Andre 3000 Reveals There Are NO Plans For A New Outkast Album In Billboard
As Outkast continues to rock out up stages on their reunion tour, Andre 3000 opened up (a tad) with Billboard magazine for their October 2014 issue. Today marks the release of his highly-anticipated lead role in the Jimi Hendrix biopic, JIMI:All By My Side.
In the cover story, Three Stacks revealed there are no plans of creating another Outkast album, but don’t fret. Big Boi and Andre may be releasing their own individual LPs soon. He also talked about feeling disconnected when news broke about the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown, if he’ll ever retire from rapping and whether he will star in another film.
Below are the highlights:
On a new Outkast album:
“There are no plans to do [an Outkast album]. It’s not like some people think: ‘They’re about to drop this album!’ We don’t have, like, one song," Benjamin says. "There’s no trickery or nothing like that.”
On new albums from Big Boi and himself:
"I know Big Boi’s [working on his]; I haven’t even started on [mine]," says Benjamin, then adds, sounding his common refrain: "I’ve got to find something I’m excited about."
He added,
"I feel like I will do music in some kind of way, but something that can hit music from the back door," says Benjamin. "Like, if I start to write screenplays and I want to [compose the soundtrack]. Or if I’m making certain product designs and I just want to release music with every shirt I design."
On retiring from rap:
"To be clear, there’s no retirement.” And he’s not in conflict with Big Boi: "It’s kind of like growing up in a house with your brother, people expecting y’all to live in the same room and have bunk beds forever,” says Benjamin. “And people try to read into it and say people are beefing. But it’s nothing like that, man. Big Boi will always be my brother and a really important part of my life."
On if he’ll ever act in another film:
"I do read scripts," he says. "But I have to be excited about it to really fully throw myself into it. The older I get, I don’t know what my decisions will be. I may start just taking roles just to support myself, just kind of keep busy."
On the killing of Ferguson teen Michael Brown:
"Honestly, I don’t have a big urge to voice [my feelings]," he says. "But I do feel kind of guilty sometimes. Like when the whole Ferguson thing went down, we were actually in England, and buddies were telling me about it, like, ‘Aw, man, it’s horrible here.’ But I didn’t feel it; I only heard about it. So I felt like, ‘Am I out of touch?’ "
Peep his artistic spread below:
Read his full interview here.
Remy Ma, At An Intimate Press Dinner: She’s Back
Bronx-bred rapper Remy Martin hosted a Press Appreciation dinner at Don Pancho’s Steakhouse. Remy was right at home amongst friends, family, fans, and press in the Bronx eatery.
Remy was released from prison last month. She immediately hit the ground running after her release and has been busy making her press rounds and burning up the studio ever since.
On hand at the posh event were Love and Hip Hop’s, Erica Mena; Lifetime TV Girlfriend Intervention’s, Tracy Balan; Rae Holliday & Gabriel Williams of StuffFlyPeopleLike.com; Celebrity Stylist Mysa Hylton, Sister 2 Sister Magazine’s Jamie Foster Brown and many more.
Check out photos from the event.
Again, She’s Back!
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin's Italian Wedding: All the Details!
It's official: George Clooney is off the market!
The famous Hollywood hunk said goodbye to his bachelor days after tying the knot to his ladylove Amal Alamuddin in a beautiful and intimate symbolic wedding ceremony in Venice, Italy, Saturday evening after sunset.
The actor, who assumingly looked extremely dapper in his black Armani tux, was greeted with his beautiful lady at the gorgeous Aman Canal Grande hotel.
Clooney and his blushing bride swapped vows on a podium in front of a large wall of white candles in the presence of more than 100 of their nearest and dearest, which included a star-studded list of names like Cindy Crawford, who wore a blue, sleeveless, V-neck gown, and husband Rande Gerber, plus Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso (wearing Resort 15), John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, Ellen Barkin, Anna Wintour, U2 frontmanBono and...wait for it...Bill Murray!
Clooney and Alamuddin's wedding venue was decorated with white flowers, including tiny roses, lilies and carnations as well as hundreds of additional hand-crafted flickering candles.
Guests sipped on hundreds of bottles of champagne and red wine and celebrated with disco and jazz music past midnight.
The bride's day got started early this morning when she got her makeup and hair done at the Aman Canal Grande, where Clooney and guests joined her. And we can only hope that Amal was able to get some rest before her big day, because she had a busy night.
The 53-year-old actor and his fiancée kicked off the wedding festivities when they arrived in Venice on Friday, looking every bit the perfect couple as they boated through the canal. Their guests arrived the same way. Throughout the day and Saturday, scores of excited tourists snapped photos as police scrambled to ensure traffic along the waters moved swiftly.
On the day of the wedding, guests dressed in formalwear and were greeted at the dock of the hotel by staffers wearing traditional venetian gondolier outfits, complete with straw boater hats and white shirts. Crowds cheered as they watched the arrival of the celebrities and yelled especially loud for Bono.
And, of course, before Clooney and his human rights lawyer love, 36, were able to say "I Do," they needed one last night of pre-wedding fun—the traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties, of course!
Alamuddin got all dolled up, donning a gorgeous red gown as she arrived in a boat with about 10 of her nearest and dearest gal-pals, including her sister, Tala and mom, Baria, for her last night as a single lady. She and her friends were accompanied by a second boat that had Clooney and his guys also riding to the Aman for his bachelor party.
Once the two groups arrived to their destination, "George escorted Amal down there then left," an eyewitness told E! News.
Hours before the wedding ceremony on Saturday, Clooney had breakfast with Crawford and Gerber on the terrace of the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, overlooking the Venetian lagoon.
"They were laughing and joking," an onlooker said. "George looked so happy, he was sipping an espresso and chatting away happily. He couldn't stop smiling."
Clooney's rep confirms the actor and Alamuddin will wrap up their eventful weekend fun with a civil ceremony on Monday, at which point they will officially and legally be man and wife.
Congratulations to the two lovebirds!
Chelsea Clinton Gives Birth to Baby Girl: Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky
Chelsea Clinton has given birth to a baby girl, according to a tweet she sent out early Saturday morning.
Her name is Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky.
A Clinton spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the child's birth date is Sept. 26, 2014.
The former first daughter announced that she was pregnant in mid-April.
President Obama even got in on the due-date jockeying, joking while at the Clinton family’s foundation event in New York that she might have to commandeer his motorcade.
"I was just discussing with President Clinton that if Chelsea begins delivery while I’m speaking, she has my motorcade and will be able to navigate traffic," Obama said with a smirk.
The former first daughter didn't let her impending due date slow her down as she appeared at an event for her family's foundation this past week.
Clinton, 34, and her husband Marc Mezvinsky reportedly chose not to learn the sex of their baby before the birth.
She resigned from her role at NBC News on Aug. 29. She said she and her husband "look forward to welcoming our first child," she wrote in a note she shared on social media at the time.
Her parents, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have regularly mentioned their joy at earning a new title -- grandparents. The former president spoke of his high hopes for the newest member of the family while speaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting.
"I want them to get up every day and look at the world with wonder and reverence. I want them to respect everyone they meet, whatever their background. I want them to be aware of all the people that make their world and not just the people that they are introduced to," Clinton said.
"I want them to really love being alive. It’s my first and whatever other grandchildren I have -- that's what I want. And when they grow up, I want them to believe they have certain obligations to people who don't have all the opportunities they'll have and to the larger society," he said.
Ciara Gets STYLISH Arriving At Hotel & Leaving Givenchy Offices During Paris Fashion Week
New mom Ciara is overseas in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week. And she’s making her rounds slaying the fashion scene. She was spotted arriving at Hotel Costes in a sexy black number before making her way inside, still sans her engagement ring today.
And it doesn’t look like the songtress is making any plans on getting back with her ex-fiancĂ© Future. It’s reported she gave her $500,000 15-carat emerald-cut engagement ring back to her former lover. No turning back…
Also yesterday....The “Body Party” singer got booted up with her fur as she left the Givenchy office in the City of Light, likely visiting her good friend, Givenchy Artistic Director Riccardo Tisci.
We feelin' these looks? Oh and as for that 500K engagement ring? She gave it back!
Ciara is not getting back with Future, and sources say she gave back her 15-carat emerald-cut engagement ring, designed by Avianne & Co. and worth about $500,000.
They were engaged in October, but split in August after rumors swirled of him cheating. Now be honest would you have given back a 500K ring?
Jason Derulo On Jordin Sparks Breakup: “It’s Not A Bad A Situation”
They were definitely one of our favorite Hollywood couples, but sadly Jason DeRulo and Jordin Sparks decided to call it quits on their relationship.
According to multiple sources, the singers opted for a mutual breakup, “but they still care very deeply for each other and will remain in each other's lives as friends." Jason and Jordin started dating in September 2011
A source told Us Weekly that it wasn’t an easy decision for either star. "They are both upset. It just wasn't working out. It was a lot of travel and hard to work with their schedules."
Last evening, Jason commented on the breakup during a radio interview and said, “Yes. Everything is cool. It’s not a bad a situation. It’s not one of those things.”
Amber Rose To Receive $1 Million From Divorce + Wiz Khalifa Seeks Joint Custody Of Son
Amber Rose is set to receive more than a $1 million from Wiz Khalifa, based on a prenup which also includes $5,000 month in spousal support.
Sources connected to both Amber and Wiz tell TMZ that Amber made several demands in the prenup, which is more than 8 pages long.
The site also reports that the “We Dem Boyz” rapper has filed his response to Amber’s divorce petition. While he’s willing to pay the spousal support, he is challenging Amber (who’s asking for full custody) and seeking joint custody of their 1-year-old son Sebastian.
He has enlisted high-profile divorce attorney Laura Wasser — the attorney tapped by celebs like Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears in their splits
‘Murder’ Ratings Top ABC’s Shondaland Trifecta (Yes, it Beat ‘Scandal’)
*The debut of Shonda Rhimes’ new series “How to Get Away With Murder” drew 14 million viewers to become Thursday night’s most-watched scripted series – beating its lead-in “Scandal” by nearly 2 million.
This gives ABC its second consecutive day of ratings bliss following Wednesday’s strong debut for “Black-ish.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is the first network to have opened two formidable freshman series this premiere week.
Capping off a night of Shonda Rhimes-produced dramas, “Murder” opened with a 3.8 rating, which put it on the same level as “Scandal” among the key demo of adults 18-49. However, “Scandal’s” 3.8 rating was actually an improvement of two-tenths of a point from last fall. It’s total viewership was just short of 12 million, meaning a significant portion of the audience avoided “Scandal” completely before tuning back in for “Murder” at 10 p.m.”
“Grey’s Anatomy,” even entering its eleventh season, finally gave ABC something solid at 8 p.m. on Thursday. The drama returned with a 3.0 adults rating in the long-troubled time slot and 9.8 million viewers. Altogether, the Rhimes threesome gave ABC its highest-rated Thursday night in five years.
CBS won the night overall with its “Thursday Night Football” game – up from last week’s preliminary numbers by 36 percent, according to Nielsen.
Other new entries included the tenth season of Fox’s “Bones,” with a 1.6 rating in the key demo and 6.2 million viewers for its latest schedule move.
On NBC, “Parenthood” fetched a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 (building on its steady “Biggest Loser” lead-in) and 4.3 million viewers.
UPS Worker Steals $160K Diamond & Swaps For $20 Bag of Weed
If you are in to remembering the names of the most idiotic criminals around, then you might want to record the name of 20-year-old Walter Earl Morrison into your mental block.
The “gifted” former UPS worker was a designated employee at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport when he came across a package he deemed valuable. His instincts were correct as the package contained a diamond ring reportedly worth $160,000.
Check out the flicks of the rock that Morrison wished he never swiped on the next page.
Instead of mathematically using his criminalistic activities to his advantage, Morrison traded it for $20 worth of marijuana, was easily tracked down, caught and charged with felony theft. Needless to say, UPS also let him go.
House of Diamonds owner Brent Taubman laughed about the case with the local ABC news crew saying “Any single stone over $100,000 is an expensive stone.” Taubman sarcastically added, “That’s not a good deal.”
Report: Eric Holder Left Post Over Wife’s Concerns for his Health
*Attorney General Eric Holder’s out-of-the-blue announcement that he intends to step down was reportedly initiated by his wife’s concerns about his health, Politico reports.
Holder was rushed to the hospital in February after feeling faint and having a shortness of breath. Doctors gave him the okay to return to work, but soon after the incident, rumors began swirling that Holder could leave the Obama administration before the end of the year.
Politico Magazine reported Thursday that “under pressure” from his wife Sharon Malone, an obstetrician and gynecologist, Holder decided to make the jump now before Republicans potentially take over the Senate in the Midterm elections and make it too difficult for the president to replace him.
“It was a quit-now or never-quit moment,” a former administration official told Politico. “You didn’t want confirmation hearings in 2015 if the Republicans control the Senate. So if he didn’t do it now, there was no way he could ever do it.”
Sources who claim to be familiar with Holder’s thinking told the Washington Post that he thought about leaving earlier in tenure, at the height of the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal in 2012 and again last summer, but he didn’t want to exit on bad note.
President Obama lauded Holder’s work to advance civil rights at an emotional press conference.
“Under his watch,” Obama said, “the department has brought a record number of prosecutions for human trafficking, and for hate crimes – because no one in America should be afraid to walk down the street because of the color of their skin, the love in their heart, the faith they practice, or the disabilities that they live with.”
In a one-on-one with the Daily Beast today Holder said he’s “not quite done thinking” about what his next move is, he suggested he will continue to work on criminal-justice reform, something Holder designated as his “signature achievement” as head of the Justice Department.
“I’d like to continue being involved with issues that animated my time as attorney general—criminal-justice reform and civil rights especially,” Holder told the website. “I don’t just want to give speeches; I’d like to involve myself in this work in a systematic way.”
Former Drug Kingpin ‘Freeway’ Rick Ross Becomes Advocate for Literacy
'At one point in my life, I thought I was supposed to be the biggest drug dealer in the world'
*Once considered one of the country’s top drug kingpins, Ricky Donnell Ross, better known as “Freeway” Rick Ross, has transformed his life and launched the Freeway Literacy Foundation (www.freewayliteracy.org).
Now, instead of building a massive multimillion dollar drug empire, that once earned him $3 million-dollars-per-day, this drug kingpin-turned-philanthropist has turned his life completely around, and he is busy spreading messages of literacy, anti-drug and anti-violence across the United States.
Adamant about schooling students about the real danger of drugs and gangs, and how they can quickly destroy their life and their community, Ross (the real Rick Ross — not the rapper) is on a mission to rebuild and unite communities that he possibly contributed to destroying decades earlier.
“At one point in my life, I thought I was supposed to be the biggest drug dealer in the world,” Ross says. “Books really peeled my eyes open and allowed me to expand myself and be a person I never thought I could be,” he says. Ross has lectured at a law school class at the University of Southern California; to a storefront church in Ontario, Canada; to rehab centers; to halfway houses and prisons; to high schools, colleges, community centers and street corners across the U.S.
Although, he once had a topsy-turvy lifestyle, Ross believes in the power of literacy because of the profound impact it proved to have on his own life. His foundation’s mission is to work in partnership with schools, community organizations, entertainers, and teachers to ensure everyone across the country has an opportunity to learn and pursue the true power of literacy.
“We believe through literacy, that entrepreneurship, personal development and leadership skills can grow for themselves and their community,” says Ross.
He continues:
“The most disenfranchised and hard to reach are most often forgotten. Those that don’t speak up about their inability to read or write shut down or act in response. Too often, these same people turn to criminality in response to their lacking ability, hurting themselves and those around them in the process. From classrooms to prisons, we see the signs and often ignore them because we lack a true answer to reach this group, and provide real possible solutions. Freeway Literacy Foundation in-partnership with schools, teachers, community organizations and entertainer’s goals is to provide a solution.” says Ross.
Crack cocaine had made its way to the United States in the early 80s and a global recession was going on by 1986. The Black community especially was facing hard times. Growing up in South Central, Los Angeles, and trying to obtain employment and break out of the ghetto was a day-to-day fight for Ross and other young Black men in his community. Moreover, it did not help that Ross was illiterate. Indecent proposals were taking place behind the scenes, and Black neighborhoods across the country were hit the hardest with the alleged influx of Nicaraguan cocaine significantly fueling the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic. Unbeknownst to Ross, he possibly ended up a pawn in a U.S. government conspiracy to trade drugs for guns, during the Iran-Contra affair. Ross’ documentary, “Freeway: Crack in the System”, scheduled to hit the big screen, October 17, will address their findings.
Over the years, politicians and journalists argued that the drugs that infiltrated the streets of California pointed back to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and contras that were said to be seeking funds to support their civil war in Nicaragua. According to The Kerry Committee Report, an investigation by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding charges of Contra involvement in cocaine and marijuana trafficking lasted two and a half years, the Subcommittee released their final report on April 13, 1989. The report states, “It is clear that individuals who provided support for the Contras were involved in drug trafficking … and elements of the Contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers.”
Ross says he woke up one day and realized he wanted to change and become a better man, but it was too late, and he had to pay for all his illegal activity that had already infiltrated several states.
“With age comes wisdom. I stop selling drugs about a year and a half before I went to prison. My values changed. A lot of things that I thought were important, weren’t important anymore,” he says. “I’m a lot older and a lot wiser. I believe life is a growing process and as you grow you have to work on bettering yourself every day,” says Ross. “Good is the killer of great,” he says.
At 28-years-old, Ross landed in prison, but eventually, Ross literally read himself to freedom… Although, he was illiterate, he was meticulous when it came to running his businesses. He had built a multimillion-dollar drug empire and trained others to make huge amounts of money, too. He entered prison illiterate, but came out educated. While incarcerated, he taught himself how to read, write, and research his case, which led him to work on getting his life sentence conviction overturned. Ross discovered that his life sentence was handed down under the wrong circumstances, so he ended up spending 20 years versus a life sentence. During his stint in a Texas prison, he read over 300 books, and he says he returned to society, a changed man.
“I took prison and made it work for me. A lot of people go to prison and let prison do them, but I went there and I turned my prison sentence to college and studied.” Ross says.
rick ross (smiling)
According to the Department of Justice, 60 percent of America’s prison inmates are functionally illiterate, and 85 percent of all juvenile offenders have reading problems. In fact, several sources make claims that prisons are built based on Black boys reading scores from the second or third grade level. Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. In the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether. (A Nation Still at Risk, U.S. Department of Education). More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level – far below the level needed to earn a living wage (National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy). The educational careers of 25 to 40 percent of American children are imperiled because they do not read well enough, quickly enough, or easily enough. (Committee on Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children of the National Research Council, 1998). The studies speak for themselves.
An entrepreneur-at-heart, Ross is staying away from drugs and taking the passion and energy that helped him build the massive $900 million dollar drug empire in the early to mid 1980s and put it to use for good. Ross has been free for five years and lives in California, where he runs his literacy foundation, record label, t-shirt and hair weave business.
His autobiography, “Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Story”, was released in June 2014, and his documentary, “Freeway: Crack in the System” is set to be released in theatres across the country on October 17. The documentary will premiere in Los Angeles and New York.
Grateful for another chance to turn his life around for the better, the drug kingpin-turned- philanthropist, and his Freeway Literacy Foundation, is ready to take on the world, one city at a time.
“I believe not being able to read and write limits you to what you can do in life. And, fighting literacy is literally fighting crime,” he explains.
Celebrity Chefs Gina and Pat Neely File for Divorce
After 20 years of marriage, Gina and Pat Neely, from the popular Food Network show Down Home With the Neelys, are divorcing.
Gina Neely filed for the divorce and is citing “irreconcilable differences.”
In a joint statement the couple said the following:
Today we announce that we are ending our marriage of 20 years for irreconcilable differences. This was a tough decision, but we believe it is the best decision for us. As parents of two beautiful adult daughters that we love dearly, we will continue to be involved in each other’s lives as parents and friends. Together we have built a strong brand as The Neely’s. Moving forward our focus will be on our individual brands and we are optimistic about our respective futures. We ask for your prayers as we go through this transition and honor our request for privacy at this time.
The Neelys’ brands include not only the TV show but also a recently released book, as well as a BBQ restaurant in New York City. Last year the couple closed a Memphis, Tenn., restaurant to focus on other ventures, which include partnerships with George Foreman, Green Giant foods and Family Dollar
Meagan Good PARTIES It Up With her Sister for her Birthday In West Hollywood
Meagan Good trekked it to Penthouse nightclub in West Hollywood to party it up at her sister La’Myia Good’s (not pictured) birthday bash. The YBF chick was one of the latest victims of the iCloud hacker who has had their nudes blasted across the Internet. But, she doesn’t seem too fazed...they were for her husband. Loving her hair too.
Sharknado 2 star Vivica A. Fox was spotted on the Hollywood scene. The 50-and-fab starlet landed a role in the stripper flick, Chocolate City. She’s on the set with Tyson Beckford, Michael Jai White, Darrin Hewitt Henson, Ginuwine, Carmen Electra and funnyman DeRay Davis. It's expected to drop early 2015.
Tae Heckard and what appears to be her on-again NBA baller boyfriend Brandon Jennings have been enjoying the L.A. night scene recently. Maybe they'll call the wedding back on?
Keyshia Cole's soon-to-be ex-husband Daniel "Boobie" Gibson came out to party. Wonder what he has to say about his wife's most recent assault antics....
And rapper Too Short was in the mix.
Fun times
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘BAZOOKA JOSEPHINE’
If we had test scores for people that walked into Walmart you would receive an incomplete just because I feel like a 0 out of 10 isn’t low enough.
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
