John David Washington & Mahershala Ali for Variety - December 2018
Mahershala Ali and John David Washington are on the cover of Variety‘s Actors on Actors issue, out now.
Here’s what the 44-year-old Green Book actor and the 34-year-old BlacKkKlansman star had to say…
John, on preparing for BlacKkKlansman: “I rid myself of all hip-hop, R&B, EDM. And the Cranberries as well, I love them. Steady diets of War, of Sly & the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin. This was for three months. I would go to bed to Soul Train every night, I would watch Super Fly weekly and saw what that was doing to my spirit. What that was going to my psyche, how I was talking, maybe even how I was posturing. And that was all prior to talking to Ron [Stallworth]. I’ve never experienced anything like that, the kind of preparation that Spike [Lee] introduced me to.”
Mahershala, on preparing for Green Book: “Green Book came, and the characters really popped off the page. I thought there’s a chemistry in the writing that was there. I thought the story was important. What I thought was amazing about Don Shirley was that he was an archetype, a person that I had never seen before on-screen. Usually when we go back pre-1975 or especially pre-civil rights, we are clearly in this place of oppression. That exists in this film, but I think my character is the most empowered you could be in that time. This is a guy who is the boss in that car. Because he didn’t even have to go on the tour. He could go to Europe, make his money, have his career. He could stay up North, but him going down into the South was a choice. He wanted to put himself on the front lines in his own unique way and allow people to be exposed to the type of man, the type of black man, that he was in order to sort of pierce the consciousness so that they couldn’t just think of us as sharecroppers.”
For more from Mahershala and John, head to Variety.com.
#RHoA: Fight of the Night: NeNe's Friend Yovana Attacks Eva Marcille!
NeNe's friend launches an all-out war on Eva before Porsha pulls a pregnancy test out of her bra.
NeNe Leakes decided to host a dinner party for a few of her friends. The theme was "Boobs and Bourbon." One of the ladies NeNe invited -- Yovana? -- was being weird and shady toward Eva Marcille from the moment Eva walked in. Eva didn't think much of it, but when NeNe made a comment about how the two of them went to the same high school, Yovana went in.
"You're really good friends with Tiffany, which is my BFF," Yovana said to Eva. Turns out, Tiffany was one of Eva's bridesmaids. Everyone started chiming in, asking how they didn't know each other if they had a mutual friend and went to the same college, but Yovana shut everyone up real quick.
"Let me get to my point!" she shouted over everyone. "Can I spit out what the f--k I'm trying to say?!" Everyone got quiet. She then looked at Eva. "My problem is..." she said.
"Oh, we have a problem?" Eva replied, seeming genuinely confused.
"So my question is, when we first sat down, you said, 'Very nice to meet you,' as if it was the very first time that you met me," Yovana continued in an eerily calm voice.
"I don't recall meeting you before?" Eva replied.
"That's impossible!" Yovana shouted. "I mean, I was that bitch! I was Yovana from Clark! C-A-U! I'm just trying to understand why she never spoke!"
"Because it was 16 years ago, and I don't remember people I saw at the grocery store two days ago!" Eva yelled while her husband clutched her hand to keep her from exploding. She maintained her cool (relatively), but boy did she go in on Yovana during her confessional.
"There's absolutely no way I'm going to hang out with anyone that opts to wear a flammable yellow dress, reminiscent of a banana-flavored condom," Eva told the camera. "Not happening!"
Oh My? You’re thoughts?
#Empire Season 5 Episode 10 Premiere Date Hopes For Fox Drama Series
Let’s start things off here with the bad news that you’re likely more than familiar with when it comes to this show: There is no new episode coming up on Fox for the first couple of months of the year. Empire is one of those series that has a tendency to take super-long breaks through the winter so that Fox can experiment with a few other shows — this is something that they are doing with a number of other series, whether it be STAR or also 911. It’s also something that they will probably continue to do as they move into the post-Disney merger era and have fewer timeslots to really work with throughout the season. Moving forward, Fox is likely going with sports programming on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays after this season.
Typically, Empire returns in March with the second half of its season and this is firmly what we imagine will happen here as well. If we can get the show back around the middle to the end of that month, it gives the writers and producers plenty of time to deliver the remainder of this season before May sweeps concludes. That’s a lot of time to push forward this show’s trademark narrative and hopefully hand down a few more surprises along the way.
Thematically, will the series be the same? We think that to some extent, it could be — albeit with a few alterations to the formula along the way. What we knew going into Empire season 5 was that this was going to be a season very much about rebuilding for Lucious Lyon and the rest of his family — which made some sense given that Empire Entertainment was no longer under his control. This was the season of having to figure things out after watching the business that you knew and loved completely fall off the edge of the world. Do you still have some of that same mojo you once did? While we think Lucious and Cookie have figured some things out, they have not made it back to the mountaintop. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to get them back to that point.
#NewMusicVideo from John Legend – 'Bring Me Love'
Star singer-songwriter John Legend has premiered the animated lyric video for “Bring Me Love” from his first Christmas album, A Legendary Christmas available now on Columbia Records.
LISTEN HERE
To accompany the Christmas album, which was executive produced by Raphael Saadiq, John has embarked on a 25-date ‘A Legendary Christmas’ Tour. The tour kicked off November 15 in Clearwater, FL and will include stops in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up on December 30 in San Diego.
#HipHopVideo from Meek Mill – ‘Intro’
With his new album Championships headed for No. 1, Meek Mill celebrates his wins in the anthemic video for the album “Intro.”
Surrounded by his Dreamchasers crew, the Philly MC sets the triumphant tone in the Kid Art-directed clip. He pours out champagne while rapping about his come-up, pays homage to fallen friends, and rides bikes. Lil Durk also makes a brief cameo.
WATCH HERE
The album, which features appearances from Drake, Cardi B, and JAY-Z, is set to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 200,000 equivalent album units.
The Queen Bee Beyonce Performs at Billionaire Indian Tycoon's Daughter's Wedding Party
The singer was part of the star-studded pre-wedding festivities of Isha Ambani, daughter of India's richest tycoon, Mukesh Ambani.
Beyonce flew into India and dazzled guests at the pre-wedding festivities of Isha Ambani, daughter of India's richest person, Mukesh Ambani, on Sunday in the historic city of Udaipur, in Rajasthan.
The Lemonade singer performed some of her biggest hits, including "Crazy In Love," "Naughty Girl" and "Perfect" for guests at the glitzy event held at the luxury Oberoi Udaivilas hotel. Guests included Hillary Clinton, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan and a host of other Bollywood stars.
Isha Ambani is marrying Anand Piramal, who also hails from a leading business family which runs the diversified Piramal group. Her father is reported to be worth $42 billion and is the head of the massive Reliance Industries conglomerate.
Beyonce posted a photo of the outfit she wore for her performance, which was designed by leading Indian designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
The wedding will be held Wednesday at Ambani's lavish mansion Antilla in Mumbai, considered one of the world's most expensive private residences, rumored to have cost a billion dollars.
The Ambani-Piramal nuptials follows another recent high-profile wedding, that of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas in Jodhpur, also in Rajasthan, which was followed by a reception in the capital New Delhi where guests included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Local news outlets reported that Chopra and Jonas also attended the Ambani-Piramal festivities in Udaipur.
International stars performing at lavish Indian weddings has been a long-running trend. Back in 2004, Australian pop star Kylie Minogue performed at the wedding of Vanisha Mittal, daughter of one of the U.K.'s top billionaires Lakshmi Mittal, which was considered one of the most expensive weddings of all time with the festivities held at various historic locations in Paris.
In 2015, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Scherzinger glammed up the wedding of Indian billionaire Sanjay Hinduja and Anusuya Mahtani, which was held in Udaipur.
Drake Shows Off His Owl Chest Tattoo
Drake took to social media over the weekend to show off his new ink.
October’s Very Own has a huge owl tattoo across his chest and it looks dope and like it was painful to get done…..LOOK!
Your thoughts?
Watch The New Trailer for ‘Godzilla: King Of The Monsters’
Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for their forthcoming film, Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters, starring Millie Bobby Brown.
Following the global success of “Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse, an epic action-adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
Watch The Trailer HERE
The cast includes also includes Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and more!
Jacquees gets dragged on social media for calling himself ‘king of R & B’
R & B crooner Jacquees has had a year full of buzz - from his unauthorized but popular remake of Ella Mai’s “Trip” to the release of his debut album “4275.” Though he has attracted a legion of fans, some R & B music lovers have knocked the 24-year-old down a peg after his boastful comments on Instagram over the weekend.
Jacquees, real name Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax, hopped on Instagram Sunday to share a message with his more than 3.5 million followers about his dominance of the R&B genre, especially for the folks in “this generation.”
“I just want to let everybody know that I’m the king of R &B right now - for this generation,” the Decatur native said in a short Instagram video. “Jacquees the king of R & B. I been feeling like that.”
The 24-year-old has not made it to the Billboard chart’s top 40 in 2018, but his 2016 single “B.E.D.” spent seven weeks on the charts, peaking at No. 30 on the R & B and Hip-Hop charts. His most notable song this year has been a remix of Ella Mai’s “Trip,” but the team behind Ella Mai ripped the track from Soundcloud, reportedly due to the singer-songwriter publishing an unauthorized version of the song.
Jacquees’ sentiment on his R & B royalty status was not well-received for the most part on social media Monday. With many pointing out the singer had little evidence of his dominance, especially when compared to singers like Chris Brown.
We got...
Brian McKnight
Babyface
Maxwell
Tevin Campbell
Johnny Gill
Keith Sweat
R.Kelly
Tyrese
Donell Jones
Tank
Avant
John Legend
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Eric Benet
Jaheim
Ne-Yo
Jamie Foxx
Lloyd
J. Holiday
& Ginuwine
& Jacquees REALLLLY thinks HE’S the KING of R&B?! Boy 😒
It wasn’t just music fans who took issue with the singer’s declaration. Actor and singer Tyrese also chimed in. On Instagram Monday, Tyrese called Jacquees out for “trolling” social media users. He cited Chris Brown and Trey Songz as current contenders for the ‘king” title.
Though the reception was mainly negative, Jacquees’ comments did get support from those who applauded his confidence.
#UGH! NYPD Probes ‘DISTURBING’ Video Of Cops Ripping 1-Year-Old From Mother’s Arms
The New York Police Department is investigating a video shared on Facebook that shows officers yanking a 1-year-old baby from his mother’s arms at a government assistance center.
The roughly 2 1/2-minute video, captured Friday by Nyashia Ferguson on her cellphone at a city Human Resources Administration office in Brooklyn, is “troubling,” the NYPD said in a statement on Sunday. It added that investigators were looking into the incident with the HRA.
The video, which caused a public outcry after it began circulating on social media, shows three NYPD officers restraining a woman, identified as 23-year-old Jazmine Headley, as they wrestle away her wailing 1-year-old son, Damone, during a struggle at the HRA office in the Boerum Hill neighborhood.
WATCH HERE
Yes, that’s the NYPD trying to yank a baby from the arms of his mother.— Pat Kiernan (@patkiernan) December 10, 2018
Follow Monae Sinclair’s Facebook link to see the entire clip, including the part where a cop waves a Taser at the bystanders who dared to suggest there was a better way to do this. https://t.co/d7MmxEglSI pic.twitter.com/GughC2nqwm
“I was just so disgusted,” Ferguson told CBS New York. “I couldn’t believe they were doing that to that child. I just couldn’t believe it. It was crazy.”
The chaos unfolded after Headley sat on the floor of the office’s crowded waiting room with her son as she awaited a child-care voucher, according to Ferguson.
A security guard told Headley that she had to get up, according to the police statement, but she refused, and office staff called 911 “due to her disorderly conduct towards others, and for obstructing the hallway.”
Arriving police officers ordered Headley to leave. When she refused, police said officers arrested her and Headley resisted.
“They’re hurting my son! They’re hurting my son!” Headley is heard yelling in the video, cradling her son on the floor as police attempt to restrain her. “I’m begging you, please.”
Onlookers can be heard crying out in horror as the officers pull Headley’s son away. One officer wielded a yellow stun gun, prompting an onlooker to yell out, “She has a fucking baby in her hands!”
Police charged Headley with several misdemeanor offenses, including resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child, and criminal trespass.
“This is unacceptable, appalling and heart breaking,” tweeted New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “I’d like to understand what transpired and how these officers or the NYPD justifies this. It’s hard to watch this video.”
A family member took custody of Headley’s son following her arrest, according to police. As of Sunday night, she was being held without bail on Rikers Island, reported The New York Times.
A representative for NYPD’s 84th Precinct did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for additional comment.
‘Best Friends’ Ray J and Brandy Announces A Joint Album!
Ray J took his fans by surprise when he announced that he and his big sister Brandy Norwood will be coming together for a joint album.
The “One Wish” singer and his sister took a picture while posing on his “Scoot E Bike” scooters from his company Raycon. Ray had a white one, while Brandy sat on a black one.
Ray J shared the photo of himself and his sister on Friday, Dec. 7, with a caption that let the fans know the duo will be working on an album soon. “#ScootEBike #BestFriends @4everbrandy & @rayconblobal #RnB our album together! #ATL #NYC #CarsonCa.
The fans are so excited for the brother-sister duo to do a joint album.
“Been waiting on a full Ray & B album… the dynamic duo”
“I’m here fa the joint album”
“Can’t wait to hear it end can’t wait to join you on the journey! @rayj @4everbrandy”
“That would be great luv your voices.”
Ray J announced his joint album with his sister, but he made sure to keep the release date unspecified. The reality star found himself in a hole when he announced that there was going to be a “Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood” album and couldn’t deliver. He shared on his Instagram, “Love and Hip Hop album is not coming out for a while… [I] couldn’t get the cast-members on the same page. Couldn’t get the business done right… I was thinking about it as a compilation and everybody just kind of shined with the singles that’s already out… I guess everybody else had a different idea so we back to the drawing board.”
Nicki Minaj and Registered Sex Offender Kenneth Petty’s Rumored New Romance Is Instagram Official
Are the rumors true? Nicki Minaj is seemingly dating Kenneth Petty, who is a registered sex offender in the state of New York.
The “Barbie Dreams” rapper, 36, made her rumored new romance Instagram Opens a New Window. official on Sunday, December 9, when she posted a photo of herself cozying up to Petty, 40, while celebrating her birthday. She also shared a solo snap of her possible new beau.
“Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happens?… it’s no secret… that the both of us… are running out of time,” Minaj captioned the post, referencing lyrics from Adele’s song “Hello.”
The Grammy nominee disabled comments on her Instagram post hours after fans started pointing out Petty’s checkered past.
According to online records from the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, Petty was convicted in April 1995 of attempted rape in the first degree over an incident that occurred the previous September with a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in state prison, but it is unclear how much time he served.
Many fans expressed concern for Minaj, whose brother Jelani Maraj was found guilty in November 2017 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. She has also publicly supported rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who was sentenced to probation in October for his involvement in a sexually explicit video of a 13-year-old girl.
The “Good Form” MC previously dated rappers Safaree Samuels, Meek Mill and Nas.
‘Power’ Crew Member Dead After Accident On Location; Starz Series Shuts Down
An early-morning accident on the sixth season of Power has left a longtime production assistant dead. Pedro Jimenez was fatally struck by a SUV at around 4:30 AM ET Monday while setting up parking cones for a Brooklyn location shoot for the Starz series.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the members of our Power family,” a Starz spokesperson said of the death of the 63-year old Parking PA. “Our thoughts are with Mr. Jimenez’ family as we work to fully understand what has happened.”
Jimenez has been with the series since its first day of production. Power debuted in 2014.
NYPD officials say they are investigating the incident and have spoken to the driver of the 2006 Ford Explorer that hit Jimenez. The driver was also a member of the Power crew, I’ve learned.
In the midst of the filming for the upcoming season of the drama series created by Courtney Kemp and executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Power has temporally shut down production. The move is out of respect for the family of Jimenez, which was informed of his death almost immediately after he was pronounced dead by medical authorities at Brooklyn Hospital this morning.
The halting of filming also will allow crew members and cast on the series starring Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton, Lela Loren and Joseph Sikora deal with the loss, sources say.
No cast members were on set when the fatality occurred; their call time was not until 7 AM ET.
There’s no word on when production will resume. However, a planned holiday break on the show is coming up, so the shutdown could go into early 2019.
Jamal Bryant Becomes 1st Pastor to Visit Atlanta’s Trap Museum
New Birth Baptist Church's new leader Jamal Bryant is making his presence known all over Atlanta. Bryant became the first pastor to visit Atlanta's Trap Music Museum.
"I'm Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, and I just made history," said Bryant in a video posted on the Trap Museum's Instagram page.
Bryant added emphatically, "I'm the first pastor to come to the Trap Music Museum."
The Trap Music Museum is the brainchild of rapper T.I. Harris who envisioned a museum for visitors to learn about the origins of trap music in the Dirty South.
In the video, Bryant, 47, asked "self-righteous people" to "get off your high horse, and come see where it is your sons, your daughters, your nephews, your brother and your uncle survived the trap in order to become a success."
Mr. Bryant is not from around these parts, so he probably doesn't have a clear understanding of what "the trap" means.
Maybe someone should explain to the pastor that "the trap" is not the bad side of town, it's a genre of music -- heavy on the bass and nonsensical lyrics -- that low level drug workers listen to while they mind the drug stash inside a vacant house.
Bryant, right, also visited his bespoke tailor at Connaisseur Paris, a custom clothier located inside the trendy Shops of Buckhead open air mall.
Bryant was there to pick out his custom wardrobe to look fly for the ladies on his first day at work.
Bryant preached his first sermon at New Birth this past Sunday
Mel B Hospitalized With 2 Broken Ribs & Severed Hand
Mel B recently suffered multiple serious injuries, resulting in her hospitalization.
The America’s Got Talent judge took to Instagram to share the news with fans, uploading a photo of herself with her arm in a sling. Within the caption, the Spice Girl revealed that she severed her right hand and broke two ribs without going into detail as to how she sustained her injuries.
“Thank you to all the wonderful nurses, [doctors] and my amazing surgeon for the care and expertise given to me here at the hospital I’ve been staying at, suffering 2 broken ribs and a severed right hand,” Mel wrote.
She went on, “[From] needing [emergency] care, to having had to have over a 3 [hour] surgery to repair the damage, hence the purple sling.”
The singer also apologized to her New York fans who bought tickets to her book signing, promising she’ll be back once she’s healed up.
“I’ve had to unfortunately cancel my book signing today in NY,I [apologize] to each and everyone one of you who bought [their] tickets to meet me today😩I’m absolutely gutted but I can assure you it WILL happen at a later date, I promise, but for now My right arm/hand is all stitched up and I’m trying to keep still to heal my broken ribs, ohhh the pain, but I’m in super safe hands with the care of everyone here at the hospital!!!!!thank you all for understanding, I love you all.”
Mel, who was in great spirits, was also visited by her Spice Girl group mates.
New Edition’s Ronnie DeVoe Admits to Owing $366K in Back Taxes
Singer Ronnie DeVoe has acknowledged that he and his wife, Shamari DeVoe, owe the IRS more than $300,000 in back taxes, media outlets report.
During an interview with The Domenick Nati Show last week, Ronnie addressed RadarOnline’s report that the couple owes the massive tax lien from 2013.
“There’s some truth to everything in life,”- Ronnie DeVoe
He continued, “We’ve all had some tax challenges at some point, or doctored up some documents to be able to get some type of tax return.”
The 50-year-old singer earns a bulk of his money by touring with famous R&B groups New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. Ronnie and Shamari are also the newest cast members on Bravo’s hit reality series, The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Ronnie also revealed that he is making payments to the IRS.
“It is definitely something I’m not running away from,” he said. “The IRS knows me, I know them. Payments are being made.”
The tax lien isn’t unusual for celebrities of Ronnie’s stature. Within the past four years of members of the reality series and residents of Atlanta have been hit with tax liens including NeNe Leakes, Sheree Whitfield, and Kenya Moore.
Listen to Ronnie’s statement Above
Beto O’Rourke Reportedly Spoke With Al Sharpton As he Mulls a 2020 Bid!
Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) spoke with Rev. Al Sharpton on Friday, BuzzFeed News reported Monday, adding to speculation that the rising star of the Democratic Party might be mounting a 2020 presidential bid.
O’Rourke’s narrow loss to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a traditionally red state came after a campaign that energized a progressive grassroots movement and brought in major fundraising, marking him as a future leader within the party.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a spokeswoman for Sharpton confirmed the reverend and the congressman “spoke and agreed to meet within the next couple of weeks and they had a great conversation.”
Representatives for O’Rourke and Sharpton did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.
O’Rourke initially said after the midterms that he would not run for president in 2020. Yet at a Texas town hall late last month, he declared he and his wife had “made a decision not to rule anything out.”
His talk with Sharpton, a civil rights icon and former Democratic presidential candidate, is part of a series of high-profile conversations and meetings — including one last month with former President Barack Obama, which the Washington Post reported on last week. Obama had previously compared O’Rourke to his younger self.
Some aides close to Obama reportedly favored former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) as a potential 2020 contender. But Patrick announced last week that he would not pursue a run.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘DUDE MOO’
Sir, I just want to say that is a very elegant moo moo.
#EGGPLANT NATION Meet Drake Bear!
Meet Drake! Well to see more you can GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSWF!
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ENJOY!
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!
EFREM
