The Forever First Lady! Michelle Obama for Essence - December 2018/January 2019
Forever First Lady Michelle Obama covers the December 2018/January 2019 of Essence magazine photographed by Miller Mobley and styled by Meredith Koop.
ON HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN BARACK: “I think a lot of people don’t have a clear idea of what they should look for in a mate—and for a long time, I didn’t either…What drew me to Barack was that when I met him, he was already a fully formed individual. From our very first conversations, he showed me that he wasn’t afraid to express his fears and doubts, or that he might not have all the answers. He could handle someone with her own passions and goals, someone who had ideas of her own. He relished it, in fact. I liked that…”
ON HER HAPPIEST DAYS IN THE WHITE HOUSE: “Any day that I got to spend time with children was a good day. Sometimes if I was need of a pick-me-up, my staff would schedule an event with young people to give me a boost. Kids give me energy. They get me out of my own head and remind me about the things that are most important…”
HER ADVICE TO WOMEN ON BALANCING IT ALL: “When I was raising young children, I learned to lean on a group of my friends in Chicago, women who, like me, had jobs and partners and children who kept them moving every minute. We’d help one another in very concrete ways, like picking up each other’s kids for dance lessons or a birthday party or anything else that came up…Of course, we leaned on our husbands as well…But for me, there was something special—something vital, even—about sharing this experience with other women who were going through the same kinds of stresses and challenges that I was…”
ON WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER: “Since we left the White House, I’ve spend most of my time focusing on finishing this book. The book tour will keep me busy for a while, and then I’ll take some time to evaluate what’s next. I’m in no hurry. What I know is that public service is in my DNA, so I’m planning to find ways to keep being useful…I see myself always staying involved in efforts like that…”
Style Credits:
Rachel Comey Blazer and Corset Pant
Reformation Tank
Alison Lou Jewely
Soko ‘Charity: Water” Delicate Drop Necklace and Sabi Statement Ring
Makeup: Carl Ray
Hair: Yene Damtew
#RHoA: Oh? Kandi Burruss Thinks with the Dip in Ratings Kenya Moore Will Return to RHOA!
The ratings for “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” have been on the decline for the last several seasons and season 11 is no exception. It appears the absence of Kenya Moore hasn’t helped matters but her pal and current cast member Kandi Burruss is hopeful the new mom will return to the show.
“I wasn’t happy about Kenya not being here,” Burruss tells Hip Hollywood in an interview uploaded online Sunday, Nov. 4. “But, with that being said, I feel like everything happens for a reason and I feel like more than anything she really needed to just focus on having a healthy pregnancy. Because this is something she’s wanted forever and ever.
“And I think she’ll probably come back next year, hopefully,” Burruss added softly. “I’m gonna speak it into existence.”
And although Moore made her exit from the show official in October when she told The Daily Dish she “decided to take this season off to focus on my high-risk pregnancy in a healthy and drama free environment,” that doesn’t mean viewers won’t see the former Miss USA winner at all this season.
Burruss added that she “twisted her arm” to appear on the show, something she also disclosed to “Entertainment Tonight.”
“Well, she does pop up. She does pop up once, to my begging, of course,” Burruss said of Moore, who gave birth to baby Brooklyn Daly the same day RHOA’s new season debuted. “I just was like, ‘You know, Kenya, people got to see you at least once.’ So I kinda twisted her arm … Everything happens for a reason. This is a time she needed to focus on her baby and being healthy. But do I feel like she should be back, or that she would be back? Yes!”
#Empire: Jussie Smollett didn’t want his ‘Empire’ character to have a white boyfriend
Jussie Smollett was adamant that his character Jamal Lyon not have a white boyfriend on the Fox series “Empire.”
Speaking on the SiriusXM radio show “The Clay Cane Show,” the 35-year-old out actor says it was important for him to show a loving relationship between two black men.
“There was talk about Jamal having a white boyfriend and I said, ‘F**k no!’ Not for any reason except we have a responsibility and we have a such a beautiful opportunity to show two black men in a relationship together, in a healthy relationship. But it was important to say and that wasn’t anything against white men. It was just a thing of no, no, no, no… this is what I hope, this what I want to see, this what I wished I had seen as a kid because if I had seen certain things as an adolescent I would have had a much different understanding of who I am in an earlier space. I do think that is important to show,” Smollett says.
Smollett also praised the film “Moonlight” for its portrayal of black, gay male sexuality and masculinity.
“It was just beautiful,” Smollett says. “It was also not about sexuality, it was actually about masculinity and the rules that are put on little boys, specifically little black boys, from the moment that they are born that we never really talk about.”
Thoughts?
#NewMusic from Mariah Carey ‘Caution’ STREAM IT!
Mariah Carey releases her fifteenth studio album, Caution. The follow-up to 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse features contributions from Jermaine Dupri, DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign, Skrillex, Slick Rick, Blood Orange, and Gunna.
Caution includes the previously released buzz single, “GTFO,” produced by Nineteen85, the Mustard-produced lead single “With You,” the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “The Distance,” and the recently released “A No No,” a song that sees her sampling Lil’ Kim’s “Crush on You” remix featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil Cease.
LISTEN AND STREAM HERE
She recently announced the “Caution World Tour,” which kicks off on February 27, 2019 in Dallas, TX. The 22-city North American jaunt will make stops in major cities like Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia before wrapping on April 6 in Bethlehem, PA.
#HipHopNews: Cardi B’s ‘Invasion Of Privacy’ Named Time’s Best Album Of 2018
Cardi B’s debut album Invasion of Privacy has been named TIME’s Best Album of 2018. The magazine praised the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker for delivering a solid effort that lived up to the hype and earned her her rightful place in hip-hop.
“Invasion of Privacy delivered–not just on the dark, defensive rap that earned her legions of fans, but also with irresistible hits like the fizzy ‘I Like It,’ which nods at her Latin roots,” writes the publication. “Cardi’s debut doesn’t just earn her a seat at hip-hop’s table–it marks her as a singular voice.”
Upon its release in April, Invasion of Privacy topped the Billboard 200 and earned critical acclaim from media outlets including Rolling Stone, who awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, and Pitchfork, who wrote, “Cardi B’s remarkable debut places her, without a doubt, in the pantheon of great rappers.”
Other albums in TIME‘s 10 Best Albums of 2018 include Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer (No. 2), J Balvin’s Vibras (No. 5), Troye Sivan’s Bloom (No. 7), and Camila Cabello’s Camila (No. 10). See the full list below.
TIME’S 10 BEST ALBUMS OF 2018
1. Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
2. Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
3. Mitski – Be the Cowboy
4. Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes
5. J Balvin – Vibras
6. Robyn – Honey
7. Troye Sivan – Bloom
8. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
9. The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
10. Camila Cabello – Camila
#NetworkNews: Channing Dungey Resigns As President Of ABC Entertainment, Karey Burke To Replace Her
Less than two years after becoming the first black person to lead a major network, Channing Dungey has resigned as president of ABC Entertainment Group.
The news comes five months after Channing pulled the plug on “Roseanne” in response to Roseanne Barr‘s racist statements about Valerie Jarrett.
Channing will be replaced by Freeform head of originals Karey Burke, who has been promoted to president of ABC Entertainment Group.
In a statement, Channing Dungey said: I’m incredibly proud of what the team and I have accomplished over the years, and all the meaningful and impactful programming we’ve developed.
This job has been the highlight of my career. While I’ve loved every moment, and knew I could call ABC home for many years to come, I’m excited to tackle new challenges. The toughest thing about this choice is leaving all the immensely talented people I’ve grown to admire and care for, from Bob Iger, the best leader and mentor that anyone could have; to my peers and colleagues; to my talented team, who I will miss enormously.
But knowing that Karey is taking over, a person that I like and respect so deeply, makes passing the baton a lot easier. I know that, together, under Peter [Rice] and Dana’s leadership, they are going to achieve great things and I will be rooting for their success.
The scoop on the street is Channing may be headed over to Netflix to join forces with Shonda Rhimes, which would be absolutely epic!
Mariah Carey’s MAGA-Lovin Fans Are Outraged Over Her Pic With Colin Kaepernick
Mariah Carey‘s MAGA-lovin fans lashed out at the R&B diva when she posted a photo of herself with Colin Kaepernick.
Mimi took the photo with Kap at Hot 97 and wrote the caption, “Such an honor to meet @kaepernick7 today!”
While civilized folks liked and commented on the photo, the others lashed out and announced they were done with the Queen of Christmas.
Peep a few mad MAGA-ers below:
One of Mariah Carey’s fans gave the singer credit for using the photo to lure out her racist fans:
BOOM!
Diddy Pays Tribute To Kim Porter: ‘I Miss You So Much’ and that they were more than soulmates!
Just days after his ex-girlfriend Kim Porter was found dead in her Toluca Lake, Calif., home, 49-year-old Sean “Diddy” Combs released a tribute to her on his Instagram.
“For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare. But I haven’t,” Diddy wrote. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby. I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship.”
The caption was posted beneath a video in which Diddy is seen kissing a then-pregnant Porter at a 2006 photo shoot for Essence magazine. After a scene that shows the two dancing, they discuss their relationship in a short video clip. “Being two chocolate individuals, we’ll make beautiful chocolate babies,” says Diddy. “We’re celebrating black love. We don’t get to see too much of that,” adds Porter. “And we definitely demonstrate that. Right, baby? Give me a kiss.”
Diddy ends the caption with a heartbreaking statement. “We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE SOME OTHER S***!!” he says. “And I miss you so much. Super Black Love
Just minutes after the video was posted, celebrities came out in the comments to extend their sympathy. “Sending so much love and prayers to you and your whole family 🖤” wrote Kim Kardashian. “@diddy I’m so sorry,” added Tracee Ellis Ross. “Praying for you and your family. Sending so much love.”
While no official coroner’s report has been released, some early reports are suggesting that 47-year-old Porter’s death was the result of complications from either pneumonia or the flu. The model and actress had reportedly been battling the illness for weeks before a call came in to authorities reporting a victim in cardiac arrest. Diddy and Porter share three children.
His Instagram post marks the first public response Diddy has made regarding her death. Two days before, he was spotted with another ex-girlfriend, Cassie, leaving a museum in Los Angeles.
#BoxOfficeNews: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Delivers Debut $62 Million and $253M World Wide.
At #1, Warner Bros.'s release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald debut with an estimated $62 million from 4,163 theaters.
Reviews for The Crimes of Grindelwald have been relatively weak — 40% on RottenTomatoes and 53 on Metacritic — and the film received a "B+" CinemaScore, which, in CinemaScore terms, is a notable decline compared to the "A" the first film received. The film played to a crowd that was 57% female with 69% of the overall audience coming in aged 25 years or older. While a couple percentage points higher, these numbers mesh almost exactly with the first film. That said, the audience score for Grindelwald on RottenTomatoes comes in at a decent 71% and should it follow in the footsteps of the first film, look for a domestic performance that just might reach $200 million.
Internationally, the film brought in $191 million from 79 markets, including record openings in 18 of them, including Russia ($12.1m) and Brazil ($6.9m) along with performances ahead of the first film in 43 markets, including France ($11.7m), Germany ($12.8m), Russia, Brazil and Mexico ($6.2m). China led all markets with an estimated $37.5 million debut, which is a shade behind the $40.4 million opening for the first film. All told, we're looking at a $253 million global debut — 38th largest of all-time — with Japan as the lone key market yet to open, where the film will hit theaters this coming Friday, November 23.
Man who Dumped Body Of Reality Star Lyric McHenry Indicted By Bronx Grand Jury
Earlier this month, A man has been charged with hiding the dead body of Lyric McHenry, the pregnant daughter of movie producer Doug McHenry who was found dead in the Bronx over two months ago, according to newly revealed court papers.
Alexis Mejia-Ramirez, 29, allegedly helped two other men lug McHenry’s corpse to a sidewalk on Boscobel Place and Undercliff Avenue on Aug. 14 so that she wouldn’t be discovered.
This week A Bronx man is facing up to eight years in prison for helping to dump the body of pregnant reality star Lyric McHenry after she died of an overdose, authorities said Saturday.
According to NYDN reports, Alexis Mejia-Ramirez, 29, pleaded not guilty Friday in Bronx Criminal Court on charges he left McHenry on a desolate stretch of sidewalk on Undercliff Ave. in Highbridge on Aug. 14.
McHenry — an up-and-coming media star whose father is Doug McHenry, a Hollywood producer behind the films “New Jack City” and “Jason’s Lyric” — was found around 5 a.m. wearing a pajama top and underwear, with a small ziplock bag of cocaine on her. She was 20 weeks pregnant.
Mejia-Ramirez is charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
Each criminal charges has a maximum penalty of four years in jail. If convicted, Mejia-Ramirez will most likely receive less time, since this was his first arrest, sources said.
Kanye West Donates $150,000 to Family of Jemel Roberson
Kanye West has donated $150,000 to the family of Jemel Roberson, who was tragically killed by police after he subdued a shooting suspect.
West, 41, made the outstanding donation on the GoFundMe page the 26-year-old’s family created following his murder on Nov. 11.
A fan account took a photo of West’s 10 donations of $15,000 and shared the screenshot on Instagram Friday.
Roberson, who was the father of a 9-month-old son, was in uniform and wearing a hat, emblazoned with the word “security,” while holding down the alleged assailant early Sunday at Manny’s Blue Room Lounge in Robbins, outside of Chicago, Illinois. Roberson also was holding his licensed firearm at the time, WGN-TV reported.
Toni Braxton Reveals Birdman Gave Her an Ultimatum on Picking a Wedding Date
Toni Braxton revealed that Birdman is through waiting on her to pick a date, so he gave her a hard deadline.
Braxton stopped by E! News thiw week and dished a little about having to plan a wedding and get married by the end of the year. “My guy [Birdman] said I have to pick a date by the end of the year.” She continued, “We have to get married before the year is out. He said ‘before next year.'”\
The singer then mentioned that Birdman would get married to her anywhere, including a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas. “He said that we can go through a drive-through.”
Earlier, Braxton stopped by the “Wendy Williams Show” on Tuesday and spilled more tea about her wedding plans. She spoke about why it was difficult for her to set a date. “We almost had a date — well, we had two dates — but we were doing ‘Braxton Family Values‘ and we were going through a little drama, and I was like, ‘OK, the wedding is a good thing to get all of us sisters together,’ but I couldn’t get us all together”
She also let it be known that none of her sisters will be her maid of honor. She added that Jada Pinkett Smith would be the maid of honor instead. “None of them [will be my maid of honor], it’ll be my best friend, my girlfriend Jada,” the reality star said.
Well alrighty then!
Celine Dion Releases Gender Neutral Clothing Line in Collaboration With Children’s Retailer “Nununu”
Celine Dion has her own gender-neutral clothing line called “Celinununu” in collaboration with children’s apparel line #Nununu, who is well known in the gender-neutral fashion lane. Celine joins the likes of #Target and #Abercrombie, who have also launched gender neutral clothing for children.
These days a lot more parents are going against the grain and raising their children without a gender designation, allowing their kids to choose their own gender. Celine, who has long been a fan and customer of the Nununu brand, recently tweeted, “I’ve always loved Nununu and what they represent. Partnering with them to encourage a dialogue of equality and possibility makes so much sense.”
According to #Vox, Nununu founders Iris Adler and Tali Milchberg said they started the brand in 2009 because they couldn’t find clothes for their kids outside the pink-blue options and found the underlying messages clothes sent to their children about gender unsettling.
Milchberg said, “It was very boyish and girly, very blue and pink, football and flowers. The clothes were divided into two sections, and we were concerned about the emotional aspect.” Adler added that she and Milchberg believe children’s fashion “doesn’t have to be silly, fussy, or frilly.”
Clothes from the brand are available at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other retailers, as well as from the official Nununu website.
Serena Williams & Husband Alexis Ohanian Sr. Celebrate One Year Anniversary
Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian Sr. will more than likely be celebrating their one year anniversary this weekend due to the married pair sharing their celebratory messages on Instagram on Friday (Nov. 16).
The pair got married Nov. 16, 2017 in New Orleans, LA after a year of dating. Their ceremony was held at the Contemporary Arts Center in the French Quarter, with a ‘Beauty & the Beast’ theme. The pair share a daughter, Alexis Ohanian Jr., who was birthed Sept. 1, 2017. Congrats to them!
The California Camp Fire Death Toll Climbs To 76 As Missing Person List Swells To Almost 1,300
Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory L. Honea has urged the public to check lists of missing people to help account for those who are safe.
headshot
The death toll from Northern California’s Camp fire now stands at 76 after search-and-rescue officials recovered five sets of remains on Saturday.
Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory L. Honea said that while 63 individuals have already been “tentatively identified,” confirmation will come only from DNA tests.
The state’s death toll now stands at 79 following the discovery of three bodies in the Woolsey fire in Southern California.
Investigators continue to scour the town of Paradise in their search for additional remains.
Honea pleaded with the public to check lists of missing people “and call in and let us know they are safe so that we can begin to get them off the list and devote resources to other areas.”
“As of tonight, the current list of unaccounted individuals stands at 1,276,” he said Saturday.
President Donald Trump toured the destruction left in the wake of the wildfires on Saturday, telling reporters that “nobody thought this could happen.”
“Hopefully this is going to be the last one of these,” he said, per CNN.
The deadliest wildfire in California’s history, the Camp fire has been responsible for the destruction of nearly 10,000 homes. According to CBS, the blaze is now 55 percent contained after burning through more than 149,000 acres.
Stacey Abrams Ends Georgia Governor bid, Says She’ll File Lawsuit
Democrat Stacey Abrams ended 10 days of post-election drama in Georgia’s closely watched and even more closely contested race for governor Friday, acknowledging Republican Brian Kemp as the victor while defiantly refusing to concede to the man she blamed for “gross mismanagement” of a bitterly fought election.
The speech Abrams delivered at her campaign headquarters Friday evening marked the close of the 44-year-old attorney and former lawmaker’s unsuccessful attempt to make history as America’s first black woman governor. Since Election Day her campaign fought on, insisting efforts to suppress turnout had left thousands of ballots uncounted that otherwise could erode Kemp’s lead and force a runoff election.
Kemp, the 55-year-old businessman who oversaw the election as Georgia’s secretary of state, will keep the governor’s office in GOP hands as the state’s third Republican governor since Reconstruction. He responded to Abrams ending her campaign by calling for unity and praising his opponent’s “passion, hard work, and commitment to public service.”
Abrams made no such retreat from her criticisms of Kemp, saying she refused “to say nice things and accept my fate.” Instead, she announced plans to file a federal lawsuit to challenge the way Georgia’s elections are run. She accused Kemp of using the secretary of state’s office to aggressively purge the rolls of inactive voters, enforce an “exact match” policy for checking voters’ identities that left thousands of registrations in limbo and other measures to tile the outcome in his favor.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘SEXY COP?’
Bud, Halloween has been over for a few weeks now. Time to go back to reality. Sorry.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Hairy Bear
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HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!
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