shooting was the second mass shooting in as many weeks reportedly attributed to white supremacists. Just last week, Santino William Legan killed multiple people attending the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California. That shooting and Saturday’s shooting in El Paso were the latest in a growing string of attempted and carried-out mass shootings attributed to overt pro-white racism that has soared since Trump was elected.
Similar to reports about Saturday’s shooter, Legan left behind social media posts that show he may have been a white supremacist or at least sympathized with the racist movement. The final social media post Legan made prior to the July 28 shooting endorsed a book that has been widely tied to white supremacist hate groups and ideology.
“Why overcrowd towns and pave more open space to cater to make room for hordes of mestizos and Silicon Valley white twats?” Legan wrote on a post to his now-deleted Instagram account before plugging the text “Might Is Right” by Ragnar Redbeard.
“Might Is Right” has been banned in multiple countries and essentially advocates for social Darwinism, or the idea that members of certain races or ethnicities are inherently better equipped for survival than others. Though the true author of the book is unknown, it first appeared in the 19th century and argued that the “white race” was biologically superior.
#BoxOffice News: 'Fast & Furious' Spin-Off, 'Hobbs & Shaw' #1 with 60 Million, Lion King is #2 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is #3
The Fast & Furious franchise has yet again delivered a #1 opener with the franchise spin-off Hobbs & Shaw taking the top spot at this weekend's box office. Overall the weekend showed improvement over the same weekend last year for the third straight week in a row and on top of Hobbs & Shaw, continued strong performances from The Lion King, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the platform release of A24's The Farewell helped what has been a bit of a late summer surge at the domestic box office.
Universal's Hobbs & Shaw debuted in 4,253 theaters this weekend (the second widest release in the Fast & Furious franchise) with an estimated $60.8 million, which is right in line with the studio's pre-weekend expectations. The $200 million production also received an "A-" CinemaScore from opening day audiences and currently holds a strong, 90% audience score on RottenTomatoes. Of that audience, 58% were male, which lines up with the audience make up for The Fate of the Furious.
Of course, Fate of the Furious opened with $98 million, nearly $40 million more than Hobbs & Shaw, completing its run with $226 million domestically. Should Hobbs & Shaw deliver a similar, 2.29x multiplier we'd be looking at a domestic run right around $140 million, which would make it only the seventh highest grossing in the now nine-film franchise. In fact, outside of the first film in the franchise, the average multiplier for a Fast film is 2.4x, which would mean a domestic run around $146+ million. It will be interesting to see how the film performs next weekend as the marketplace will see a massive five new wide releases hit theaters. While none of the new films particularly target Hobbs & Shaw's audience, that's a lot of new content to go up against when audience interest in this spin-off clearly doesn't match the enthusiasm for the Fast films featuring the original cast.
Hobbs & Shaw's worth, however, isn't evaluated only on domestic returns as the film launched in 63 overseas markets this weekend with an estimated $120 million, securing a $180 million global debut. The performance is the fifth largest global opening ever for Universal, and tops the $177.8 million global debut for Godzilla: King of the Monsters earlier this year.
The film debuted at #1 in 52 of the markets it opened in, with Russia leading the way with an $8.1 million opening. Additional top debuts include the UK ($7.8m), Indonesia ($7.69m), India ($7.4m), Mexico ($6.96m), Japan ($6.58m), Taiwan ($6.2m), Germany ($5.45m), Australia ($4.89m), Malaysia ($4.67m) and Brazil ($3.9m). Hobbs & Shaw will open in Belgium, France and Italy later this week followed by launches in Korea on August 14 and finally, a debut in China on August 23.
Disney's The Lion King also delivered on expectations, dipping -50% with an estimated $38.2 million for a domestic cume that now tops $430 million. Internationally, the film added to its massive global cume with an additional $72 million, pushing its overseas total to $765 million for a global tally topping $1.195 billion. Next weekend the film will launch in Japan followed by an August 21 opening in Italy.
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood also lived up to expectations, dipping -51% for an estimated $20 million sophomore frame. The performance puts the film's domestic gross at $78.8 million as it enters its second weekend in release.
Sony also landed in fourth position with Spider-Man: Far from Home, which added another $7.75 million for a domestic cume that now tops $360 million. Internationally, the film added another $9.5 million for a global cume that now stands at $1.08 billion.
Rounding out the top five is Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4, which grossed an estimated $7.15 million as it entered its seventh week in release with a domestic cume that now totals $410 million. Internationally, the animated feature brought in another $10.2 million for an overseas cume that is now just shy of $550 million for a global tally topping $959 million.
A$AP Rocky Speaks Out Following Prison Release: "This Has Been A Humbling Experience"
After four weeks in a Swedish prison, a judge allowed A$AP Rocky to go back to the United States while the courts determine the verdict in his assault case. The multiplatinum-selling rapper quickly hopped on Twitter to express his gratitude for all the support he received during the ordeal.
“THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO ALL OF MY FANS, FRIENDS AND ANYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE WHO SUPPORTED ME DURING THESE LAST FEW WEEKS,” he wrote in all caps. “I CANT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL OF YOU.
“THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR ALLOWING ME BLADI AND THOTO TO RETURN TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE LOVE AND SUPPORT.”
The comment section lit up with reactions from his famous peers. Tyler, The Creator, Macklemore, Big Sean, Pharrell, YG and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were among the many to send their well wishes and celebrate his current freedom.
“JUST DOWNLOADED 3 HOURS OF SMACK DVD,” Tyler wrote in all caps. “NIGGA IM BOUT TO HOLD THE F*CK OUTTA YOU.”
Rocky’s situation is far from over. The judge is expected to hand down the verdict on August 14, meaning the A$AP Mob member would only have 12 days to get back to the the U.S. and then back to Sweden. Prosecutors have reportedly recommended a six-month sentence rather than the two-year maximum.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Judge Orders Salt-N-Pepa And DJ Spinderella To Mediation Over Royalties Dispute
A judge has ordered the members of the iconic Salt-N-Pepa to mediation over a dispute about alleged unpaid royalties.
Last month, DJ Spinderella filed a suit against her two groupmates Salt-N-Pepa, stating she was swindled out of compensation all the way back to 1999.
Spinderella alleges she was excluded from more than $600,000 in royalties over the last decade, in addition to receiving less than what she was owed for her participation in VH1’s The Salt-N-Pepa Show.
But a U.S. District Court judge has now rejected Spinderella’s request for immediate relief, Billboard reports.
“We are grateful for the judge’s ruling as Salt-N-Pepa have been extremely generous to Spin over many decades and attempted to settle what amounts to a divorce, both peacefully and without rancor,” a statement on behalf of the duo reads. “Unfortunately, Spin and her legal team adopted a scorched earth approach that brought unnecessary attention to a business dispute that all along could have, and should have, been settled amicably and privately.”
Spinderella is the second DJ to join the iconic rap group, which first came together in the mid-1980s with Latoya Hanson.
Keyshia Cole & Boyfriend Niko Khale Welcome Baby Boy!
Congratulations are in order for Keyshia Cole and her boyfriend Niko Khale! The couple just welcomed their first child together.
The 37-year-old singer and her 23-year-old boyfriend documented the arrival of their new bundle of joy via social media, giving fans a sneak peek at their baby's boy arrival. Baby Khale was born Thursday, August 1st at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“Baby boy is HERE YALL, OMG,” the "Love" singer wrote over a video moments after giving birth. She posted the clip around 11pm on August 1st.
Soon after, she shared a picture of her 10-year-old son Daniel Gibson Jr., whom she shares with estranged husband/former NBA baller Daniel "Booby" Gibson, holding his baby brother in his arms. Aww!
This is the first child for Niko and he was one proud papa leading up the arrival of his son. This is Keyshia's second baby boy. The couple announced they were expecting back in May.
‘The Chi’ Plans To Kill Off Jason Mitchell’s Character
When Jason Mitchell was fired from Showtime’s hit drama series, “The Chi,” for misconduct allegations many of us wondered how he would be written off the show.
Well…we now know Showtime plans to kill off Jason’s character, Brandon, in season 3.
Gary Levine, Showtime’s co-president of entertainment confirmed Brandon’s demise on Friday saying:
There is a lot of great life in ‘The Chi’ and there’s also death in ‘The Chi’ and that’s how we’ll be dealing with it.
Four years ago, Jason Mitchell soared to fame following his portrayal of Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton.
But, in May, the crap hit the fan when he was fired from “The Chi,” Netflix’s “Desperado” and dropped by his management and agency following allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
OH WELL!
Olivia Newton-John Says She's Doing great Amid Her Cancer Battle
Olivia Newton-John is letting her battle with cancer get her down!
The 70-year-old Grease star has teamed up with Dancers Against Cancer – an organization that has raised more than $2 million for dance educators, choreographers, dancers and their families who have been impacted by cancer.
While on set of a PSA for the campaign, Olivia opened up about her battling cancer for the third time.
“I’m doing well. I’m thriving! This is my word,” Olivia shared with People.
Last September, Olivia revealed that she was battling cancer for the third time.
“My cancer journey started in 1992, and I went through surgery and chemotherapy,” Olivia shared. “I was lucky enough to have yoga and massage and homeopathy and meditation, and then I had a spell of years where I was okay. Then I have metastases now.”
“The dance performing community means a lot to me. I’ve always loved dancers and wished that I’d learnt when I was young,” Olivia Newton-John added. “I used to do creative dance, but I never really learned it until I had to dance with Gene Kelly and John Travolta. Lucky me, I got to do Dancing with the Stars long before it was a show.”
#TECHNEWS: Instagram and WhatsApp will add ‘from Facebook’ to their names
Just how uncool can Facebook make Instagram and WhatsApp? If exerting more influence over the direction of both apps by installing Facebook executives wasn’t enough, now the social network giant is going to add “Facebook” to their names. Instagram will soon become “Instagram from Facebook” and WhatsApp will turn into “WhatsApp from Facebook.” The company already follows this approach with its Workplace app. The Information first reported the planned changes, which Facebook confirmed directly.
The new titles will appear in the title for both apps in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. On your device’s home screen, the name for each will mercifully remain the same (for now). But it’s also very likely that you’ll see “from Facebook” on the splash screen for both apps. Facebook already made this exact change with Oculus.
“We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook,” a spokesperson told The Information. Mark Zuckerberg has already unveiled his grand vision of a connected (and end-to-end encrypted) messaging system between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Mark Zuckerberg promises a newer, more private Facebook
But some level of separation from Facebook, however artificial, has served both apps well with users. As Facebook has sagged in popularity with younger consumers, both Instagram and WhatsApp have soared.
The flex of control is also surprising in that it comes just as Facebook faces more antitrust scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which is said to be looking into the company’s history of acquisitions. The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that the FTC is examining whether Facebook’s many acquisitions were made with the goal of squashing competition. Now, two of the company’s most significant purchases will have Facebook stamped right onto their names.
#POSE’s Dominique Jackson will be the latest spokesperson for the Valentino Campaign.
Actress Dominique Jackson front Valentino's latest campaign for the Garavani #VSLING bag, directed by Luke Gilford and Janet Mock, who's also the director, screenwriter and executive producer of Netflix series Pose, which Jackson stars in.
The Italian fashion house took to social media to unveil the campaign, posting 'Devoray (Dominique Jackson) insists on posing for Janet Mock and Luke Gilford in advance of her Valentino Garavani #VSLING audition in New York'.
Lamar Odom And His New Girlfriend Defend Him After He Was Accused Of Shading Khloe Kardashian
Lamar Odom and Sabrina Parr are already a united force against their critics, just a day after seemingly going public about their relationship.
While fans didn’t hesitate to point out that Odom moved on with a Black woman after his marriage to Khloe Kardashian, they faced backlash when Odom mentioned it himself and seemed to throw shade at his ex-wife.
He posted a photo of Parr and used a Malcolm X quote as the caption Saturday.
“It’s just like when you’ve got some coffee that’s too black, which means it’s too strong, what do you do? You integrate it with cream… But if you pour too much cream in it, you won’t even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep.” – MALCOLM X”
Odom introduced Parr to his fans on Friday. Odom and Kardashian were married from 2009 to 2016.
This May be The End for Wendy Williams’ Daytime Talk Show After Season 11
Wendy Williams’ daytime talk show may be ending after season 11.
The daytime gossip queen of talk announced to her audience that the program had been picked up for an 11th season. However, according to LoveBScott, that season may be the show’s last, as the host explained it was a dreadful season dealing with her personal drama with now ex-husband #KevinHunter, “This season has been, well, hell for me, in a weird way,” she said.
“I appreciate doing this show because it’s my one hour where I get to be fun and forget about stuff,” she continued. “You’ve seen me pass out the season, you’ve read [about me] in tabloids and the paparazzi and all that, but through it all, my one joy — aside from my son and my family — is you.”
“I’m not doing this show forever, but I certainly will be back for season 11,” she added. “A lot of people didn’t think we could do it, but we did it! September 16. I love you for watching, and I’ll see you next time on Wendy.” Williams also took a hiatus from the show back in January through March 4 to heal from a fractured should and her struggle with Graves’ disease. But now, she may be hanging it up for good. In fact, according to Page Six, staffers have already begun looking for new employment amid gossip that the show will not be returning.
“Staff are all celebrating what was one of the most difficult seasons over the 10 years of the show,” a source told Page Six. “They are all well aware that all they have is Season 11 left, that’s guaranteed, but until [production company] Debmar-Mercury announces that they are renewing additional seasons beyond the next season, some staff have begun searching for jobs,” the source said.
However, in light of the allegations, a spokesperson for “The Wendy Williams Show” claims the rumors are false and that the staff is completely fine. But, the source did not confirm the future of the show. “Wendy and her staff are closer than ever,” the statement read. “Last night was a great celebration to wrap up the show’s 10th season, and everyone is excited to come back for the 11th season on September 16.”
Another Domestic Terror Campaign this time in Dayton Ohio Nine killed, 16 wounded; The shooter's name is Connor Stephen Betts he is also dead!
At least nine people have been killed and 16 wounded in a mass shooting in Dayton, in the US state of Ohio, according to police.
The incident in the early hours of Sunday came just hours after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, killed at least 20 people and wounded 26 others.
Police in Dayton said they killed the gunman at the scene. The shooter's motives were not immediately known. He has been identified as 20 yera old Connor Stephen Betts. Authorities said the shooting occurred in the city's Oregon District, a central neighbourhood known for its nightlife.
The Dayton Daily News reported that it took place at, or near, an establishment called Ned Pepper's Bar in the district.
The shooter began firing "a long gun with multiple rounds", said Matt Carper, the assistant chief of the Dayton police department, adding that the attack took place in what he described as "a very safe part of downtown".
"The shooter is deceased from gunshot wounds from the responding officers," Carper added. "We have nine victims deceased ... We have approximately 16 more victims hospitalised right now in unknown conditions."
"Fortunately we had multiple officers in the immediate vicinity when this started, so there was a very short timeline of violence," he said.
Carper said the FBI was assisting in the investigation.
Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that 16 victims had been received at the hospital, but she could not confirm their conditions.
Video from the scene showed a host of emergency vehicles on a street that had been cordoned off.
Dayton's mayor, Nan Whaley, tweeted that she was "heartbroken" after the attack.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘JUST BROWSING’
Holy shit. Pray for the guy who dates this girl and gets “the look”. That shit would knock down an office building.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Mr Josh
Meet Mr Josh! So you know what to do to see more. Just GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
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HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!
EFREM
