Lena Waithe for Backstage Magazine - June 2021!
From Backstage: Just because Lena Waithe considers herself first and foremost a writer-producer doesn’t mean she has no advice for actors—on the contrary, her experience on both sides of the audition room table gives her invaluable insights. The “Master of None” Emmy winner has auditioned for Steven Spielberg (successfully) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (unsuccessfully), and had a hand in casting her projects “Queen & Slim,” “Boomerang,” “Twenties,” and more. Read on for Waithe’s thoughts on the audition process, how Hollywood has changed for Black artists in the last decade, and her gold-standard onscreen performance.
What’s one performance you think every actor should see, and why?
I’m definitely gonna pick an Angela Bassett performance, because I think she’s still very underrated…. I would say “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Just because it’s such a harrowing performance [as Tina Turner], and she’s so transformative. You feel everything. You’re just with her the whole time. And it just knocks you out every time you watch it because she doesn’t leave anything on the floor; she just lays it all out. It’s a beautiful way of honoring someone else’s life, too. She’s so amazing. And I would say that even if she didn’t play my mom [on “Master of None”]. You know, I had that connection to her before that. I think that’s why we had such a unique chemistry because it’s as if we’d known each other. That’s what I told her: “I feel like I know you.”
How did you first get your SAG-AFTRA card?
I think I got that from “Master of None.” Because I don’t think I earned it with “The Comeback.” Yeah, “Master of None,” for sure. And it was Allison Jones who cast me in [both shows]!
Let’s talk audition prep. Have you gone through that process often, or are you mostly on the other side of the audition room table?
I’ve definitely auditioned! It was funny, because someone was teasing me and saying, “Oh, you don’t really audition.” I auditioned for “Ready Player One”; it was those amazing casting directors who had obviously worked with Spielberg before. I love casting directors. I definitely respect them and what they do. It was super scary. But he wasn’t in the room, by the way. And then I had a callback and they really helped me. They were like, “OK, it’s big. It’s over the top, do this.”
But I could tell that I had hooked the part before I even opened my mouth. Because of the way I walked in the room and how the energy shifted, I could feel it. Maybe because I’d been on the other side of auditions before, by that point…. You can just feel it, you can feel it! They were almost looking at me like, “Where have you been? What is this? What’s going on?” Without them saying anything, there was just an immediate connection. I was like, this is a cool energy.
Do you have an audition horror story you could share with us
I auditioned for Allison [Jones]—actually with Julia Louis-Dreyfus—for a role on “Veep.” And I definitely didn’t get it because I jacked up that audition! I didn’t know Julia was gonna be reading with me. And I remember being so frustrated with Allison. I was like, “Why didn’t you tell me that she was gonna be in the room?” But I think Allison’s probably like, “What? Yeah, of course she’s gonna be in there.” But it was so many people, I just completely botched that.... I’m not, like, classically trained, as they would say. And I just was really nervous and freaked out.
Have you ever done anything crazy to book a role?
I’ve never been in that position. No, I haven’t done anything crazy.
Is that partly because working on a bunch of other projects makes auditioning easier? So you don’t feel pressure auditioning for Spielberg, for example?
I’ll be honest, I didn’t feel a major pressure for Spielberg. I thought it was a fun thing to do. Like, yeah, of course, I’ll go audition for this thing. The thing is, I’m a fan of this stuff. I’m a fan of movies, I’m a fan of television. So for me, it’s exciting.
Get more at Backstage!
#RHOA: Porsha Williams Celebrates Her Fiancé's 57th Birthday with 2 Extravagant Cakes!
Porsha Williams' fiancé just celebrated his 57th birthday, and he did it in the sweetest possible way. The Real Housewives of Atlanta bride-to-be — who announced her engagement to Simon Guobadia in May — shared a peek inside her future husband's festivities. And it was hard to miss the two extravagant cakes.
"Happy Birthday Fiancé!" Porsha wrote, captioning a June 2 snap that showed Simon standing in front of a dessert table. The spread included one cake that was shaped like an open cigar box. It had an edible cigar at its base, along with a white birthday banner that looked like a plume of smoke.
For his second cake, Porsha's husband-to-be had a two-tiered, two-tone confection. The base layer was iced in midnight blue frosting with gold accents, while the top tier was white and gold. The cake had white roses and a festive "Happy Birthday" sign on top, and it was studded with gold and black macarons.
The cake matched Simon's birthday party decor, which included gold-and-black balloons and a gilded arrangement of roses.
"Nothing but the best for you babe!" Porsha wrote.
#MusicNews: Diana Ross Announces First New Album in 15 Years, Shares Song ‘Thank You’!
Diana Ross has announced a new album called Thank You—her first record in 15 years and her first LP of original material in 22 years. “This collection of songs is my gift to you with appreciation and love,” Ross said in a statement. “I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to record this glorious music at this time. I dedicate this songbook of love to all of you, the listeners. As you hear my voice you hear my heart.” The album is out September 10 via Decca; the title track is out now, and you can listen to it HERE.
Thank You will feature collaborations with Jack Antonoff, Jimmy Napes, Tayla Parx, Spike Stent, and more. Her last album was 2006’s I Love You, and her last album of original material was 1999’s Every Day Is a New Day..
#HipHopNews: RECAP: Eve and Trina’s VERZUZ Battle: The details!
The hip-hop icons went head-to-head for over 20 rounds, playing hits from the past two decades
Eve and Trina were the latest MCs to duel on VERZUZ. They went head-to-head earlier this evening, playing hits from their respective catalogs for over 20 rounds. Trina defended her home turf from Miami, while Eve appeared live from London. Find the full TIDAL playlist below.
DJ Nasty opened the night, paying tribute to late rap legend Tupac Shakur, who would have turned 50 today. Trina started things off with the title track from her 2014 album Who’s Bad, and Eve
followed up with her 2007 Swizz Beatz–produced single “Tambourine.” Later in the night, when Trina performed her remix of Trick Daddy’s “Nann,” she brought out the rapper. Trina also revealed that the VERZUZ location held a special significance for her. “We are actually in the same building I recorded this video in,” she said.
Eve and Trina paid tribute to 2Pac and Missy Elliott during tonight’s battle. Both women rapped along to tracks by Elliott: Trina did her Elliott/Ludacris collab “One Minute Man,” while Eve played her and Elliott’s “4 My People” and the “Hot Boyz” remix featuring Lil’ Mo, Nas, and Q-Tip. Elliott later tweeted in response: “I want to say this I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL because I’ve been on a lot of artist verzuz & I want to thank those AMAZING artist who believed in me as a Writer/Producer or just a artist I love yall 4 the love yall shown me.”
It was a friendly face-off that included mutual praise from the rappers. “I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else than my sister Eve,” Trina said at one point, later dedicating the evening to “all the females in hip-hop.” The night ended with a fresh release from Trina called “Receipts.”
Back in April (specifically, on April 20), friends and collaborators Redman and Method Man “battled” during a “How High 4/20 Special” on the platform. Last month, VERZUZ founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland reunited for a rematch.
Wendy Williams Alleges Foxy Brown Had A Sexual Relationship W/ Jay-Z!’
Will Wendy Williams soon be able to add Foxy Brown and Jay-Z to her long list of celebrity feuds?
Earlier today (Wednesday, June 16th), Wendy Williams spoke on Foxy Brown‘s upcoming memoir during her talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. Foxy Brown just recently announced the book, and it’s being written by Kim Osorio.
Wendy Williams stated:
“Foxy Brown has a memoir coming out in December. You might not care… [The book] is calling up on the most controversial moments of her history and life and hip-hop and so on and so forth. Kim [Osorio], please don’t be weak with this writing. Please–if you’re gonna tell it, tell it good. Foxy is very open about her life… but I remember when Foxy and Jay-Z had ‘I’ll Be’–Foxy was the star of that.”
However, Wendy Williams wasn’t just going to speak on the memoir and give Foxy Brown her flowers for “I’ll Be.” The talk show host then claimed:
“[Jay-Z and Foxy Brown were] allegedly a romantical thing. Alright, I’ll say alleged–but we know, we know. Yeah, she hit it before Beyoncé! Allegedly. Mhm.”
At this point in the episode, Wendy Williams then proceeded to make fun of Foxy Brown‘s hearing loss, claiming that she hopes the rapper figures out how to produce an audio version of the memoir. Wendy said This is not necessarily a book that I would read, but this is a book that I would hear on tape. The thing is that Foxy can’t do her book on tape [due to her hearing issues]. But get somebody to put this book on tape!”
What do you think about Wendy Williams’ comments
Fashion Designer Maxie James Calls Out Designer Michael Costello, Accuse Him of Using the N-Word!
Fashion designer Michael Costello is in hot water after several accusations have come out about him being a bully, a racist, and a sexual harasser.
It started in March when Courtney Stodden called out Chrissy Teigen for bullying her on Twitter in 2012 after she married 50-year-old acting coach Doug Hutchison when she was just 16. Teigen issued a lengthy apology on Monday dubbing herself a “troll” and admitting that her “targets didn’t deserve” any of her “past horrible tweets.” She also said that there are other people she used to troll on Twitter back in the day that she is working on apologizing to now.
But shortly after posting her apology, Costello accused Teigen of making a false accusation about him being a racist in 2014 after she alleged that he used the n-word. Costello said this not only made him lose business but also had him contemplating suicide claiming that “for the past 7 years, I’ve lived with a deep, unhealed trauma.” Costello also shared screenshots of him reaching out to the mother of two to talk, and of her telling him that “racist people like you deserve to suffer and die.”
However, the tables have turned, and Costello is now the accused.
Maxie James, who is also a fashion designer, is claiming that she is the one that Costello called the N-word. In a June 16 interview with The Jasmine Brand, James claims Teigen was just “defending” herself and even alleged that she had gotten into a “fistfight in a fabric store” with Costello. James also denied Costello’s claims of him calling her the N-word online being photoshopped. She said that lie was created by his “PR team spinning it around.”
James claims the incident started when she first got into the fashion industry and Costello bought one of her dresses for $200 just to resell it on his platform as his own for $1000.
She said she posted his receipt and the picture of him reposting the dress on Instagram, and it went viral. That’s when he called her the N-word in the comments of the post as he was defending himself against the commenters. She said a year later, they crossed paths in a fabric store, and at first glance, he didn’t recognize her, but after the store clerk said her name he remembered. James said Costello walked over to her and said, “Oh, I remember you, you’re that Black n-gger b-tch that tried to sabotage my business.” James claimed Costello proceeded to take her phone out of her hand and throw it on the floor, causing it to shatter.
After the police came and witnesses sided with her saying “he definitely abused her first,” James declined the opportunity to press charges so that he wouldn’t press any against her. However, the next day he posted a photo of him bruised and battered and hashtagged her business name under the photo. Many of his supporters called her a “monster” in the comments, but one of Costello’s team members recognized the photo as being one from an old bar fight a year ago and told her that in her DMs.
James said once she posted videos of her Instagram of the store owner confirming her statement, she said, “all those pictures that had my brand hashtagged under it were gone.” She said she let the situation go and deleted the photos when she saw he deleted them. When she saw everything going on between Costello and Teigen, fans of hers tagged her under the post, and that’s when she decided to speak out about the incident.
On top of that, on the same day as James’ interview, makeup artist Jordan Liberty accused Costello of sexual harassment while he was going through chemotherapy. “Randomly he sends me a collage of d-ck pics,” and his reaction “is this guy for real.” Liberty said he felt “immediately uncomfortable” and said, “can we just normalize if people send you pictures like that without your consent that should be considered a form of harassment or assault.”
Costello hasn’t responded to James nor Liberty at the time of this writing.
Megan Rapinoe Among Group Of 'Trailblazing' Women Replacing Victoria's Secret Angels!
Victoria's Secret marketing is about to look quite different.
The embattled lingerie brand announced a new marketing direction on Wednesday featuring a group of faces intended to move it beyond its famous "Angel" models. One of those faces: USWNT star Megan Rapinoe.
That may sound like a surprise for those who are familiar with both Rapinoe, one of the most outspoken progressive voices in sports, and Victoria's Secret, which has long drawn criticism for its narrow reinforcement of women's beauty standards, but it's reflective of the change needed for a brand that has seen its market share sink for years.
As the brand's new head told The New York Times, it's a change that has been a long time coming:
“When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond,” said Martin Waters, the former head of Victoria’s Secret’s international business who was appointed chief executive of the brand in February. “We needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want.”
Waters told the Times that Victoria's Secret's famous "Angels," quite possibly the most recognizable group of supermodels in the world, will be phased out, saying he doesn't see them as being "culturally relevant."
Or, as Rapinoe had to say about the brand's past marketing strategy:
It was, Ms. Rapinoe said bluntly, “patriarchal, sexist, viewing not just what it meant to be sexy but what the clothes were trying to accomplish through a male lens and through what men desired. And it was very much marketed toward younger women.” That message, she said, was “really harmful.”
In the Angels' place will be the "VS Collective," a group of seven women that includes Rapinoe and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
While Rapinoe appears set to be a new face of Victoria's Secret, it sounds like you shouldn't expect to frequently see the USWNT captain in skimpy underwear.
Instead, the VS Collective will apparently factor heavily into marketing materials and even feature heavily in a podcast. Rapinoe and Chopra Jonas will also reportedly introduce new product lines next spring.
From the Times: “Of course there will be people who are like, ‘Does this make sense?’” said Ms. Rapinoe, who acknowledged that when she was first approached, “I, too, was like, ‘What? Why do you want to work with me?’” She said she had been convinced by the willingness of the brand’s executives to acknowledge their mistakes and history, and by the fact that her role is not limited to the typical “brand ambassadorship,” but extends to consulting on language the company uses, the assortment of products it offers and narrative it’s putting out.
In addition to Rapinoe and Chopra Jonas, the VS Collective also features South Sudanese refugee and model Adut Akech, Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu, photographer and #Girlgaze founder Amanda de Cadenet, model and inclusivity advocate Paloma Elsesser and Brazilian trans model Valentina Sampaio.
With her new marketing deal, Rapinoe will add Victoria's Secret to a list of endorsements that includes Nike, Subway, Clif Bar, Schmidt's deodorant and life insurance firm Symetra, per KRCR.
Rapinoe has become one of the most recognizable female athletes in the world thanks to two Women's World Cup titles, an Olympic gold medal, a Golden Boot and a Ballon d'Or, as well her willingness to speak out on a litany of issues with reporters and on social media.
Victoria's Secret has been struggling lately
This may all sound like an extreme about-face for the biggest name in lingerie, but Victoria's Secret is doing this for a reason.
The brand's numbers have been lagging for years, which many have blamed on the outdated stereotypes baked into its marketing and limited range of sizes. The company’s share of the U.S. women’s underwear market reportedly decreased from 32 percent in 2015 to 21 percent in 2020 as its competitors took advantage of market segments it refused to approach.
The COVID-19 pandemic also didn't help, with a quarter of physical Victoria's Secret stores closed in 2020.
In addition to those problems, even worse for the company's reputation were stories of a male-dominated, misogynistic executive cultures and the close ties between chief executive Leslie Wexner and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
We'll see if Rapinoe and company are be able to reverse all of that.
Nick Cannon Welcomes Twin Boys With Abby De La Rosa -- Zion Mixolydian And Zillion Heir Canon!
Nick Cannon is dad for the …fifth AND sixth time.
via The Blast: The 40-year-old radio host, actor, and entertainer welcomed two beautiful baby boys into the world with the help of the twin’s mother, Abby De La Rosa, of course! Abby announced the big news on Instagram on Wednesday, June 16. She revealed that the twins were born two days ago.
Welcome to the world Zion Mixolydian Cannon & ZIllion Heir Cannon #Myworld #twinboys,” Abby captioned a heartwarming video of mommy with the two baby boys.
Cannon and De La Rosa announced that they were expecting twins in April with a stunning maturity photo that has since been deleted.
“Our dearest sons – my miracle babies, Thank you for choosing me to be your Mommy,” she wrote at the time. “I know the Lord has destined me and prepared me for the gift of not one but two little angels.”
Abby revealed that she’s already given Zillion Heir the nickname, Zilly. She shared a cute pic with both of the boy’s hands and set her IG story to the song, “To Zion” by Lauren Hill.
The two new bundles of joy make Nick a father of six. He shares twins Monroe and Moroccan, 10, with Mariah Carey, he has a four-year-old son named Golden, and a 6-month-old daughter named Powerful Queen.
But wait, there’s more! Cannon is also expecting a seventh child, his third in 2021. He is reportedly expecting another son with model Alyssa Scott, according to PEOPLE. I guess we now know why he has a ton of jobs! Congrats!
Rick James’ Intense Rivalry With Prince Nearly Came to Blows
In the new documentary “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James,” the late funk icon’s friends and confidants open up James’ chaotic relationship with The Purple One.
There are a number of eye-opening revelations in Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, a new documentary on the late funk legend from filmmaker Sacha Jenkins (Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men).
In the film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be broadcast later this year on Showtime, friends and family offer candid testimony of how the “Super Freak” and “Give It to Me Baby” singer suffered from a crippling addiction to cocaine, pills, and alcohol—and how those substances often made him monstrous, culminating in a 1990 conviction for the brutal kidnapping and assault of a woman that landed him in Folsom Prison.
James was a complicated figure—undeniably brilliant and deeply troubled. He was molested at the age of 8 by one of his mother’s friends and never seemed able to rid himself of the demons that haunted him. He was also territorial, and when a funky new artist by the name of Prince exploded on the scene, James saw the musical prodigy as a threat to his throne.
“My manager brought some tapes over and said, ‘Well, there’s this kid who’s got this record, ‘I Want to Be Your Lover,’ and I loved that record. And I saw some videos of him, and he was cool. I felt that he resembled us a lot,” offers James in the documentary, courtesy of archival audio, before adding, “Prince was givin’ me hell on the road.”
Prince wound up as James’ opening act on his 1980 Fire It Up tour, and things got tense, according to James’ friends and experts surveyed in Bitchin’.
“Oh my god. Rick had a love-hate relationship with Prince,” offers critic Steven Ivory. “He loved him because he loved what Prince was about—he loved the swagger, he loved the music. He hated him because Prince gave him heat.”
“Rick definitely had an attitude with Prince,” adds Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic. “They just was competin’ with one another.”
As the story goes, James became incensed when 22-year-old Prince began copying some of his concert moves.
“Rick got mad when Prince would watch us onstage and do the same goddamn shit,” explains Levi Ruffin Jr., James’ bassist. “Prince was like, what, 21, 22? We couldn’t do what a 21- or 22-year-old dude could do anymore. We tried! But we had a lot of B-12 shots and shit that we used to have to take.”
Kerry Gordy, James’ former manager, expands on the feud further: “Rick would go ooh-ooh!, and his audience would go crazy every time he would do that, and Prince would start doing the ooh-ooh! before Rick would come out. Rick was like, ‘Man, you can’t do that ooh-ooh! stuff, that’s what I do!’ And Prince was like, ‘Dude, you don’t have a monopoly on ooh-ooh! I can do what the fuck I wanna do!’”
On top of all that, in James’ memoir Glow, the musician described an incident where he angrily confronted Prince after he refused James’ mother an autograph backstage.
I chased after that little turd. I caught up with him and was about to lay him out when his manager stepped in.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Rick?” asked the manager.
I told him Prince had dissed Mom and that I was gonna kick his scrawny ass. Prince explained that he didn’t know who Mom was.
“Well, now you know, motherfucker,” I said.
“Prince will be happy to apologize to your mother,” said the manager, “and he will be happy to apologize to you.”
Prince apologized to Mom and apologized to me. I was a little disappointed ’cause I really did wanna kick his ass.
“I remember being on shows with Rick and Prince, and they would pull plugs on each other, gettin’ ready to go to blows,” adds Collins.
Yet the blows never came—thanks in no small part to peacemakers like Nile Rodgers of Chic, who tried to explain to the hotheaded James that he and Prince are cut from the same cloth—two virtuosic talents who strut to their own rhythm.
“I used to always say to Rick, ‘We all are just doing our own kind of thing. Prince is Prince, you’re you—we all have our own identity when it comes to the world of funk,’” says Rodgers.
Author David Ritz, who collaborated with James on his posthumously published autobiography, sums it up best: “I think whenever the master sees an acolyte who might be younger and hotter, the master gets a little nervous.”
Simone Biles’ Brother Acquitted of Triple Homicide Acquittal Mother of Victim attacks Him!
The brother of Simone Biles was acquitted of charges in the murder of Delvante Johnson, a 19-year-old who was killed in 2018 during a New Year’s Eve party in Cleveland. On Tuesday (June 15), Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg filed a motion to dismiss several counts of murder, voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault against Tevin Biles-Thomas, noting there was inadequate evidence to make a conviction.
Upon hearing the news, a woman identified as Johnson’s mother immediately reacted, charging toward the defendant after screaming the words, “You have to be fucking kidding me. He killed my baby! You know he killed my baby!”
Simone Biles lands unprecedented move in triumphant return to competition
Sheriff’s deputies were able to prevent her from getting to Biles-Thomas.
Biles-Thomas was arrested in 2019 in connection with the fatal shooting of Johnson. Per CNN, a group of people crashed a party on Dec. 31, 2018, prompting a fight that quickly devolved into a shooting. Johnson was one of three people killed amid the gunfire.
For the last two and a half years, Biles-Thomas maintained his innocence as prosecutors attempted to form a case against him. However, none of the witnesses that took the stand said that he was the gunman. Joseph Patituce, the defense attorney representing Biles-Thomas, added that the jacket his client wore on the night of the shooting was a different color than described in a key witness’ testimony. The lack of evidence eventually led to the judge’s ruling and the violent response from the murder victim’s mother.
“We get it, she’s angry, Patituce told Fox 8 Cleveland of the reaction from Johnson’s mother. “We don’t fault her for that. She lost a son and we understand, and we respect the fact that she has suffered horribly, her family has suffered horribly, just like the other families — including Mr. Biles[-Thomas]. I mean, Mr. Biles[-Thomas]’ own cousin was murdered in this case, and he had to sit there and stand trial with the accusation that he was responsible, murdered his own cousin, which simply wasn’t true.”
Will Smith To Host One-Hour Comedy Special On Netflix Later This Year!
Netflix announced Wednesday that Will Smith is set to star in his first-ever one-hour comedy special.
The show will debut later this year on the streaming giant produced by Smith’s Westbrook Studios. The show will feature celebrity guests, comedic sketches, meaningful conversations, musical performances, and more.
The actor will serve as executive producer alongside Westbrook Studios Terence Carter, Miguel Melendez, and Sahara Bushue.
Smith and Westbrook’s studios are also currently working on a remake of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series, titled Bel-Air. According to HypeBeast, the show is based on Morgan Cooper’s viral video reimagining the ’90s sitcom. Peacock has ordered two seasons of the forthcoming series.
Megan Thee Stallion Covers Funeral Costs For Fan Who Died Unexpectedly!
Megan Thee Stallion is continuing to support her fans. On Tuesday (June 15), the "Thot Sh*t" rapper stepped up to help cover the funeral expenses of a Hottie named Shaniah, who recently passed away.
"Meg we lost a hottie 😭 our best friend passed away unexpectedly,” the late fan's friend, Selena, wrote to Megan on Twitter Tuesday evening. “They absolutely loved you, listening to ur songs was something we did every time we were together. We’re helping their family w funeral costs. We started a gofundme & are halfway there. @theestallion.”
Hours later, the Houston native responded to the tweet, writing, “How much do y’all need?” To which the fan, responded $8,000. Within minutes, Megan replied with three hearts and a screenshot of her donation.
Following the "WAP" rapper's donation, Selena spoke to Complex about how much it meant to Shaniah’s family, who is now able to pay for her memorial service.
“This has been incredibly overwhelming and we are so thankful to Meg,” she told the outlet. “Shaniah, one of my best friends passed away unexpectedly last week. Shocked and confused myself and two of Shaniah’s other best friends came together to help Shaniah’s family with the funeral. A gofundme was created almost immediately for the funeral but the cost for everything continued to increase. Between the cemetery and funeral home it was going to cost 16k and we had only reached around 7600 and had exhausted all our resources."
She added, “Shaniah and I always listened to Meg together and talked about her. We are such huge fans and I thought I would take a leap and see if we could reach her and just have her rt the gofundme link to reach more people for any possible help with donations. We all came together and asked everyone to tag Meg in hopes of reaching her and somehow it worked.”
Selena set up the GoFundMe campaign three days ago with a target of $16,000.
Travis Scott Shows Love To ‘Wifey’ Kylie Jenner At Parsons Benefit!
Travis Scott is showing his love for Kylie Jenner. While accepting an award at the Parsons Benefit in New York on Tuesday (June 15), the Houston rapper shouted out the mother of his child. At the end of his speech, Travis acknowledged Kylie and their 3-year-old daughter, Stormi Webster.
“Stormi, I love you and wifey, I love you,” he said, according to E! News.
Jenner flew to New York this week to support Travis as he was honored at the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit at The Rooftop at Pier 17. She shared a photo of the two coupled up with Travis’ hands around her waist.
They also posed for photos as a family of three, marking their first major red carpet event together since the premiere of Travis’ Netflix documentary, Look Mom I Can Fly, in October 2019.
Their public reunion comes amid reports that the two are back together. Last month, TMZ claimed that the on-again, off-again couple had reconciled after breaking up in late 2019. However, Kylie shut down rumors that they were in an “open relationship.”
Nicki Minaj’s Mom Files $150 Million Lawsuit On Two Companies For Negligence In Robert Maraj’s Hit-And-Run Death!
The death of a family member can be tough for anyone, but we’re sure it’s even more difficult when going through that pain in the public eye. For a world-renowned hip-hop superstar like Nicki Minaj, you can add about 100-times that pressure.
With that said, it was very hard news to hear when it was reported earlier this year that her father, Robert Maraj, was killed in a hit-and-run accident back in February. Of course we’d expect that to be particularly rough on Minaj’s mom, Carol Maraj, but it’s looking like Mama Minaj wants a big payout for her loss — think $150 million big!
As outlets like The Jasmine Brand are reporting, Carol Maraj is seeking monetary damages against Keyspan Energy and Robert J. Banker Construction for negligence in the death of Robert Maraj. Keyspan was reportedly contracted by the city to replace the lighting at the intersection where Robert was killed.
Based off Mrs. Maraj’s claims, “[Robert’s death] was due and occasioned by the negligent acts of defendant KEYSTONE, its agents, servants and superiors in the performance of work, maintenance, operation and control of the subject worksite with utter disregard of the result upon the rights and safety of the plaintiff, either alone or in conjunction with its agents.”
Robert J. Banker Construction comes into the picture because, as Maraj also claims, they were hired to work on the same intersection. She feels like both companies failed to keep the worksite safe, thus giving way to the turn of events that took Robert Maraj‘s life.
The driver, Charles Polevich, was originally sued for $150 million as well for his part in the killing and fleeing the scene afterward. The 70-year-old hit back though by denying any wrongdoing, claiming Robert was, “reckless, careless and negligent in crossing the street.” Polevich not only has an excuse for his fleeing — “personal emergency” — but also wants the case dismissed altogether. A judge has not yet ruled on his request.
We pray that Carol Maraj, Nicki and their entire family can find peace during this time. As far as the $150 million lawsuit, well, bless up.
Jada Pinkett-Smith Shares Lyrics For Song Tupac Wrote For Her During Prison Stint!
In honor of what would be Tupac’s 50th birthday, Jada Pinkett-Smith shared a previously-unseen gift.
Wednesday, June 16th will mark what would be the 50th birthday of Tupac Shakur. In honor of the date, his childhood friend Jada Pinkett-Smith shared an early gift to his fans–a previously-unseen song lyrics that Pac shared with her during his stint at Rikers Island in 1995.
“I went down memory lane, over the years Pac wrote me many letters and many poems,” she wrote, while showing her followers the handwritten letter of a song titled “Lost Soulz.” ” This one has never been published…I don’t think he would’ve minded that I share this with you guys.”
Jada pointed out that Tupac did have another song titled “Lost Souls” with the Outlawz on the Gang Related soundtrack, but she believes the letter contains the track’s original concept. Take a look at the lyrics in the video HERE.
“As we prepare to celebrate his legacy,” Pinkett wrote, “let’s remember him for that which we loved most…his way with words. Here are a few [you] may have never heard before. Happy “you goin’ to be 50 at midnight” Birthday Pac! I got next.”
Pinkett-Smith and Tupac met at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where they became close friends as they eventually entered the entertainment business.
In honor of Tupac’s legacy, Sirius XM is dedicating an entire channel offering a “comprehensive journey through the genius of [his] full musical career” for the month of June. Tune in for a limited time on Sirius XM channel 104.
Coca-Cola Lost $4 Billion In Market Value After Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Suggested People Drink Water Instead!
Coca-Cola's market value dropped by $4 billion on Monday after Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed its drinks.
The Portugal captain shifted two bottles of Coke away from him at a Euro 2020 press conference.
He held up a bottle of water and appeared to indicate he preferred it to the soft drink.
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The soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's gesture at a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday wiped $4 billion off Coca-Cola's market value.
Coca-Cola's shares, which had opened at about $56.17, had fallen by 1.6%, to $55.22, by the end of the press conference. Its market value dropped by $4 billion, to $238 billion from $242 billion. The soft-drink manufacturer's shares continued to slide on Tuesday, falling by 0.3%.
Coca-Cola's stock price dropped on Monday after Ronaldo snubbed the company's beverages.
Markets Insider
The company's decline in market value was an outlier compared to the entire S&P 500, which rose 0.4% on Monday. The broad-based stock market index is up 13% so far this year, compared to Coca-Cola's 0.6% rise in 2021.
Shares in one of the largest bottlers of the drink, Coca-Cola Bottling, fell by 4% on Monday. It's down by 8% in the past week.
"The coincidental drop in Coca-Cola's stock could very well be a spurious correlation to the comment made by Cristiano Ronaldo," Nicholas Johnson, equity analyst at Morningstar, said in a note to Insider. "Celebrities do play a role in the positioning of brands in consumers' minds, but the extent of this is much more limited for an iconic brand like Coca-Cola."
All carbonated soft drink brands are facing some form of "secular pressure" from greater awareness around health and wellness, according to Johnson. But he thinks even the most loyal Ronaldo fan won't stop drinking the beverage because of the incident.
"It's also worth noting the breadth of Coca-Cola's portfolio, which spans healthier options, like zero sugar, all the way to water brands like Dasani and SmartWater," he said.
Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, reportedly said in a statement that "everyone is entitled to their drink preferences" and has differing "tastes and needs."
A Euro 2020 spokesperson said: "Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conference."
Ronaldo has previously expressed disapproval of Coca-Cola and other unhealthy foods and beverages. His fitness routine is said to involve eating six meals and taking five naps in a typical day.
He has said he gets irritated with his son Cristiano Jr., who likes to drink the soda.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘WHILE PARKING AT WALMART’
While I was Parking at Walmart. Did you see it?
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Chocolate Ben
Meet Ben! You can see more when GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!
EFREM
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