Ladies and Gentlemen It’s The Hollywood Reporter Actress Roundtable
It’s hard to imagine certain actresses not having power. After all, their performances are so commanding, their talent so obvious, and their names are so often spoken with reverence. Yet all that doesn’t seem to matter in Hollywood, where being female continues to put them at a disadvantage. Yet as the women of the Hollywood Reporter drama actress roundtable assert, that is finally beginning to change. Thanks, in particular, to the power of producing.
THR gathered Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Angela Bassett (9-1-1), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Thandie Newton (Westworld), Claire Foy (The Queen), and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce) to talk about a range of topics in television, from the gender pay gap to nude scenes. Both of those things have improved significantly as actresses have spoken up more, as Claire Foy did when she discovered that she was being paid less than her co-star, Matt Smith, on Netflix’s The Crown.
However, it seems to be that the real pathway to change is actresses asserting themselves as producers on their projects.
“As one of the only female Executive Producers as well, obviously there’s a weight there,” Moss explains of her role on The Handmaid’s Tale. “I have a perspective that nobody else will have. And that’s so respected, and it’s so appreciated. And that shouldn’t be crazy that it’s appreciated. It should be appreciated. [It should be] totally normal, but it’s nice that it is.”
She goes on to explain how being the show’s lead, as well as an Executive Producer gives her a one-two punch of power, saying that “When you’re leading the show and you’re the face of the show and a lot of people are making a lot of money off of that face and your work, it does put you in an empowered position. It’s not just financial, it’s about other ways of having control and a say, which frankly no one is used to. You start asking for something, and they’re like, Oh right, I guess you could have that. No one has ever asked.”
Bassett is a producer on 9-1-1, and talked about how difficult a thing it is to get used to: power, as opposed to not being seen as “only an actor.” Regarding getting equal pay for women, she says, “I’m probably feeling a little bit more empowered to [fight for equal pay], but for so long it’s just been about wanting to work. And wanting to be paid fairly, sure, and not having a frame of reference of what someone else is getting or the fear of, if you over-reach you’re going to lose the job…You hear, We’re gonna move on if you say no.”
For Gyllenhaal, who is a producer on HBO’s The Deuce, her power as a producer allows her to steer the storytelling in a direction that is more empowering for the women watching. She describes an instance where she fought for the right for her character, who is a prostitute, to have a real on-screen orgasm that she enjoyed to contrast with the performative orgasms she uses with clients so that the audience could see and learn the difference.
The writer wrote a scene where Gyllenhaal’s character masturbates after a guy she wanted to sleep with didn’t make her orgasm, and Gyllenhaal “was like, This orgasm needs to be the realest orgasm ever. This needs to be one that takes 30 seconds, that’s very quiet, that’s just about her. I thought about it, and then I went in and did that on TV. And that’s way more vulnerable than the orgasm that’s the performance.” But then she saw a cut of the episode, and that scene had been cut out. So, she wrote “a dissertation by email” to everyone involved explaining why that scene was so important, and they put it back in.
So often, we might see actresses taking on producer roles as “vanity projects,” but the fact is that they are using that to move the needle not just for themselves professionally, but for their peers, and for the women watching and being inspired by, or influenced by their work.
You should definitely check out the entire interview and series of videos associated with the roundtable over at The Hollywood Reporter. It’s an amazing conversation.
#RHOA’ Why Fans Don’t Believe Kenya Moore Is Pregnant?
Accusations that the reality TV star is faking her pregnancy continue following a snap that showed a barely there baby bump. The photo was soon removed.
Kenya Moore added fuel to the rumors that she’s faking her pregnancy when she deleted a snap that showed a barely there bump, one that followers think is much too small for someone who claims to have been pregnant since at least March. The 47-year-old posted a photo with husband Marc Daly that showed a very slight bump. Backlash from followers was swift and harsh. Accusations that she is trying to stay relevant, that she isn’t pregnant, and that she has a surrogate were among the comments made in response to the photo.
Kenya announced her pregnancy during the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion that was filmed in March and aired in April, according to Radar Online. A source told them that no one at the reunion believed her news and that producers thought her announcement was a desperate attempt to be included in the next season of RHOA. Moore took to Instagram in April to deny the rumors that she was faking her pregnancy. She said that she wasn’t paying someone to have a baby for her, that she was really pregnant and had wanted to have a family for a long time.
Earlier this month, the reality TV star talked to People and shared that she had undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many women have a difficult time with the process. Shots can be painful, hormones can cause mood swings and other side effects, and there can be many failed attempts before a woman becomes pregnant. Kenya said that her experience had been easy though, and that she would deliver her first child by the end of the year.
Followers don’t seem to believe Kenya’s story though. One fan posted to Twitter that she should be showing more by now if she is really pregnant. When Moore asked fans to suggest titles if she got a spin-off show of her own on Bravo, one person responded with “Pregnot.”
Fans also asked why her husband was not wearing his wedding ring, to which Moore responded that his ring was on the table and thanked fans for asking. If the RHOA star does deliver her first child this year, it will be a second first for her and hubby Marc Daly. They will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on June 10.
#Empire: It’s The Season Finale and Lucious has a lot to think about!
Tune in tonight and find out!
NOW!
#NewMusicVideo from Keith Robinson ‘Never Be You’
Actor/singer Keith Robinson continues his musical charge with the music video for his latest single, “Never Be You.”
In the clip, Keith goes about his day thinking about the one that got away as he sings, “I’m a sucker for love, I’m a sucker / Maybe I’m just a fool for trying to love you / Maybe I’m the one I need to blame.”
WATCH HERE
“Never Be You” can be found on Keith’s ‘Love Episodic’ album, released in March 2017 (Apple Music).
Keith Robinson is currently on Bounce TV’s television musical drama “Saint & Sinners.”
#NewHipHopVideo from Gucci Mane Feat. Migos & Lil Yachty – ‘Solitaire’
Gucci Mane plays “Solitaire” with Migos and Lil Yachty. The Clifton Bell-directed clip takes place in what appears to be a diamond. Dressed in all white, El Gato the Human Glacier flaunts his flashy jewelry while rapping along to the cut. Yachty, Quavo, and Takeoff also make cameos, but Offset is M.I.A. Instead, models join the iced-out affair.
WATCH HERE
“Solitaire” is expected to appear on Gucci’s upcoming album The Evil Genius, the follow-up to December’s El Gato: The Human Glacier. Gucci, Migos, and Yachty are also working on their long-awaited Glacier Boyz joint project.
#NFL Cowering to Trump, The NFL will now tell Players to Stand for The National Anthem or be FINED!
Eight months after Donald Trump called protesting players “sons of bitches” during a rally in Alabama, the National Football League has instituted a draconian new policy punishing those who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
According to new guidelines unveiled Wednesday, players will have the option to remain in the locker room, but their teams will be fined by the league if they elect to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The plan has the unanimous approval of the league’s owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We want people to be respectful of the national anthem,” Goodell told reporters. “We want people to stand—that’s all personnel—and make sure that they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That’s something I think we owe. We’ve been very sensitive in making sure that we give players choices, but we do believe that that moment is an important moment and one that we are going to focus on.”
The National Football League Players Association—the labor union representing the league’s players—issued a withering response, denouncing the league’s policy and hinting at legal action.
“The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new ‘policy,’ ” it said in a statement. “NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about. … Our union will review the new ‘policy’ and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.”
The implications of the NFL’s newest guidelines have not been lost on the American Civil Liberties Union, which similarly descried the NFL’s actions as “un-American.” In a series of tweets Wednesday afternoon, the organization cautioned that the league risks setting a dangerous precedent for other prominent, private institutions.
The timing of the NFL’s announcement is curious, to say the least. Earlier this week, multiple reports indicated that new evidence undermines the NFL’s defense against charges of collusion by Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who began the national anthem protest in 2015. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reveals that several teams viewed the one-time National Football Conference champion—who has been out of the league since 2016—as an NFL starter when he became a free agent last year. Kaepernick was set to try out for the Seattle Seahawks this spring, but his invitation was rescinded under vague circumstances related, at least in part, to his refusal to guarantee that he would not participate in future demonstrations.
When Kaepernick first kneeled during the national anthem, he was not protesting Trump’s presidency or even his incipient political candidacy, but rather the country’s systemic racism. In fact, it was U.S. army veteran Nate Boyer who originally persuaded him to take a knee—a detail willfully ignored or forgotten by the quarterback’s baying critics on the right.
The NFL’s latest decision exposes not just the lengths to which the league is willing to appease the president’s base but the corrosive effect his political rise has had on civil society.
Kevin Federline’s Lawyer Thinks He Deserves ‘Three Times’ More Child Support From Britney Spears
Kevin Federline’s lawyer believes that he deserves “at least three times the amount” of child support that Britney Spears currently pays him. “We gave them ample time and opportunity to settle Kevin’s child support modification increase, and they came back with conditions that are not reasonable,” Federline’s celebrity divorce attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, May 22. “It’s their position that they don’t have to turn over Britney’s financial information, including tax returns, which is required under the California family code. It’s not California celebrity code edition, she has to comply.”
He added: “This is the choice they have made, and they will now have to deal with it. We are still open to try and settling this without judicial intervention.”
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Federline, 40, filed documents to request more child support from the 36-year-old pop icon on Tuesday. He claims in the docs that he makes “approximately $3,000 per month” as a DJ, which is reportedly less than one percent Spears’ annual income.
The former couple, who were married from 2004 to 2007, share sons Sean Preston, 12, and Jayden James, 11. Federline also shares 15-year-old Kori and 13-year-old Kaleb with ex-fiancée Shar Jackson and 6-year-old Jordan and 3-year-old Peyton with wife Victoria Prince. He claims in the docs that he is “simply less of a ‘name’ and less in demand than he was in 2008,” when the child support was determined.
“A court hearing will be set, and the parties will engage in financial discovery, which will enable guideline support payment that Kevin should receive,” Kaplan told Us. “This won’t be difficult for us, Kevin is asking for the reasonable needs of the children to be met, which is at least three times the amount Kevin is currently getting. This is based on her earnings which have been publicly reported. We are also asking for attorney’s fees because it didn’t have to come to this.”
Federline currently receives $20,000 a month in child support from Spears.
Doctor Orders Nicki Minaj To Cancel Her ‘Ellen’ Appearance
Nicki Minaj was scheduled to appear on the “Ellen” show, where she was supposed to make a huge announcement.
Unfortunately, there was a change of plans.
The Queen of the Barbz took to social media to reveal she had to cancel her appearance under her “doctor’s orders.”
The “Chun-Li” rapper wrote:
See the original post below.
Nicki Minaj’s new album, Queen, is slated to arrive on June 15.
#POLITICS: Cynthia Nixon Loses Democratic Party Nomination for NY Governor, but Not Giving Up
Cynthia Nixon lost her bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination to be governor in NY by failing to secure the minimum 25% of votes to get listed on the ballot.
The “Sex and The City” star lost by a landslide to Michael Cuomo, who secured 95% of the people’s votes. Had she secured at least a 25% share Nixon would have been automatically added to the September 13 election.
Nixon showed up to the convention Wednesday at Hofstra University, however Cuomo did not. All is not lost for the actress with political aspirations though, because she plans to collect thousands of signatures needed to force herself onto the ballot.
ABC Just Canceled 'The Chew' After Seven Seasons
But there are still more episodes to come.
ABC has canceled the food-centric talk show The Chew after seven seasons. The network announced Wednesday that the show will be replaced by an extra hour of Good Morning America.
“While this is the right decision for our business, it is also bittersweet. For seven years The Chew has delighted audiences by delivering innovative food segments in an entertaining atmosphere,” Ben Sherwood, the president of ABC Television, said in a press release. “We applaud and thank Gordon Elliott, Aimee Householder, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and the entire cast and crew for their great work and amazing run. And we wish them the very best.”
Good Morning America’s third hour will feature more news, pop culture coverage, interviews, and live events. It has yet to be announced who will be hired as anchors for the hours or what the name of the new hour will be.
The Chew initially started with five hosts, including Daphne Oz and Mario Batali. Oz left the show last summer, and Batali was fired in December after a sexual misconduct scandal. (Batali has apologized for his behavior.) Fans of the show can take heart that more episodes of The Chew are still coming; The Wrap reports that new episodes will run from June through September.
Gordon Elliott, the creator and executive producer of The Chew, wrote a heartwarming message to the staff of the show, which ABC shared. “Before The Chew, no one had attempted a talk/food hybrid. Our hosts Clinton, Carla, and Michael and the staff created television history executing the show as well as they did for all these years,” he wrote. “I know I speak for all of the people who work on the show when I say it was the best television we have ever had the privilege to produce.”
#BROADWAYNEWS: Mean Girls Tour to Launch from Buffalo in Fall 2019
Mean Girls will launch a National Tour in the Fall of 2019 beginning at Shea's Buffalo Theatre. The show will also tech and rehearse at Shea's in the weeks preceding public performances. Mean Girls features a book by nine-time Emmy Award winner Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film, music by three-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Richmond; and lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin. Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw directs and choreographs.
Performance and on-sale dates, along with casting, additional tour cities, and other information, will be announced at a later date.
President of Shea's Performing Arts Center Michael G. Murphy was in New York City last week attending the Broadway League Spring Road Conference where Mean Girls writer Tina Fey announced that the show will begin its tour at Shea's Buffalo Theatre. Murphy said, "The 750 industry members in the room burst into applause and cheers when Tina announced that Buffalo will tech and launch the National Tour. I extend deep thanks to our subscribers, donors, volunteers, sponsors, and the entire Buffalo-Niagara community for their continued support of Shea's. This support along with the tax credit legislation passed in Albany has resulted in the opportunity to launch major National Tours in Buffalo, which provides substantial economic benefit to Western New York and places a spotlight on our community as a leading presenter of touring Broadway productions."
Mean Girls on Broadway is now nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical; Best Book for Tina Fey; Best Original Score for Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin; Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography for Casey Nicholaw. Fey is this year's Outer Critics Circle Award winner for Outstanding Book of a Musical, and the show won the Helen Hayes (Washington D.C.) Award for Outstanding Visiting Production as well as eight Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards including Favorite New Musical. The production is also nominated for 10 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical.
Mean Girls is presented in Buffalo by Shea's Performing Arts Center and Albert Nocciolino and is sponsored locally by M&T Bank, The Buffalo News, and WKBW-TV.
Medical examiner rules CDC researcher Timothy Cunningham’s death suicide by drowning
Last month, The remains of Timothy Cunningham, 35, were found Tuesday in the Chattahoochee River in northwest Atlanta, Campos.
Now The Fulton County Medical Examiner released the cause and manner of death for Timothy Cunningham, the CDS researcher who was found in the Chattahoochee River in early April.
According to the medical examiner, Cunningham’s cause of death was drowning, and the manner of his death was a suicide. The autopsy report has not been concluded at this time.
Niecy Nash & The Cast Of ‘Claws’ Host Atl Screening Of Season 2 [Photos]
Emmy-winning producer and acclaimed actress Niecy Nash took over Atlanta’s Regal Cinema Atlantic Station Theater Saturday evening for a sneak peek of CLAWS Season 2. The TNT original drama returns to primetime this summer beginning June 10.
Joining Nash for the advanced screening were her cast members – Georgia-born actress and one of my faves Carrie Preston (Polly) as well as Jimmy Jean-Louis (Gregory Ruval) and Jack Kesy (Roller).
CLAWS follows Nash as Desna, the owner a Manatee County nail salon, where there’s a lot more going on than silk wraps and pedicures. She and her outrageous staff of working class women are trying to get by while navigating the luscious, absurd and extreme excesses of the crime world. Rounding out the rest of cast is Harold Perrineau, Jenn Lyon, Judy Reyes, Karrueche Tran, Jason Antoon, Kevin Rankin and Dean Norris.
While I can’t say much about the season 2 opener, I’ll tell you that it has just as many laugh-out-loud moments as last season but with a helluva lot more plot twists and turns. In other words, brace yourselves!
Check out all of the red carpet images below
In addition to the CLAWS cast, a number of Atlanta celebrities were also in attendance including Snowfall actor Isaiah John along with his sister Acrimony actress Bianca John, Bravo reality stars Ben and Brooklyn Tankard, Saints & Sinners actresses Dawn Halfkenny and Marquita Goings, Too Close to Home actress Ashley Love-Mills and rapper Kore Stacks.
Trayvon’s Parents say Weinstein’s Company Owes Them $150,000
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin say The Weinstein Company owes them at least $150,000 for optioning the rights to their book in order to make a yet unaired television series based on their son’s legacy.
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin filed court papers last week in the company’s case in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. The television series has been filmed and they are owed fees for “executive producer services,” the parents said in the court filing.
If the television series airs, the parents will be owed further money, the court filing said.
The court filing also said the deal includes an option for the studio to purchase movie rights to their book, “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” though that hasn’t been exercised yet.
Earlier this month, a judge said she would approve a private equity firm’s purchase of the studio. The company was forced into bankruptcy by the sexual misconduct scandal that brought down Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in 2012 as Martin walked home from a convenience store in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was acquitted.
Martin’s death became a rallying cry for millions of black Americans seeking justice for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen.
Like Martin’s parents, several dozen actors, writers, producers and companies have filed court papers saying The Weinstein Company owes them money. Those claims will be addressed at a hearing in Delaware.
Leah Remini Is Taking On Jehovah’s Witnesses In An Upcoming Special
Leah Remini is going after The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
According to THR: The religion, while based on biblical teachings, has come under fire for some practices such as ousting or shunning members who have dissenting views, refusing to participate in politics or government, not celebrating birthdays or Christmas, and for multiple predictions of armageddon that have, obviously, yet to pan out.
Leah said that in working on LR: SATA, “she had found fulfillment by focusing on religion and bringing an end to perceived abuses” and that “she continues to receive messages and emails from people who are eager to share their experiences, not only about Scientology but about other religions”. That’s what led her to address JW.
In keeping with JW protocol, Leah’s as yet untitled show will air at whatever time is most inconvenient for you and will just pop-up on your screen unannounced when you’re trying to catch up on Vanderpump Rules. Ok, maybe not, but here’s what she had to say about it on Twitter. As you can imagine, she’s suddenly become enemy #1 to the JW machine.
JW is one of those religions I only know anything about because of what I’ve heard from ex-JWs. I don’t know that I’ve met a single active JW who wasn’t trying to give me a copy of The Watchtower. That to me is telling. From what I gather from the responses on Twitter, there are plenty of ex-JWs who are excited to have Leah shed light on the church’s practices. And I’m looking forward to learning more about JWs without actually having to talk to a JW!
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘PINKIE WINKIE’
Lookin like Pink Pather’s groupie side-piece.
#EGGPLANTNATION: Meet Ben Blackman
Meet Ben Blackmen! So you know what to do to see them goods. GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
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HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!
EFREM
