The Daily Buzz For Oct 15 ☕📰☕

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Regina King for Variety’s Power of Women Issue!

Regina King Celebrates the ‘All-Inclusive Sisterhood That’s Happening Right Now’

“You can’t feel and understand real power unless you feel and understand what it means to empower,” Regina King said to a room full of beaming onlookers at Variety‘s annual Power of Women event, held Friday at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

As one of Variety‘s five Power of Women honorees, King began her speech by recognizing fellow honorees Emma Gonzalez, Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish, and Natalie Portman, and the women who helped her get to where she is today.

“I wouldn’t be standing here right now if I didn’t have a mother who encouraged me and my sister to dream beyond the sky,” she said. 

An Emmy Award-winning actress, King is known for her roles in “American Crime,” “Seven Seconds,” and “Southland.” Besides acting, she is also a director and producer. When she’s not wearing any of those three hats, she’s working with the “I Have a Dream LA” Foundation, whose mission is to empower children in low-income communities, helping them get into college and pursue their dreams.

King nodded to her heroes, echoing inspirational quotes from Aaron Sorkin and Gandhi. The prospect of being able to reinvent herself at any time, she said, is what keeps her going. “Talk to me five years from now and my title might have another hyphen in it,” she said. “That’s what keeps me dreaming. Never stop dreaming.” 

And she gave a shoutout to Natalie Portman, the honoree who gave a speech before her and got a standing ovation. “Oh, man,” King marveled. “Natalie Portman, 2020!”

King wrapped up her speech with a final word on the importance of continuing to “shine a light on what’s right in the world” as well as what is wrong. Women  empowering other women, she said, is “one of the things that’s right.” 

“There is an all-inclusive sisterhood that’s happening right now. Women are supporting, loving, and protecting each other outwardly on a grand scale,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing, and it makes my heart smile. And that is powerful.”

See all the covers from the issue above!

#RHoA: Porsha Williams tells why she unfollowed Kandi Burruss

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Porsha Williams is not ashamed to admit that she is really petty when it comes to unfollowing people on Instagram.

Dubbing herself the “unfollow queen,” Williams, who is also a co-host on the hit show “Dish Nation,” dished on why she unfollows certain RHOA cast members and many other people on a regular basis.

“Well I do unfollow. I am the unfollow queen,” said Williams, 37. “I am an active Instagram person. And if I’m mad at you, and I don’t want to see you coming down my timeline, then I will unfollow yo a– real quick.”

Another “Dish Nation” co-host asked her why she stopped following Burruss on Instagram, which was quickly noticed by pop culture observers. Williams revealed that it had nothing to do with any residual ill feelings from her once accusing Burruss of conspiring to drug her and take her back to her sex dungeon to rape her. The fallout from that explosive drama cost one popular RHOA cast member her job and nearly caused irreparable damage to Burruss and Williams’ friendship.

The reason Williams gave for severing ties with Burruss on social media was rather benign and simple.

“I unfollowed Kandi at one point – I’m sure I’ll follow her again,” Williams began. “It was because she posted somebody I didn’t wanna see. I done unfollowed everybody at one point in time or another, but the problem with unfollowing Kandi, is that everybody know Kandi. As soon as I unfollow, she all on my Explore [page], ‘Hey, b—h!’”

#Empire' Season 5, Episode 3 Recap: Lucious And The Lyons Master The Fall

For the third episode of season five of Empire, we learn exactly why this episode is aptly named "Pride." First off, Andre is in solitary confinement and we finally find out why he put himself there. Hakeem gets his bars back. Jamal is writing enough songs to fulfill his financial obligations to Empire records even as he tries to get out of his contract with the music giant. Oh, and Empire's head honcho Jeff Kingsley is up to something nefarious with an enemy of the Lyons, but what is it?

Until we figure out what Jeff is up to, we can console ourselves with an episode that has relatively few flashbacks or flash-forwards compared to the first few episodes of Season 5. This is why the first scene setter is of Lyon's son Hakeem dreaming about performing without coughing brought on by the loss of a lung. We see Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) in his bed in his old bedroom in the Lyons mansion. In this rap video star dream, he is spitting verses about being shot and recovering and suddenly he wakes up and grabs a notebook and furiously writes down the verses he just was spitting.

Suddenly his mother, Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) calls to him, angry about the latest headlines of "Lucious Lyon Broke" and other gossipy type headlines.

Hakeem comes downstairs and jokes: "I had a homeless person offer me a dollar when I left [the Empire headquarters.]"

A sign in the back of the living room hangs from the walls and reads "Welcome Home Andre." The family is happy, and expecting Andre (Trai Byers) home from jail but then Lucious (Terence Howard) walks in but Andre isn't with him. The scene flashes back to Andre in the solitary confinement cell, looking like he knows something we all don't. and he does, as he aptly tells his friend: "It's a few days. I'll live." But his friend replies: That was stupid man.. A lot can happen in a few days."

New Investors. Not. Cutting back to the Lyon family house, Lucious and Taraji announce that they are gathering money from venture capitalists, touring a new potential facility and planning to create a Lyons family music venture that will oust Empire from its seat. He also addresses Jamal and Hakeem's contracts with Empire; apparently, they are not 100% rock solid.

Back at the jail, an inmate looks at Andre and says what we've all been wondering for one week now: "How you gone come for me and miss?" Obviously, Andre intends to be in solitary for a good reason and we're about to find out why.  Andre basically - in the form of a series of intermittent flashbacks - remembers the events that brought him to solitary. Now, he is trying to save little Quincy from the goons of jail and he has a flashback of Quincy explaining how he was innocent of his crime but has to serve time anyway. Quincy also was about to attend an Ivy League college until he got caught up in being unfairly accused and convicted of a crime he says he didn't do. So, Andre takes a liking to the young inmate who reads business books on the side.  To make a long story short - and to eliminate several more flashback intercuts throughout this episode - Andre decides to orchestrate a take out of Quincy's harasser while he is in solitary. This way, the warden literally cannot accuse Andre of the murder that occurs even as prison guards look on.

Stay tuned for more….Empire is on Wednesday on FOX!

#NewMusic from Ella Mai she Releases her Self-titled Debut Album 

Ella Mai pours more life into R&B with the release of her highly-anticipated debut self-titled album.

The 15-song project is headed by the chart-dominating hit “Boo’d Up” and the follow-up single “Trip,” and will feature appearances from Chris Brown (“Whatchamacallit”), John Legend (“Everything”), and H.E.R. (“Get Feeling”). The album also features the previously-released bonus track “Naked” and vulnerable “Easy,” which Ella describes as “nothing like I’ve put out before.”

LISTEN HERE

The new LP, executive produced by DJ Mustard, sees Mai pushing the resurgence of R&B. “R&B is not dead. We can make it mainstream again. Clearly, people love it,” Ella told Rolling Stone.

Ella is currently on select dates of Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic World Tour,” which runs through November.

#HipHopNews: Drake Brings Out Lebron James While Performing “Sicko Mode” With Travis Scott In Los Angeles

Drake and Migos' Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour had back to back shows in Los Angeles over the weekend and Drizzy had special surprises for both. On Saturday (Oct. 13), the Toronto rap star brought out new L.A. Laker LeBron James and Travis Scott.

Aubrey amazed the crowd with the presence of LBJ and La Flame who both emerged for a performance of the fan-favorite Astroworld track "Sicko Mode." James excitedly bounced around the stage and played hype man for the two rappers as they belted out lyrics to the popular track. The crowd went nuts.

It looks like the 6 God was returning the favor. On Friday (Oct. 12), Drake appeared on LeBron's HBO Sports series The Shop where he opened up about beef with Pusha-T and Kanye West, being a father and more.

This was the second show in as many nights at Staples Center. On Friday, Drake surprised everyone by bringing out former nemesis Chris Brown who performed "Party" and "Freaky Friday."

Following the show, Drizzy commented on the reunion on social media. “This is not a fan edit,” Drake captioned a picture of their performance on Instagram. “Last time I was on stage with Breezy was 2009 at Virginia Commonwealth University...tonight I got to reconnect with him for the first night at Staples! I love a good full circle moment. Thank you.”

Check out LBJ's shining moment below.

Nice

‘Extreme Witchcraft’ Restraining Order Against Beyoncé Officially Dismissed

A judge dismisses the restraining order of Beyoncé former drummer who accused the singer of ruining her life with witchcraft and black magic.

A judge officially dismissed the “extreme witchcraft” restraining order request against Beyoncé on Thursday after Kimberly Thompson was a no-show in court.

You may recall, last month I told you Bey’s former drummer made some pretty wild accusations against the music superstar claiming she had ruined her personal life and finances using witchcraft and black magic.

Kimberly even claimed Bey used dark magic to sexually molest her and kill her kitten.

WTH???

Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson Split!

Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson have called it quits and ended their engagement.

Sources close to the former couple tell the split happened in the last few days. Grande has been through a lot the last months and needs time to “work on herself.”

The couple first got together in May and announced their engagement a short time later.

Ariana was supposed to perform on Saturday night at the F–ck Cancer Gala at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles but backed out at the last minute. Her manager, Scooter Braun, addressed the audience, reports E! News, and alluded to the breakup.

Braun said, “Someone I’m very close to was supposed to come sing for you today, and because of things that she’s going through, she couldn’t be here today. And while I was frustrated, being the manager, my wife, being who she always is, just looked at me and she goes, ‘She needs this time.'”

Ariana Grande was devastated after the death of her former fiancé, Mac Miller. After a few days, she broke her silence on social media, writing, “I adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. i really can’t wrap my head around it. we talked about this.”

#BoxOfficeNews: 'Venom' & 'Star is Born' Reign Atop Box Office for Second Weekend in a Row While ‘First Man’ falls to third place!

It wasn't quite as close as we thought it might be at the top of the box office, but last weekend's top two films definitely didn't disappoint. Sony's Venom held on even better than expected, delivering a second weekend at #1 while Warner Bros.'s A Star is Born continued to shine. As for the weekend's three new wide releases, Universal's First Man led the way, narrowly edging out Sony's Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween for third place on the weekend chart while Fox's Bad Times at the El Royale fell outside the top five.

With an estimated $35.7 million, Sony's Venom dropped just 55% in its second weekend as the film's domestic cume now totals $143 million after just ten days in release. Heading into the weekend a drop of 60%+ seemed most likely considering historical precedence, but the film continues to outperform expectations, holding on similarly to Logan, which dipped just 56.9% in its second weekend.

Internationally, Venom remained the #1 film at the global box office delivering an estimated $69.7 million from 54 overseas markets for an international cume now totaling $235.3 million. New markets this weekend include France where the film launched with an estimated $6.7 million. The film's top market is South Korea with $25.4 million and it won't be adding any additional territories until its November 2 release in Japan while a release in China is still yet to be determined.

In the runner-up position for a second weekend in a row is WB's A Star is Born, which dropped just 35% in its sophomore frame for an estimated $28 million. The film's domestic cume is now just shy of $95 million after ten days in release.

Internationally, A Star is Born dipped just -14% compared to last weekend, bringing in an estimated $20.2 million from 65 markets for an overseas cume that now tops $41 million. Among the weekend's new markets, Italy led the way with a $2 million debut followed by openings in Brazil ($1.4m); Mexico ($1.3m); South Korea ($1.2m); and Taiwan ($1.1m). The film's top market is the UK with $12.3 million and next weekend sees A Star is Born open in Australia after which Japan will be the only market where the film is still to release as it doesn't debut there until December 21.

In third we come to the weekend's first new wide release in Universal's First Man, which managed to deliver on studio expectations, but fell short of Mojo's pre-weekend forecast. The film delivered a $16.5 million, three-day which is just over one million more than the $15.3 million opening for Brdge of Spies back in October 2015. That film went on to deliver a 4.7x multiplier with over $72 million domestically and Universal is hoping for a similar performance from First Man, which received a rather light "B+" CinemaScore from opening day audiences (Bridge of Spies received an "A") while playing well with critics to the tune of an 88% rating on RottenTomatoes. The film played to an audience that was 56% male, playing to an audience of which 52% were 35 years of age or older.

Internationally, First Man launched in 22 markets and brought in an estimated $8.6 million. bringing the worldwide total to $25.1 million. Leading the way was a $3.1 million debut in the UK followed by Australia ($1.67m), Spain ($1m) and Russia ($573k). Upcoming markets include France, Brazil and South Korea next weekend followed by Italy (Oct 31), Germany (Nov 8), Mexico (Nov 9) and Japan (Feb 8).

'What's Happening!!' co-star Danielle Spencer recuperating after brain surgery

Danielle Spencer, who played the tattletale little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s TV series "What's Happening!!," is home in Virginia recuperating from emergency brain surgery after a series of health setbacks.

Spencer, who had been working as a veterinarian, was released from a hospital Oct. 4 after surgery for a bleeding hematoma, a result of a 1977 car accident that killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt, as he shielded her from harm. She can speak just slightly and must use crutches to walk, said a spokesman, Jason Hardy.

The 53-year-old Spencer began suffering symptoms in 2004, when she was confined to a wheelchair and did a long stint in rehab to learn how to walk again. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, Hardy said.

The ABC sitcom, which aired from 1976 to 1979, followed the lives of three working-class teens in the Los Angeles neighborhood Watts. Spencer played the sister of one, Roger "Raj" Thomas. She also appeared in a sequel, "What's Happening Now!!"

Friends of Spencer, who lives in Richmond, have begun an appeal for financial assistance on her behalf at GoFundMe.com.

#FASHIONFILES: Mary J. Blige in Cushnie at the Tiffany Blue Book Collection Event Hot or Not?

Here’s R&B Superstar Mary J. Blige in Cushnie at the Tiffany Blue Book Collection Event. Take a look.

Now tell us is it HOT or NOT?

K. Michelle Upset Idris Elba Never Defended Their Relationship

Back in 2014 R&B singer K. Michelle leaked the news that she and actor Idris Elba had been secretly dating by admitting her album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart was about him

Now K. admits she was upset that Idris never backed up her claims…

K tells TVOne Uncensored

“I think that what hurt– black women, black women was like, ‘She’s so ghetto. Why he date her?”

“I felt like he didn’t defend me. I feel like when people were calling me a liar, again, about my relationship–I’ve been sitting here with this man for like nine months. I just could not believe we were spending so much time together he just did not come out and say, ‘Stop attacking her!’”

LOL!

Rochester Hills man found guilty for shooting at unarmed black teen

Jeffrey Ziegler — the white Rochester Hills man seen shooting a shotgun at an unarmed black teenager in a viral video this week — was found guilty by a jury on Friday. 

The jury at Oakland County Circuit Court found Ziegler guilty of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In all, Ziegler could face up to 12 years of prison time. He is currently jailed without bond until his Nov. 13 sentencing.

The conviction stems from an incident in April, when a 14-year-old Rochester High School freshman said he missed his bus and got lost while walking to school. That's when he knocked on Ziegler's door for help — but instead of helping him, Ziegler, a 53-year-old former Detroit firefighter, fired a shotgun.

Ziegler offered conflicting explanations for what happened. He initially told investigators he woke up to his wife screaming that someone was breaking into their house, and that he then slipped and accidentally fired the gun. But later, Ziegler said that he was attempting to fire a "warning shot."

That's not what home surveillance video released to the jury this week showed, however. Instead, it shows the teen knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer. He then runs away when he sees Ziegler answer the door holding a shotgun, who then appears to be deliberately aiming his gun at the fleeing teenager.

When confronted about the discrepancy, Ziegler told prosecutors he was "tired of being a victim." According to Ziegler, there had been five break-ins or attempted break-ins in the 13 years he has lived there, including one in which the Zieglers were asleep in their home. 

"There were choices made and choices have consequences," assistant prosector Kelly Collins told the jury, according to The Detroit News. "... He told you of his past and his credentials and how he is an upstanding citizen and homeowner who was broken into before ... and how he felt he and his wife were in danger. ... He was the danger on April 12."

Kanye West Came Back To Twitter Talking About Mind Control

Days after his White House play date with Donald Trump and over two weeks after his Saturday Night Live MAGA sermon, Kanye West has decided to return to Twitter after a brief hiatus to talk about…mind control.

In a series of videos — the first of which seem like a dad figuring out how to use his camera phone for the first time —  West talks about a myriad of things including mind control

“You know when people try to influence you through social media and try to tell you what to do or if you post something that’s positive on Instagram and it gets taken down if it’s not a part of a bigger agenda — that’s like mind control,” he says in the video.

He continues: “I feel like when people tell me what to do, I feel like they’re touching my brain. They’re trying to control our minds. They’re trying to control my mind and when someone tells me what to do and what I can wear and I can’t wear I feel like they are touching my brain.”

He goes on a stream of consciousness talking about how he has been “programmed” to talk a certain way and talking “clear.” He says: “I’ve forgotten how to talk not clear because I’m so programmed to talk clear and sound proper – that gets in the way of how we feel.”

He then references Ayn Rand, being on SNL, willing positive energy to the universe, purchasing publishing, and how he talked to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about “reprogramming to allow people to take off the followers and allow people to take off the likes because that works against your self-worth.”

“We will do what we feel,” he repeats in different iterations as a mantra.

This bizarre flow of words and thoughts comes after he deleted his Twitter account his aforementioned visit with Trump, his Saturday Night Live pro-Trump rant and his thoughts about abolishing the 13th amendment.

He clearly missed his time away from the social media platform — not sure if everyone else missed him.

Pauley Perrette Alleges That She Is Being Kept Silent About The Real Reason She Left 'NCIS'

Back in May, when Pauley Perrette left NCIS after 15 seasons, her exit — and subsequent social media activity — gave fans a hint that something was very wrong on the set of the hit CBS drama. And now, there seems to be problems on the set of another popular CBS show, Criminal Minds.

Greg St. Johns, the director of photography on Criminal Minds, has been with the long-running show since the beginning. He started as an A-camera operator in 2006, and in 2007 they promoted him to his current position of DP.

 ‘Criminal Minds’: Producers, Studio Kept ‘Tyrant’ Senior Staffer in Place Amid Abuse Allegations...

When “Criminal Minds” returns to CBS Wednesday night, it will do so with Greg St. Johns again aboard as director of photography.

St. Johns has remained in that role, despite the fact that the state of California and ABC Studios human resources have investigated multiple allegations of abusive behavior. St. Johns has allegedly sexually harassed and retaliated against crew members, and he has created a toxic environment on the set.

Variety is reporting that 19 former or current Criminal Minds staffers have described how St. Johns gropes male staffers, physically threatens them, and fires anyone who complains. Several members of the crew have also said they reported St. Johns behavior to senior management, but they never took any steps to address the alleged abuse.

Back in January, about 100 Criminal Minds crew members received an anonymous email claiming that staffers had contacted the show’s producers and complained about St. Johns’ alleged abusive behavior. The email described inappropriate touching, verbal abuse, and the retaliatory firings of the entire electrical department, and it also made clear that many directors would not be returning to the show because of St. Johns’ behavior.

The sender of the email requested that producers interview every crew member in a safe, anonymous setting, in an effort to protect them from being singled out and retaliated against by St. Johns if they decide to share their story.

Even though ABC Studios — which produces Criminal Minds — conducted an investigation into St. Johns alleged behavior, we don’t know their findings, and he continues to work on the show and oversees multiple departments.

Tony Matulic, who used to work on Criminal Minds as a digital imaging technician, was one of the people who filed a complaint against St. Johns, but he waited until he left the show. Matulic says that when you get to be on a big show like that, you are happy to be there. So, you go along with things and avoid rocking the boat.

This latest story about St. Johns is causing some people to wonder if there is a similar work environment at NCIS. Once she left the show, Perrette posted some cryptic tweets about a “machine” keeping her silent. And, she also mysteriously tweeted, “He did it.”

New episodes of NCIS and Criminal Minds air Tuesday and Wednesday nights, respectively, on CBS.

A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200!

Congratulations to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper!

The A Star Is Born soundtrack has officially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as of Sunday (October 14), according to the official chart company.

The album moved 231,000 equivalent album units in its first week, with 162,000 of those in album sales.

This mark’s Gaga‘s fifth No. 1 record, and also her fifth No. 1 record of this decade – the most among women.

It’s also the biggest week for a soundtrack since 2015′s Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s now the third biggest-selling soundtrack of 2018 after just one week, and the third No. 1 soundtrack of 2018.

Check out the full Top 10 of the Billboard 200 insi

1. A Star Is Born Soundtrack

2. Twenty One Pilots, Trench

3. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter V

4 Lil Baby and Gunna, Drip Harder

5. Eric Church, Desperate Man

6. Steve Perry, Traces

7. King & Country, Burn The Ships

8. Drake, Scorpion

9. Travis Scott, Astroworld

10. Post Malone, beerbongs & bentley

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES

Courtesy of P.O.Wm

‘CHRISTINA ROBIN’

The visuals on the new live-action Pooh movie are pretty ridiculous .

EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Julian

Meet Julian! So you know what to do to see more. Just GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN NOR ALTER any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.

You’re Welcome!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!

EFREM 

The Weekend Buzz For Feb 21

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Lance Gross Shares Photo With Baby Daughter Berkeley

Lance Gross is really loving fatherhood. The actor-turned-photographer can’t seem to get enough of posting pics of his baby girl with fiancee Rebecca Jefferson. His latest snap of little Berkeley showed daddy and daughter making cute faces for the camera:

Too cute!

BIG CHANGES are coming At EBONY Magazine!

After almost one year in the position, Mitzi Miller is out as Editor-In-Chief of EBONY Magazine.  The former JET Magazine Editor took the reigns at EBONY last April after the departure of Amy Dubois Barnett. And after being charged with doing everything possible to help save the print publication that has been hurting (like almost all print media) for several years, Mitzi has decided to move on to new endeavors.  The author of the 2006 bestseller The Vow (which the 2015 Lifetime movie With This Ring was based upon), said via a press release today:

“I’ve always subscribed to the principle of living in the present and remaining open to all of life’s opportunities," says Miller.

"So I believe that now is an exciting time to start a new chapter in my life. It will always be an honor to have been a part of the Johnson Publishing Company legacy. Having served as the editor-in-chief for two of the oldest and most successful African American publications, I take pride in the issues the team was able to explore and expose to the readers. And now, I look forward to continuing to tell our dynamic stories in a new way with my next venture.”

Mitzi brought in fresh faces to grace the many covers her team developed, as well as put the spotlight on even fresher faced game changers for the 2015 EBONY Power 100 list.

But folks have been up in arms about the Publisher's decision to sell the historic archives of the magazine to raise capital.  The Chicago Tribune recently reported the following:

Looking to raise cash ($40 million to be exact), the Chicago-based publisher of Ebony magazine has put its entire photo archive up for sale. The historic collection spans 70 years of African-American history, chronicling everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Sammy Davis Jr.

Johnson Publishing has had its collection appraised and recently hired a consultant to shop its wealth of iconic images, including a 1969 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of King's widow and child, taken at his funeral.

"It's just sitting here," said Johnson Publishing CEO Desiree Rogers. "We really need to monetize that in order to ensure growth in our core businesses."

Raising capital is crucial for the company, which is facing declining revenue and a rocky transition from print to digital under Rogers...

Social media was in an uproar last month when the news surfaced that so much Black history wouldn't be preserved by the original owner, but instead sold off to the highest bidder.  EBONY's publishing team has stood firm to the notion that the revenue from the sales of the photo archive will help rectify their losses in ad revenue and circulation numbers.

Regardless of the many major changes taking place, we're sure the legendary EBONY brand will stand the test of time.  And we wish Mitzi the best of luck in her next endeavors.

OH NO 'MEEP' "American Horror Story" Actor Ben Woolf In Critical Condition After Being Struck By A Car

"American Horror Story" star Ben Woolf was rushed to a nearby hospital after being hit by a car in Hollywood 

According to a new report, the actor, who plays Meep on the show, was hit in the head by the side-view mirror of a passing SUV as he was crossing the street. He was immediately transported to a local hospital where he remains in intensive care. Because he was jaywalking when the accident occurred, the driver was not cited, TMZ reported.

Prior to his role on "American Horror Story," Ben appeared in a number of films, including "Dead Kansas" and "Haunting Charles Manson."

Anthony Mackie CONVICTED Of Driving While Impaired!

Yesterday, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” star Anthony Mackie was convicted of driving while impaired.  Anthony was found guilty of the violation and sentenced to complete a drunken driving program and pay fines after a bench trial in Manhattan Criminal Court. The case stemmed from Mackie being pulled over on 126th street and Lenox in November 2013 after he made an illegal U-turn.

Judge Kevin McGrath rendered a guilty verdict which included testimony from three NYPD witnesses.  Anthony didn't testify but he thanked Judge McGrath. “Thank you, your honor, for the opportunity. Thank you for listening to the case and coming up with a fair conclusion. I wish everyone else had done the same,” he said. 

Unfortunately for Anthony, he'll also lose his New York State driving privileges for 90 days.  But there's a bright side - He was given permission to do the intoxicated driving counseling in Louisiana where he's been filming. HMMMMMM So much for talking down SELMA!

College Apologizes For Black History Month Menu Featuring Chicken & Greens

Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio apologized to students and faculty after its dining services division launched a Black History Month menu. The menu featured fried chicken, collard greens, and other southern foods and was placed on a billboard featuring the photos of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black leaders.

The apology came down Thursday (Feb. 19) from WSU President David Hopkins via an email and promised that he and his team will investigate how such a display got the green light in the first place. The menu went live this past Wednesday, and a photo of it swirled around social media before it was taken down promptly.

More from Dayton Daily News:

In an email to WSU, President David Hopkins recounted the university’s commitment to diversity and pride at hosting the Phoenix Project and forum featuring daughters of several civil rights leaders. Hopkins also pledged to dig into why a menu sign included chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens and cornbread under a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and other famous black figures.

“I apologize to anyone hurt by the display,” Hopkins wrote about the Wednesday night student union menu. “To our credit, the menu was quickly removed. But the larger question remains: Why was it done? I will find out. We will take steps to prevent this kind of behavior occurring in the future.”

Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, which posted the menu, declined to answer several specific questions about the menu, but released a statement that read, in part:

“Chartwells celebrates many national events on campus and tries to provide authentic and traditional cuisine to reflect each theme. In no way was the promotion associated with Black History Month meant to be insensitive. We could have done a better job putting this in context of a cultural dining experience. We sincerely apologize.”

Billy Barabino, president of the Black Student Union, said he was “hurt” by the menu’s inclusion in the student meal offerings.

Also coincidental but telling, the menu was announced along with a panel discussion titled “Daughters Rising from the Dust: Children of ‘The Movement,’ Speak Out!” featuring Ilyassah Al-Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz; Reena Evers, daughter of Medgar Evers; and Mary Liuzzo Lillieboe, daughter of Viola Liuzzo.

IT’S OSCAR TIME AND LETS TAKE YOU TO SOME PRE-OSCAR EVENTS!

The Sisters come out to Alfre Woodard's Oscar's Sistahs Soiree

Alfre Woodard, shown above with "Scandal" star Kerry Washington, hosted her annual Oscar's Sistahs Soiree at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Wednesday evening. The lavish "soiree" was sponsored By White Diamond Lustre, Elizabeth Taylor and is held yearly to toast and honor Academy Award-nominated actresses and directors.

When asked why she decided to create the Sistah Soiree, Alfre said she wanted to get "Sistahs" together and "celebrate" their journey. 

"Every time we hear each others’ names, it felt like it was one of our reps going, ‘If that b–tch turns it down, then you can have it!’”“I was like, wait a minute. When I hear my sisters’ names, I want to have a joyful feeling in my heart about it.”

You see how loud it gets! It’s always like this, because all the women in this room have more in common with each other than anyone else in the professional world. We’ve all been on the same journey — we speak a common language.”

In the pic above, Alfre posed with actress Emayatzy E. Corinealdi, director Ava DuVernay, and "The Walking Dead" star Danai Gurira.

"HTGAWM"star Viola Davis looked absolutely gorgeous in a hot-pink satin strapless cocktail dress.  

Kerry Washington rocked a Sophia Kah floral skirt with contrast paneling.

"Selma" director Ava DuVernay celebrated for her successful year at the box office.

Zoe Saldana, who recently gave birth to twins Bowie and Cy, rocked a blueish/grey Lavin dress with ruffles.

Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett came out to support Alfre.

Aisha Tyler of "The Talk" wore a little black dress.

Carmen Ejogo, who won rave reviews as Coretta Scott King in Selma, rocked a fun-cocktail dress.

Young British-import Gugu Mbatha-Raw made waves as the lead character in "Beyond The Lights" this year. 

We spotted "Sleepy Hollow" star Nicole Beharie. 

Khandi "Mama Pope" Alexander looked sleek and stylish.

Zoe Saldana and Rosario Dawson were spotted laughing it up at cell phone pics. 

Jurnee Smollett-Bell rocked a short cocktail dress.

Anika Noni Rose looks great!

Loretta Devine was ready for spring in her floral print dress.

Margaret Avery, who's starring on "Being Mary Jane" looked regal in her gold dress and teal overlay.

Jurnee and Gugu Mbatha-Raw posed with Samuel Jackson's wife LaTanya Richardson.

Zoe, LaTanya, Carmen and Anika took a selfie.

Alfre told VARIETY the "soiree" is about making the presence of Black actresses known.

"There are so many beautiful, talented, black and brown women. We know the ones nominated will be out and (are) being celebrated. But when they’re on the carpet, when they’re walking onstage, there are people like them wishing them well. The women who know exactly what you’re doing, actors of quality, saying good on you. We got your back.”

She added, "...it’s not reactive, it’s proactive. It’s about us celebrating us and lifting each other up.”

Here are Photos: Global Green USA's Pre-Oscar Party

Nice!

In Oscar SHADE! THR Oscar Voters: ‘Whiplash’ was offensive, ‘Sniper’ needed more feels

The Hollywood Reporter released two more of their “brutally honest ballot” pieces yesterday. To recap, every year THR sits down with various Oscar voters in various branches and the voters fill out their ballots in front of THR. The voters get to speak their mind under the condition of anonymity, which historically has revealed some amazing WTF-ery of petty grudges, racism and gossip. The two ballots released by THR yesterday were not all that gossipy though. There were some interesting insights, for sure. You can read Ballot #2 (a voter from short films and animation branch) here . You can read Ballot #3 (a voter from the screenwriters’ branch) here. 

Some highlights:

Ballot #2: the voter is an Oscar-nominated member of the animation/short film branch. Thoughts on Best Picture:

Whiplash is offensive — it’s a film about abuse and I don’t find that entertaining at all. My kid would have told me if he had an abusive teacher. I would have sat in on the class, talked to other kids in the class and then said, “This a–hole has to go.” [The Grand] Budapest [Hotel] is beautifully made, but its story just isn’t special. I didn’t think Selma was a particularly good film, apart from the main actor [David Oyelowo], and I think the outcry about the Academy being racists for not nominating it for more awards is offensive — we have a two-term president who is a black woman [Cheryl Boone Isaacs] and we give out awards to black people when they deserve them, just like any other group.

Birdman, I didn’t get it at all — I look around and it’s doing so well and I just don’t get it. American Sniper glosses over feelings — how do you feel when you kill 170 people? You just see him hesitating in the one scene with the boy who briefly picks up the rocket and then you see him sitting at a bar looking depressed; that’s not enough. As far as The Imitation Game, Alan Turing was very much defined by his repressed homosexuality, and I just don’t think the film deals with that very well. I admired Boyhood and it didn’t bore me, but it doesn’t totally work. But Theory [of Everything] I loved. It was the only one of the nominees that fully worked as a whole film — it was beautifully performed, nicely directed and it was about something — although Boyhood is pretty special for its own reasons. Just because the Academy gives you a preferential ballot with a bunch of lines doesn’t mean you have to fill them all out. Those are only two that I find worthy of the award. MY VOTE: (1) The Theory of Everything, (2) Boyhood

*This person voted for Richard Linklater for Best Director because “It’s not even close for me because I didn’t especially like the other nominees’ pictures.” The voter went with Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor because “it’s an amazing performance” and they also went for Felicity Jones for Best Actress (interesting). This voter thought Meryl Streep was “unbelievable” (in a good way) in Into the Woods and ended up voting for Meryl instead of Patricia Arquette.

[From THR]

And here are some highlights from Ballot #3, from a voter in the screenwriters’ branch.

*The voter had nothing but compliments for all of the Best Picture nominees, except they weren’t all that jazzed about Boyhood. This was their final vote: (1) The Imitation Game, (2) Birdman, (3) Whiplash, (4) The Theory of Everything, (5) American Sniper

*Best Director was between Richard Linklater and Alejandro G. Inarritu and the voter went with the crazy-ambition of Inarritu.

*Vote for Eddie Redmayne because his role was the most “transformative.” Same with Julianne Moore – this person voted for Moore because her role was the most transformative.

*Another vote for JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette even though “None of the [supporting actress nominees] blew my mind.”

[From THR]

As I said, these weren’t as gossipy as the first one. For Ballot #3, the closest we get to gossip is when this guy (??) talks about how he like American Sniper and he didn’t think the “attacks” on the film were “legitimate” because at the end of the day, it’s not a documentary. Blah. I thought Ballot #2 shows (yet again) how Selma really irritated Oscar voters and the Academy really doesn’t like to be called out on their racist BS. Too bad.

Well at least the excitement is building!

Is he Jay Z’s Alleged Love Child ?

Famous people deal with all kinds of bizarre issues that the rest of us don’t have to worry about, and Jay Z is getting called out by a 21-year-old aspiring rapper who claims he’s his father.

Rymir Satterthwaite insists that the “99 Problems” hitmaker hooked up with his mother in the early 1990s and nine months later he was born. Unfortunately, Satterthwaite says Jay is blocking his ability to make a legal case for paternity.

In a new civil suit, Rymir says Mr. Z gave the court some fraudulent information and has since refused to take a paternity test. He and his legal guardian Lillie Coley are seeking financial damages for emotional and monetary strife.

Amber Rose Gets Book Deal For ‘How to Be a Bad Bitch’

Model Amber Rose will write How to Be a Bad Bitch, Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books announced

The book, scheduled for publication on Oct. 27, 2015, will share Amber’s secrets on how to be successful, covering love, beauty, fashion, finances and a career, as well as advice for confidence and self-acceptance.

In a statement, Rose says a “bad bitch” is a “self-respecting, strong female who has everything together. This consists of body, mind, finances and swagger; a woman who gets her by any means necessary.”

Jennifer Bergstrom, vice president and publisher of Gallery Books, added: “Amber Rose is the ultimate cool girl who you want to be best friends with. I know a lot of women who will want to read this book.”

Photographer David LaChappelle, whose images have appeared on covers and pages of various magazines including Vanity Fair, GQ and Rolling Stone, will shoot Rose for the cover.

The 31-year-old recently made headlines for publicly feuding with reality star Khloe Kardashian. The Twitter war began when Rose spoke to New York’s Power 105.1 about Kardashian’s family and Kylie Jenner’s alleged relationship with rapper Tyga.

Rose was introduced to Gallery Books by her manager, Nick Cannon, whose company, Nick’s Ncredible Entertainment, is represented by ICM.

Rose was represented by ICM and attorney Walter Mosley on the deal. Jeremie Ruby-Strauss acquired the work for Gallery Books from Doug Johnson.

AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES

‘YOU CAN’T SEE ME’

John Cena is a WWE Superstar and actor (kinda) and rapper (sorta) and basically just an all around good guy. Can’t hate on a guy that make kids that happy!

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!

EFREM